And Grace Will Lead Us Home
Today was the most life giving day I've experienced in a long time. On a lot of levels, I guess it shouldn't have been. I was in the same place last October (or I guess it was the first day of November), for the same reason. As I took my seat, I thought, if you have to grieve, there are no better communities to do that with than the two I was blessed to be a part of in Waco, TX. If we had not grieved as well and as much as we have over the loss of our leaders, I'm not sure they would seem quite as meaningful.
Dr. Foster had a way of making her students, her children, feel so special. I felt that way today when we remembered her together. In fact, I can't quite remember the last time I felt so cherished just because I was a part of something. We were loved, prayed for, and always blessed by this remarkable woman simply because we sat in her classroom. I wish I could bottle that service and those feelings and send them to you all. I wish you could hear the power and faith of Dr. Ngan's voice as she read from Isaiah, Dr. Garland translation of the Greek as he read from Dr. Foster's first Greek Bible, the earnestness of Dr. Stroope's prayer, the usual eloquence and life in Dr. Gloer's words, and the laughter from jokes about margarita's, meat lockers, and not wearing pantyhose to glory. I wish you could see the way Dr. York was overcome with emotion as he watched our Truett family sing Amazing Grace. I wish you could feel the hope and glory that was in my heart when we sang "we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun." Kelly and I both cried hard. Not only because we were sad and would miss this lady who taught us to believe in ourselves, but because it all had such meaning.
I want to believe these two funerals are like bookends to a hard year, for me and a lot of other people. But life is just hard. Ruth Ann knew that. She taught me about how Martha understood that Jesus was the Resurrection and the Life. When it looked like things couldn't get any worse, there was the resurrection and in that there is immeasurable hope. Today was a beautiful and needed reminder of that. Thanks be to God.
Dr. Foster had a way of making her students, her children, feel so special. I felt that way today when we remembered her together. In fact, I can't quite remember the last time I felt so cherished just because I was a part of something. We were loved, prayed for, and always blessed by this remarkable woman simply because we sat in her classroom. I wish I could bottle that service and those feelings and send them to you all. I wish you could hear the power and faith of Dr. Ngan's voice as she read from Isaiah, Dr. Garland translation of the Greek as he read from Dr. Foster's first Greek Bible, the earnestness of Dr. Stroope's prayer, the usual eloquence and life in Dr. Gloer's words, and the laughter from jokes about margarita's, meat lockers, and not wearing pantyhose to glory. I wish you could see the way Dr. York was overcome with emotion as he watched our Truett family sing Amazing Grace. I wish you could feel the hope and glory that was in my heart when we sang "we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun." Kelly and I both cried hard. Not only because we were sad and would miss this lady who taught us to believe in ourselves, but because it all had such meaning.
I want to believe these two funerals are like bookends to a hard year, for me and a lot of other people. But life is just hard. Ruth Ann knew that. She taught me about how Martha understood that Jesus was the Resurrection and the Life. When it looked like things couldn't get any worse, there was the resurrection and in that there is immeasurable hope. Today was a beautiful and needed reminder of that. Thanks be to God.
posted by Janalee | 9:11 PM
5 Comments:
Amen
Seen any of these?
http://www.pastorfinder.com/searchjob.asp?mode=advancedresults&detail=0&page=1&job_id=&action=search&timeframe=30&jobcategory=&location=TX&denomination=&churchsize=&worshipstyle=&sortby=&per_page=10
Beautiful.
Thank you for summing up everything I've been thinking about since Tuesday's beautiful service! You definitely put into words what I could not.
thank you for writing about this for those of us far away.
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