Cicero Hartsfield Memorial Service

oh very easy okay okay okay hello know me keep it down three um is okay my god um oh um um okay okay thank foreign oh oh now okay lord that good um okay okay is she uh okay you are gone is every hallelujah is is hallelujah is is yes yes he is is is is is every praise every place yes he is yes he is is and is is hallelujah every prayer you see is is yes he is is when one is and every prayer is when you see me dancing every praise prayer every praise every praise um is foreign is okay and the people of god said amen we give god the praise to celebrate the life amen a brother itis cicero heartfield our life well lived amen we thank god for his grace and his mercy we do give honor to our presiding bishop in his absence bishop frank madison reid the third we do honor bishop john white amen we we honor all of the ministers who are present and most definitely to this family i want to encourage you in this time of need to keep looking to god because through everything we've been through he's been there and he promised us he'll never leave us nor forsake us so even in this moment he's still right there with us and every now and then just whisper prayer so you can feel his presence and i just want you to know that we are continually praying for you that we will be able to help you through this most difficult moment amen and so we have an order of service that we are going to follow today we're going to ask now that uh pastor byron crockett from the first seventh day adventist church of huntsville alabama will come and lead us in prayer and we shall continue the program as printed if the family could remain seated if we could all stand as we talk to our creator great is the lord and you are greatly to be praised in the city of our god in the mountains of his holiness for you o god are our god forever and ever and you will be our guide even unto death so hear our cry oh god and attending to our prayer for you god you are a refuge and strength of very present help and trouble and we definitely need your help we need help to navigate through this night this night when a father a husband a uncle a brother and a friend cicero heartsville has fought the good fight this night as we attempt to do what only the hands of god can do piece back together our broken hearts this night as we wrestle with this new reality on this night yes we mourn but we do not mourn like others mourn because your word is sure that the weeping may endure for at night joy it's coming in the morning and so with tears in our eyes and pain in every fiber of our being and sorrow all in our hearts somehow some way we're still able to dig deep and say thank you for blessing not just the hartsfield family not just the city of tallahassee not just the state of florida not just fam you community but the entire world with mr cicero hartsfield we we say thank you for a life well-lived one that was pleasing in your sight we say thank you for the lives that have been impacted by his life today we say thank you for the legacy that he has left for his family to carry on we say thank you that he will never have to suffer again no more pain no more sorrow no more tears somehow someway god even with the pain that we are feeling today we say thank you fill this place with your presence fill it with your love and continuously minister to the heartsville family in this their time of need this is our prayer and your majesty we pray amen and amen praise the lord everybody praise the lord everybody as it's of a good brother who planted good seeds he if he would say something to us today where he is now he would not return he will say this to us my prayers have all been answered i finally arrived the healing that has been delayed it's nice no one's in a hurry no more schedules to keep i'm enjoying jesus sitting at his feet if you can see me now i'm walking streets of gold if you can see me now i'm standing tall and hold if you could see me now you know i've seen him face to face if you could all only see me now he would say this though i've had some sorrows nothing can compare what jesus has in store for me nothing can't compare you would not want me to ever leave this place if you see i'm walking streets ago if you could see me now i'm standing tall and oh if you could see me now you know i've seen him face the face if you could see see me now see see me now then he would say this to us he was saying i'm free praise the lord i'm free no longer bound no more chains are holding me my soul is resting that's just another blessing praise the lord hallelujah i'm free praise the lord hallelujah i'm free praise the lord hallelujah i'm free i'm free amen come on somebody bless the lord bless the lord in this house amen we'll continue to worship now with our old testament scripture reading by sister christie hartsfield all about new testament scripture reading brother michael slauson well cicero would start by saying hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah give god the glory in all things oh gosh okay so um i'm reading the old testament but before i do i just want to say i have been in this position with richie and nana and then strawberry and now i'm cassicro i'm just going to say if you want me to read your scripture call me if you want me to say something i'll pick up the phone and call me we don't have to always do it like this but bless god on the program it says lamentations chapter 3 verses 22 through 26 but i'm gonna start at 21 because it says but this i call to mind and therefore i have hope so we will have to remember this the steadfast love of the lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning great is your faithfulness the lord is my portion says my soul therefore i will hope in him the lord is good to those who wait for him to the soul who seeks him it is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the lord this in the scripture verse 25 it says the lord is good to those who wait for him sometimes we may mistake weight of not doing anything and staying still and sometimes that is it but sometimes while we're waiting we're working and we're having people feel the love and we're showing love while we're waiting it doesn't mean to be paralyzed or still sometimes weight just means you wait till you know what the next thing to do but we know that we have to carry out the love the love of god the love that uncle cecil showed so the word of god for the people of god good morning everyone um the the preacher when he was praying he said um our joy comes in the morning and cicero's joy came last tuesday morning and i can imagine cicero talking to jesus right now and saying tell him father and jesus saying i told him already he said well just tell him again so i'm gonna go to john 14 verses one through four and it says let not your heart be troubled you believe in god believe also in me in my father's house are many mansions and if it were not so i would not have told you i go to prepare a place for you and if i go to prepare a place for you i will come again and receive you until myself that where i am there you may be also and whether i go you know and the way you know um there's one more thing i want to say before i sit down is um cousin joni i love you i'm gonna be there for you whenever you need me just call me and um i did not realize how photogenic cicero was until i came down here he's a good looking dude and then um i'll be singing a few selections today okay i pray you'll be our eyes and watch us where we go help us to be wise in times when we don't know let this be our prayer when we lose lead us to a place guide us with your grace paining sorrow will be ended and every heart that's broken will be mended and we'll remember we are all god's children reaching out to touch you reaching to the sky and then another uncle cicero always said all the time was hallelujah anyhow i believe was one of his favorite songs oh anyhow anyhow anyhow um any house anyhow and he oh thank you amen amen amen thank god for songs that help us to reflect on those we love songs that make a difference and help us to recall the love that that person had for us and what they meant to us as we prepare now for our words from comfort by bishop john f white amen we ask that those who will come for reflections after the bishop is done if you will begin to use the podiums to decide oh taste and see the lord is good and his mercies endureth forever matthew gospel says unto us well done thy good and faithful servant thou has been faithful over a few things i will make your ruler over many things enter thou into the joy of the lord to this very family and to all of you who share in that which remain mortal in the life of cicero servant of god well done some time ago on a similar occasion shared the story of the old testament about king david i feel it is very appropriate to share with you today so read that one day king david was visibly shaken and sad at heart a close friend a lawyer comrade in his army and a distinguished hero has been fallen when king david recovered from his shark he turned to his servant said do you not know a prince of a man has fallen this day in israel i'm here to confirm a prince and a great man has fallen in tallahassee as a servant of the king of kings i say to you that a good friend of ours a prince among men a humble person before his creator and in love of god left this earthly life to a new and glorious life in his heavenly father's home this is a tender hour but in no wise an hour of tragedy there's something utterly appropriate about the going of this our brother who have lived a long happy and useful life who put so much of goodness and kindness love service for others and loyalty to god it is highly appropriate that such a person of this caliber goes home to home for which you've journeyed for 65 years he now has been released from the shadows of this world now resting in the bosom of his lord this is not a time of darkness but rather it's a time of light it is not an hour where we exaggerate grief but is an hour in which we comprehend that we feel within our hearts and passing of our loved one our friend for the gap is always wide between our love and our words our feelings and our speech but is a simple way to let us reflect upon the fuel of the blessings which this hour brings to our hearts and mind how poor would man be without memory memory is the only paradise out of which we cannot be cast it was a false statement that shakespeare shakespeare put in the mouth of mark anthony when he made him say his oration over the body of assassinated caesar the evil that men do live after them the good is often entered into their bones it is indeed a truth evil deeds and evil men cast long and dark shadows but it is not true whether a good man do enter into their bones nothing is more certain than the blessed influence of a just and a godly person the gospel of john speaks truthfully in the resurrect revelation when he wrote blessed is the dead who died in the lord from henceforth he said the spirit that they rest from their labor and their works will follow them cicero was a dedicated christian gentleman he loved his god he loved his children and his entire family he loved fam you and he loved himself some journey words or portuguese with which to fashion and appreciate that all of our hearts would like to express today the distance between abstraction and the living reality is always great but never more baffling than when we tried to state the meaning conveyed by one who lived intimately with us and gave himself fully to the lord whom he served through his church i'm happy however not knowing for how all who share the christian hope our brother cicero touches us today as he did when he was with us at the point where we must need to renew and confirm the work of christian living in this service he has given a word that says darkness does not blot out the sky the stars but it only make them shine more brightly and this thought john with the proverbs which says the spirit of a man is the cattle of the lord suggests the way in which cicero let his light shine before rush this servant of god brought us a light of faith he believed that the universe is dependent upon on the side of the good and that underneath the marks lands of sin and the shift in sands of doubt there is certainty foundation and unshakable and unabided he believed that victory beyond defeat and triumph beyond tragedy that in spite of the shadows human hope and man's inhumanity man there is a bright goal ahead worth every ounce of energy one has to give them i do not mean that he cicero never saw darkness but he did but he never was discouraged but he was but he never failed to see the substance of things that was hopeful he weighed the evidence of things not seen he viewed the unrealized promises from afar and took possessions of the future by the act of faith he looked for city which foundation whose builder and maker is god cicero had a faith that would not shrink though pressed by every foe faith did not remember not complaints beneath the chastening rods but in the time of grief and pain he learned how to lean on his god cicero believed the words of james russell truth forever on the scaffold wrong forever on the throne yet the scaffold sways the future behind the damn unknown stand in god within the shadows keeping a watch over his own because this servant this servant of god passed this way he left this world richer like moses he had let the people of god from doubt to fear and confidence and face many difficulties like david he sunk the church of victory and shouted that the battle bless triumph like malachi and like john the baptist he delight to cry to the multitude behold the lamb of god cicero loved the lord cicero loved the family cicero loved being who he was he never gave up hope he believed that god will provide god will take care of him so i've come today to say farewell because three of sister old friends in the four corners of the room faith hope love and death faith looked at hope love and death and ask them what are you doing here faith said it's i'm here because cicero was faithful his faith was that of total commitment to our lord and savior jesus christ and through there and though there were times that his faith was tested but he never gave in though he went through his difficult moments but he always knew that he could always hold on to god's unchanging hand so death faith and love standing in the room and they're saying why are you here conclusion is they were here because cicero loved god with all of his heart so i'm here to certify that cicero hearts field of membrane good and regular standing the african methods episcopal church has been transferred from life to eternal life cicero go your way the wicked will cease from trouble and the weary souls will be at rest cicero go your way and rest rest into the morning stars sing until the son of god shout with joy cicero go your way and rest until every day is sunday and sabbath will have no end just rest be at rest knowing that you in the hands of a loving god amen thank you bishop for those words of comfort as we move forward now to our reflections the family has requested that we fall as closely as possible to the three-minute request fraternity brother brother eugene francis church member brother johnny craig family member denise hartsfield family member keith taylor son i either sister roehartsfield ii if you would come in that order tell me okay my name is eugene francis most people have probably never heard that but they have heard square back i'm square bear that was one of those notorious nicknames that uh a certain student-led organization that fam you uh would give you so it's actually not my fraternity nickname but um i was in the hundred in the hundreds notorious for issuing nicknames so you you're known by several hundred people but no one knows your name even to this day but cicero was my brother and my best friend it's um it's difficult to think about him not being here with us but he was always smiling always cheerful and always encouraging he and i talked about every other week for years we often would talk about our parents all the miracles that they put in place to help us get through life and we always were amazed as to how how they did it we had this thing about history and um i was helping him research some of the history of his family on his mom's side up at sea island georgia and he would tell me about the history of on his dad's side in mariana and i know all about smokey hollow and i would tell him about my family see i'm from a little small town green coast springs on the banks of the saint john's river and oddly enough i could trace my family's history back some 300 years on that river and cicero along with joni was always there for major events in my life my dad lived to be a hundred and when we celebrated joni and sister over there my dad passed away johnny and cesaro there with my mom jody and cicero was there like i said he was my best friend but cicero made everybody feel like he was their best friend i was talking to harry murphy earlier his best friend ned ruffin his best friend he had a lyme brother business stretcher best friend cicero's a good people and closing um i keep thinking didn't know quite what to say but these these words kept coming to me and it was a poem that i learned my sophomore year fam some 47 years ago in the stacks of coleman library there was this little reading area and they had these magazines called black world and let's put it this way home said i thought by now this should be gone just a fleeting i love you a misrepresentation an unland of can't believe joy a circling round i'm not really motioned but as i travel through this sphere of consciousness this cylinder of new warmth my heart give over that all is real and no doubting mine swears that i'm finally here finally finally here some deep and relative caring about being sunk deep in the reality of knowing that i am sunk so very very deep in the reality of being more than much in love with you rest well my brother rest well good morning johnny chris ashley we pray that god will be with you in the heartsfield family as we celebrate and we are celebrating the homegoing of a good person a good man i'm reminded of a cicero at the fountain whereas he loved the church he loved the lord and he loved his family we uh often would talk about things and on the last occasion we were about to open the church up we talked about opening the church up and he he came down a few members came down with pastor and he and i had a conversation while pastor was doing some computer work he and i had conversation we talked about family football we talked about family basketball he was excited about the season because he was talking about the playoffs that it came in he was excited about the basketball team because they had some new players to come in and he was he was just so so excited we talked about family um what he was doing within the family we talked about some properties that he was taking care of we just had a good good conversation and at the end of it all we talked about smokeholla and you all know the uh the history of smoking some of y'all a community on the east side of tallahassee that uh came to uh eminent domain and uh while i was sitting at home last night i was thinking about him and i um pulled up smoking holler and there was a picture of the heart sealed children all nine of them i would imagine cicero was probably about three or four years old in the picture and they did pick him out in the picture but cilcero was a good church worker uh whatever you asked him to do he would do with no no problem i remember once and i think it was 19 2019 uh summer month i called and i say uh i text him i said we are all planning the pastor's appreciation would you preside he texted me back and he said be careful what you asked for yes and he did a good job um he just loved the church so much he was a good person i can't say that enough and in closing what i would like to do is read the text that he sent me on daw august the 28th if i might uh we were about to celebrate pastors appreciation and uh you know it won't come up but anyway he texted me and he said um sorry that we are not going to be able to be be there this morning um got three grandkids and it's kind of busy around here would you please tell the pastor and the first lady that we love him and we are there in spirit and we'll be getting with them with a gift in the future and he ended that with and i'm trying to remember how he ended that he said uh awesome grace and love is the way he ended that particular text so i'll say to him this morning awesome grace and love as you walk down those golden streets as you walk through those pearly gates we love you we love you we love you and i'll say you are missed right now at the fountain you missed you missed within your family so i say rest well sleep well my brother and have awesome grace and praise thank you to joanie to ashley to idis and then there were five i can remember vividly going to mariana florida every christmas and a whole lot of summers and i can remember sitting on that wrap-around porch in marietta at my grandma molly's house because i heard the news so i would go out and sit on the porch and i'd play and uh try to mess with chickens and guinea hens and stuff but i was really anxious i'd stand there and wait because i knew that the tallahassee cousins were coming i would sit there and wait on that station wagon to come and when it came i'd jump off that porch and i'd run and it was full of full of folks it was full of folks full of colored people colored people all colors they were dark ones and there were light ones there were shorts and they were taller but my nine cousins were coming to town and i was there in marianna from north carolina to greet him my uncle dizzy was in the front seat of my aunt maybe was on the side and all of a sudden the night would jump out and we played and we played and we worked sometimes and we ate and we ate in eight because my aunt reba could cook and cook and cook cicero was the baby boy and reba was the baby girl but david richard strawberry and now cicero are gone and now they're the five i loved each of them in their own special weight bonding and learning and sharing cicero always smiling always caring always spreading peace sis robert was a strong man this real boy the name of all of my uncles and it's like so many did there was a penny after i'd penny there was uncle cicero after uncle cicero there were all of the names of the people that i loved and the people that were in my family there was no delray my daddy for a long time but god is good and we got a delray and a denise all in the same package because god is good and they loved each other and we loved on them because the only child from north carolina didn't have but nine cousins and now they're citroen was a strong man like the strong man in luke 11 he was the man who came fully on he bore all of the things in the whole armor of god because he was there to protect and when the stronger man came he was still there to be the demon fighter for those of us who were unable to do it he fought the demons even when the strong man came in like surely see that he yelled strong man get out of my way yeah many many times he was a strong man as mary had to go to the doctor and mary had to be seen he fought the demons away and said yes mary you're gonna walk again oh yes mary you're gonna overcome because the strong man is coming to fight off the demon that's what this bro did this world said we but diane you're gonna have to go to gainesville but i'm gonna take you there and we gonna fight off the demons of radiation and we gonna fight off the birds that may be on your scale now but demon strong man get out of my way i'm going to protect i'm going to protect my family and mariana i'm going to protect my sisters and brothers i'm going to protect my cousins way in north carolina and all the way in georgia and i'm going to protect my nieces and nephews because i have been sent to be the strong man and to run the strong man away when he tries to harm the people i love central perform miracles remarkable feats of strength smiling never boasting all the way he did it ashley told me last night that when he went to atlanta on his last visit he came bearing gifts he came bearing presents he came with a fig tree we know that the fig tree is the third tree that's ever mentioned in the word of god the fig tree is powerful it means to us that god will show us the forgiveness and the bad through the bearing of the fig tree and he'll show grace he'll show grace and mercy to all who believe he left the rose bush not a rose not an arrangement of roses but a rose bush to symbolize the power and the fullness of an almighty god in nature roses symbolize god at work ashley said that her daddy cleaned out his car for the first time in a long time to make that trip to atlanta and in that car he found some shoes that belonged to janelli saying that she left him in north carolina i don't remember it but maybe she did maybe she didn't and that's not the marvelous story because at the end of the day those shoes represent something that we all should remember because you know the song says god is good he guides my every footstep god is good the song says walk in the light in the beautiful light up where the dew drops of heaven shine bright shine all around me by day and by night jesus the light of the world choose to continue to walk choose to continue to walk into the goodness and the fullness and the grace of an almighty god that's what cicero hartsfield did that's what my cousin my little boy cousin of the nine did and now they're five i'm reminded of a story i went to the beach a couple of years ago not a beach girl but i went and i saw some little children who were amazed at the shower that was at the end of the beach and at the end of the beach when people came out the water they would go and they would sit and they would stand and the water would come down but these little girls got up much like these three beauties here and when they stepped up no water came down so they looked and they said wonder what's going on they came back and they said let me see if somebody else goes up here so some more people who were heavier and bigger than them got up and they did it and the water came down so they decided well let me call my cousins let me call some more folk to stand up here with me and they all got up on that platform together and you know the end of the story the water came out but family this morning i'm telling you the moral of that story is we are all better together we're all better when we step up when we step up and we lift up and we lift up each other we are better together we're no good when we're apart we no good when we separate we're no good when we try to bring and harm each other family we're better together my uncle sister my cousin cicero is there today because he sacrificed so we could know and learn that we are better together a fig tree to bear the future generation a rose bush to remind us that god is at work and choose like my cousin christy christoleto christoletos in the house so we like uncle cicero like cousin cicero like all of those who have gone my daddy uncle delray so that we can put on our traveling shoes and when we put on our traveling shoes we'll be able like cousin cicero to walk all over god's heaven with peace and amazing grace for all good afternoon everyone i am keith taylor uh joni is my big sister and because of that cicero has been my brother-in-law for close to 23 years one of our extended family members when hearing a about his untimely passing last week posted simply cicero was easy to love i can't think of a more succinct and appropriate description of the cicero i knew therefore i'm very grateful to have the opportunity to say a couple of words on behalf of my family his other family the taylor clan on behalf of my father eddie and my mom hattie who loved them like a son would argue even more so than their biological sons won't go there and i loved him like a brother someone mentioned it earlier i can't think of a single family event over the last 20 or so years where cicero was not present whether they were fun events holidays family reunions weddings or some of the more summer events like the one we're having today he was always there i remember the fun event because he was the first one on the dance floor and he would dance with a band abandoned i won't comment on whether he was any good or not because i'm not uh but but he was definitely out there and we we enjoyed those times uh cicero and i shared a love of photography and we would both be at all these events with cameras around our decks uh taking pictures he liked people to pose i like to take them in more candid poses and we'd often share the best ones uh and he had some good ones some of my favorites some of the best are adorned my walls at home uh were taken by cicero he himself proclaimed that one of the ones he took of me and my 100 year old grandmother was pulitzer prize worthy uh and i can't really argue that uh last saw cicero less than a month ago joni and cicero picked me up from the airport uh he was again helping dad deliver he was delivering a mattress to help dad with his recovery uh and as he always does we talked about some serious things because he was a serious man and had it was full of good advice uh but he also flipped the script as he always does and started saying silly things usually about his darling wife joanie but but we we love both sides of cicero so joanie itis ashley i hope you have some comfort in knowing how much cicero was loved by the people in this room and by a lot of people who aren't here and the impact he had on so many lives maya angelou wrote a poem called when great trees fall and i want to end my talk with just the last paragraph of that point for cicero was a great tree and that last verse goes and when great souls die after a period peace blooms slowly and always irregular irregularly spaces filled with a kind of soothing electric vibration our senses restored never to be the same whisper to us they existed they existed we can be be and be better for they existed sleep well my friend sleep well my brother and enjoy those dances with the angels good afternoon my name is itis cicero hartsfield name so nice they had to use it twice on behalf of my family uh we just want to thank everybody for coming out and donors isn't giving us all the love that we need at this moment i just wanted to say a few things about my dad i can summon up in three different works positivity education and love my dad was a positive man he would go into a situation and he would look at it as a glass half full and not half empty me and my sister would get into it growing up and he'll pull us to the side and say was that positive for us to think about our actions and the consequences of our actions he had an infectious smile that appears the the strongest man and he was always peaceful he never never really seen him get too angry about anything uh and his heart was always in the right place he had unorthodox methods sometimes but we knew at the end of the day his heart was in the right place in education there was a time when i transitioned from elementary to middle school and i really wasn't paying attention in school and i got my report card and i was even shocked by the graves i had like three d's and c's yeah it was bad and so my i was oh god i gotta give this to my dad and so i started all i said yeah i got all c's in two d or something like that and then he said well that's not all c's is it and me and my cousin still joke about that to this day but while i was at uh my dad in johnny's house we looked in the photos and he had that report card and you see the very next time i got my report card i had all b's and a's and he would make all of us write down these commitment letters like how are you going to do better and he even had that and there's one in there for christy too so he was always on education when i was a child he also told me because i was the oldest of the boys he said that you're going to be a leader all your cousins are going to look up to you and i took it and ran with it so i always would be hard on them and talking to them about hey we need to do better we got to come together we got to look at the great name that we have behind us and uh i'll get on the nerve sometimes but it's because my dad told me he said you're gonna be a leader anything you did they're gonna use you as an example uh he taught me patience um i'm not as patient as my dad but i'm a very patient man and my wife can tell you that when the kid when the girls start screaming and kicking i'm the one jumping up to go get it because i can deal with it far longer than she can uh he was selflessness he was an example of selflessness when we were young ashley and myself he would take us to the homeless shelter in frenchtown for months and we we didn't like it at first you know and i remember my sister laughing at some of the people getting the food and i was like you feeding us this slop and remember that so but the bigger story behind that was my dad wanted us to give back to people um and he also taught me entrepreneurship i started off seeing him with a camera and my older cousin karen then i picked up a camera because i saw them doing it and then that turned into something and i figured out how to turn that and utilize my friends and family around me and we had a business it wasn't a profitable business but it was a successful business because we had a television show and it was on the air for two two years and so the last word is love my dad loved his family he loved everybody and he didn't just have two kids because my bro my cousins everybody felt like we were brothers and sisters my cousin spoke about that yesterday and he touched so many children that were not his that they felt like everybody were hurt children and he loved fam you oh my god he loved family he came up talking to me about the uh football game coming up when they're playing jsu and he was telling me about the recruits that they got a couple of recruits that came from florida state and i was like wow this is amazing and he had me drinking the kool-aid i'm calling my friends and saying man you gonna watch this game it's on espn and while he was there he he had a a an amazing time and even though they lost we still had a good time hanging out watching rooting on the rattlers um my dad also loved music all my r b old school stuff i get it from him and he also loved the dance even though he'll get out there and dance i'll be embarrassed but there was a genuine happiness that you could see on his face when he'll be dancing and the last thing i put under love was discipline my dad was legendary in discipline um but after every whooping that he would give me he will always tell me at the end i whoop you because i love you and like someone said earlier love is the actual word and i got love all over my body he would always say little quote do your best to be your best god bless you even when he was angry somebody would make him mad he would just say god bless you he will always say peace and then he will always say can you feel the love and today i feel the love from the whole community uh we love you dad and we'll carry on the legacy and also even in his death he's still teaching us about legacy and how we need to do better so let's take that with us thank you good afternoon weeping may endure for night but joy comes in the morning the resolutions florida agricultural and mechanical university september 16 2021 a resolution of tribute to the life of the late idis cicero heartsfield do not weep for me for i i have not gone i am the wind that shakes the mighty oak i am the gentle rain that falls upon your face i am the spring flower that pushes through the dark earth i am the chuckling laughter of the mounting stream do not weep for me for i have i have not gone i am the memory that dwells in the heart of those that knew me helen steiner rice whereas god the creator of all and his infinite wisdom has called home an outstanding husband father brother and entrepreneur artist cicero hartsfield and whereas out of cicero heartsfield was born in tallahassee florida on february 3rd 1956 to richard and mamie hartsfield both graduates of florida a m university fam c 1941 and whereas artist cicero hartsfield completed his early education at famu's developmental research research school family high a 1974 leon high school graduate he began at famu as a dually enrolled student while at famu he pledged alpha phi alpha fraternity incorporated and was initiated into the beta new chapter spring 1975. he earned the bs in political science in 1977 and the master's degree in public administration 1981 and whereas ida cicero hartsfield was married to joni hartsfield a famu aluna they have two children both family alumni he was a lifelong member of fountain chapel ame church the liam county chapter of the famu national alumni association the 2020 quarterback club the gamma mu lambda chapter of alpha phi alpha fraternity incorporated and juarez idol cicero hartsfield worked with the florida department of transportation he also worked for 15 years at the state's emergency management and volunteer first before retiring his always upbeat personality was probably best known through unique ad specialties the marketing business he started in the eighties and whereas ida cicero hartsfield leaves to cherish his life and legacy to his wife of 22 years joni hartsfield children idol cicero hartsfield ii janelle daughter ashley hartsfield stepson christopher abraham carla five siblings eight grandchildren and other close family and friends and now therefore be it resolved that the administration faculty staff and students of florida a m university expressed their deepest sympathy for the great loss of idol cicero hartsfield the good works of his life will continue to live on in the hearts of those he inspired and loved be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be submitted to the family and that a copy be retained for the university's files humbly submitted florida a m university larry robinson ph.d president fountain chapel african methodist episcopal church reverend mark woodard pastor september 16 2021 resolution for we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed we have a building from god an eternal house in heaven not built by human hands corinthians chapter 5 verse 1. whereas on tuesday september 7th 2021 god in his infinite wisdom called brother ida cicero hartsfield home to be with him throughout eternity and whereas brother idol cicero heartsville accepted and made jesus his personal savior he understood that he had a purpose while here on earth to spread the good news of jesus christ to love and serve mankind he knew his journey here on earth would transition onto a place filled with god's peace love and most of all his internal home would be filled with joy and light forever whereas although brother ida cicero heartsville has departed this life he will sorely be missed by those who knew him and those he shared a gentle smile and a word of encouragement for they will forever cherish fond memories of him whereas we the fountain family stand with open arms and lift prayers for strength to brother ida cicero hartsfield family and friends during this time for his death has indeed touched this flock of believers brother ida cicero hartsfield was a devoted member of this church he served with a humble spirit and worked tirelessly with many in many capacities he made a positive impact wherever he worked he served on the board of trustees usher board number one and the sons of allen there are no limits to his desire to work and serve at the fountain he participated in many programs and church building services for the betterment of the community and the building of god's kingdom with the support of his wife joanie children ashley ashley itis ii christopher and his grandchildren siblings penny white rieber and mary hotsfield who are current members of the fountain along with many nieces and nephews who have also played a major part in the support of the church because they are affected today by brother ida cicero hartfield's home gun home going we too are affected be it resolved that we the fountain family are forever grateful to our father god for giving brother idol cicero hartsfield to his earthly family we pray that god will continue to bless and keep his family during their time of bereavement for his life and labor will indeed be missed by us all but christ would have us to know that god is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution is given to the family and a copy be is placed in the church files lovingly submitted the fountain chapel a me church family i would also like to acknowledge the following resolutions gamma mu lambda chapter of alpha phi alpha fraternity errol wilson president national rattler f club curtis taylor president fourth epistle district of the african methodist episcopal church bishop john franklin white presiding pre-late fourth district lay organization of the ame church bishop john franklin white presiding prelate mr jerry turner junior president the fourth district members of the missionary society bishop john franklin white presiding pre-late penny hartsfield white epistle district president women's missionary society gaston county mullet association billy v kaiser president the christian recorder john thomas iii editor general officers council african methodist epistle church dr teresa l fry brown executive director department of research and scholarship editor leon high school class of 1974 maryland pat thurman florida a m university high school class of 1976 cheryl dubose class president saint john african methodist episcopal church indianapolis indiana reverend lenoir g williams pastor chicago chapel ame church reverend james m moody senior senior pastor 2020 quarterback club eddie jackson president african methodist episcopal church illinois conference north district reverend tyson j parks presiding elder fourth episcopal district illinois conference branch of the women's missionary society of the african methodist episcopal church sister aletta f smith president the fourth episcopal district of the african methodist episcopal church offices and members of the ypd bishop john franklin white presiding prelate of the fourth episcopal district penny hartsfield white fourth epistle district supervisor women's missionary society loving and blessings dr shirley cason reed the ninth elected president of the women's missionary society of the african methodist epistle church flipper chapel ame methodist epistle church in tallahassee reverend willie l merrick pastor i have another one from quinn chicago quinn chapel this is william this is from the william miller iii the stewart pro tem reverend james moody senior pastor raymond j rahman i'm sorry j alexander representative district 8. famu medical marijuana education and research initiative dr patricia green powell executive director and the florida a m university developmental school research school dr mr michael johnson superintendent dr patricia west's assistant superintendent family acknowledgements the family of the late ida cicero hartsfield acknowledged with sincere thanks and appreciation the many acts of kindness during the transition of our loved ones your prayers calls gifts flowers resolutions service rendered and words of comfort will be cherished forever we are truly blessed and pray god's continued blessings upon each of you and your family thank you hmm me so is hey is he's one he's my joy my and he's my best friend when mama couldn't do it my is is god is my everything amen god is my everything in times like these we need god to be peace comfort hallelujah god is my everything let us pray our father now god we thank you right now for this opportunity to come now father god and share your word with your people speak lord for your people are listening have your way right now god and god as you open up your scriptures open our hearts open our minds and open our understanding that we can hear your word understand your word and then live your word and father we'll be so ever careful to give you all the praise and the glory as we ask this prayer in your son jesus name and the people of god said amen amen for a short period of time today we want to lift up the scripture from second corinthians chapter five and verse one second corinthians chapter five and verse one for we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed we have a building from god an eternal house in heaven not built by human hands and i want to tag that text this morning with the title moving out of my tent into my mansion moving out of my tent into my mansion the new testament scripture that was read this morning jesus declared that he's going to prepare a place for us and if he go and prepare that place that he's coming back again to receive us unto himself but he declared that in his father's house are many mansions and my brothers and my sisters i am convinced through this word that those mentions are prepared for the people who accept christ as lord and savior and as i think about the brother the life of brother hartsfield as his pastor for the last 10 years he's demonstrated that he know who the lord is his conversations his actions the things he's done for the community and and when you went back and those of you who have facebook and you look at all the uh all the tributes for him you recognize the number of lives that he touched but what we got to also understand is that while we're living here we are in a tent and a tent my brothers and my sisters is a temporary dwelling place it's not a place that is for permanency anybody who's had any events you know you rent a tent and after that period of time after your your event is over the owner of the tent comes back and pick it up it's not yours permanently but when we think about life the bible reminds us that it is appointed until every one of us wants to die we recognize that even though we are going to miss brother hart's field that it was time for him to move he began to recognize that our tent starts to deteriorate i remember the days when my hair used to grow i remember the days when my eyes were strong enough that i didn't have to wear glasses i remember the days when i could get up out the bed and have an achar pain but when i start to think about all of these things are reminding me that my tent is getting a little weaker but i thank god that he reminded us that there is a permanent dwelling place that has been prepared for you and for us if we would just receive what god is over so i look at brother hartsfield and i recognize yes we're gonna miss him yeah yes he touched so many lies but he's moved from this part of eternity to the new eternity he's moved into this place that god said that i go to prepare for you the bible teaches us when you're a child of god to be absent from the body is to be present with the lord and brother hearts feel just like reverend whitfield saying if he had an opportunity to come back right now he'll turn it down because being there he's whole again being there he don't have to worry about heartache and pain being there he don't have to experience the things that we experience being there covet can't touch it being there he don't have that go through none of this he was there and now we understand that it's because it's 10. hallelujah was starting to deteriorate can i help somebody sometimes when a tent is starting to deteriorate you can't even tell it looks strong but when it start the rain there may be a little leak so things are starting to deteriorate but what i want you to see is that because it was temporary hallelujah and i just got to keep saying that it was temporary because we got to understand that the life we're in now is temporary we're not always going to be on this it's temporary and so we got to make plans we got to get ready to move out of this tent and to our mansion so when i look at the text when i think about brother hartsfield there's three things i i recognize by him and the first thing i knew about him is that he set priorities in the present it was always about 10 15 years down the road but he was looking at what he can do right now he was concerned about his family right now he was concerned about his legacy right now he will do things right now because he knew tomorrow is not promised to any of us he recognized that that i don't know when death might knock at my door but if i could do something right now i'll go ahead and do it right now he set priorities right here in the presence not only that did he set priorities in the press but he lived purposefully before people he recognized that his life had purpose and his purpose was to help somebody along the way i wish i just had about 10 people who realized that i got purpose in my life i'm not just here to say i live but i need to affect somebody's life i need to help change somebody like i need to help somebody see that there's a better way of doing things brother i had a sound like you couldn't understand when my mama would love me the way she did i i couldn't understand that you she you do that that hurt but then you were able to turn around and say i love you but she had purpose just like brother husband had purpose he wanted you to recognize that everything in life is not easy but you got to make good decisions you got to make good choices because what you do the choices you make will dictate how far you can go in life he recognized he wanted to encourage you he wanted to lift you up he wanted to pick y'all he wanted you all to know that you can do more than i've done you can have a greater impact than i've had i just need you to recognize that there's greater in you so so he lived purposefully before people and how you know that preacher look who's here today in the midst of a pandemic people still came out to support the family still came out to say brother i'll see you later still came out to say how much they love him because he had purpose and he lived it in front of the people but then not only that but he made provisions for the permanent god help me because he understood i'm passing this way now but i got to leave this place one day so i got to make sure that i'm right for when the day he calls my name and so he accepted christ as an early age but i hear that a lot of times and a lot of obituaries you see that they accept the christ at an early age but you don't hear nothing else but when you hear about the life of brother hartsfield it goes farther than just he accepted christ at an early age he worked in the church he loved in the community he demonstrated the ways of god to everybody he came in contact with my brothers and my sisters anybody who can be mistreated and still say god bless you when other folk formulate some other words but he was willing to say god bless you any person that when he had an opportunity to do something for god he was willing to do it and and he tried to fit it into his busy schedule there were times i had to tell him but the hearts feel you got so much going on let somebody else do that no reverend i want to do it brother hearts field you need to rest now reverend i want to do he loved god just that much hallelujah and i just want somebody to understand he made his preparation he made provisions for his permanent because he knew the day was coming and when that day came hallelujah when it was time for him to return the tent that he was given and get ready to move into his permanent residency he had no problems answering the call of our lord and savior jesus christ when god called him he was ready to return the tent because god began to show him that i got something new for you listen brother hartsfield you've lived in that tent long enough but i'm about to move you into a gated communion or a community because i got a place where there's 12 gates to the city that i'm ready to move you into not only that brother hartsfield don't worry about how you're going to pay electricity you ain't got to worry about that no more because this place is lit by the glory of god he wanted him to understand you're moving out of attention to a mansion and when you get there brother hustle don't worry about potholes in the road because these streets are played with people he wanted him to know you've gone through so much you've experienced a lot in your life but now it's time to come on enjoy glory now it's time to come on and move it to your master now it's time to take off your tent now it's time to move into a perfect place now it's time for you to move into a place i prepared for you now it's time for you to enjoy the glory of the lord with me because now to be absent from the body you'll be present with the lord i need about 10 people who recognize i got to get my act together because one day i got to take off this tent and move into my master i'm grateful to god that i had an opportunity to know who he was to see how he loved just to know that he's moved on to bigger and better moved out of his tent into his mansion hallelujah and i want y'all to understand this one thing just because he's moved on before us hallelujah don't mean that there's not room for you you see i tell people all the time this don't have to be goodbye it could simply be see you later in order to do that you got to make sure that you got your business fixed in order to see him later you got to make sure you've been born again in order to see him later you got to make sure that when your tent is called for that there's a permanent residence and glory for you how can i make sure that that's going to happen there's a lease that god got for you it's fine by the blood of jesus he hung out on an old rugged cross they took him and buried him in a bar too but this sunday morning he got up with all power and because he got up you two can get up do i have a witness in this place is there anybody here who recognizes that when death knocks at my door i can be all right because if i've got the blood of jesus sign to my name when that knock at the door is not saying goodbye it's just taking me to a new place and i'll see you later as i move from my tent into my mansion god bless you god keep you and may heaven forever smile upon you is our prayer now i am i'm so glad jesus lifted me i'm so bad oh jesus lifted me jesus lifted me singing glory hallelujah jesus lived in me so glad about it i'm so say sing in glory hallelujah jesus lived in me you know satan had me by oh but jesus flipped in me i said satan had me back oh jesus glory hallelujah i said jesus lived in me singing i said jesus lifted me sanctified and holy i say jesus lived in me i am sanctified and holy because jesus jesus glory hallelujah jesus lifted me so glad about it i'm so glad i know jesus you know jesus look at me glory hallelujah jesus lived in me so glad about it i'm so jesus lifted me sing in glory hallelujah jesus lived in me one day satan had me found but jesus lived in me i said satan has lived in hallelujah in me so glad about it i oh jesus hallelujah jesus jesus lived in me amen

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Length: 131min 4sec (7864 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 16 2021