Life by Grace Alone

I need to apologize to a few people after the death of my mother. Repeatedly people have said to me that they are sorry for my loss. I would often say it was a good thing. She was 95 and her true home was heaven. After a major stroke if she had lived she would have had no speech and her ability to move would probably have been impaired. God dealt kindly with her by taking her when He did. I think I might have responded to the wrong statement. I responded as if they had said "I'm sorry your mother died." Although death is still the enemy because it is the result of the Fall, it also can be a tool God uses for good. Have I experienced a loss? Most definitely. I have lost my mother who was a whole person. Some aspects of my loss may seem inconsequential. There is no one from another state who wants a first hand report on the weather. There is no one left who can answer a multitude of seemingly unimportant questions about family history. I have now one less challenging pers...

I shared these words at my mother's funeral. She was 95 and had lived a good life. I knew that my mother would be uncomfortable with all the super nice things people say on these occasions and so I decided to change the focus somewhat. Mother was born at her home in Parsonsburg, Md. It would be many years before she would venture far. From the front door of  of her home Mom could see the family's church and the graveyard where family and friends were buried. she needed no school bus. Only a short walk across the street was required to get to the small elementary school she attended. There were only 13 students in 2 classrooms. One summer Mother went to a Vacation Bible School. There she was taught a prayer. This is the prayer she learned to pray:          Our Father,          Give me clean hands, clean words and clean thoughts.          Help me to fight for the hard right against the easy wrong. ...

I have an ongoing project trying to sort and organize the mountain of papers I have saved over the years. A significant number of them fall into the category of "my writing".This morning as I picked up an older folder, one paper stood out. Instead of it being neatly typed this was on a crumpled sheet of paper filled with words in green ink. Instead of stating a problem and then giving the Biblical insight, Joanie Doe, mother of young children just stated the problem. What words of wisdom would Joanie Doe, mother of 4 adults and 6 grandchildren have for her younger self? I read a second time the words written in my pre-computer days. Half of my life I am drowning in a flood of partially eaten apples, dirty unmatched socks, and tiny pieces of toys that hurt when crunched underfoot. Little helpers stick dirty fingers in my futile attempts to accomplish something, anything. When dishes are finally cleaned, rooms are straightened ( "When's company coming, Mommy?")...

Friday night I got to spend some time with my son, Josh, his wife, and their 3 active children. At some point in the evening, I challenged my son to remember. He usually tells me that he doesn't remember anything about growing up. I always insisted he must remember something. He did remember his favorite hymn as a young boy. My 30 year old son, soon to be father of 4 began to sing "Jesus ,what a friend for sinners. Jesus lover of my soul." I joined him as he sang "Friends may fail me, foes assail me. He my savior makes me whole." I remember my son's arm raised waiting to request his favorite at a Sunday night worship service. "Hallelujah, what a savior. Hallelujah, what a friend" For grownup Josh these are not just words that happen to go to a catchy tune. They are now a declaration of what he himself believes. Mother and son, two generations together able to declare. "Saving, helping, keeping, loving He is with me to the end." We stopp...