SONGS, OBITUARIES AND HEAVEN

TODAYS SCRIPTURES:

Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people…. Deuteronomy 26:15, first part

"I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Mark 14:62

Jesus is speaking: "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

SONGS, OBITUARIES AND HEAVEN

Last week, Lana posted on Facebook that her mother wanted her to pick some songs for her funeral. Jan is not ill, just planning ahead and she wanted her daughter to have some songs in mind. Some of the songs they used to sing. Peppy. Lively. Songs with a beat. No somber or sad songs. She wanted happy hymns too. No hymns that make your shoulders heavy or leave you in tears. Jan just wants Lana to "Name that tune."

That made Bill and me think. Since our choice is to have no viewing and only a graveside service, we do not have to pick music, but what about the obituary. (Now you need to keep in mind that Bill and I look at death a bit differently than most people. We are not making light of grief or the loneliness that follows the loss of a loved one; we just think death is the closing of one door and the opening of another. A funeral should be a celebration of a life.)

Bill wants his obituary to say he died. Plain and simple. Then that he is survived by his Pain-in-the-butt wife, Mary, and their two children and six grandchildren. Bill has a buddy in the excavating business and he has talked to him about opening the grave. I told him no way was that going to happen because he would charge too much to drive to southern Indiana.

I want mine to say, "During her life, Mary was accomplished at aggravating her husband and annoying her children. Mary was also very proficient at "rattling on like a junk car." I want my obituary to end with, "Jesus said, Come." So Mary went.

Then the other day our grandson, Nathan, asked about heaven. He wondered if heaven really did have streets of gold. I told him, my mother was in heaven and if there were not weeds to pull and flowers to water, she would be having a talk with God. When I asked him what he had read about heaven, he said he did not know where to find the scriptures. So, I sent him some.

Read Revelations 21. Yes, the whole chapter. The New Jerusalem. Heaven shining with the brilliance of precious jewels. Walls of jasper and gold as pure as glass. Read the chapter, then close your eyes, and picture it.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

What did you see when you closed your eyes? What do you think heaven will look like? Who do you think will be standing right inside the gate to welcome you?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

Mighty One, You are mighty and you are watching over me from heaven, your dwelling place. And sitting at your right hand, is your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus said he was going to prepare a room for me. I cannot begin to picture what that room will look like. What comfort it gives me to know that someday I will find the door to my room open. O, Mighty One, as I continue to grow in faith. As I continue to study your word. As I continue to live out your plan for me on earth, keep my room ready. Amen

SUN, SAND AND ONE SUNSET

TODAYS SCRIPTURE: Psalm 103:1

Praise the Lord, O my soul, all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

SUN, SAND AND ONE SUNSET

I SURVIVED! ! ! We are not sure if three adults and four children or one adult and six children went on vacation. The four grandchildren (ages 5 through almost 13) were counting when I said, "Yes, but your mommy is my little girl, so she is a child." Then I asked, "Is your daddy grownup?" The answer was, "No!" That is when we decided I was the adult and the rest were children. Here is a picture of the six adorable children who allowed me to accompany them to Florida.

We did have fun and I swear my grandsons are part fish. They were always in the pool or trying to find big waves in the Gulf. Or they were standing under an outdoor shower rinsing sand off before they could go back into the pool or into the house. They were wet from the time they finished breakfast until they put on their pajamas.

They did dry off enough to go to a Military Museum, a BooZoo at the Tampa Zoo, play miniature golf and eat. We also played Uno and many games of Farkle.

The youngest had the responsibility of taking care of grandma and he took his duties very seriously. Timothy always made sure I got through the airport and was quite certain that if he was in the water, I should be too. Noah helped me pick up shells and Joshua and Matthew made sure I added the Farkle scores correctly. After all, they kept reminding me, "You are 62 and that is old."

This last week was a blessing. Time with our daughter and her husband. Time with our grandchildren. Time to --

It has been a long time since I have been to a beach. The sound of the waves is a sound I love. And watching the waves come in. Go out. The strange things that wash up on shore remind me that God has a great imagination. I find peace as I stand and take it in and one evening, when I walked the beach by myself, I had a quiet time with God.

He put on this sunset just for me. Were there other people on the beach? Yes. Were there other people looking at the same sunset? Yes.

But this sunset was for me.

For my soul.

This sunset was the glory of God shown in a spectacular display of clouds and color.

As I walked the beach that evening. As I watched the sunset. My Spirit was singing:

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice!     Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice!     O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,     And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

(To God be the Glory, by Fanny Crosby)

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Has God given you a sunset?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

No matter where I am, on the beach, at home, at work, awake or asleep, You are there. Praise the Lord. As the daylight begins and as the daylight ends, You are there. Praise the Lord. When my life is clear and when my life has clouds, You are there. Praise the Lord. When I behold your glory, You are there. Praise the Lord. I am just one person. I do hear your voice. I do come to the Father through the Son. And I do give you glory for all you have done. Praise the Lord. Amen

A WEEK AWAY

Enjoy the devotional for October 9.

I will not be posting a devotional the 16th.  Instead I will be spending time in Florida with our daughter, son-in-law and four grandsons. 

Come back and check out the devotional on October 23 to see if I survived.

Have a blessed week.  Mary

FACEBOOK CLASS

TODAYS SCRIPTURE: ACTS 15:31

(Upon receiving a letter) The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.

FACEBOOK CLASS

Tuesday was fun. Our church used the computers at our local library for two Facebook classes. For any of you that are not on Facebook or do not know what Facebook is, I will try to explain.

Facebook is an internet social club. Think of it this way. Instead of sitting around a table at the local watering hole, be it a coffee shop or the Dairy Queen, you sit at your computer and talk to your friends. Facebook is not the place for long detailed discussions. Facebook is a place where you post: "My day is really yucky." "The kids are driving me crazy." "The laundry is done. For now." (A big deal at our daughter's home because they have four boys.) "I need prayers." "Band practice was hard, but I learned the new routine." "I just scored 10,600 on Farkle." (Farkle is a game.) Get the idea. Facebook is a place to let your friends know what you are doing. Should Facebook replace those gatherings at the coffee shop? NO!

When I joined Facebook, I did it because our daughter, granddaughter, a nephew and great-niece were on. It was a way this old gal could interact with the younger generation. I could see pictures of our grandchildren. I knew how our granddaughter was doing. I also acquired sympathy friends. Sympathy friends? Those are friends of our daughter Terri. They felt sorry for me because there were so few people my age (62) on Facebook. I now have friends from Junior High age to friends that I graduated High School with.

What am I learning? Unlike me, most people my age do not post anything once they establish their Facebook page. Why? I think they are just not comfortable with it.

Why do I do it? I like leaving notes for my family. I like being able to encourage our granddaughter and great niece. I enjoy being a part of the next generation and the next. I love to play Farkle. Because of Facebook, we know when someone is having a bad day and needs help or a pat on the back for not smoking. Because of Facebook, a young lady is coming to our Bible Study. Because of Facebook, we were able to give encouragement to a family while they were in Texas for the funeral of a parent. Because of Facebook, friends leave prayer requests.

I enjoy Facebook, but be warned - Facebook can take a lot of your time!

Do I think Jesus would use Facebook? Yes, I think He is!!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY

How do you use the internet?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

Dear BFF (Best Friend Forever), Jesus that is what you are. You are my Best Friend Forever!! Thank you that there are so many ways I can learn more about you and share my faith with others. The internet is an amazing technology. I pray that I will always use it wisely. Let the words that leave my computer be words of encouragement. Words of hope. Amen

SINGING AND A RUMBLING SOUND

TODAYS SCRIPTURES:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music. -- Psalm 98:4

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- Ephesians 5:19-20

and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound -- Ezekiel part of verse 12

SINGING AND A RUMBLING SOUND

Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." Last weekend was the season for song and then a loud rumbling sound!

Friday evening we saw a group called Straight No Chaser. Ten men in their early 30's that sang a cappella. I see you shaking your head but they were very good. They started their a cappella group in 1996, at Indiana University and even performed in Carnegie Hall. After graduation, they all went their separate ways. In 2006, they joined up for a reunion performance; put a song on YouTube and the rest is history. Straight No Chaser did burst into jubilant song. Check them out at www.sncmusic.com.

But wait! Did you think about the infomercials on TV when you read that? But wait! It gets better.

Saturday evening we saw David Phelps. That man can sing! He must have read the verse from Ephesians because he did speak to us with hymns and spiritual songs. I think my favorite song was Nessum Dorma. And I could not understand a word of the song. You did not have to understand the words to know he was praising God. Go see David Phelps if you get a chance. His website is www.davidphelps.com.

But wait! The music was not over.

Sunday morning we attended church with our son, Bill, Kim and Nathan. A group we have seen many times delivered the message in song and deliver they did. The Overtones ran down the aisle, started to sing and did not stop. They lifted us up and they touched our souls. What a witness. They did sing and make music in their hearts. They did give thanks to God the Father for everything. If the Overtones are in your area, please go experience these young men. You will be blessed. Their website is www.overtonesquartet.com.

But wait! The music might have been over but soon to come was the experience of a loud rumbling sound.

Using this section of a verse from Ezekiel is a stretch but does describe our other Sunday adventure. A local Harley dealership had a bike ride in honor of the founder of the store. Eight hundred Harley bikes left the parking lot, two at a time, to begin the ride. What a sight. What a sound. A small rumbling sound as they started their bikes and then a loud rumbling sound as they went by. All ages. All types. All kinds of bikes. All making a loud rumbling sound.

Does it sound like we went from one extreme to the other. In a way, we did, but we had a season for every activity. We enjoyed secular music on Friday. A good clean, enjoyable performance. We were lifted up in song Saturday and Sunday. As David Phelps and the Overtones made music on stage, we made music in our hearts. And then we watched a parade of Harleys as they rode to honor a man's legacy.

Singing and a loud rumbling sound -- last weekend was one to store in our memory.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What weekend do you have stored in your memory?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

I am shouting with joy Lord. My heart is bursting with jubilant song. Do you hear me? I pray that my joy starts as a whisper and then builds into a loud glorious sound. The psalms, hymns and spiritual songs help me give thanks to you. Thanks to you for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen