blog is a many splendored thing

Today was bittersweet.  A lovely woman, a member of our church family, lost the battle with cancer - and passed on victoriously to be with our Lord - the other day.  Today we attended her funeral; a memorial to the way she lived her life.  It was a lovely service.  Yes, we were saddened at the loss of our friend; but joyous in the fact that she is with Our Lord! There were hundreds of people in attendance to show their love and support for her family.  We – as a congregation – sang some of her favorite hymns; some of her loved ones read a few of her favorite Bible passages; and one of her closest friends – who is also fighting cancer – played her guitar and sang a beautiful hymn. She sang a hymn that speaks of the Christian hope.  As human beings, we tend to worry; so, it is reassuring that we, as born again believers, don’t have to worry about tomorrow.  There isn’t any fear about where we’ll go when we pass out of this world; we will move on...

Proverbs 15:1-3 (KJV) -- A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.  The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.  The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Have you had someone criticize, or snap at you, lately?  Feels great, right?  Did you run right over and thank the offender for helping build your Christian Character?  No?  Me either!  My gut reaction is to give back as good as I got. In such situations, I want to tell someone off, defend myself, and loudly explain my side of the story.  I yearn to point out their blame, recap how lucky they are to know me, and educate them not to discourage or demean me.  I long to yank out my best vocabulary list, select just the right words, and “put them in their place.”  Anybody else ever feel that way?  Please raise your hands!  Let’s use our imaginations for a coupl...