Tuesday, August 7, 2018

A Love that Never Dies


Today I visited an elderly member of our church at the assisted living home nearby.  As we sat in her living room, she told me a story about how she likes to kiss the picture of her late husband and tell him all about her day.  She asked me if this was alright, fishing to know if I thought her behavior was odd.  Although she never said, I am sure somewhere along the line she has shared this with someone who thought that in was in fact an odd thing to do.  All I could do was smile while she told me about the conversations that she has had with the photograph.  I assured her that this didn't seem odd to me, but that some people find me odd anyway.

She also told me about how she had passed her ring down to the oldest daughter and one day she realized she missed wearing it on her finger. Her husband had been long gone from this world, but she desired to let everyone know that she was still married. Although she could have married someone else, she told me that her late husband, Alvin, was the only man who could truly hold her heart. She struck me as being as madly in love with him today as she has ever been, probably even more.  The picture above is actually her hand and ring, taken at the end of my visit.   Her daughters bought her this wedding band as a reminder of a love that never died. She gave me permission to tell this story and use their names.

Ms. Betty Wheeler met Alvin the same way many of us did, riding his bus.  For some of us, he was a school bus driver, for her, he was the driver of a passenger travel bus.  Ms. Betty longs for the day that she will embrace him once again and tell him everything that has happened since he left, but until then, she will talk to his picture, give it a kiss, and smile knowing that her man still holds her heart, long after going Home.

As I processed the story, sitting in her living room, it made me think of conversations that I have had with many young couples over the years. This conversation has even become one that I have had in my own home.  What would someone do, if their spouse died?  For some, they get remarried and there isn't anything wrong with that.  For others, they choose to go it alone, spending the rest of their days experiencing life with the memories of their best friend close to their heart.

The love that Ms. Betty has for Mr. Alvin is something that I think I have only seen in the romantic movie The Notebook.  Listening to her share was to hear something out of a well-written love story, suitable only for the big screen.  But not so, in fact, it is the true story of a love that will never die.  The rest of us can only hope to be so madly in love as we reach those later years of life.  Some of us have work to do.


Thursday, August 2, 2018

From the Pastor's Heart - August Edition




Start Strong

Well, we have officially made it through the summer and this year the slump wasn't that bad. My first year, we never slumped, then the last two, we slumped bad.  This summer we rose and fell like the tides, but all in all it was a pretty good summer. School is scheduled to start and families will be joining us. Some of you have been gone all summer and you may be shocked to see how things have changed since you've been away. Others have been here and may be wishing for a break!  Whatever the case, I want to encourage you to start off this school year with the students by developing good study habits of God's Word. Here are some tips:

1) Set a time daily - just like students who have a structured homework schedule, we all need a set time to study God's Word whether it is by reading the Bible or a devotion. Time spent doing this will only benefit us. So go ahead and schedule it now.

2) Meet with the Teacher - Jesus is the greatest teacher the world has ever seen (or ever will see).  Having an excellent teacher, however, isn't enough. We need to meet with the teacher, get some extra help, and spend time learning from them. Plan on meeting regularly with Jesus to have Him point out some areas of learning in your life.

3) Go for Perfect Attendance - there is no doubt, students who attend classes do much better than students who don't. The same can be said for church goers. The more we attend Sunday School and Church, the better apt we are to be prepared for the tests coming up.  I don't really expect anyone to have perfect attendance at church, but when you think about it, why not?  It is still less time than spent at work or school!

4) Make Friends in Class - one of the greatest experiences in school can involve friends. Friends are people we are close to and we end up "doing life" with them.  We need this in church as well and we are created to be a community together.  So why not make some new friends at church this month? Who knows what interesting things behold you?! 

5) Plan for Recess - if the saying is true, All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy then I want to warn you not to be like Jack....by the way, this is in no way related to Jack Clifton who loves to play!  If we are serving the Lord and working our "you know what's off" but not enjoying the recess time he has given us together, we will burnout before Christmas.  Find ways to enjoy being at church. Start with not taking life too seriously.

I am looking forward to a great School Year and an even better Church Year!  I hope you are as well!

Pastor Chester