LXIII October 2, 2018

This is what 63 looks like.

I never really thought I would be this old. In fact, I never really cared if I would be this old.

When I was young, 63 sounded ancient. I remember listening to the Beatles singing “When I’m 64” and thinking, “I can’t imagine.” Next year, Lord willing, I will find out.

I knew that I would always want to get married. I knew that I would also want to have children. But the thought of growing old, never really occurred to me. I thought I would be, as Bob Dylan says, “Forever Young”.

To imagine me at this age, 63 now doesn’t sound so old to me. In my head, I think I’m 19, and to be honest with you, when the evening is nice and I roll the windows down blasting my music, I’m 19 again.

But here I am, and what do I make of this? First, I’m very happy to still be here. I do look forward to the Lords return, but there is unfinished work here.

I had never really thought of retirement. Many of my age are either retired, or are seriously close to considering it. I am not. I have no desire to stop preaching. If the time comes and I’m no longer preaching at the church, I will be sharing the gospel somewhere. Maybe on the street corners, particularly because I asked the Lord to never have me do that.

I always thought that this age will be boring, and it’s just the opposite. I have found more enjoyment in my 60s, (although the pain and aches are sometimes a bit harsh), because of the little munchkins I have running around at my feet.

My children are grown and adults, and I’ve been blessed with four wonderful grandchildren. I would not go back to be younger and miss any of this, ever, in my life.

I believe I have matured some, and in some ways I have not. Bonnie has always been my rock, as she has stuck by me these 33 years, even when I feel that she shouldn’t have to put up with my shenanigans.

Our love has grown tremendously, and the sharing of our grandchildren has been a blessing I never expected. I have remarkable children. Two have married remarkable spouses that love the Lord, and I’m sure my youngest Ben will do the same. They are raising their Children in the admonition and teachings of the Lord. Not only that, but my children are fun. I laugh so hard at times that I cry, and probably come close to wetting myself at 63.

Life is good, but God is gooder. I have such a closer walk with the Lord, and I’ve discovered the more I discover about God the less I really know about him. But He has always been faithful. He’s always been kind. He has always been reliable. And He’s always been loving, even when I am not.

So here I am at 63. What the future holds, I can’t tell, but I do know who holds the future. The thoughts of getting aged is scary, only because of what I see of those older than me going through physically. But I trust God. Whatever I go through, He will lead me through it.

So what do I make of being 63? I absolutely love it. And if anybody knows Paul McCartney personally, tell him that I didn’t have to wait to 64 to lose my hair. I started that about 30 years ago.

Funeral For a Friend April 16, 2016

Yesterday was the funeral for my friend Lecie. If you saw my previous blog, she is Amanda’s mom. The service was lovely, the day was beautiful, and it was the chance for goodbye. Here’s why I think open caskets and showings are necessary, whenever possible.

Now, I’m a firm believer in closure. It’s important, I think that a person should be able to close any and all situations. Life doesn’t always do that, but I think it needs to be done when possible. Cremation doesn’t do that if it is done in place of a showing. If the cremation is done without a viewing of the body, it doesn’t give the grievers a chance to bring closure with that person.

If the family is for it and they get to see the body, and they’re ok with cremation, then that’s fine, as the family gets to see the body at rest. Or if one chooses to cremate after the showing, that’s the family’s choice. So, I’m not knocking cremation and people are certainly entitled to do as they please. I just think that the viewing of the body  gives the viewer’s senses  a reality of the passing of that person. A final touching of the hand, kiss on the forehead, a heartfelt goodbye. Even a note tucked away in the casket.

So it was with Lecie yesterday. A closure. A temporary goodbye. Why temporary?

When one is with Christ, a servant of His, then eternal life is the reward. He promises to wipe away all tears and dry all eyes and there will be no more crying. (Rev. 21:4). So as Lecie is in the presence of the mighty Christ, so we will be too, if we’ve placed our lives into His hands.

Christ is the Savior of the world. Without Him there is no hope. Because of Christ, Lecie will be seen again by those who know Christ. How glorious. The pastor yesterday said that a great way to honor Lecie is to come to the saving knowledge of Christ.  How pleased would she be if even one, only one, person came to know Christ personally because of her death? Maybe it’s you?

Maybe you haven’t fully committed to Christ as Lord and Savior. Maybe you’ve put your toe in the water and you’re not sure you want to step in. Any moment could be your last chance. And it won’t be an ending, but a beginning.

Will you come to Christ?  If you do though, Lecie will be waiting for you.