Northview Stories

Linda Arnett:
So we met selling magazines. I sold the magazines on the phone and he was my closer. He went out to the house and closed up the deal. So, we were high school sweethearts, got married, very young, and we just had our 53rd anniversary in August. He was a salesman, and he was an outside salesman. So he spent a lot of time in restaurants, bars, and there was always someone sitting next to him. This man started talking Jesus to him. And I remember getting up on a Sunday morning and he said, "Guess what?" And I said, "What?" And he said, "I just gave my life to Jesus." And he started changing. When he was nine or ten, his father just left and he never saw him again. So we just decided that when we got together, we were going to break that generational curse. We wanted to make sure that our children were in church three times a week. We wanted to make sure they were grounded with, with good Christian friends, that they were involved in a youth group, that they were able to grow as a person, but grow in Christ.

Daughter :
They were constant, they were consistent and they were constant, in teaching us what mattered.

Granddaughter:
He just left such a big legacy in many ways, just through how he lived his life, even. And he loved the Lord. That's why he could love his family so well, because he loved God so much.

Grandson:
So my grandfather was someone who faithfully decided to follow Jesus and did not turn back. He was consistent in following Jesus for his entire life.

Son:
For me, it was seeing the consistency of Mike's life, active in his kids' life and his grandkids' life, that motivated me to continue and maintain that goal, you know, to be consistent as Dad.

Granddaughter:
I'm just really thankful that I have the kind of family and I had the grandfather that could tell me that they love me every time they saw me.

Grandson:
My grandpa, he was somebody that everybody could count on. It didn't matter if it was just doing a simple task, it was going to be something that was going to be impactful. He was going to be there.

Daughter:
This song that's really popular right now, "The Blessing," you know, I really feel like our family has experienced that because of my dad. His favor has been on his family and his children. You know, one person's decision can change the, you know, the course of the family and we've all been blessed. We've all have favor because of that.

Linda:
I think when Mike passed, he felt that. When he saw the last three weeks of his life, how they all gathered at this house, day and night, had dinner with him every night, tucked him into bed and prayed over him. I think he felt like, I think I've achieved what I need. And he was ready then to go be with Jesus, you know. I see that God's hand was on my husband. And then it was on me to bring us to that place where we could start a new legacy for even before our daughters were born. And, and we believe now that because Mike had said yes to Jesus, that now our children are able to say yes to Jesus, which they have, and all of our grandchildren. I was amazed to think that God had been so gracious to him to take a little boy that had nothing and grow him into a man that was so full of the power of God with his simple, childlike faith.