for ernzy...

(my mom decided this year to bury ernzy's ashes...to give him a resting place.

he now lies next to my dad.

the following is what i read at his memorial service.

i love you, ernzy...this is for you.)

"FOR ERNZY"

i call him 'my ernzy'

but i think he was never truly mine.

he was God's

he IS God's

and he will always be mom's little boy...

i am grateful to ernzy for many things...

ernzy encouraged me to sing, made me laugh when i cried and included me in some of his childhood adventures.

he kept me safe in school when we attended at the same time.

girls, in his grade, came up to me often and said how great they thought ernzy was.

teachers would tell me what a joy it was to have him in their classroom.

i was proud of him for that.

ernzy often pushed the boundaries in this life.

he was an inventor...a visionary.

he was never content to look at life and say 'there it is'...

he looked at something and said 'how can i change it?'

he became my hero when my life was falling down around my ears and my little cat, zaw-zaw baby, died in the middle of it all.

he came to my house and told me he would bury zaw-zaw for me so i wouldn't have to.

he quietly and gently buried him and said a small prayer for him.

he wanted to spare me as much pain as he could...

that's a hero.

he wanted to be just like chuck norris and evil knievel wrapped in one.

he loved imitating chuck from the movies and building ramps for his bicycle.

always pushing the boundaries...

how fast can i go? how much farther?

he tried to save the life of a baby birdy...

he gave it warmth, light, food and love.

he couldn't save it, but, oh how he tried.

it is a credit to him how much he loved...

how much he believed in love and how much he wanted to be loved in return.

i failed him at different times in his life -

that is certain.

i wish i could tell him how sorry i am for those moments...

i'm sure he'd love me and forgive me in time.

there were times he failed me too, but all i think about when i think of him, is how much i'd give for just 5 more minutes with him.

i think we all wish for that.

regardless of any of his failings, his life shouts this lesson to us all:

whatever he did, whoever he loved, he gave all he had.

he held nothing back.

he didn't count on tomorrow

he lived for today...

i think we should too.

jonah...

VERSE:
"From inside the fish Jonah prayed ... "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry."
-- Jonah 2:1-2

THOUGHT:
Jonah was disobedient, rebellious, and selfish.
He had run from the Lord.
He had shunned the Lord's command.
He had endangered the lives of those on the ship where he had tried to hide.
Yet even in the middle of his rebellion, God heard his cry and delivered him.
If you are in rebellion, if you are seeking to hide some secret and all-consuming sin, please know the Lord wants to ransom and redeem you!
Things won't be easy, but coming back to the Lord means ultimate redemption and deliverance.

PRAYER:
Holy and righteous Father, please forgive me of my sin.
In your grace, dear Father, please lead me to someone who needs to know of your grace and redemption. Please use me to help them escape from their bondage to sin and shame.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.