More Beautiful than an Angel
It is a call that most pastors dread. A hospice is calling requesting that a pastor visit a patient. Families fight desperately for weeks to save the life of a loved one, forgetting the pastor. Yet when the patient is moved to hospice the family wants the pastor to get things in order. That may sound bitter but its difficult to assure family standing over a person whom you have never met and is comatose.
I got such a call recently. I didn’t know the person, the hospice was looking for a Southern Baptist pastor. As I walked to the room I braced myself for whatever I would encounter. I began to go down my list; Bible verse, check. Breath ok, check. Emotions ok, check.
This time there was a difference. The person was awake and able to hold a conversation. I introduced myself and I asked a little about the persons life. I asked could I read from John 14:1-6. As I read I witnessed a beautiful transformation take place. The persons eyes began to sparkle and a gentle smile appeared. Their mouth began to say the words with me.
Psalm 116: 15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
I have heard that angels are beautiful. I have never seen one. I saw something that day much more beautiful than an angel. I saw a child of God, looking forward to a final journey. Their ticket was in hand and their bags were packed. They had shut and locked the door to this life firmly behind them. There was nothing more for them to do but expectantly wait for Jesus to take them home.
I was on holy ground.
Who will remember you?
There are lots of people mentioned in the Bible. Many times those names only appear once. We have a tendencey to look over those names. For most of us today those names seem strange and difficult. After all who would name their kid- Mephibosheth? (2 Samuel 4:4) But skipping over names is big mistake. God prompted the writers of the Bible to include those names. Many times hidden in one or two verses is a huge life lesson. God places those names as examples to follow and warnings to those who reject God’s direction.
Lois and Euenice are two such women. They are each mentioned only once in 2 Timothy 1:5
” clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice,and that I am convinced is in you also.”
From Acts 16:1 We know that Timothy,Eunice and Lois lived in Lystra. In Acts Eunice is not mentioned by name but it is mentioned that she was Jewish.
The life lesson is how faith was passed from one person to another to another. Lois did all the things women have been doing for thousands of years; cooking, cleaning and managing her home and her children. Yet she also took time to also pass on her faith to her children. I can imagine she did it simply, practically and with gracefulness. Her daughter Eunice grew from a child into a young woman. Working alongside her mother she learned both the practical and the spiritual.
We can assume that Lois went to live with Eunice at some point. These two women poured into Timothy all that they knew about life and faith. The results? Timothy becomes a traveling companion of Paul. When Paul wants to establish the disciples at the Ephesus church he selects Timothyas pastor. I can’t imagine how proud Timothy’s grandmother and mother must have been!
Who are you passing your faith on to? Who will look back in the years ahead and remember the life lessons you passed on to them? Who is at your side right now that needs your encouragement, your passion and your faith?
Here are three practical steps to begin:
1. Make sure that your life is right with God. Take stock in the good, the bad and yes, the ugly. Surrender the ugly to God and celebrate with God the good. He made you and loves you. Determine to start anew every day.
2. Go to church. Church won’t solve all your problems but you and your family won’t feel alone. Satan’s greatest strategy for defeat is make you feel isolated. At TCF we want to be about encouraging and teaching you how to lead your family.
3. Focus on the positive. We look at the flaws of another person’s life and want to fix them. We often go about this by nagging and yelling. Instead of changing, most of the time the problem gets worse or you drive the person away. Find at least one good thing about a person and build them up.
We may not get mentioned in the Bible or in any form of media but we can win the hearts of our families and friends. Ask yourself each day, ”Who will remember me?”
The 100 yard dash
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (HCSB)
1 There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
On every gravestone there is a dash between the date you were born and the date you die. Someone once said, “Neither of those dates are important, it’s the dash (the life you live in between those dates) that is important.”
We are often too busy with the stuff of life to stop and think about that truth. What will people say about your dash? Will they talk about how you went the extra mile to help them? How you made their life richer, fuller,or happier? Which is more important: Making sure your kid goes to karate class or spending the afternoon playing and laughing with them? Buying your spouses affections or giving your wife the remote and cleaning the kitchen for her?
Let me give you a few suggestions that you can do this week:
1. Before you leave for work every morning, give your spouse one(two would be better) sincere complement. Men that is especially important to your wives. Suggestion Men: I like the color of that blouse your wearing, it looks good on you. Suggestion Ladies: Thanks for fixing the lock on the front door you make me feel safe.
2. Parents,catch your kids doing something right and praise them for it! Way to clean up after yourself! Good grades! You didn’t give up even when it was hard, way to go!
3. Do one small act of kindness everyday. This is especially potent if know one ever knows, it builds nobility.
4. Pray, lift your eyes off this earth. Prayer helps you see life as God sees it.
5. Laugh. Don’t take life or yourself too seriously. Make others laugh with you.
The time we are given on this earth is a gift. Life is short, just a mad dash to the finish. Don’t live with regrets and should have dones. Commit to run to the finish!
Have a blessed week!
“Invite a Friend” Sunday September 25
In the past two years TCF has grown from 16 members to 23. We have baptized 6 with 4 being accepted for membership and 3 others coming by transfer of membership from another church. When I first came as interim TCF was struggling for direction. In those days TCF was very much in a “survival” mode. I can sense that TCF is now well past those days and ready to grow again.
“Invite a Friend” Sunday (September 25) is an opportunity to kick-start our growth! Growth happens in several stages:
- A person makes the commitment to walk into the church.
- That person likes what they see and…
- They come back.
“Invite a Friend” focuses on that very first step: getting new people to step through the front doors of TCF. To help motive people to make that first step TCF is offering to buy 10 first time guests tickets to the new movie “Courageous” http://www.courageousthemovie.com/
On October 1 TCF will go as a group to see the movie Courageous. We will go to the 1:10 p.m. showing at Fandango Theater Boulder Station. Adult tickets are $8.00, Seniors are $7.00 and Children are $7.00.
I am excited about “Invite a Friend” Sunday and look forward to seeing what God is going to do!
Updates and Happenings!
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