Rest In Peace Beth Donovan Walters

Back in late 2005 I wrote on one of my sites asking for prayers for my old high school friend Beth Donovan, who became Beth Walters when she married. Well those prayers were answered as she rallied and started to get better. It gave her 2 more years with her family. Yes I heard from another school mate that Beth finally went home to be with her Lord on Friday morning. I hope no more old friends die. Two in two weeks is almost too much for me to take. What follows is a partial reprint of what I wrote about her almost 2 years ago. While I am sad that Beth had to leave us years earlier then I or anyone would have liked, I am happy that she had 2 more years to celebrate the highs and lows, birthdays and holidays with her family. God is good people and now Beth is in his loving arms and no longer suffering any pain. Lets celebrate life of that happy smiling girl in the photo above and pray for the comofort of her family during this time and the years to come.

Not long ago I asked anyone reading this site to pray for an old high school friend who has cancer, Beth Donovan. Beth is someone who, at least to me, stood for all the good things of high school. You may have had to go to my school to understand. Our class was very cliqueish. If you weren't in their group some kids wouldn't have anything to do with you. I was not that way and, as I told my wife, neither was Beth. She was friendly and outgoing. She always had a smile for everyone. Beth never said anything bad about anyone that I know of. I remember going to her house with others from a school club to work on a club project and having alot of fun. Beth was one of our senior class officers, a straight A student and elected most versatile. Basically Beth was a nice, smart and friendly person. I never heard her use bad language or any rumors about her doing anything bad.
Her visitation will be at 5-8pm on Monday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell in Fort Thomas, KY. The funeral will be 10am Tuesday at Mary Queen of Heaven Church in Erlanger, Ky.

Rest In Peace Gary Frohn

An old member of my high school class I recently found out died on Friday. Gary and I were not what I would call close friends. He did live up the street from me and from time to time he and I along with other friends from the neighborhood would play basketball. For some reason the only memory I have of those games with Gary was both of us going up for a rebound together. Neither one of us got it as Gary said "ouch" and it surprised me. Later he told me why when he said "Get your finger nails cut or something. You scratched me there." I never thought that was funny till just now. It is odd what things will make you smile in moments of sadness.

Gary was an athlete and an honor student in high school at Lloyd Memorial High. He was a star player on the tennis team and captain in his senior year. He was on the freshman Basketball team, a member of student council and the National Honor Society. In his senior year he was part of the senior play and a member of the Homecoming Court. Recently I heard that Gary didn't live too far from here with his wife and kids. Perhaps I could have drove over to see him some time had I known he was still so close. Visitation is at Stith Funeral in Florence,Ky this Tuesday (today Sept. 11, 2007) starting at 4pm. If you read this blog and knew Gary you can call Stith to get the exact times. I plan to stop by after work to pay my last respects to my old high school mate. Please pray for his family during their time of sorrow.

Does God hear our prayers for mercy on behalf of others?

Abraham approached him and said, "Will you destroy both innocent and guilty alike? Suppose you find fifty innocent people there within the city—will you still destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?" [The Lord responds that he will not destroy the city. Abraham persists, reducing the number to 45, then 40, 30, 20 and finally ten]. And the Lord said, "Then, for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it."

Genesis 18:23-31 NLT

In the days before their fiery judgment, the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah probably had no idea that their neighbor Abraham was agonizing with God over their fate. Abraham saw the need for justice, but he also begged God to show them his mercy. He asked God to spare the city for just a handful of righteous people, and God agreed. In addition, God sent his angels to protect Lot's innocent family and get them out of harm's way. But as Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction illustrates, there's a limit to his mercy, for the God of justice will not let sin go unpunished forever. Just as he listened to righteous Abraham long ago, God will listen to your cries for justice and your pleas for mercy. In the end, God will do what is right.
From The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House), entry for March 25

The Lily of the Valley

Christianity flourished during England's Victorian Era. As a result concern for the orphans, the poor, the homeless and those beaten by the rise of the Industrial Revolution were on the rise. One man was determined to help as many of them as he could.

William Booth became a Christian when he was a teenager. He began witnessing to others and winning them to Christ. He moved to London to be come a pawnbroker but changed careers and became a Methodist evangelist. By 1865 his ministry was mainly dealing with the poor on the east side of London. Many nights he came home beaten, battered and bleeding.

In 1878 Mr. Booth started the Salvation Army. Many men, women and children left their old lives behind and enlisted in the army of the Lord. The movement spread through England and eventually the entire world.

That same year a group from the Salvation Army tried to set up a ministry in Salisbury, England. They were treated very badly. Every time they tried to preach they were hit with eggs and bricks.

Charles Fry, an amateur musician and layman in the Methodist church, lived in Salisbury. He saw how badly the people of the town treated the Salvation Army workers. He took himself and his three strong sons, who were also musicians, to the streets and acted as bodyguards for the Salvation Army workers. They showed up with their weapons of two cornets, a trombone and a tuba. Not only did they fight off the more unruly members of the town but their music drew a crowd for the preachers. And so was born the Salvation Army Brass Band.

In 1881 Charles Fry wrote the hymn "Lily of the Valley". It was published on December 29th 1881 in the Salvation Army magazine The War Cry. In August of the following year Charles Fry died. On his grave was inscribed another verse that he had written.

The former things are past, and ended is the strife,

I'm save home at last! I live an endless life!

Charles Fry is pictured with his family in the photo above.

Have you refused to follow God?

Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 3:13 KJV

Jesus paid a high price—his life—in order to remove our guilt before a holy God. While Jesus paid the price only he could pay, freedom from guilt is costly for us in other ways. The high price for us is the difficult task of admitting to God (and often others) that we were wrong and that we need forgiveness. This is called confession. As costly as confession is, the rewards are even greater: peace with ourselves and others, restored relationships, the removal of sin, and a renewed relationship with God. But pride is a powerful force in our lives. Pride tells us, "All is well! You're OK!" Pride denies the reality of sin; in contrast, guilt warns us that all is not well. Guilt acknowledges the presence of sin and urges us to confess it. So these two—guilt and pride—battle it out in our souls. When guilt wins, a sin that separated us from God is removed. When pride wins, we remain isolated from God's grace, love, and care. There may be a high cost to removing guilt, but there is a higher cost to keeping it.

Daddy's Poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail,

her favorite dress tied with a bow.

Today was Daddy's Day at school,

and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,

that she probably should stay home.

Why the kids might not understand,

if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;

she knew just what to say.

What to tell her classmates

of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,

for her to face this day alone.

And that was why once again,

she tried to keep her daughter home.

But the little girl went to school

eager to tell them all.

About a dad she never sees

a dad who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in back,

for everyone to meet.

Children squirming impatiently,

anxious in their seats

One by one the teacher called

a student from the class.

To introduce their daddy,

as seconds slowly passed.

At last the teacher called her name,

every child turned to stare.

Each of them was searching,

a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"

She heard a boy call out.

"She probably doesn't have one,"

another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,

she heard a daddy say,

"Looks like another deadbeat dad,

too busy to waste his day."

The words did not offend her,

as she smiled up at her Mom.

And looked back at her teacher,

who told her to go on.

And with hands behind her back,

slowly she began to speak.

And out from the mouth of a child,

came words incredibly unique.

"My Daddy couldn't be here,

because he lives so far away.

But I know he wishes he could be,

since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,

I wanted you to know.

All about my daddy,

and how much he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories

he taught me to ride my bike.

He surprised me with pink roses,

and taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,

and ice cream in a cone.

And though you cannot see him.

I'm not standing here alone.

"Cause my daddy's always with me,

even though we are apart

I know because he told me,

he'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up,

and lay across her chest.

Feeling her own heartbeat,

beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads,

her mother stood in tears.

Proudly watching her daughter,

who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love

of a man not in her life.

Doing what was best for her,

doing what was right.

And when she dropped her hand back down,

staring straight into the crowd.

She finished with a voice so soft,

but its message clear and loud.

"I love my daddy very much,

he's my shining star.

And if he could, he'd be here,

but heaven's just too far.

You see he is a Marine

and died just this past year

When a roadside bomb hit his convoy

and taught Americans to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,

it's like he never went away."

And then she closed her eyes,

and saw him there that day.

And to her mothers amazement,

she witnessed with surprise.

A room full of daddies and children,

all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them,

who knows what they felt inside.

Perhaps for merely a second,

they saw him at her side.

"I know you're with me Daddy,"

to the silence she called out.

And what happened next made believers,

of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,

for each of their eyes had been closed.

But there on the desk beside her,

was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,

by the love of her shining star.

And given the gift of believing,

that heaven is never too far.

They say it takes a minute to find a special

person, an hour to appreciate them,

a day to love them, but then an entire

life to forget them.

Time Off

Well it is really fun to do these bolgs but I have to take some time off for a project that I am involved in. I don't know any exact date that I will be back on but I will be checking in from time to time and when I have something worthy to post I will. If you have anything that you want to have me add to this blog or promote on this blog then please e-mail me and I will do my best to do so. If you ever see the book posted above then you can be assured that I am taking some time off. So as long as you see this book above then you know I am still busy on my project. Why am I showing this book cover for It's That Time Again? Well for those who don't know I have a short story in here and it is my first published story. It also has a story in there that my cousin Steve wrote. You can buy the book below if you so wish.