“From now on, every generation will call me blessed!
For he, the Mighty One, is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
And God will show his mercy to every generation
who will worship and serve him.”
~Luke 1:48b-50 (NLT/NCV)~
Pray for the Pledgers as them make funeral arrangements and travel plans to Kentwood for “Miss” Lucille’s service this weekend.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME
I first used the following story (author unknown) in a Thought For The Day message several years ago, and have since used it in a funeral service. It remains one of my readers’ all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy seeing it again.
The sound of Martha’s voice on the other end of the telephone always brought a smile to Brother Jim’s face. She was not only one of the oldest members of the congregation, but one of the most faithful.
Aunt Martie, as all of the children called her, just seemed to ooze faith, hope, and love wherever she went. This time, however, there seemed to be an unusual tone to her words. “Preacher, could you stop by this afternoon? I need to talk with you.” “Of course, I’ll be there around three. Is that ok?”
It didn’t take long for Jim to discover the reason for what he had only sensed in her voice before. As they sat facing each other in the quiet of her small living room. Martha shared the news that her doctor had just discovered a previously undetected tumor. “He says I probably have six months to live”. Martha’s words were naturally serious, yet there was a definite calm about her. “I’m so sorry to….” but before Jim could finish, Martha interrupted. “Don’t be. The Lord has been good. I have lived a long life. I’m ready to go. You know that.” “I know,” Jim whispered with a reassuring nod.
“But I do want to talk with you about my funeral. I have been thinking about it, and there are things that I know I want.” The two talked quietly for a long time. They talked about Martha’s favorite hymns, the passages of Scripture that had meant so much to her through the years, and the many memories they shared from the five years Jim had been with Central Church.
When it seemed that they had covered just about everything, Aunt Martie paused, looked up at Jim with a twinkle in her eye, and then added, “One more thing, preacher. When they bury me, I want my old Bible in one hand and a fork in the other”. “A fork?” Jim was sure he had heard everything, but this caught him by surprise. “Why do you want to be buried with a fork?”
“I have been thinking about all of the church dinners and banquets that I attended through the years,” she explained, “I couldn’t begin to count them all. But one thing sticks in my mind — At those really nice get-togethers, when the meal was almost finished, a server or maybe the hostess would come by to collect the dirty dishes. I can hear the words now. Sometimes, at the best ones, somebody would lean over my shoulder and whisper, ‘You can keep your fork.’ And do you know what that meant? Dessert was coming! “It didn’t mean a cup of Jell-O or pudding or even a dish of ice cream. You don’t need a fork for that. It meant the good stuff, like chocolate cake or cherry pie! When they told me I could keep my fork, I knew the best was yet to come!
“That’s exactly what I want people to talk about at my funeral. Oh, they can talk about all the good times we had together. That would be nice. But when they walk by my casket and look at my pretty blue dress, I want them to turn to one another and say, ‘Why the fork’? That’s what I want you to say, I want you to tell them, that I kept my fork because the best is yet to come!”
Truly, for a child of God, the best is yet to come.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” (I Peter 1:3-4)
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Jadon’s Story
My appointment went great today. The blood work before my appointment not so good. It took them 3 times before they were able to draw blood. Once we were done with that I was much better. My neurologist is back and we are very excited about that. She increased my banzel because my medicine levels showed we could go up on it and because it helped so much when I started it. Hopefully the increase in banzel will help these seizures go down. I’m having about 80 a day now. I’ve been sick so that’s why they are increased. I started another antibiotic yesterday. This is my 3rd one in the last month. This one is suppose to knock all this infection out. Time will tell. My neurologist also said once we are finished increasing banzel we will decrease topamax. I have to get more lab work done next Monday to see if my medicine levels are better. She said that I look great and she can tell I’m doing more. The dietitian saw us while we were there. My ketones were at 1.7 which means they are elevated but still low. She increased my ketogenic diet to the 3:1 ratio. I was on the 2:1 ratio. We are praying that these 2 changes will help control these seizures. They are starting me on carnitine because my blood work showed that mine is low. Carnitine helps the body metabolize fatty acids. Please pray that these changes will help control my seizures. It’s really time for these to go away. If you look at the bottom right hand side of my webpage, you will notice that I have reached over 10,000 views. How awesome is that. That means I have been prayed for thousands of time just from my webpage 🙂
Dec. 1
Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
Day 5
The people of China
Ray Aker* had spent two years sharing Jesus in a rural area of China, but no one responded.
Then he met Solomon* who lived in an isolated mountain village. Ray told the gospel story, and Solomon immediately believed. But what he said then amazed Ray.
“Twenty years ago, I understood in my heart that there was one God above all,” Solomon said. “But I didn’t know anything about Him. So, I prayed every day that He would send somebody to tell me Who He was. God answered my prayer today when He sent you to me.”
Immediately Solomon began telling others, and several believed. The local witchdoctor took notice.
He said Solomon would die in three days if he didn’t stop. Solomon refused, and on day four, the villagers wanted to know why he was still alive.
Solomon told the whole village about Jesus, and 80 people believed.
“These people live in daily fear of evil spirits,” Ray explains. “The fact that Solomon didn’t die rocked their worldview.”
In the past four years, God has used Solomon’s influence to bring 400 people to faith and start three churches.
“God had been preparing Solomon for 20 years,” Ray says. “I’m just thankful God allowed me to be a small part of it.”
Pray God continues to reveal Himself to Solomon’s people.
*Names changed
Have a great day!
Anna Lee
The Prayer Link 