Memorial Services Details

Christine asked you to attend - I hope you can!  Note, if you are from out of town, please join us online!  Note, online information might change - so please double check the blog before the service.

Last night, our good and gracious Lord, called Christine out of this life of sin, struggle, disease, and death and brought her home to Himself. Our Lord’s promise from Revelation 21:4 is now Christine’s reality.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

I wanted to personally let you know of the plans for Christine’s memorial service.

Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 4:00pm (PST)

St. John’s Lutheran Church

154 South Shaffer St.

Orange, CA 92866

If you are unable to attend in person, I certainly understand. The service will be available to watch via St. John’s live stream at www.stjohnsorange.org/livestream.

The service will be led by the Orange Lutheran Creative Worship students.  The public is invited.  Christine loved her Lord and the ministry at Orange Lutheran.  She was passionate about raising support for students that otherwise could not attend our school.  Her wish was that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts are directed to the Lancer Legacy Endowment Fund.  Gifts can be made at www.lhsoc.org/giving or mailed directly to the school.

Thanks for checkin' in
Todd

Heaven IS my home – my last blog

It is finished (John 19:30).  My work is done (Psalm 39:4-5).  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now I have the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, has awarded me —and not only to me, but also award to all of you who long for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Todd will forward Memorial service details when he has them.  I hope you can attend or watch on live stream.  Not because I want any glory … but because I want you to hear again the wonderful message of Christ and Him crucified for you.  I was blessed to be a part of the planning for the service.  It will be an awesome contemporary worship of praise led by some dear friends.   It will include the Orange Lutheran Creative Worship team – the last group I was able to worship with in person while I was alive.  Pastor Mike Hayes, who gave me Christ’s body and blood for the last time on earth, will bring the Word.

It may be strange to be reading my final blog, especially when I am "asleep in death".  I did this at the encouraging of many, especially Todd.  We felt it was important for me to speak a final Word.  To just leave and go onto heaven without one last encouragement did not seem right.

Brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed about me who has fallen asleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.  For I believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so I believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s word, I tell you, that you who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first (including me). After that, you who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, I encourage you with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

This now is about legacy...

What legacy do you want to leave to your family, your friends, your kids?  How about to the world? 

I had the joy of reading what y’all have thought of me. Many, many of you commented on Facebook and my blog.  Frankly, I am shocked.... most of you have brought back memories that are long forgotten. I am so grateful because I would never have remembered them.  What kind of memories do you want to leave with your family? What patterns of speech do you want them to remember?  What experiences do you want them to cherish for a lifetime?  A couple of times we had young teachers living with us and they remembered me up early in the morning reading my scriptures.  That is a nice memory.

Several people remembered my smile. I don’t even remember delivering smiles. But I’m so glad somebody did!  Some mentioned acts of service, some reaching out when in need (and even one remembering how I taught them to clean J), others how I welcomed them to the neighborhood or to a Bible study.

What kind of a legacy do you want to leave for the kingdom? 

Many of you would write asking a specific question looking for an answer.  I would often reply “what does God say about that”? That question comes from a friend of mine who taught me to ask it!  Seeking the answer changed my life.

What Legacy are you leaving?

I am certainly sad about not being with you.  I would like to be “here” as I would like to tell more people about Jesus. But it is far better to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23).

Would you do that for me – tell more people about Jesus? What an amazing legacy that would be. I’m sure you’ll care for my family.  Thank you.   But I’d rather have you care for the “least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46).

Some of you reading this have not received Christ into your heart / your life.  Please come to my memorial service to really hear, maybe for the first time, the good news of Jesus Christ.  He loves you.  We have all messed up and fallen short of His expectations (Romans 3:23).  But God Himself loved YOU so much (John 3:16-17) that came to this earth to sacrifice Himself for YOU (Romans 5:8).  We can’t possibly do enough to earn God’s forgiveness – but He did it all for YOU (Ephesians 1:7).  Tell Him you messed up (1 John 1:8).  Tell Him you are sorry (1 John 1:9).  Then ask Him into your heart (Romans 10:9-13) and just watch what He will do!

I hope and pray to see you all soon – in the blink of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Thanks for checkin’ in.  I love you all!

Christine

Her victory should be soon ...

A brief update as so many are asking.  Thanks for your love and concern!

Christine hanging on. Her victory should be soon!

Christine’s body continues to fight death.   She is quite young and was in good physical shape (we were on vacation in Maine just one month ago!).  She ate healthy and most of her body parts are in good shape.  She has a strong mind and loves life.  While she is ready to go to heaven – she continues to vacillate on that desire.

The one big issue has been medication.  As you know her pain is very bad.  Metastasized colon cancer they say is the most painful of all.  Tumors are everywhere – liver, heart, lungs, colon, all throughout the abdomen – and even many now growing just below the skin surface. Our doctor and hospice has been wonderful.  They daily checking in and adjusting the morphine as necessary.

However, while most get more lethargic with increased pain meds, Christine went from dreams to bad dreams to hallucinations to very bad hallucinations.  The last three days have been brutal.  She explains in great detail for ten to twenty minutes a complex, dark “event” that is occurring.  After quite a while, I am able to gently help her understand it isn’t real.  The doc’s have added several different “downer” type drugs, but all have had the opposite effect.  Some rare patients react differently to these common drugs.  Is it any wonder my bride is uncommon?

Calming to her most is scripture.  We read lots of scripture.  What is amazing is to often see her finish a verse or even paragraph as I read aloud.

We have changed her routine now to a mild sedative.  That is helping.  More tweaking of the medication will happen today – and a nurse will spend the night monitoring Christine.

Sleep for me seems like the mother of their first-born.  I don’t sleep deeply as I am up typically quite a bit.  The last two nights Christine was up from 11:00pm to 4:00am. 

I am blessed by friends who give me a short break during the day for a walk or nap.  But even then, Christine gets anxious if I am not around.

Christine wrote in her own handwriting a couple of weeks ago:

"God takes people at His timing because He's tenderhearted - if taking someone early rather than having a horrid life-  so they wouldn't have to have a harder life.  His motivation is love."
Grammar a little weird.  But her point is clear.

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Phillipians 1:18-23

To Live is Christ

...and I will rejoice for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but still have sufficient courage so that now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.  Yet what shall I choose?  I do not know. I am torn between the two.  I desire to depart and be with Christ which is better by far.

Thanks for checkin’ in

Todd – for Christine