This coming Monday is Memorial Day where we remember our departed loved ones. The loss is extremely difficult. My parents knew Jesus and I know they are in Heaven with Him and with that knowledge I am comforted, but there is still emptiness. Now that both of my parents are gone, I can better understand those who expressed how much they missed their parents and how it was harder after they were both gone. My mother in the later years of her life used to say, “You know, Marnie, I really wish I could just talk to my Mama.” Then she’d just shake herself out of it and begin to praise the Lord for all He had done for her. On Monday, we remember these special ones. Many will decorate the graves and spend time in reflection.

SAFELY HOME

-Author Unknown

I am home in heaven, dear ones;

Oh, so happy and so bright.

There is perfect joy and beauty

In this everlasting light.

All the pain and grief is over,

Every restless tossing passed.

I am now at peace forever,

Safely home in heaven at last.

Did you wonder I so calmly

Trod the valley of the shade?

Oh, but Jesus’ love illumined

Every dark and fearful glade.

And He came Himself to meet me

In the way so hard to tread;

And with Jesus’ arm to lean on

Could I have one doubt or dread?

Then you must not grieve so sorely,

For I love you dearly still.

Try to look beyond death’s shadows;

Pray to trust our Father’s will.

There is work still waiting for you,

So you must not idly stand.

Dot it now while life remaineth;

You shall rest in Jesus’ land.

When that work is all completed,

He will gently call you home.

Oh, the rapture of that meeting;

Oh, the joy to see you come.

We need to not only think about our own loved ones but about those who have given their lives for our freedom as well as those who are currently risking their lives in the in the Military. We need to pray for them and their families during these difficult times. Part of remembering is to remember those who are hurting and suffering.

I received a touching e-mail that should help us to remember our friends and loved ones who are still with us. This was written soon after our 9-11-02 catastrophe in the World Trade Center.

IF I KNEW

Author Unknown

If I knew it would be the last time

That I’d see you fall asleep,

I would tuck you in more tightly

And pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time

That I see you walk out the door,

I would give you a hug and kiss

And call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time

I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise,

I would video tape each action and word,

So I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,

I could spare an extra minute

To stop and say “I love you,”

Instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time,

I would be there to share your day,

Well, I’m sure you’ll have so many more,

So I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there’s always tomorrow

TO make up for an oversight,

And we always get a second chance

To make everything just right.

There will always be another day

To say “I love you,”

And certainly there’s another chance

TO say our “Anything I can do?”

But just in case I might be wrong,

And today is all I get,

I’d like to say how much I love you

And I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,

Young or old alike,

And today may be the last chance

You get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow,

Why not do it today?

For it tomorrow never comes

You’ll surely regret the day.

That you didn’t take that extra time

For a smile, a hug, or a kiss

And you were too busy to grant someone,

What turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,

And whisper in their ear,

Tell them how much you love them

And that you’ll always hold them dear.

Take time to say, “I’m sorry,”

“Please forgive,” “Thank you,” or It’s okay.”

And if tomorrow never comes,

You’ll have no regrets about today.

·

I believe our Memorial Day tradition is endorsed by God because He has many things He specifically wants us to remember. Here are a few things He mentions in His Word:

· Remember those who have gone before and learn from their mistakes and victories. Deut. 24:9; Luke 17:32

· Remember God’s Saints. Hebrews Chapter 11

· Remember God and meditate on Him. 1 Chronicles 16:10-12; Psalms 63:6

Remember to take time for God. Exodus 20:8

As we remember those who have gone before, let’s remember our precious Savior who came to this earth to live and die for our redemption. Jesus created everything and was with the Father throughout eternity as God. He became man and entered a human body. This is beyond us but can you imagine how hard and confining that must have been? As we remember loved ones, let’s not forget the most important Loved One of all.

Treasures in heaven are laid up

Only as treasures on earth are laid down.

May God bless you on this Memorial Day!

Have you ever thought about God’s feelings? What do you think about when you think of God? Is He an austere harsh image in your mind? What is His heart? The amazing thing is that God gives us so many clues as to what He feels and how He thinks. Obviously, we can never really understand Him because He is so far above us but if we will but look, we can know many, many things about God.

For example, the Bible says that Creation itself speaks about the glory of God. How does this happen? If you look at the hummingbird alone, you find some interesting facts. The heart rate for a hummingbird is about 1260 beats per minute! Hummingbird wing-beats are about 80 per second! All the variety of gorgeous birds we get to see right here in Northern Minnesota tells us that God loves beauty and variety.

Weird, Useless Facts You Would Never Know!

• Butterflies taste with their feet.

• A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.

• In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world’s nuclear weapons combined.

• On average people fear spiders more than they do death.

• Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump.

• It’s possible to lead a cow upstairs . . . but not downstairs.

• Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

• It’s physically impossible for you to lick your elbow.

• A snail can sleep for three years.

• Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing – SCARY!

• All polar bears are left-handed.

• An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.

• A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

• Almost everyone who reads this will try to lick their elbow.

• Don’t forget to pass these weird facts on to everyone you know. They will get a kick out of it.

• You tried to lick your elbow, didn’t you?

-From www.tedgrier.com (abbreviated)

I recently saw a marvelous video where science had taken pictures of stars until our galaxy became a speck and then took pictures back until they went into the microscopic aspects of creation. What an incredible universe we have!

I wonder how many creatures there are on this earth and each one has babies just like them. They are all so unique and interesting. What about snow? How many snowflakes have fallen and yet each one is different! God is magnificent! He does not explain Himself – He simply IS!

MY QUEST

by Vera Campbell Darr

I sought for God in His out-of-doors;

His beauty I found revealed

In sunset skies and changing lights

On swaying grain in the field.

I sought for God on the ocean wide;

His strength and power I found

In pounding waves And raging storm,

Majestic and profound.

I sought for God among the stars;

His light coming down to me

Revealed a light within myself

Which before I had failed to see.

I sought God in the world of men,

Yearning His love to know,

Hoping that some human heart

His love divine might show.

I sought God long and wondered oft

When my quest would end;

And then, at last, I found my God

Enthroned in the heart of a friend.

God is actually not hard to find. He stands before us with outstretched arms waiting for us to run to Him. He loves us and desires to be our friend and companion in addition to our Savior and Lord.

Still what is God like? Why, for example, does God ask such things of us as to never lie? Throughout the Bible God tells us that His very nature is Truth. Jesus says, ‘I am Truth.” Why does He want us to tell the truth? Because He created us in His image with an instinct to please Him. When we do, we find joy and fulfillment in life. Ephesians 5:10 says, “Try to determine what will please the Lord.” When we do this what happens? We find life worth living!

What about being humble? Can you believe that is one of the descriptions of God, Himself?

“Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29

Why would God ask us not to steal? Look at His heart. He doesn’t even make us love Him or obey Him. He will not take from us what we will not willingly give. He wishes to love on us and give us His forgiveness, strength and joy but He gave us a choice. He says in Ephesians 4 that we are to become generous and give to others in need. Why? Because that is His nature. He is a giver. The Bible says that God is far more willing to give than we are to receive.

I think one of the greatest attributes of God is that He is Kind! Have you thought about the fruit of the Spirit and how that means these are clues into the very nature of God? One fruit of the Spirit is kindness. I love this well-known poem.

Let me be a little kinder, let me be a little blinder

To the faults of those about me; let me praise a little more.

Let me be a little meeker with the brother that is weaker;

Let me think more of my neighbor and a little less of me.

-Uncle Ben’s Quotebook (Harvest Publ. C1976) p.210

Let’s look into the very nature of our marvelous, incredible, indescribable God who loves us so very much!

He will not fail, nor mock, nor disappoint thee;

His consolations change not with the years;

With oil of joy He surely will anoint thee,

And wipe away thy tears.

-J. Danson Smith

My friend, Renee’, has an expression; “We really loved on them” to indicate showing special love to someone. She does a beautiful job of ‘loving on people‘ and I have been the recipient of her special love. How easy it is to love someone back who loves you! I love her expression! It really says it all. Well, I was reading my Complete Jewish Bible the other day and was so puzzled when I read a verse that I had to spend some time pondering the meaning. I asked the Lord to explain it to me. Here’s the verse:

“I love those who love me; and those who seek Me will find Me.” Prov. 8:17

I was puzzled. The Bible says that God loves everyone so what does it mean here that He loves those who love Him? Here’s another verse that seemed to catch my attention:

“Without having seen Him, you love Him. Without seeing Him now, but trusting in Him, you continue to be full of joy that is glorious beyond words…” 1 Peter 1:8-9

Loving and trusting God brings us incredible and glorious joy! Wow – here’s the secret to finding that illusive search for joy! I went back to the first verse and asked God to show me the meaning. Here is what I learned.

God loves everyone and Jesus died for every person who has ever lived if they will but accept Him. However, He cannot ‘love on them’ if they hate Him. He has to work at bringing them to Himself but He cannot ‘love on them’ the way He does those who love Him. However, if we love Him, He says He will love on us! Isn’t that beautiful!

Let’s look at a few of the ways God loves on His people. First we see that 1 Peter 1:8 says He gives us glorious joy. Have you experienced His glorious joy? It is an experience like none other! As He ‘loves on us,’ this love also helps us to trust Him. Here is a precious story about a child trusting in the Love of her Father in Heaven.

Child’s View of Thunderstorms

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to the elementary school.

As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school and she feared the electrical storm might harm her child.

Full of concern, the mother quickly got into her car and drove along the route to her child’s school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along. At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile. Another and another flash of lighting followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile.

When the mother’s car drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called to her ‘What are you doing?’

The child answered, ‘I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture.’

-E-mail

Psalms 32:10 says that God protects us – He surrounds us with His love! Because He loved us first, we can love Him back and He gives us the ability to love others. Our lives become enriched through this love channeled through us back to Him and to others.

Psalms 42:8 says that His love puts a song in our hearts.

In Psalms 91:14 He says that because we love Him, He will defend us and protect us. In an uncertain world isn’t it comforting to know that God is on our side, protecting and defending us?

God says His love for us is demonstrated by Mother love! What kind of love is that? Let’s look at a poem by Charlie Grier that expresses this thought beautifully.

MOTHER LOVE

by Charlie Grier

God’s dear Book is full of pictures,

Every page with them is lined,

Every word He has inspired

To reveal some truth sublime.

Every saint, apostle, prophet

Has his own important place –

Each is but a little mirror

That reflects the Master’s face.

But of all the types and symbols

There is one that stands above –

Seems to me, excels all others –

It is simply mother-love.

No one else was quite so tender –

No one else was quite so kind –

No one quite so sympathetic

As was you, dear Mother mine.

Yours a life of pain and suffering –

Yours a life of toil and strife,

Yet, you thought not of your own self

As for us you spent your life.

You, it was who shared our sorrows –

You, who always understood –

You, who felt our disappointments –

Cheered us on when e’er you could.

You, who wept about our failures,

Yet, your love remained the same.

You, who prayed that God would save us

From a life of sin and shame.

You, who trusted, never faltering,

Through the storms of deep despair

Knowing God someday would answer –

Hear, O Lord, our Mother’s prayer!

God is portrayed, very dimly,

In each life that bears His name –

May we read as “living letters”

And not put our Lord to shame!

Earth has not produced an artist –

None, save Christ, is there above

Can excel this wondrous picture –

God revealed through “mother-love!”

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

I have read a number of articles recently as well as viewed The Truth Project by Focus on the Family. The Truth Project is well worth viewing if you have an opportunity! It is awesome! What I have been reminded of continually is the Sovereignty of God – basically that means; God is in control! You might exclaim, “How can that be? Look at our terrible world and the tragedies going on! How could a loving God permit such a thing?” Some things are difficult to understand but when we see the beautiful love of God poured out on mankind, we learn that He can be trusted to bring His people through this maze of difficulties safely if we but allow Him to do so. He gives us a free will and we can either choose Him or not. Listen to this awesome story about a 911 incident.

A GREAT AND AMAZING STORY

A man from Norfolk , VA called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003,

TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001.

His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:

A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said ‘amen,’ we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight. both very upset, we drove home..

I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my wife’s flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight.

My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. ‘This is not something I can’t just sit by for; I have to do something.’

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, ‘take good care of my grandchild. Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.

My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say good-bye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn’t expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child.

The man looked at me and asked if my father’s name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, ‘I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.’

He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, ‘there is something else you need to know.‘

His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him themselves .

When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

This story should help us to realize this: God is always in control. We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.  His love endures Forever.”  Psalm 136:1

-E-Mail

ON EVERY SIDE

by J. Danson Smith

“On every side” — pressed hard, and sorely troubled;

Perplexed; hemmed in; but – no, not in despair!

On every side! But – overhead still open;

Thus – heart can rise above, on wings of prayer.

“On every side” — unrest; tumultuous heaving;

A fevered rush; a seething, surging throng;

On every side – disturbance, dislocation;

But – deep within, a sweet thanksgiving song!

“On every side” a heated, frantic clamor:

A “Push” a “greed” a selfish work and will;

On every side – unheavenly words and warrings;

But – deep within, a place where all is still!

“On every side”! ‘Tis true, the foe is pressing,

And driving hard his quickly shortening day;

But – God doth reign; He over all is sovereign,

And — “rest on every side” — our hearts can stay.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17