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My daddy asked me how I deal with “this time of year”.
Today is the third anniversary of my niece’s death. This week has had several numbing moments.
When daddy asked me that question, it caused me to think about some struggles that I had dealt with in the previous years and how different things seem to be this year.
I’m not in KY. This is the first Spring Break that I didn’t drive down to visit my sister and her family. I will not visit Abby’s grave this week. I can’t tell you how much I have missed my niece Mary this week and her brothers. I longed to embrace them and hold them close to me. My sister was going to come here last week with the whole family, that is partially why I didn’t make plans to visit them this week, because I was going to get to see them. Her husband Todd did come with their eldest son Alex. Todd graciously took off a whole week from work to help my mom and dad work on their new house. What a son in law! I was blessed to have some quality time with my nephew Alex during their visit, but that made me miss Caleb, Mary, and Jackson all the more. Alex sure did talk about them a lot. 
My memories of Abby are fading…
I can’t smell Abby anymore. This may be strange to you. I didn’t realize that I had a scent associated with her until I tried to remember her sweet smell and the softness of her hair against my chin as she had sat in my lap listening to me read stories to her.
I also was having trouble hearing her voice. I can’t hear Abby say my name anymore. That visit, the days before her death, was the first time she had called me “Aunt Lizzie”. I do remember Abby calling butterflies “fies”, but I can’t hear her say it anymore. Especially today, this was really starting to bother me. On my way home from work this evening, I started singing a praise song that is often sung at my sister’s church. Then I could hear Abby’s voice! I remember Abby singing those words, “holy holy holy Lord”. I can actually hear her voice singing in worship. I started weeping. Then I thanked God for that little gift. I was amazed how it had brought my thoughts heavenward to where Abby is now, praising her Lord and singing in his presence. My story doesn’t end here, nor my tears. I thought I had had my “cry” for today. But when I got home, I opened my sister’s blog, and this is what I found.
While I was growing up, I really wasn’t around very many families who had adopted children. It was just something I read about in stories. I was 13, when we joined CRPC, and one of the first things that my mom and I were invited to was a baby shower for a couple in the church. At that shower, I was so confused because the lady who was opening all the gifts obviously wasn’t pregnant, or surely couldn’t have been pregnant for very long. Somehow, throughout the whole evening I still didn’t pick up that this couple were adopting a child from Russia. I was too shy to ask anyone about it as well. Then, a few weeks later, their adoption process was brought up in prayer during worship. They’re adopting?? Wow! I was fascinated by the whole thing. I wanted to know more. I remembered my childhood play. I used to pretend that all my dolls and stuffed animals were orphans in an orphanage (the orphanage that I ran when I grew up.) and I was their only source of comfort and security. But here was a family who was taking into their home a child who had no parents. This baby was lost and alone, without identity. They were going to care for this infant, feed, clothe, pray for him, nurture him, call him theirs…
Soon after that, I started going through a membership class at church and I remember that they touched on the doctrine of adoption into God’s kingdom. Wow, God had sure been preparing my heart to hear that. It suddenly became very real to me. In our sin we are separated from God, lost and alone, dead. We are helpless, we do not know what’s good for us. Yet, God reaches out, takes us into His arms and calls us His children. He sacrificed His only begotten Son to cleanse us from our sin, and in Christ we are accepted by the Father and made fellow heirs with Christ. This is grace.
I have the privilege to know several families who have adopted children. Many times when I stop and consider their lives and families and how it is such a beautiful picture how God cares for us, I am moved to tears of joy.
Recently, I’ve been blessed to be steeped in teaching on Christian community and the fellowship we have and enjoy with one another because of Christ. All of this has reminded me about our adoption into His kingdom.
Ephesians 1
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. 15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
This past Sunday evening, our worship service was canceled so that we all had the opportunity to attend the installation of a new minister at Faith Presbyterian Church in Akron. Rev. Carl Bogue preached from Ephesians 4:1-16. The title was Christ’s Gift Of Ministry.
I wish I had still been taking notes when Pastor Wright presented the charge to the Rev. Scholten. One thing I do remember is, “When you sense the congregation’s anticipation… Preach!” then he said, “When you don’t sense the congregation’s anticipation… Preach!” Amen Pastor!
An awful lot of things were said that evening that were very, very good. I have to say, one thing that really stuck in my mind, was the emphasis that Elder Caler put on this phrase; “to the best of your ability.” George Caler presented the charge to the congregation. And part of that was reviewing the membership vows that are found in the Book of Church Order. I think it is always good to reread and consider what we have committed to when joining a church. So much more is required of us then just showing up on Sunday morning and giving the tithe.
This is membership vow # 4, “Do you promise to support the church and it’s worship and work to the best of your ability?”
How many things do we actually strive to do to the best of our ability? What things do we actually strive to do to the best of our ability? Do we remember where our abilities came from? Who gave us our abilities? When we support the church, do we strive to do it to the best of our ability?
Something to think about. 
So many of us go to church with the attitude that it’s all for us, me, ourselves…
(This is something that I need to hear too.) Please remember that we need to make ourselves more aware of what is going on in each other’s lives, how we can pray for one another, build one another up in the faith… Talk to others about you’re spiritual life! No matter if it is dry or overflowing.
If you find yourself in a low place and with little thirst for the word, first of all pray! Then go to a Christian friend and talk about it, ask he or she to pray for you! Believe it or not! God will be using you in their life too! They will be growing in their prayer life and you will be giving them the opportunity to minister to you.
God wants us to minister to one another and pray for one another! We are a gift from God to each other! That’s what Pastor Bogue’s sermon was about. I know that he was addressing a pastor but I think that we can apply this to ourselves to an extent.
If you find your self overflowing with joy in the Lord and thankfulness to him for your salvation… Why are you keeping it to yourself??? Rejoice already!! Tell others what God is doing in your life and what He is teaching you through His word! God will use your testimony to bless others and you will be giving Him glory and honor. Tell others the good news!
Please let us not forget the importance of the church. Christ gave us the church. The church is for our good and for His glory.
Let us ever shout out and praise God for His sovereign mercy, for without it we would be without hope for we are sinners and deserving of His displeasure.
Let us never forget the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, may we rest upon Him alone for our salvation!
Let us endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ!
Let us support the church to the best of our abilities.
Let us submit to and respect the government of the church, and not neglect the study of it’s purity and peace!
Pray for your Pastors and Elders and Deacons! They are sinners too and in need of God’s grace as they also bear our burdens. Take time to pray and prepare your heart before coming into the house of the Lord. Put aside the cares of the world and open your hearts to the word of God preached. We sadly take for granted the availability of God’s word to us today, let alone the studies and efforts of our ministers. It has not always been so. Let us cherish it, treasure it, praise God for it, and lay it up in our hearts. Let us read it and know it. For we are Christians, we are sons of God, we are bought by the blood of Christ Jesus! How are we to spread the word if we don’t know it?
Please stop and think for a moment before you criticize your Pastor or Elder. Pray about it. If it’s something that he needs to hear, consider how you might respectfully reprove him in love.
Seek ways to encourage your Pastor! I know it’s something that I crave, but they need it!
God Bless You!
“In your glorious presence is fullness of joy”
God is so good to us! He gives us a taste of heaven, He asks us only that we seek Him. God gave us an order to follow. Why do we complain and grumble when he made it so easy for us? The first day of the week He set apart to be devoted to His worship and Praise. When we obey this command, He bestows on us blessings upon blessings, too many to be numbered. They are oh so sweet, yet how soon we forget…
God gave us the church (each other). We are not alone. We have fellow Christians to teach us, to pray for us, and to reprove us when needed. He provides others to care for our needs, to rejoice with us and to weep with us.
God calls us His own. Christ came among us and endured all the miseries of this fallen world, He remained steadfast in the midst of temptations of the worst kind imaginable. When we rejected Him, when we sought the pleasures of this world above His glory, Out of love, he gave His life and suffered a miserable death on the cross. He took on all of our filthy sin and paid the price for our salvation. God reached out and plucked us out of the filth and cleansed us in His blood. He calls us His own.
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