Over the Horizon

Southside Team, March 29-April 3

We were blessed to be visited by Southside Christian Church from Spokane, WA once again. This was their sixth trip to Cofradia, and it's always exciting to see how those relationships continue to grow. They worked hard on construction at the new church planting trees along the outside perimeter, transferring thousands of bricks to the second floor of the education wing, completing the installation of new fencing for the Arrayanes church property, pouring a concrete soccer court for the Arrayanes junior high school, and cleaning up the Cofradia public dump. The work wasn't always very glamorous, and was more often than not rather back-breaking, but they worked hard and had great attitudes. It was obvious they were serving their Lord and not man!

Here's what Pastor Goyo shared in a recent report about this team's work:

"This month was impressive. A group from the USA left a great lesson for all of us in the community. Yes, it was a month of blessing. Why? Well, because they worked for the benefit of the town. Out at the town dump, a large pit had been dug. It's about 10x20 meters (~30x60 ft), and there in that pit supposedly is where trash should be dumped. Some of it was actually thrown in the pit, but much more was just dumped all around outside the pit. And all along the road to Arrayanes there was a lot of dumped trash on the sides of the road.

Well there was a great proposition for this group, and being pleased and full of encouragement, the task was given to them. It ended up super clean, all around and on the sides of the road. Everything was dumped inside the pit, and I can say that even still we have a pretty dump.

I think these actions have an impact on the people of Cofradia, and they could think, "Why do they have to do it if we can?" Maybe it will be difficult to maintain that way of thinking, but wouldn't it be just as difficult not to have that way of thinking? Therefore, we do not grow weary in doing good, and it will be an impact for generations.

I know that that work was a service to God. It is a manifestation of the character of Christ, a way of evangelizing without words, but with actions that have the power to make us reflect."

Yes, that dump cleaning was pretty impressive. The team this year was extremely large: 41 people!! So, it didn't take long with them all spread out to get the whole job done, and beautifully at that! Aside from being dirty and very stinky, it was a little dangerous as well: in the brush surrounding the pit, there are trees infested with fire ants, there are snakes that like to hide (tires, buckets, etc.--one was even found by one young lady), and of course there is always the lurking danger of scorpions which in this area are very small and easy to overlook if you're not careful. So, the sacrifice of this team to do this work and with such fervor and joy was no small thing, and we are very grateful!!

   

(left) Working on the sports court in Arrayanes; (right) Stuccoing the rear property wall.

 

Working on the property fence in Arrayanes

For ministry, this team put on another successful week of VBS/Kids Club. They dramatized and taught different stories about Jesus interacting with His disciples. This included the story of the crucifiction and resurrection and an opportunity for the children to receive Christ into their hearts. Each day they also had craft projects that coordinated with the story/drama of the day. And of course there were lots of fun games: relays, water balloons, bouncy balls, tag, etc. On their last day of ministry, after finishing their drama story, they took all the kids over to our new church facility where they had set up a fun carnival. They rented several air-bouncer slides and a mechanical bull, and they served hot dogs and lemonade and popcorn for all the kids and their accompanying family members. It was such a blast!

   

Serving food and drinks at the carnival

   

Fun in action!

This team always does such a stupendous job of playing with the kids of this area and connecting with them on a relational level that they can understand. It is often said that for children, love is spelled T-I-M-E. Well, this team has perfected the art of spending time with the children. We are looking forward to having them back again in the future!!

Sandy leads Bible study..

Last night Sandy led youth group Bible study! I wasn't able to be there since I was working with a team that arrived yesterday afternoon. However, Steve blogged about it, so I'm sharing his blog here for you to see. This isn't the first time she has led Bible study, but it has been a long time since the last study she shared. She usually does a really good job, and from what I hear this time was no different. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night at youth group, Sandra, one of the Student Leaders, gave the Bible study. She did a great job sharing about Joshua and the battle of Jericho relating the walking around the walls to things in our life that do not need to be there. Maybe we need to "walk around that wall" and believe that God will tear it down. God gave Jericho into the hands of Joshua, and Joshua believed.

 

Great job Sandra!!!

The prodigal camera returns...

Last year, on August 30 of 2008, my digital camera disappeared during our first night of THE CHALLENGE. It was my own fault for being careless with it. I left it on a window sill where the leaders were standing along with my soda can. I knew it was safe there with all the leaders around, and in the midst of activities for the Valley of Decisions, I forgot it was there. When it started raining, many of the youth, in an attempt to stay dry, jumped up onto the covered sidewalk right there by the window sill where my camera was located (in its bag, I might add). When the evening was over, I left it at the church having completely forgotten about it until I got home. The next morning I went over to the church to see if it was still there, and it was gone. Whoever took it, left my soda can however.

We made announcements asking for the responsible party to return the camera without fear of repercussions. We asked for those youth who might know something about it to please come and speak to us. But it was to no avail. We heard nothing, we saw no returns, and I gave my camera up for lost. I decided to see this as an opportunity. My camera served me well, but there were several things about it that were sub-par for my growing photographic and video needs. So, this was an opportunity to get a new one, right?!

Except while home in October and November 2008, I realized that I could not afford a new camera, not even one that was comparable to what I had lost, let alone a better one! So, I decided to simply live without the camera. Hence the reason for seeing fewer pictures in blogs dealing with every day life experiences here in the wilds of Mexico. Sandy was always very gracious to share her camera and her pictures with me when needed, but for the most part I left the photography up to her when she was around and did without the rest of the time.

However, just a few days ago a miracle occurred!

I don't remember how it came up, but I was talking about my camera, and one of the youth boys overheard the conversation. The next day he came to me and said, "Amber, you know that camera you lost? What did it look like?" I described it to him, and then he said, "Would you like to get it back?" I replied with a fervent "Absolutely!! But if I don't ever get it back, I'll still be alright." I asked him the reason for these questions, and he proceeded to explain that he thought he knew where the camera was, that there was a guy in Santa Fe who had one answering that description, and that if he could get it back he would but he just didn't want to have to rat the guy out. I told him I didn't need to know WHO took the camera. It would just be nice to have it back.

About 30 minutes later, the young lad was at my door handing me my camera! I'm not kidding, it was literally that fast! The memory card had been removed, and it was returned without the bag or batteries (which contained the spare rechargeable batteries), but I had my camera back. And when I put in some new batteries, I was overjoyed to discover IT STILL WORKS!!!!

So, 7 months later my prodigal camera has returned!!!! It needs a new bag, new rechargeable batteries, and a new memory card, but the total purchase prices for those items will be significantly cheaper than buying a whole new camera!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! It once was lost and now is found. Thank you, Lord!!

Yes, He even cares about stolen cameras!!

Cy-Fair Team, March 14-21

The following report on the Cy-Fair Christian Church Youth Missions Team from Houston, TX was taken from Steve's blog. What an amazing week that was! Please enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 14-21 we had some youth from Cy-Fair Christian Church in Houston here to work directly with our youth like they have done for the past few years (six, I think). The past couple of years there has been an interesting dynamic forming as we see the two youth groups coming together as one. It’s almost like they’re part of our youth group. When they come (even the newbies), they fit right in and have been able to overcome the language barrier. It’s amazing! When they’re here, they’re here to spend time with our youth and build relationships. They understand that it’s “not about them” and that they’re not coming down on a “vacation” with their friends from home. It’s so refreshing to see a short-term missions team be able to do this as effectively and they’ve done it. They don’t stay all together and form groups of Americans here and groups of Americans there, it’s not like that at all. They’re all hanging out together; our youth and theirs.

One of the ways that has helped break down the language barrier is by introducing an “Amazing Race” event with clues in half Spanish half English. It’s pretty fun! Whether it was making tortilla’s two years ago or making a meal for a family last year, they all work together to gather the supplies they need that are scattered throughout the town and reach their goal. This year, we did not originally plan this, so it came as a surprise not only for the Americans, but our youth and student leaders as well. As soon as the Americans got here from the airport, they ate lunch, had an orientation time, and went over to the church to “hang out” with our youth at our youth group meeting and do some “get-to-know-you” games. All of the sudden we started the race between two teams of guys and two teams of girls--mixed American/Mexican. They went to three different towns and chose what kind of activity they would do in each town. They finally returned to Cofradía to find out they were invited to “The Valley of Decision” (a rendition of Survivor's Tribal Council mixed in with a pre-make of Judgement Day found in Joel 3) to vote on who would have to do chores.

 
(Left) The Red Team headed off to one of the towns for their next challenge activity.
(Right) Mily's team doing the TEAM WALK...all working together to reach the finish line!

 
(Left) Team leaders (L-R: Mily, Martin, Sandy, Riki) standing in formation with their teams at the Valley of Decision.
(Right) The voting area for the final team votes.

The next day we had our annual Award’s Banquet with a “Cowboy” theme this year chosen by our student leaders. We all dressed up and enjoyed a very authentic barbecued beef/steak meal.

Towards the end of the meal, we handed out our annual awards to our students...

 

...Jesus (Chuy) Orozco F. (left) and Aidé Garzón V. (right) received a Certificate of Achievement for  completing a year-long discipleship class (Navigators 2:7).

...Alfredo Garzón S. received the Spirit Award for his enthusiasm in the youth group.

...Guillermo Orozco F. received the New Generation Award (only for incoming 7th graders) for showing potential in leadership and responsibility.

...Abraham Águilar D. received the Servant Award for ALWAYS helping without even being asked. This guy is going to be an awesome leader!

...Jesus (Chuy) Corrales F. received the Brave Heart Award for his incredible spiritual growth this past year.

Also, we recognized our three Student Leaders who have helped us in a huge way this year to accomplish all that has been done. They are a true blessing and we’re excited to have them in leadership: Martin, Mily, and Sandy (from left to right below).

    

Every year the Cy-Fair youth serve us the meal and we all sit down and eat. When it’s all done, they go back to the mission base to have their sack-lunch dinners. This year, we decided to secretly flip the evening and serve them! As soon as we were done eating and handing out awards, our youth got up, cleaned and re-set the tables, seated the team, and proceeded to serve them.

It wouldn't have been complete without giving them awards, which wouldn’t work out any other year. So, we seized the opportunity and decided to give...

...a Brave Heart Award to Pastor Brad Pembleton because he is no longer the youth pastor, but Group Life Pastor, and he will be planting a daughter church within a couple of years. He is stepping out in faith as the Lord leads him, and we appreciate his example. Thanks Brad!

...a Servant Award to Pastor Dave Chavez who is ALWAYS wanting to help out and serve people. Especially when we have meetings at our house over a meal, he’s the first one to get up and wash the dishes...ALL THE TIME! Thanks Dave!

...a New Generation Award to Pastor Mike Skelton who is now the Youth Pastor, and we appreciate him and welcome him as the new youth pastor. Thanks for bringing the team Mike!

In the mornings during the week, the team had a number of different work projects to do and they completed everything from setting tile in the new youth room to taking out a beam and putting in a new one in a ceiling that was already poured (cement). They did a great job.

 
(Left) Our youth room with its newly tiled floor! (right) The new concrete ceiling beam setting.

In the evenings, we had some organized team building games, we went to clean the a basketball court area and soccer field of a neighboring town (Las Pilas), and we had a really great time the last evening walking out to the corn fields to see how they harvest corn here. There is quite a bit of the growth and harvesting process that we can relate to our growth spiritually.

Cleaning the basketball court and soccer field in Las Pilas


Walking through the corn fields


Team Picture: Americans & Mexicans united!

This was a seriously impacting week for everyone involved, and we continue to grow more and more excited for how the Lord uses the relationships this team has built and continues to build with the youth of this area!

Jazmin wants to get baptized...

I thought I would just share another little testimony and prayer request....

It's for Jazmin. She was of course in attendance on the Sunday morning that Pastor Gradilla preached and helped baptize several members of our church. And as we filed out of church across the street to where the baptisms would take place, she came up to me and told me she really wanted to get baptized but waited to long to stand up with others. So, she thought her chance had passed. Of course, I told her that it was not too late to join the group being baptized, which she did. However, at the last minute she backed out of it.

When it was over, I asked her why, and she shared that it was because she told her parents that she wanted to get baptized and they had told her no. So, both Steve and I encouraged her in the fact that the best thing she can do at this point is to honor her parents by being obedient and trust the Lord to work out the details for her to be baptized. The desire to do so is an act of obedience in her heart, but to walk forward in baptism in rebellion against her parents is a contradiction. We told her to just be patient, and the Lord would honor her obedience of obeying her parents and would work out those details for baptism in HIS time. We also encouraged her to continue praying for the Lord to change her parents' hearts and work salvation in them too. Although she was discouraged by not being able to be baptized, we have been trying to really encourage her in that she has chosen what is right.

I have since spoken with her parents, and they shared with me that it's not so much that they don't want her to be baptized or won't give her permission to do so. In fact, they are not opposed to her new faith or involvement in the church at all. However, they want to see a visible change in her life as evidence that this new faith and church is actually having an effect in her. I have communicated with them that we really believe that the act of being baptized could very well be exactly what she needs to cement her new faith in her head and heart...for her benefit. That by allowing her to be baptized now, they may very well be giving her what she needs to begin manifesting the changes they want to see. However, they are set on wanting to see the change FIRST, and then allowing her to be baptized so as to make sure that she isn't just playing around with the church.

This is very discouraging and frustrating to Jazmin. She loves being a part of the church and attending services and worship. She wants very  much to do what is right and be changed by God. And in her heart she believes that baptism is the next step she needs to take. Being so young in her faith, the discouragement of not being allowed to get baptized is also enough to make her think, "what's the point of trying then?" And she struggles deeply with that battle between flesh and spirit and walking by faith instead of sight.

Please keep Jazmin in your fervent prayers. The Lord is going to do mighty works in her life, and in the lives of her family. Please pray for her faith to be increased and strengthened during this difficult time.

Pastor Rafael Gradilla

On March 7-8, we were joined by Pastor Rafael Gradilla for a some great edification of the saints, baptism, and evangelism. Pastor Gradilla has come to visit and share with us for the past couple of years from Hosana Asamblea (Hosana Assembly) in Belvue, WA. He taught in the church on Saturday night and in the Sunday morning service. Here is what Steve shared about this weekend event on his blog:

"He spoke Saturday night and Sunday morning as he encouraged them to continue to grow in their faith. We had baptisms on Sunday afternoon and PRAISE THE LORD! My brother-in-law took that step of obedience. A number of others were baptized as well. On Sunday evening, Pastor Rafael spoke at an open-air meeting in a neighboring town called Las Pilas. Many were prayed for and the town seems to be pretty receptive of the gospel when we go there."

Steve's brother-in-law, Hugo, being baptized by Pastor Gradilla (left) and Pastor Goyo (right)


Pastor Gradilla preaching at the evangelism meeting in the Las Pilas town plaza

Pastor Goyo shared the following testimony of the weekend's events in a recent ministry update letter:

"On March 8 we were evangelizing in Las Pilas. The whole church was there as well as Pastor Rafael Gradilla, who visits us about once a year. He came on March 7 and preached in the church on a theme very important for growth. Then on Sunday, he preached during the service, and afterward we baptized 7 people. I want to say that it was a very memorable day. That's not all that happened that day because as soon as we finished teh baptisms, while we were talking with one man, another man came to us with a great need. He asked for prayer. This man was originally from Southern Mexico, and he shared that he had contracted a terminal venereal disease. So we prayed with him. I almost can't describe that moment; I felt like my heart was going to come out of my chest. I only say this so you can try to imagine! In that moment I felt a great thankfulness to God, and I prayed with pure conviction in favor of this man. Yes, March 8 has left its mark in my walk through this life.

"That same day at 4:00 p.m., we went to evangelize in Las Pilas, a small town near Cofradia. We split into four groups in order to go invite the whole town to the town plaza. I was the leader of one of those groups, and there was a child in the group who was handing out tracks in a very friendly way. In two homes I was impacted. In one we met an elderly lady who asked us to pray for her grandson for freedom from drugs and alcohol. So we prayed for him and for her. Then just a little later, we arrived at the home of a man who has been bed-ridden for many years. He cannot move his arms or legs, and he can't talk. We went in and realized that he couldn't talk, but he could understand, and he would life his hand a little bit to communicate "yes". So, I asked him if he wanted to be saved, and I asked him to pray with me in his heart, and he lifted his hand to indicate "yes". So, he prayed in his interior. His face was radiant. Those are such precious moments.

"So we went back to the town plaza and continued with the evangelism message, and several people accepted Christ in their hearts. For this I want to thank God and all of you for your spiritual support in the growth of the Kingdom of God. May God bless you all for being part of what is happening in this area."

It was truly a remarkable weekend. Please continue to pray for Las Pilas and the other surrounding towns in this area. The people are hungry for peace, love, and security in their hearts that can only be found in the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ! Thank you!

"Living Beyond the Possible"...a review

Ok, I just finished reading a book that Steve loaned me: Living Beyond the Possible: Trusting God with your Finances and Future by Wayne Myers. Myers is a former missionary to Mexico who now devotes his time to teaching on the subjects of faith and finances according to God's economy as well as fund-raising for different ministries and missionaries world-wide.

This is a fabulous book, and I highly recommend it for all of you!!! Especially now as we face difficult economic times both at home and abroad. It is very easy to put our faith in our finances, which causes our lives and decisions to be directed according to our check registers. However, our faith should be placed "in Christ alone", and He alone should be directing our lives and decisions. Our finances should be submitted to that as well.

In this small yet powerful book, Myers sets out biblical principles for living according to God's economic system. It's not easy, and it requires that we walk by faith and not by sight. But the fruit is plentiful and good. Pick up this little book, read it, re-read it, and put it into practice step-by step. You'll see a difference!!

"Remembering Her"

My trip back to Mexico went very well. Not a single glitch. In fact, as I was waiting for my delayed flight from Richmond to New York (where I would connect to Atlanta), they decided to bump me to a direct flight to Atlanta. I got into Atlanta much earlier, but skipped a connection and had 7 hours of layover to get work done. It was very nice.

I wrote this on the plane from Atlanta to Mexico. It doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how precious my grandma was to me, but it's a start. I hope you enjoy it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Remembering Her"

She died last week. Quietly. Peacefully. Matter-of-factly, just as she did anything in life. She just....went. And I miss her. Of course, I find myself going through the typical routines of thinking through "if only" and "I wish." So many things I should have said or done. So many visits I should have made. So much of her left unlearned. I had her for 30 precious years, and yet if I'd had her for 30,000, they wouldn't have been enough to truly appreciate her for all of her depths and rechness of character and heart.

Yet, while my heart breaks with an ache beyond the powers of human expression, I know this isn't the end, and I'm glad of that. She is not over. Sure, she crossed the finish-line, and she has won her great reward. But she lives on. And I do mean very literally. Yes, I believe in Heave -- a real, literal paradise. And I know that she is there. I'll see her again when I cross my own finish line.

Until then I will remember her, remember her race, and take courage and strength from it. After all, for 30 years we ran together. I learned to run from her: I am her memory on this earth. We all are.

I called her "Bamba". Well, really, my baby cousin Lindsay gave her that title in her 2-year-old attempts to say "Grandma". It always struck me as funny that she couldn't say the "b" in my name, so that it came out "Amer", but there was no problem with "Bamba". However, when your name or any other endearing title rolls off the developing tongue of a 2-year-old, it becomes the most precious title of your life. And so it stuck: Bamba. And when Lindsay was old enough to call her "Grandma" with the rest of us, "Bamba" remained my term of affection and love.

She was the best and most precious grandma. I'm sure most, if not all, would say the same of their own precious grandmas, and I do not diminish those claims or aim to compare. I simply acknowledge that she, like all grandmas, was indeed worthy to be called "grand". She was a jewel, for sure.

Usually, you hear people talk about "going to grandma's". You know: "Over the river and through the woods..." We did that, my sister and I. Quite frequently, in fact. The benefit of living only a couple of hours away. It was really easy for us all to meet half-way for a meal on any given Friday, and then Heather and I would load into Grandma and Grandaddy's station wagon and sing all the way home to their house in Culpeper. Our weekends with them were magical and just as childhood ought to be: playing in the pasture fields behind the house, picking fruits and veggies from the garden, climbing hay bails, riding bikes with the neighbor kids, or imagining the basement into an orphange. You know, little orphan Annie style complete with a gruel pot on the decommissioned fireplace, forced child labor, and elaborate plans for escape. there were shopping trips to Jamesway for some new toy or other, and of course THE CANDY CABINET! One whole cabinet devoted to every goodie and sweet we loved. And relaxing in the evening involved jelly beans eaten from the jelly bean tea pot and coloring in front of Mr. Belvedere or The Golden Girls or some other rerun on one of the six TV channels. After all, cable didn't reach that far into the country. We loved it there, but mostly we loved Grandma.

She wasn't content, however, to just sit and wait around for our parents, and later us, to have time to go visit. She was a go-getter. When she wanted to see us, she got up and went. And not just to our house. She traveled all over the country to spend time with Chris and Lindsay. From New York to Washington state and finally to Minnesota. She went on holidays, summer vacation, or just for the heck of it. She drove, and she flew. Later, she visited us in college, getting to know our friends, roommates, lives. She wasn't going to wait around. She was on a treasure hunt. Every visit. Every moment. Pure treasure. It wasn't always perfect; don'tlet me deceive you. We had our moments. But those things fade over time whereas true treasure endures. She was ours and we hers. We were the gems of her eye. The four of us, her precious grandchildren, were the precious gems that God blessed her with: each of us rare, unique, and costly in our own right. But we were cut froma larger gem: her. And we learned to shine from her.

And now our treasure is laid up where neither moth nor rust nor decay can touch her. She made it. She's safe and secure and free. But she is not lost to us. Treasure begets treasure and in that way carries its legacy through generations. She deposited her treasures in us, each one just right for unveiling her to the world in our special ways. She is still very much alive in each of us. We each carry so many pieces of her. It's part of the fabric of what makes us who we are. When we are all together, I can see her again, sitting there gabbing right along with us. That is her legacy: one family, one great treasure, preserved in our love for one another. It is complete when we are one, whether near or far, scattered or gathered together. She new the secret: you can only own what you release from your grasp, and if you want a bountiful harvest you have to scatter the seed.

She scattered in each one of us, in everyone who knew her. She let it all go, and she harvested a treasure that will never fade. Our treasure went home on February 27, 2009. We had to let her go, but she is not lost to us. She is not gone. We'll continue to discover her in us all the days of our lives, and we'll walk in her example scattering the seed, preparing for the harvest, and preserving the legacy for those yet to come.

I have a grandma. I am her legacy and she my great treasure. Now it's time to pass her one.

Pastor Jason's Euology

This was a most beautiful tribute to my grandmother and were just right for closing the service....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucy took seriously Christ’s commands to love God and love people. She loved company, loved to tell stories and listen to stories. Lucy could also certainly hold her own, no matter who was in the room with her. Before I met Lucy for the first time, I had heard about Lucy from her childhood friend, Ruth. Back in the late 1920’s, Ruth had a horse, and just to make sure Ruth was sharing her horse with others, she was told to give Lucy and another young lady a ride on her horse. The other little girl sat in front. Lucy sat behind her. Ruth was leading the horse by the reigns. Ruth’s version of the story goes as follows: “I led them near a tree. One of the branches was low, so the girls saw they needed to duck to miss it. The first girl ducked. Lucy didn’t. The branch knocked Lucy off of the horse into the mud.” Ruth concludes, “To this day, Lucy thinks I did it on purpose. When you meet her, will you please tell her that it was an accident?” And so I went to meet Lucy with Ruth’s prepared statement of defense. After visiting with Lucy and Sue for a while, I made my segway into the story: “So, do you remember a long time ago when Ruth had a horse that you were riding on . . . .” Lucy cut me off – “She did it on purpose! She knocked me off of that horse on purpose!”

Yes, Lucy could always hold her own. A strong and resilient woman. A compassionate and kind woman. She also wanted to make sure things were going the way they should be going at her church, even when she was 1,200 miles away in Minnesota. She told me about learning that a particular light bulb was out at the church and, because it was in a difficult location, no one had bothered to change it. She wrote a letter to the church to make sure this would be addressed at the next business meeting.

The King James Version of the Bible accurately translates the term “love” as “charity” throughout this chapter. Love or charity is the description of a grace-filled heart, the heart that is not self-absorbed or self-serving, the heart that seeks to serve and the courageous will to carry that service out. Lucy’s life was imbued with this kind of love or charity. Two other passages of Scripture complement one another as the prayer and the rule of Lucy’s life. The prayer can be found in the last two verses of Psalm 139, where we read the following words:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way that is everlasting!"

If we live as Lucy did, praying that God’s Spirit helps us to be self-aware, praying that God searches us through and through, showing us our true hearts and our true thoughts, so that our lives should not be frivolous and shallow, but abiding instead in the depths of God’s own being, then we will embrace the great rule of life found in the small prophetic book of Micah. The book might be small, but Jewish and Christian ethicists alike have agreed that the 8th verse of the 6tj chapter is the Golden Rule of the Hebrew Bible. When Scott asked that this verse be read, I smiled on the other end of the phone, because this one verse encapsulates the life that Lucy lived and the life that God would have all of us live. Imagine yourselves coming face to face with God and finally getting to ask the big question: “So, what is it that you want from us? When all is said and done, what do you want, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of us all?” The prophet Micah answers on the LORD’s behalf:

"O man, O woman, the LORD has shown you what is good, and you want to know what the LORD requires of you? Here it is: Do justice . . . Love merciful kindness . . .Walk through life humbly with your God."

Lucy, the LORD has shown you what is good, most clearly in the tragic suffering death of his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the joyful resurrection of that same life. We give thanks that you have done what is righteous, you have cherished kind and merciful moments, and you have walked and continue to walk humbly with the God of us all.

daddy's euology of my grandma...his mom...part 1

I hope you’ll indulge me for a few minutes of somewhat RANDOM THOUGHTS about Mom.

The past few days, we have found ourselves out of sync with the routines we have established around Mom. Regularly scheduled phone calls left holes in our schedules.

Kathy and I were watching the flood of birds in our big back yard bird feeder, due to the snow.All kinds of colorful birds, up close and personal. When mom was with us, she would sit at the dining room table and have a direct view of the bird feeder. She and Kathy would compare notes on what kinds of birds showed up.

You all know that Mom was an avid sports fan. She loved Duke basketball, but she would root for us Hokies if we weren’t playing Duke. She was looking forward to the ACC tournament next week. She was already talking about the Yankees having a better season this year. She was a super-fan of Derek Jeter, and she was disappointed that A-Rod had gotten caught up in the performance-enhancing drug scandal.

We were flipping channels Sunday night and came across a Lawrence Welk special on public TV. We watched for a while, in Mom’s honor, even though they were doing fund-raising. Mom loved Lawrence Welk, and she could recite the fine details of the various performers’ lives, just as if they were members of our family.

Mom had become a fan of some of the reality TV shows. She watched Survivor and Extreme Home Makeover. Heather went over every Monday night and watched the Bachelor with her, and then we would discuss the show throughout the week as we visited her at the Rehab Center. Of course, she was not here for the season finale Monday night. Mom, they should have had Regis there to ask, “Is this your final answer . . .?” But of course you already know what happened. You’re probably still saying, “He should have kept Jillian!”

Since Dad died in 1991, Mom has been moving forward on her own. She has poured herself into family and friends, many of whom are here today, and you’re the folks who gave so much meaning to her life.

Mom helped many folks in many ways. As she got older and had more trouble WRITING, she talked on the telephone more. She LOVED getting phone calls, letters, cards and photos from you. She would recite the details and the identities to us as a way to keep her mind sharp and test our own memories. The pictures got put around and taped up on her wall.....