Looming Election Day Thoughts

11/04/2016 By: CCPearson6 Comments

Disclaimer: Steve and I have already voted. Since we knew we’d be away from our precinct on Election Day, we took advantage of the opportunity to vote early.

If you’ve known me (or followed this blog) for very long, you can probably guess how we voted. However, it has been a much harder decision than I anticipated back in the early days of the primaries. BOTH candidates at the top of their respective tickets have GLARING flaws and troubling backgrounds. They’ve both made very regrettable, cringe-worthy statements.

I am an educated WOMAN. My dad, my brother and, especially, my husband have all shown deep respect for and toward women.

I have children and grandchildren who are facing unsettling futures — in economic and, even more, in moral terms. So much of what they see and hear doesn’t line up with what they are taught in the Bible. That wasn’t the case when I was growing up.

My husband and I both receive Social Security and Medicare benefits. Because of my years in the public school system, we had good medical insurance. But, I have family members who are very dependent on Obamacare.

We are drawn to people of every “race, tribe and creed.” We loved doing international missions and have marveled at how the nations have come to US. Yet, we realize what a cost there is for our country to provide services to the people who keep pouring in. And, we know there are people in the world who HATE the United States and are determined to destroy us.

We hate war. Steve and our son Matt were not in the military, but we have a son-in-law who served in the army, and we have 5 grandsons (and 7 granddaughters, too) who could conceivably be asked to fight in the years ahead.

I hate the idea of abortion. I believe a woman should pay more attention to her “right to say no” BEFORE engaging in sex that could result in an unwanted pregnancy. Two of my three pregnancies were difficult. I have a daughter who had a pulmonary embolism late in one of her pregnancies. Abortion was never even mentioned or contemplated.

My husband was self-employed for many years. Taxes were a BIG deal, and WE were responsible for saving, investing and making a plan for our retirement years.

ISSUES . . . UPON ISSUES . . . UPON ISSUES.

So, I’ve prayed and searched God’s Word. The Bible, by the way, has a LOT to say on the subject of government and its leaders. Here are just a few verses and passages:

Jesus answered [Pilate], “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” (John 19:11)

“There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1b)

In other words, government was God’s idea!!

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Christians are urged to pray for governmental leaders.

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:13-17)

We’re told to submit or “be subject” to those in position over us.

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. … From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11, 15-16)

No matter who wins this election or any election in the years to come, JESUS WILL WIN IN THE END.

And, one more thing, Christians are commanded to love each other. That includes those who have opposite viewpoints to ours.

So, in conclusion, I want to encourage you to vote on November 8th. And, no matter what the outcome is, choose to trust God. He’s in charge, and He won’t be caught by surprise.

When You Wear the Shirt

10/28/2016 By: CCPearson4 Comments

On fall Saturdays when my beloved Auburn Tigers are playing football, you will find me wearing one of the several orange and blue, logo-enhanced shirts I have accumulated for this very purpose. I may or may not also wear Auburn earrings, an Auburn bracelet, Auburn sunglasses and dark blue pants or jeans, but I’ll definitely have on an Auburn shirt. To anyone in the world with even the slightest knowledge of SEC football, my allegiance is unmistakable. I don’t have to be physically present at Jordan-Hare stadium either. No matter where I might be on game day, I am displaying my colors.

The back of my t-shirt with a vintage Aubie on display.

A recent Saturday in Bar Harbor, Maine was no exception.

Steve and I carefully planned our travel itinerary around kick-off, hoping to find a sports bar carrying the game at lunch time. We hit the jackpot with our very first inquiry, and there was the game in living color with no one in the whole place paying any attention. And, to add to the perfection of the moment, there were two seats directly in front of the television with unobstructed views. We figured as long as we kept ordering food and bottled waters we’d be allowed to stay. (No, no booze. You know us better than that.) So, we started with appetizers and settled in. The bartender was amiable. The place wasn’t crowded. Our team had a big victory. All was well.

But, then we left and started visiting little shops on our way back to our parking place. About a block from our car, we passed a couple walking in the opposite direction, and all of a sudden, I heard, “Roll Tide!” Nooooooo. Not in Maine!!!! I whizzed around and saw the grinning face of the voice and asked, “Are you from Alabama?” She said, “Well, I’m originally from Muscle Shoals, but I live in Boston now.” What are the chances that we’d meet on a sidewalk in Bar Harbor, Maine? She was not wearing an Alabama shirt, but MY shirt had brought on her reaction. She KNEW what it meant.

Later that night, I got up after dinner at a restaurant, wearing the same shirt, and heard a man behind me: “Hotty Toddy!” Lo and behold, a man from Mississippi was vacationing in Maine, too, and because he knows the SEC, we had a short, somewhat pleasant, conversation brought about by my shirt.

Wearing a symbol of my college loyalty caused responses from people who knew what it meant.

Now, I COULD talk about how important it is for Christians to behave like Christians when they are wearing clothes with Christian symbols or driving cars with Christian bumper stickers, but my mind took this scenario to a little less obvious place.

What about those times when nothing on my clothing suggests my religious affiliation? How am I “wearing” my Christian faith? Am I kind to shopkeepers, restaurant servers, neighbors, even Alabama and Ole Miss fans? Do my actions, my words and my attitudes reflect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control? Does my facial countenance display evidence of my faith? Should I be more deliberate, more conscious, more aware and more vocal about the allegiance I profess? If someone passed me on the street, would there be any hint that I was a Christian without me waving a banner or preaching on the sidewalk?

Catholic nuns, Jewish rabbis, Muslim women, for example, all WEAR symbols of their faith. Some Christian women display their denominational preference with their long skirts, long hair and lack of make-up or jewelry. Is that what God wants me to do?

Is it possible that this verse applies?

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by a man’s face or height, for this is not the one. I don’t make decisions the way you do! Men judge by outward appearance, but I look at a man’s thoughts and intentions.” 1 Samuel 16:7

I don’t have any answers for you today or for myself. This is just something I’m pondering. Please feel free to chime in.

We Were LOST!!

10/21/2016 By: CCPearson2 Comments

We were lost. There’s no other way to spin it. Neither our GPS nor our Mapquest recognized the road we were traveling. Nothing looked familiar, and the daylight was fading. We were in a state we’d never visited before, and most of the inhabitants didn’t think we even spoke the same language.

It started as a fun Saturday afternoon drive into Acadia National Park, hoping to arrive at the top of Cadillac Mountain in time for the sunset reputed to be spectacular. We forgot to factor in our timing. We had arrived on a holiday weekend and the very last Saturday of tourist season. We were NOT alone as we started following the signs. I’ve seen crowds like this on The Strip in Panama City Beach in the summertime with all the young folks, and in Gatlinburg in the fall with all the leaf peepers. We passed several popular stops and saw all of the overflowing parking lots. It wasn’t looking good. So, we decided we’d come back the next day and spend this time doing a little exploring. I thought I’d noticed a lighthouse symbol on the signs pointing to Southwest Harbor, so we thought, “How hard can it be? Let’s see if we can find it.”

We DID stop to ask a man on a bicycle, and he pointed and waved uselessly indicating the fact that we should turn around and head in the opposite direction — once he realized Steve had said “lighthouse” rather than “lion house.” What in the world?? That led us nowhere. We tried consulting our map to no avail, so we decided to try to get back at least into Acadia National Park which would then take us to Bar Harbor and to our inn for the night. Apparently, we made some very wrong turns. We drove in circles. Our perfect vacation was becoming somewhat tense. Can you picture it?

FINALLY, and I do mean FINALLY, we passed a volunteer fire station, and an elderly (meaning older than we are) couple walked out carrying what appeared to be their leftover dishes from a potluck supper. I urged Steve to pull in and see if we could get them to help us. The wife seemed shy and suspicious of us, but the husband walked over to our car and allowed us to explain our dilemma. He saw the map that I had been futilely trying to follow and pointed to a spot on it. He said, “We are RIGHT HERE. If you’ll go down that road (again, he pointed to the exact road), you’ll come to Highway 233. Take that, and you’ll go straight back into Bar Harbor.” HALLELUJAH!!! We thanked him profusely and followed his instructions to the letter. He was 100% right. He knew the territory, and he was willing to share his knowledge with a couple of odd-speaking strangers.

It feels bad to be lost. Out of control. Frustrating. A person who is lost is no good to himself or anyone else until he gets on the right road again . . . or finds the right road for the very first time.

You, I’m sure, know where I’m going with this. There are millions of lost people in the world today. They can’t possibly live, think or act the way God intended until they are found. They’re on the wrong road going in the wrong direction. Out of control. Frustrated. BUT JESUS . . . . don’t you just love sentences that start with those words? But Jesus came for the very purpose of searching out and saving people in that very condition. “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 This verse comes at the end of the story of Jesus looking up into the tree and seeing Zacchaeus. Here’s the passage in The Living Bible translation:

Luke 19:1-10 (TLB)

19 ^1-2As Jesus was passing through Jericho, a man named Zacchaeus, one of the most influential Jews in the Roman tax-collecting business (and, of course, a very rich man), ³tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowds. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed into a sycamore tree beside the road, to watch from there.

⁵When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name! “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick! Come down! For I am going to be a guest in your home today!”

⁶Zacchaeus hurriedly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.

⁷But the crowds were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

⁸Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “Sir, from now on I will give half my wealth to the poor, and if I find I have overcharged anyone on his taxes, I will penalize myself by giving him back four times as much!”

^9-10Jesus told him, “This shows that salvation has come to this home today. This man was one of the lost sons of Abraham, and I, the Messiah,* have come to search for and to save such souls as his.”

So, what is OUR job in this whole scenario? I believe we’re supposed to be like that elderly man in the parking lot who said to us, “This is where you are right now. If you’ll do this, this, and this, you’ll find your way home.” Lost person, if you will ADMIT that you are lost and in need of a Saviour, if you will ask Jesus to forgive your sins and genuinely turn around from the road you were going down and BELIEVE that following Jesus is the right road, then CONFESS in your heart that Jesus is Lord, you will find your way home. A B C

A Cloudless Day . . . and Then.

10/14/2016 By: CCPearsoncomment

When I first went outside last week, I looked up to an absolutely cloudless sky. I thought of days in my life that have been blessedly cloudless — at least in terms of not having “heavy clouds looming over me” in the form of worries about children, grandchildren, stuff. And, of course, I thought of this old song I heard as a very young child but haven’t heard much in years and years.

Uncloudy Day

Willie Nelson

Oh, they tell me of a home far beyond the skies
Oh, they tell me of a home far away
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day

Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded day
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day

Oh, they tell me of a home where my friends have gone
Oh, they tell me of that land far away
Where the tree of life in eternal bloom
Sheds its fragrance through the unclouded day

Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded day
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day

Oh, they tell me of a King in His beauty there
And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold
Where He sits on the throne that is whiter than snow
In the city that is made of gold

Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded day
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day

Oh, they tell me that He smiles on His children there
And His smile drives their sorrows all away
And they tell me that no tears ever come again
In that lovely land of unclouded day

Oh, the land of cloudless day
Oh, the land of an unclouded day
Oh, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day

Songwriters: Willie Nelson

Uncloudy Day lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Did they sing that in your church when you were growing up? Isn’t that a beautiful picture? A day with no clouds, literally or figuratively?

But, then, in a matter of minutes, I looked back up and saw this. A few wispy clouds had blown in from somewhere.

Small white clouds over and to the side of my house in an otherwise clear blue sky.

Do you remember the story in 1 Kings 18? Elijah and the prophets of Baal had just engaged in an epic tug-of-war, and God made Elijah gloriously victorious, so much so that “when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, ‘The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God.’ (v. 39) But, God still had a lot of work to do on King Ahab and one of the most vivid stories in the Bible happened next. It involved a cloudless day, that suddenly had “a cloud as big as a man’s hand.” I’m so glad that I learned stories such as these when I was a child. They were planted deeply in my heart and come bubbling up just when I need a spiritual reminder.

1 Kings 18:41-46 “Now Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.’ So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ So he went up and looked and said, ‘There is nothing.’ And he said, ‘Go back’ seven times. And it came about at the seventh time, that he said, ‘Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.’ And he said, ‘Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’ So it came about in a little while, that the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.”

So much sermon material in this passage.

Have you seen something lately that reminded you of a gospel song or a Bible story you heard as a child?

The Persistent Weed vs. The Persistent Flower

10/07/2016 By: CCPearson2 Comments

From my vantage point in the middle of our backyard pool on these warm autumn mornings, I have been able to see, think, reflect and learn valuable lessons as I thrash about doing water aerobics. The water is still warm enough to tolerate, and the sky is the kind of blue that you only seem to see in the fall. It is peaceful, with only birds and butterflies around to keep me company. Bliss.

My personal Silver Fox Gardener does a beautiful job of weeding, mowing, spraying for Japanese beetles, deheading the spent daylilies and pondering what he will plant next. This man LOVES the outdoors and looks forward to perspiration. He is blessed to have NO seasonal allergies. I plan and prepare meals and do the laundry in the nice, air-conditioned house. He maintains the yard. We both write. It works for us.

Yesterday while I was exercising in the water, I spotted a couple of plants that were in the wrong place, in spite of Steve’s very best efforts. A very hearty dandelion WEED pushed past the fence and thrived in a hard-to-reach patch of earth where it was receiving plenty of water and sunshine. Beside the foundation of the house, all alone amid the mulch where nothing had actually been planted, grew a perfect white impatien. Only nature could have orchestrated the circumstances for its existence. In both cases, the plants had been persistent in order to grow.

Dandelion weed thriving where it isn’t wanted.

White impatien growing alone where no one planted it.

First, that weed caused me to evaluate persistent SINS in my life — the ones that keep cropping up in spite of my repeated efforts to repent and get them out of my life. Way too many times, the sins are more persistent than I am, and they crop up at the worst possible times causing me to stumble, even “crashing and burning” in my weakest moments. I won’t confess them to you, but several immediately sprang to my mind. Just as that dandelion needs and deserves to be pulled up vigorously and kicked to the curb, so do my very unsightly and pesky sins.

But then, there was that perfect flower. What a picture of what I want to be! I want to bring beauty and joy and life to those I meet — maybe even unexpectedly at times. When those around me are mired in weeds, I want to be the flower. Even when the odds are against me, I want to thrive.

How about you? Has this post made you remember weeds in your life? Do you want to be “the flower” to people you encounter?

James 1:12 – “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

2 Timothy 2:12 – “If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;”

Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

Praise and Excellence

09/30/2016 By: CCPearsoncomment

Yesterday I was forced to go to the grocery store. I say “forced” because it was the last thing I wanted to do. We had just gotten home the night before from a 4-day trip, and the cupboard was truly bare. I chose a place fairly close to my house and struck out like a woman-on-a-mission.

Before I even got inside the door, I regretted my choice. By the entrance, a nasty garbage can was the greeter. “Please, people, pressure wash the thing!” The glass doors were grimy with fingerprints, and the rugs between the door and the carts were stained and threadbare. I soldiered on.

I had to search for celery and green onions, and the fruit selection was very generic and small. The aisles were narrow and crowded. Many items on my list were missing from the shelves or so well-hidden that I gave up my search. Not a single employee greeted me or asked if I needed help. Not one.

Then, I made the mistake of going to the Ladies’ Restroom. Paper littered on the floor, a corroded ceiling vent, a mirror hung awkwardly — it just shouldn’t have been that way.

The ONLY POSITIVE THING I could even name as I described the scene to my husband later was that Christian praise music was playing in the background. But, even that, seemed wrong. Just wrong.

As you know, I am a 66+-year-old product of Southern Baptist churches, so I have heard Ministers of Music utter the phrase “God inhabits the praises of His people” hundreds of times. Whether or not, that is completely the interpretation of Psalm 22:3 is a debate for another day. Psalm 22:3 (King James Version) — “But thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” But, for the purposes of this post, let’s just think about that for a moment. If God does indeed inhabit/dwell in/make His home in the praises of His people, then God could well have been there while that music was playing yesterday. There is also the point that we as Christians carry “The Kingdom of God” inside of us as we go about, but that, too, can be discussed later. My point is that it seemed terribly wrong for praise and worship music to be played in a place that was not doing business with excellence.

God and excellence are synonymous, don’t you think? Isaiah 12:5 (KJV) “Sing unto the Lord; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.” Everything He created was/is perfect and excellent. His plan and provision for our salvation is perfect/excellent. The heaven where He dwells and where we will be with Him one day is excellent/perfect.

At any rate, it just seemed completely incongruous to me to find praise music in a store that was clearly NOT striving for excellence. I should, of course, insert a shout-out to Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A, businesses who openly wave the banner of Christianity and showcase stores that are attractive, orderly and provide excellent service. And, for further thought, aren’t we supposed to strive for excellence in our churches, our worship services, our programs for children, youth and adults and in the maintenance of our facilities?

Just something God brought to my mind yesterday. I’d love to read your thoughts on the subject of praise and excellence.

When I’m Squeezed, What Comes Out?

09/23/2016 By: CCPearson5 Comments

When I squeeze my toothpaste tube, I naturally assume I’ll get toothpaste. The same holds true when I’m squeezing mustard or ketchup bottles, my hand lotion, my favorite make-up potions or cleaning products. If I thought I was getting toothpaste and I got Preparation H instead, the results could be disastrous. And if I were adding squirts of ketchup to my French fries but I ended up with mustard instead, I’d have a disappointing, uneaten mess. It is important for the expected product to come out of the tube or bottle when we squeeze it. Are you with me?

So, what, I ask you, should come out when a Christian is squeezed? When stress, trials, pain, disappointment, heartbreak come into our lives and squeeze us from all sides, what should come out? I believe you’d all agree that Christ-likeness should come out in the form of the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But, what if the world sees Satan come out when we’re squeezed? What if words or actions that are OPPOSITE of those represented by the Spirit’s fruit are displayed loudly and harshly? How confusing that is. How damaging it is to the spread of Christianity and to the opportunity of attracting someone to the gospel and salvation.

My daddy was squeezed in his final months. He lost his beloved June very quickly and unexpectedly. He had his mind set that he would be the one to go first, but that didn’t happen. My dad was getting weaker and weaker physically, so it was obvious that he couldn’t live alone. My brother, sister and I needed for him to be closer to us rather than 4-5 hours away so we could give him the attention he was going to need. We found him a beautiful, brand new facility, and he agreed to move. His house sold to the very first lookers, so we all saw that as a huge blessing and relief. But, after he moved, he was horribly unhappy. He missed his many friends from Troy, his church, his identity in that town. He was so very sad. Then, the bad diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome was discovered, and he knew he was facing many transfusions and chemo treatments to even HOPE to get any better. It was a triple punch in the gut, to be sure.

Dad told my brother, my sister and me how very unhappy he was. We saw him shed many tears. But, amazingly, he didn’t share his unhappiness with the new people he had just met — his neighbors on his hall, the servers in the dining room, the housekeeping personnel, the facility administrators, etc. In fact, the day we had to move him from his assisted living place to a nursing home, many of those employees came in to hug him and wish him well. One even told us that she called him her “gentle giant.” He never even flinched when needle after needle was stuck in his veins. When his condition became worse in the nursing home and he was being subjected to so many uncomfortable situations, he didn’t raise his voice, and when he was conscious, I kept hearing him say, “Thank you.” It was such a comfort to me that daddy didn’t change who I’d always known him to be.

Joseph was squeezed when he was put in prison after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife.

Daniel was squeezed when he was thrown into the lions’ den because he knelt to pray to his God, rather than King Darius.

Paul was squeezed when he was beaten for preaching about Jesus.

All three men exhibited great faithfulness. What has come out when I’ve been squeezed? What will come out in the future? Now is the time to stay fortified with the Word of God.

James 1:2-3 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

James 1:12 “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

What does it look like to “End Well?”

09/16/2016 By: CCPearson3 Comments

John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

2 Timothy 4:7 (Paul writing to Timothy) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”

In the case of Jesus in the first verse, He knew the exact moment when He was going to die, but, as we know, He still had much more to do after He “gave up His spirit” and spent the next three days in the tomb. That statement, however, brought an end to His earthly suffering.

As for Paul, his last day was still in the future, but he wrote with satisfied confidence to Timothy that he had run the race God had asked him to run, and he had done it well.

I have now watched 5 parent figures’ lives draw to a close. My mother in January of 1986, my father-in-law in October of 1997, my mother-in-law in July of 2011, my stepmother in February of 2016, and my daddy in July of 2016. Three of those — mom, Steve’s dad, and my stepmother June — came running up to their last day at full speed.

A few hours before my mother’s brain aneurysm, she was up baking cookies for a bridal shower she was helping to host for a girl at the Children’s Home. She LOVED baking and hosting parties. Steve’s dad was out fishing with a good friend when their boat suddenly struck a stationery barge knocking them both into the water where they drowned. Mr. Pearson LOVED fishing on the Tennessee River and spending time outdoors with his friend. June prepared one of my dad’s favorite dishes for lunch and then spent several hours laughing and talking with her daughter and granddaughter before a growing headache became unbearable. June LOVED spoiling my dad and savoring time with her family.

Steve’s mom, better known to us as Grannie, lived to be 86. She was smart, resourceful and extremely creative. But, in her last years, she was unhappy and in considerable pain with back and heart issues. She kept her full mental capacities until the end, but sadly, we couldn’t convince her to choose to be happy and to enjoy her days.

Dad grieved deeply after June died. We helped him move to North Alabama to be nearer family members, but he refused to settle into his new surroundings. Then on June 29, he learned that he had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), very similar to leukemia. His first chemo treatment was on July 11, and he died on July 28 at the age of 88.

So much more could be written about each of these 5 people, and I keep trying to sort through the lessons God taught me by watching each one of them.

I doubt there’s a person alive who wouldn’t choose a sudden, unexpected death over prolonged pain and debilitation. And, I know we all pray that we won’t lose our ability to think clearly. But, the fact remains that we don’t get to choose. Instead, we have to live each day as intentionally, as productively, and as joyfully as it is in our power to do so. As I continue to process the how-to’s of all this, let me share what Steve has written on the subject. Here are links to his 3 blog posts: here, here and here.

My Church Family

09/09/2016 By: CCPearson6 Comments

Hebrews 10: 24-25 “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

I have often thought that I couldn’t imagine going through a crisis without the support of a church family. Fortunately, I have been a member of a loving church family of believers in Jesus Christ every day of my life. Recently, though, I got yet another look at how a church family functions and how truly valuable it is. The day of my dad’s death and the weeks after are perfect examples.

Within a couple of hours of dad’s passing, ministers called and friends sent texts, Facebook messages and emails saying they were praying and offering to help.
Members of our Sunday School class brought food or provided meals just when they were most needed and appreciated. They not only fed us physically, but they listened and comforted when I cried.
At the visitation and funeral, the majority of those who came, other than family members, were dear friends from church. They stood with us, gave great hugs and met the family they’d heard me talk about so much.
The cards started showing up in my mailbox, eventually becoming a large stack. Many sent memorials to the Baptist Children’s Home which is a ministry very close to our hearts.
For a whole month, I have been greeted by people as I walk in the doors of the church who learned of my dad’s passing and have been looking for an opportunity to express their sympathy.
My family and I were on the prayer lists for the whole church, for the choir, and for our Sunday School class. All of those prayers were vital to our handling of the initial grief and all the decisions that needed to be made rapidly.
Special friends from my Bible study kept in close touch, making sure I was getting through the rough days. They are STILL checking on me often.

My blood relatives have been great, of course. After all, they lost a dearly loved family member, too.

But, in short, my church family PRAYED, LOVED and DEMONSTRATED HOW MUCH THEY CARED. Soon, I’m sure, it will be my privilege to be a blessing to one of them.

Luke 19:1-10 (TLB)

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