Pastor Commentary

A recent event reminded me that God wants people who will

live completely dependent upon Himself, abiding in His truth and

proclaiming His truth, living coram Deo, before God's face.

The New Living Translation presents Psalm 16:3 this way:

"The godly people in the land are my true heroes. I take pleasure

in them."

I have some new heroes. They are not named Brady or Manning.

They will not get their names in movie lights or on a CD label. They

are "regular" folk. They are, in fact, my brother-in-law and his wife,

Bob and Linda Dick.

Five months ago she was diagnosed with cancer; first, lung cancer,

then they discovered brain cancer, then they realized cancer was

in her bones. Soon it was known that she was stage four.

As her husband, Bob, just wrote, "...the Lord had a plan for us!

The Lord allowed the last five months of her life to be the best -

not in terms of pleasure or ease but in terms of things He wanted

to accomplish in her life. Linda knew she was on special assignment

from God and she was humbled in taking the assignment. 'Why had

God chosen (me)?' was her question."

She handled the final months, weeks, hours of her life with grace and

dignity, seeking to honor the Lord who had given her this

"assignment." They two sought to take this on in faith and constant

attention to prayer and the Word. We all seek to teach our children to

live, Linda also taught her five children and 10 grandchildren how to die.

Though in pain and taking only enough meds to help control the pain

but not enough to make her "out of it," she spent the final day

surrounded by family, able to testify to her confidence in God and His

superior plan for her life.

She frequently said that the Lord knew from the moment of her con-

ception just when He would take her home and she was comfortable

with that. The Lord welcomed her to Himself February 1, 2008 at

6:59pm, the very day of their 28th wedding anniversary and one

minute before the time of their wedding in 1980.

Seeing Linda cope with all this in grace, confidence and, yes, even

good humor, I was struck with what a Spirit-filled exit from this "mortal

coil" could look like. I saw Bob deal with all of this, tenderly caring for

all her needs, trusting God to give strength, to care for his business,

and reach the hearts of the yet-to-be-saved family members, as a

Spirit-filled man, neither rushing about senselessly nor moping angrily.

They were on mission together and understood the importance and

gravity of the assignment.

Bob's words again, "The intense pressure of five months had produced

the perfect diamond the Lord was looking for."

As The Planter, I wish to live focussed on God's mission for us and I

also wish to help others to see their mission in the midst of the

normal, and even not-so-normal, events of life.

With the Lord's help we will do what we have been commanded and

commissioned to do and we will trust Him to do what He alone can do.

AGTGA

All Glory To God Alone.

Russ and Carol