Today ...

[gcdonner]

Went to a funeral today of an older man we've known for about 10 years, give or take. His wife is a good Christian woman who is a member with a conservative Pentecostal kind of church. He was embittered years ago by the death of a child and he and most of his children turned their back on God. She has faithfully prayed for him for 30 or 40 years, but as far as I know, her prayers were never answered. He died of a massive stroke with no time to reflect.

Sad. The minister talked some about the kind of person he was, then preached a good salvation message. He never mentioned anything about the deceased being ready to die. I was glad that at least he didn't try to preach him into heaven.

That is a difficult situation to deal with for sure. Thankfully, to this point I have not had to preach at the funeral of an unbeliever. Pointing the living towards Christ is always the best message anyway, which I always have done myself. I am sure it is a difficult time for the wife.

[KingdomBuilder]

Went to a funeral today of an older man we've known for about 10 years, give or take. His wife is a good Christian woman who is a member with a conservative Pentecostal kind of church. He was embittered years ago by the death of a child and he and most of his children turned their back on God. She has faithfully prayed for him for 30 or 40 years, but as far as I know, her prayers were never answered. He died of a massive stroke with no time to reflect.

Sad. The minister talked some about the kind of person he was, then preached a good salvation message. He never mentioned anything about the deceased being ready to die. I was glad that at least he didn't try to preach him into heaven.

Somber. Makes me think of some relatives who have died... I didn't see or hear much of Jesus from their lives, but their funeral was full of words trying to convince us otherwise. A very uneasy feeling.

[MaxPC]

Went to a funeral today of an older man we've known for about 10 years, give or take. His wife is a good Christian woman who is a member with a conservative Pentecostal kind of church. He was embittered years ago by the death of a child and he and most of his children turned their back on God. She has faithfully prayed for him for 30 or 40 years, but as far as I know, her prayers were never answered. He died of a massive stroke with no time to reflect.

Sad. The minister talked some about the kind of person he was, then preached a good salvation message. He never mentioned anything about the deceased being ready to die. I was glad that at least he didn't try to preach him into heaven.

I'm sorry to hear of his wife's loss. Funerals are a somber reality check.

I agree with your observation about a preacher who tries to preach certain personalities into heaven. We still pray for them and their souls but at the same time, we also try to support their families.

It reminds me of the funeral of a young mother of 7 in our parish and her friends tried to make her appear to be a saint. When her father's turn came, he stood up and recounted his memories of her teen years when she was an absolute rebel. It was a refreshing dose of realism.

[temporal1]

i pray for divine intervention, even in the last, and briefest, of moments.
i pray silently to God for this, i believe it is within His power.

[Szdfan]

Today I'm flying to New Orleans for a family vacation. This my first time there and the first "just to be a tourist" trip I've taken in years. Gonna eat and listen to jazz all week.

[gcdonner]

Our first substantial snowstorm yesterday. We got 6" and our temps this morning were -3°, bbrrrrrrr

[temporal1]

Our first substantial snowstorm yesterday. We got 6" and our temps this morning were -3°, bbrrrrrrr

[appleman2006]

Today I'm flying to New Orleans for a family vacation. This my first time there and the first "just to be a tourist" trip I've taken in years. Gonna eat and listen to jazz all week.

New Orleans is a very interesting city. And yes the music, particularly the street music is amazing. I would highly recommend the riverboat dinner cruise as well as one of the cemetery tours.

[Wade]

Four Trumpeter Swans landed in front of the blueberry farm.

Saw a herd of elk on a hill when driving to an appointment.

Sleigh-rided in the snow.

Blue heron really stand out standing in the snow white blanketed ground while maybe thinking he is hiding among the bushes.

Good to have some calmness before changes in life...

In awe of God and his love, not because of gifts as much as His giving.

[temporal1]

Four Trumpeter Swans landed in front of the blueberry farm.

Saw a herd of elk on a hill when driving to an appointment.

Sleigh-rided in the snow.

Blue heron really stand out standing in the snow white blanketed ground while maybe thinking he is hiding among the bushes.

Good to have some calmness before changes in life...

In awe of God and his love, not because of gifts as much as His giving.

i hope you will think to appreciate God's gift of heart - to you.
you have the gift, and another gift, to be able to express your heart in writing.
the mechanics of writing is a valuable skill, but, heart is from God.

i look forward to reading every post you share.