A funeral is naturally associated with grief, totally focused on the finality of the loss of a loved one or friend. This overwhelming emotion often has a tendency to overshadow who the decedent actually was and the positive impact that individual made on the lives of those attending the ceremony, a community, a work place, a church, or even the world as a whole! The role of the Celebrant is designed to change all that! A Celebrant's goal is to creatively highlight those life impacts through loving, meaningful words, songs, and even dynamic visual displays--to turn tears of grief into tears of joy! Nothing can set the stage for such a celebrative atmosphere more than a poem applicable to or personally descriptive of the one we have lost. Reverend Phipps wrote Poems for the Funeral Celebrant to give you, the Celebrant, or any who may face the challenge of leading a funeral/memorial service, a guide and resource from which to help families through this difficult time in their lives. Richard A. Phipps has served as a Senior Pastor for many years. He is a graduate of Luther Rice Seminary, with a Master of Arts degree in Church Ministry. Richard also served twenty-eight years as an Arabic linguist in the United States Navy, retiring as a Master Chief Petty Officer. For the last six years, Reverend Phipps has expanded his ministry through the funeral industry as a Funeral Service Assistant and Certified Celebrant in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is also the author of Poems for the Pastor (2008).