In 1980, thanks to the inspiration of the late Earl Nightingale’s radio program titled “Our Changing World,” I began my own five-day-a-week daily program titled “How to Plan Your Life.” This title came about because in the past decade I had conducted more than 50 six-hour seminars with high school students. I called these seminars “How to Plan Your Life,” as we focused on career planning and how to succeed in today’s modern world. This was a commercially sponsored program and I helped stations find a sponsor to pay for the airtime, with little profit for me and the station.

It was kind of uncanny the way things worked out. Over the next several years the list of stations that carried my program grew to more than 300 stations coast to coast. And would you believe most of my sponsors were funeral homes? This was due in large part to the fact that my program just fit their needs. My program was spiritually based, while me not being a preacher, and my title and content was consistent with their needs of selling pre-planning and pre-need funerals. This is a process where families would come to the funeral home, sit down and work out all the details of how they wanted their service to be conducted. They could also pay for the service in advance, which would ensure a price that was locked in and not be subject to inflation.

Now, that background information was to help you understand that we have a unique funeral home in nearby Greenbrier, Arkansas, unlike any I have ever seen before. They have a well-known pastor who serves one of the largest churches in this community. His name is Freddy Mark Wilcox, and to say that he is gifted would be an understatement. He can preach with the best of them, and he is a people person. A few months ago, this two-funeral-home town had the local ownership funeral home come up for sale. Freddie Mark and his family purchased it.

I had not given this a lot of thought until recently, when Janis and I attended a funeral for one of her former classmates. It was almost a one-man show (pardon the slang), as Freddie Mark conducted the entire service. To begin he had everyone stand as the family came in to take their seats, then he welcomed everyone, turned the music on for the first song, and next he read the obituary. Next came another song, then the message, and another song, each time Freddie Mark turning the player on and off. At the conclusion of the service, he went down to the casket and helped his one assistant fold the flag. Then his assistant directed those who attended to file by to view the body, greet Freddie Mark and file out the back door. It was neat how efficiently it was all handled.

In all my life, if I have ever seen a natural, this was it. Freddie Mark grew up in this community and knows almost everyone, his prices are more than competitive, and the services are all about family, which is as it should be. While most of the chains do a great job and are necessary in communities across the nation, what we now have in Greenbrier is a true “hometown” funeral home.

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)