May Reflections

 

 May began with the usual busy first week. Our Friends Luncheon was a lovely time 

                

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We had two ladies from our church to lose a son to death. My friend Martha and I went to the calling time for the first family. This viewing and service was on Thursday right before Mother’s Day. About that same time, the second lady’s son had a severe asthma attack and spent ten days in ICU.His family had a graveside service for him this past Saturday.

Our son was with us for four days for Mother’s Day. He asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day. I told him flowers and then I corrected myself and said, “Cut flowers.” 

My Hubby bought me a birdbath for our back yard and a new pair of house slippers. He threw in a bag of Lindor White Chocolate Truffles because he knows I like them.

I have been reading Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby. I am a little over three fourths through it. He breaks down concepts about our faith into small chunks that allow the reader to think about what he presents. It’s interactive with questions at the end of each chapter.

One day, I had a burst of energy and changed out my winter clothes for spring and summer garments. And then the temperature dropped, as usual. I even got some things ready for a rummage sale at church. I have two lap-blankets to get cleaned and ready for our church denomination’s annual conference. They are collecting them for nursing home patients.

We did have four days in a row of wonderful weather. I made use of my front porch. On another day, I went out there in the morning. I felt God calling me to change my place of reading.

Our pastor has retired from our denomination. This past Sunday was his last Sunday in the pulpit. On his next to last Sunday, we had a baptism service. Eleven people chose to be immersed. Two sisters, two brothers, two cousins of those brothers, a teenage boy, a man and his wife, and two women.

I volunteered to lead Prayer Meeting/Bible Study on one Wednesday night in June. Our incoming pastor won’t be preaching until the first Sunday in July. I have a topic in mind, in one of my bursts of ‘energy’, I thought I had finished the presentation I plan on giving. Then, Experiencing God expanded on some of the same things I chose to bring out. I have to decide how to incorporate this new information or if I am supposed to.

I am looking forward to June and all the blessings God has in store for me. How about you?

Memories of a Christian Lady

http://afamileeaffair.blogspot.com/2013/02/memories.html

This past Friday afternoon, I attended a memorial service for a lady named Barbara from our church who passed into her heavenly home back in the winter. After her son had gone to be with Jesus, her daughter who lives in Texas took their mother back to Texas to live near her.

Barb’s son, Greg, was a quadriplegic. He was severely injured in a wreck when he was 17. He attended and graduated from college, married and had a son. At some point he and his wife chose to divorce. At the time of his accident, his younger brother, Brian was looking for someone to take him to the hospital to see Greg. A car hit this 12-year-old boy who was riding his bicycle.

           

When we visited her church one Wednesday evening, Barb approached us after the service, introduced herself, and told us about Greg and Brian. Both my friend and I felt we had found a home.

When I went back to work, my route took me across town and on the street that went near their home. One morning, I was stopped for construction traffic about three blocks from them. The car behind me didn’t stop and then that driver backed that car up and ran off. I was angry and scared. The only one I could think to call was Barb. I told he what happened and asked her to come down and sit with me until Hubby could get there. I asked her to wait until Greg’s home health care people were there. She came but I never asked her if someone was there with Greg.

The women’s circle at the church received the name B and B. We are a merged church. The initials stand for the names of the women in both former churches that strived to keep the circles going. One of the “B”’s stands for Barbara.        

The format was different from any memorial service I have attended. The daughter wanted everyone to sit around tables, enjoy a meal and then share their memories of her mother. I know she is in that cloud of witnesses watching over those she loves. I will never forget this wonderful Christian lady who never complained and never spoke badly about anyone.

Celebrate

 

  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

 

From time to time, we have occasion to celebrate an event. We acknowledge upcoming births by attending showers or giving gifts for the baby after the blessed event.

Recently, our church honored the young people who graduated from high school. One of those young men’s family had an open house at the church.

Our society celebrates a man and a woman’s decision to spend their lives together in Holy matrimony. The friends of the bride may give her a shower of gifts for their new home. The guests at the wedding celebrate with the couple by also presenting the couple with items to aid them as they begin their new life together.

Several years ago, I heard a woman speak who had written a book called “Celebrate the Temporary.” As I remember the idea of the book, we could learn to take in stride the unexpected events of life. I sometimes find this hard to do.

As I read the Sunday newspaper recently, I saw an announcement about a couple who was observing their 65^th wedding anniversary. In years past, I was acquainted with the woman through a good friend at our former church. Not every couple gets to celebrate that many years of marriage.

For quite some time, when a Christian goes to be with Jesus, the family chooses to have a “celebration of life.” I recently attended a going home service that actually was a celebration of the departed friend’s life. Her two surviving sons were upbeat. The pastor reflected on the lady’s life.

This past Sunday, as we do every first Sunday of the month, our congregation celebrated Christ by receiving communion. I attend the main service, referred to as the second service. On these Sundays, we receive communion in our seats. A smaller number of people attend the earlier service. Those in this service receive communion by intinction. Each one who partakes goes to the front of the sanctuary and receives the elements from the pastor and someone who assists him. As each person receives the bread, the pastor says, “This is Christ’s body broken for you.” The one assisting holds a chalice. The communicant dips his bread into the chalice and hears these words, “This is Christ’s blood shed for you.”

At special services during Holy week, different stations are set up to accommodate a large number of attendees. The pastors from guest churches help in serving the communion by intinction.

Actually, we celebrate the Lord each Sunday as we gather together to worship, by giving praise for all He has done for us.

  

I enjoy this praise song, Celebrate Jesus  I hope you do as well.

   

Some Music I have heard lately.

I heard this first hymn at a funeral today. I love the words. The deceased gentleman was one that my visitation partner and I visited on a regular basis.

                I heard this hymn at a funeral last Friday. I had met the deceased gentleman, his wife, and their youngest son at one of the former churches I attended.

     

Plans Change

http://www.driscoll-brothers.com

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

Yes, I know. I am supposed to be on a blog break, actually a vacation with Hubby. The weather forecasts changed out plan. Since we decided to wait until the weather would be better-(read not raining and not cold.) I have had the theme of these scriptures on my mind.

Instead of departing our home and heading south, I attended a funeral at our church. The departed gentleman was in a car wreck north and east of our city last Saturday. When our pastor began the service, he said, “Gathering here today was not in any of our plans. It wasn’t even on our radar.” These words brought me back to thinking about the plans we make.

As human beings, we are not able to see the future, we only see a small part of our lives. God sees the big picture and knows what lays ahead for us. We have to trust Him for everything. We also need to thank Him for all He has given us, and for all the people He sends into our lives.

Our bags are still packed. We don’t know when we will get to leave for warmer climes. I am learning to wait upon God and listen to what He has to tell me. I try not to get upset when plans don’t go the way I think they should. I believe this is part of obedience.

The Preciousness of Life

rfhadley.com

My thoughts as a friend’s family is called to her hospital bedside. She suffered a heart attack about twelve hours ago.This means she will be leaving her family her church family and entering heaven very soon. This fact brings several thoughts to my mind.

Her name is Loretta. She encouraged me many times over the 30+ years we have known each other. She prayed for my family on many occasions. Her husband was my Sunday school teacher for several years.

1.)           She will see Jesus. Also, she will see her mother, her husband’s mother, several of the ladies who went our old church, and our friend Greg, who spent most of his earthly life wheelchair bound. (I always said that when he got there, he would dance with all the women.) I believe they will all be waiting to greet her on the other side of those pearly gates.

2.)           How precious life is, God decides the number of days we have before our first one. Sometimes, humans do things shorten that number. Other times we see people who live out those 70 or 80 years allotted to us. Then, there are those who are blessed by receiving more.

3.)           Because God loves us, we are to love one another. This is a command given by Jesus Christ Himself.

4.)           We are not to hold grudges against others. We are to forgive them as God forgave us.

5.)           We are to stop and enjoy what God has given us. When a neighbor or a friend receives something new, we are to be happy for them.

6.)           We should tell our families that we love them. They might know it, but it is nice to hear. It may be the last thing we say to them.

7.)           If we have issues with someone, we should give them to God and let Him handle them for us as He chooses.

8.)           If there is something we don’t understand about another person, we should tell God about it. If He wants us to know the details, He will arrange things so we learn what we need to know.

She went to heaven a little over 12 hours after her family was called in. All of her family and her church family will miss her but we all know that God called this dear lady home.

Her funeral is late this morning, January 12, 2018.

Memorial Services

Monday morning I attended a Celebration of Life for a dear Christian man who was very special to a lot of us at our church. His name was Clyde. He was 94 years old. He and his lovely wife, Mabel, were married 71 years. The service had an evangelistic flavor to it. In part of the service, the friends and family members were granted an opportunity to say a few words. Both sons spoke of their dad's love of God. The son I know also spoke to the grandchildren and reminded them of their need to make a choice about what they will do about Jesus.

This evening,Wednesday, we gathered to remember Johnny. I wrote about him in an earlier entry. We heard from a friend how Johnny kept telling him, "You got to get back with your wife." This friend also told of a veryserious conversation he had with Johnny. Even then, Johnny chose not to tell this friend that he was seriously ill and facing death.

Both of these men have left impressions on me. Clyde stayed with his faith and his committment. Johnny always gave away anything he ever received. If Johnny had any money, he made sure someone who needed it more received it. Even on his deathbed, he was trying to give away the contents of his candy stash.

Saying Farewell

From time to time in our Christian walk we have to say farewell to a dear friend. This happened to several of us.

She had been in a local long-term healthcare facility for a few years. Prior to that her daughter and a granddaughter took care of her in her home.
This lady had known what it meant to work hard. She was 84 years old. She and her husband married a little over a month before Pearl Harbor was attacked. She and her husband reared two daughters. Those two daughters gave them six grandchildren.

She was a frail lady. Almost 30 years ago, she was in a car wreck. She broke her back. She later broke it two more times. The first time she was in a brace for quite sometime, but she never missed church. I knew her when she broke it the second and third times. She never complained. She loved the Lord.

There are times we will think of this great lady and fondly smile.
We loved her because she was down-to-earth. She never was one who 'put on airs'.

She enjoyed growing flowers and always had a porchful. She also enjoyed her Christian music. One of her favorites was "Mansion over the Hilltop". She also liked "I'll Fly Away".

This afternoon, several of her friends gathered with her family and celebrated her life. The pastor and her Sunday school teacher of many years sang hymns she liked and the others joined in on most of them. The pastor on the guitar and her teacher on his harmonica.

We will not forget this dear lady. We know where she is. We have to thank God for letting us count this dear sweet lady as our friend.