My sincere apologies for not posting lately. You see, our family recently lost our patriarch, my dear precious father. He passed on quite suddenly and unexpectedly. We have all had to adjust to a new reality of life.
My father was an amazing man. I would not be the person I am today without his guidance and influence. He taught us what was most important in life:
our personal relationship with God. We are all better for having known him. I am confident that I will see him again in Heaven one day.
A celebration of his life was held at our church and I found the service to be tremendously healing. The setting was perfect-our old church's majestic sanctuary. The beautiful stained glass windows, the choir, the pipe organ and the bagpipes were a fitting tribute to a wonderful, multi-faceted man.
I would like to share with you a few words that were shared at his memorial service. I hope you find them as uplifting and assuring as I do.
"This service of resurrection is a declaration of our faith in the living God, whom we have come to know in Jesus Christ.
On the occasion of the passing of (my father), we gather to worship God who raised Jesus Christ from death
and made resurrection the true mark of our future.
We have come as people of God to express our love for (my father) and to share our faith and hope in that life which is God's gift to us.
In celebrating God's love and the passing of this life, we readily confess our sorrow and our difficulty in always accepting death as a natural part of life. However, we dare to look beyond our sorrow to claim a deep joy in knowing that there is nothing in life or death that can separate us, and those we love, from the love of God which is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(see Romans 8:38)
If my father was to speak to you now, I know that he would say, "I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God."(see Job 19:25)
"because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:14-18)
I will be back to posting about all things visually delightful and lovely, but for now, I've got my mind on the divine that I can not see, but I know is so very real.
"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives."
(Gloria & Bill Gaither)
