As the funeral ended (which was so inspirational and truly glorified God; way to go, Steven), a side door opened at the front of the chapel, and the funeral home attendees began to move flowers out of the way; I was presuming to move the casket outside, and onto the burial plot. As the pianist was vamping on the song, “if you could see me now…”, I kept hearing the words “Saying goodbye, saying goodbye..” over and over again in my head. Paul and his family were saying goodbye to their mom, who had fought a good fight and finished the race and was already celebrating w/ Jesus.

And then it hit me….I needed to say goodbye to my mom. During the week of her funeral, and even after it, I was so into “take care of Dad” mode, and trying to keep things going, that I never got to say goodbye… Tammy, Dad, and I were all by her bed when she went to be w/ Jesus, but it just didn’t seem like good bye. So, I said good bye to my mom, my wonderful, loving, awesome Mom. I feel and felt gypped, that she only moved her to Charlotte to move on to heaven. Why couldn’t she be around more? Now, I’m feeling some feelings for her, and missing her. But, I needed to say good bye, and I did.

My prayers will be w/ Paul, Patty, and the whole Hendrix family over the next few weeks. I know they will be saying goodbye to Jackie… and I’m grateful for an opportunity to say goodbye my own Mom.

The beauty of a sunrise
The joy and ecstasy of sharing love with your spouse
The taste of really good food (and a bottle of Rust En Vrede 94 Estate blend!)
Being with good friends and enjoying their company
Traveling and experiencing other cultures
Watching your kids grow and learn

All good things, everyone would say. But then, after a good talk w/ an old friend, he reminded me of an old biblical term that the apostles and early church said often:

“Maranatha!” “Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!”

And then I started thinking: I don’t want Christ to come quickly. I like my sunsets, my good food and wine, the travel experiences, watching my kids grow up, even the un abashed joy and physical nirvana of making love with my only love. I like these things, they are good; but, they are temporal. My heart was convicted again that I love the world, even the good things of the world, just a little too much.

So my prayer is two fold:
1. Jesus, forgive me for loving the world more than You. I long for your return when You will make all things right once again! Maranatha!!!
2. What would You have me do?

I’m still trying to figure out #2. Thanks for your prayers.

Imagine that you are driving across the country, at top speed, and you have little time for error. As you speed across the interstate, you notice that your gas gauge is getting lower and lower, approaching the dreaded “E” for empty. But, instead of stopping and re-fueling, you say to yourself:
“I’m too busy and too late to stop for gas! I gotta keep on going!!!”

We all can see the outcome of this little story, yet in our lives, we do this exact thing. Live faster, work harder, get more in a day. When do we stop to refuel? Edward M. Hallowell, in an editoral for the Los Angeles Times notes, “We think if we go fast enough, we’ll be able to create time when we won’t have to be busy. A seductive idea, but delusional. The key is to slow down and thrive today…”

As followers of Jesus Christ, we must remember to “be still and know that He is God.”

My struggle is this: is this the same in God’s kingdom? The televangelist types who always appear to have it together; these folks say nothing to me. I’ve met followers of Christ who seem to be the most self effacing, humble persons alive. They are the ones that I am drawn to. A man who can say like Job, “Tho He slay me, yet will I praise Him.”

The balance seems to lie in who do you place your trust in? If your trust is in God, you have no reason to boast about yourself. If it’s in yourself, then maybe you do have to act like you’re in charge.

I’d rather trust in God…. Better track record, if you know what I mean.

My struggle is this: is this the same in God’s kingdom? The televangelist types who always appear to have it together; these folks say nothing to me. I’ve met followers of Christ who seem to be the most self effacing, humble persons alive. They are the ones that I am drawn to. A man who can say like Job, “Tho He slay me, yet will I praise Him.”

The balance seems to lie in who do you place your trust in? If your trust is in God, you have no reason to boast about yourself. If it’s in yourself, then maybe you do have to act like you’re in charge.

I’d rather trust in God…. Better track record, if you know what I mean.