life and rebirth
Jack’s funeral was held while I was away this week. It was hard on so many levels. I was literally a thousand miles away. I was teaching, on call and on point. My students deserved a teacher that was enthused and excited. The conference deserved a keynote that would encourage and motivate them toward their dreams of writing.
But the details that floated to me from home were beautiful.
Over 900 people came to celebrate Jack’s life. The large church was filled. Flowers blanketed the podium. A choir sang. People worshiped. But then at the end they played one of Jack’s sermons. His voice filled the church as he simply talked about faith in Jesus Christ, what it meant to him, what it could mean to others.
My son called and I could hear that it moved him. He said that hearing Jack speak the Word was powerful. Richard said that he was moved by the fact that so many shared their stories of how Jack’s life touched them. Many had become believers due to Jack’s ministry — but not always from the pulpit. It was those one-on-ones I was talking about in the last post. Sitting around talking about Jesus. Many walked away from those conversations with renewed or new faith.
Jack’s life on earth is over, but the rebirth of new life and new faith goes on.
What a legacy.
Posted by Suzie @
10:27 am |
if you can’t be the poem…
If you can’t be the poem, be the poet.
Today Richard’s uncle Jack passed away. I don’t know if anyone ever accused him of being a poet, but I believe his life was inspiring.
Jack became a part of the Eller family over 50 years ago. It all started when he spun in and out of Ab Eller’s driveway with his hotrod car to court a young girl named Dessie Eller. Her father might not have appreciated Jack’s shinanigans, but Dessie certainly did. They married. She was only 16, but it was a commitment to love for a life time.
Jack was bigger than life. A preacher. A pastor. A father who shamelessly loved his daughters. A man who still winked at Dessie and teased her, even if she was fussing at him (deservedly so, I am sure). A grandpa who loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren like crazy.
He was a handsome man. In the older days they would have called him dapper. But he was far too young for that title. Handsome works just fine.
He was a little bossy and opinionated at times, but gentle and fun at the same time. How does that work? I don’t know, but it worked well for him. At the Eller get-togethers you would find him in the kitchen, hands immersed in soapy suds, telling us the best way to do it.
What I loved best about Jack was that he was always ready to talk about Christ. If someone was missing at the family get-togethers, and Jack was missing too, we knew. Somewhere they were sitting, standing, immersed in conversation about Jack’s favorite topic, God.
He preached a thousand sermons in a little church on Ash Street in Muskogee, OK. But over the last several months he’s preached a more powerful sermon. Trust. Faith. Humor. Bravery.
Cancer sideswiped him. It wasn’t what he expected, nor what he wanted. I’m sure there were moments he complained or was angry, but when I saw him he somehow mixed humor and faith.
He found a collection of great-looking hats to cover his head when his thick head of hair fell out. He made jokes that might have made a stranger uncomfortable, but to his family we knew it was exactly how he intended to face this battle: full of life and sometimes even with a joke at his own expense.
Jack passed away yesterday at 11:30 a.m. surrounded by family. They hadn’t left his side in the past few weeks. Sons-in-law mowed. Children played. Daughters fussed. Dessie loved.
I’m in Pennsylvanie. A long way from home. When I received the news it wasn’t a surprise, but in a sense it was. This was simply a man who was too full of life to die.
And yet this is the good part. He believed every word he ever preached. And Jack preached about Heaven.
I’m sure he’s sitting somewhere in heaven right now, his jewel-laden crown cocked at a fashionable angle, talking about his favorite subject.
But this time it’s a little different. His favorite subject is right there with Jack.
I wish I could be a fly on the wall to hear that conversation.
We’ll miss you, Jack. The Eller family loves you.
Posted by Suzie @
7:35 am |
This week on Christian Momlogic
We’ve been busy over at Christian Momlogic. Lots of giveaways. 385+ women have joined this thriving community. I hope you’ll join us. Here’s what is new this week at Christian Momlogic:
Posted by Suzie @
7:38 am |
My hope
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me”. Erma Bombeck
Posted by Suzie @
7:48 am |
my one-armed life
Friday night I fell. Hard. And when I stood, my collarbone jutted out of my chest.
I’m normally tough but I freely admit this was painful.
For now my 90-wd a minute typing is at a whopping 5, so posts will be brief all week. But I’ll be here!
I treasure your prayers for seamless and quick healing. I appreciate you all so much…
Posted by Suzie @
6:51 pm |
Photo Montage
Valentines Day Montage
Where are we going? I don't know. He only promises that it is fun!
Let's take a pic! Okay, take five. I'm laughing because I keep leaving Richard out of the pic.
(more…)
Posted by Suzie @
11:59 am |
Faith in Action: The Do-Something Generation
Suzie with teens cleaning up camp for disabled children after ice storm
Did you know that this generation (13 to 20) is quickly becoming one of the more selfless generations? Teens desire to change their world.
They are handing out blankets to the homeless. Picking up a hammer to build a home with Habitat for Humanity. They are volunteering, creating websites to generate funds, creating storehouses for clothing for children in they foster system, buying shoes for children in Haiti…
What? Are you sure? Suz, isn’t this the generation of teens sitting on the couch playing video games, munching chips, and holding out their hand for a little extra cash to go to the mall? What about the entitlement?
As I travel around the nation, I bristle (quietly) when I hear adults knocking teens. (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
6:28 am |
Your child and faith
Welcome to those who have come over from Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Renee Swope. It’s a hard thing when your teen begins to question their faith. And yet, it just well may be the beginning of their personal faith journey.
Consider a teen’s life span. What has taken place in the last 13 or 17 years? What are the norms of their society? Understanding their culture helps you grasp why they may struggle with the words, “just believe”.
How can they really know what is true?
The environment you grew up in does not reflect their reality. Today’s believing teen can’t just walk through their high school doors and call themselves a Christian. They are scrutinized. Their beliefs are challenged, not just by students but by adults and professors. So if they say they believe, they need to know why… (more…)
Posted by Suzie @
6:59 am |
Pardon the interruption
I was sitting at my desk late Sunday night. Church was amazing. Richard and I arrived home. He needed to study for finals, so I settled in for an exciting game of computer spades while I waited for him to finish. There was an annoying glare on the screen. I kept moving it, trying to get rid of it. Then I realized I couldn’t quite see all of the card numbers. So I got up and turned off the light.
The glare was still there. But it had nothing to do with the screen.
I walked into our room and started getting ready for bed, thinking my eyes must have been tired. I slipped into the bathroom to wash my face. The left side of the mirror was a shimmer. I couldn’t see my left pupil. I could only see a pinhole of light where my eye should have been.
That’s when I realized that I just might be in trouble.
I don’t know why, but I took a few more minutes, trying to figure out if I was having some sort of weird vision problem, moving from one bathroom to the other, holding a hand over one eye –which changed nothing – to holding a hand over the other eye. Still no change. I closed my eyes.
Fireworks on the left side.
The word “stroke” flitted through my brain.
So I went to Richard and knelt down beside his chair. “Hey babe, something weird is happening,” I said. My thoughts were to let him know just in case something really bad happened in the next few minutes.
He grabbed my hands, pulled me to my feet, and said, “let’s go.”
It appears that I had a TIA, a mini-stroke. To a healthy, exercising, eat chicken and broccoli kind of girl, this is a surprise.
The good news. No after affects. No damage that we can see motor skills wise, language, cognitive, etc.
The bad news. Why did this happen? And will it happen again? So I am going to undergo some tests. I have suspicion, however, that a bone density med I just started a month ago might be the culprit. The warning I read, but didn’t think would have anything to do with me, says, “in rare cases, taking this can lead to death by stroke”.
I’ll take weight training and exercise and lots of Vitamin D, thank you very much. Toss the meds.
Your prayers are appreciated. It seems a little surreal. Strokes are what happen to old people, or those who have high blood pressure or medical challenges, right?
I’m at peace, happy, wrapped in His arms, but it’s also a little scary–especially for the family. I feel just as great as I did Sunday afternoon, but I want to be wise so I’m going to try to make sure that we get to the bottom of it.
As usual, the interruption makes me see what is important and what is not. God is. Family is. Friends are. Life…
definitely, I love life.
Posted by Suzie @
10:48 am |
and one more
Posted by Suzie @
4:59 am |
