As believers in Christ we are to be the repairers of people- Jody Shank was one person who impacted other's through her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

    and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. Isaiah 58:1-12

Today, my wife and I attended the celebration of life service for a good friend, Jody Shank, who died after a 5 year battle with cancer.  We heard lighthearted stories from her kids, as well as stories from good friends who knew her for many years.

 We heard about her commitment to her Lord and Savior, her devoted prayer life, and her love for her family, and how her commitment helped til the good soil so the faith of her kids could thrive.  Earlier this morning I watched a Ray Vanderlaan 'That the world may know' video that describes how important it was to build and maintain a firm foundation. His talk takes place on a hill side. From where he stood you saw this retaining wall built with many stones.  On top of that retaining wall was a vineyard planted in the top soil.  The health of that vineyard is dependent on the strength of the retaining wall. If the wall breaks and the top soil washes away, the vineyard soon dies.  The owners of the vineyard had to constantly inspect and repair the retaining wall to replace any missing stones.

 If the wall  fails it impacts all of the other neighbors on that hill side. We are to be repairers of those stones.  We are to help our neighbors when they are hurting. 

Our relationship with our Lord is like that foundation.  The Lord makes us strong so that we may help others who are suffering and find themselves in disrepair.  I was reminded after talking with the Pastor that our world is in  a very dark place right now with so many people suffering from the anxiety caused by the isolation brought on by the Covid-19 virus. 

People everywhere are broken.

  The person we celebrated today was a woman who poured her life into her family, her friends, and her students and colleagues at Legacy Christian Academy.  She knew how to till the tender soil of all she touched so they may have faith that is strong- a faith that will help them survive life's storms.  She was a prayer warrior who prayed for her family. She prayed that she would live long enough to see her son's wedding and witness her daughter graduate from high school. The Lord saw fit to answer that prayer.

 The Pastor reminded us that as believers in the Lord Jesus it is okay to grieve, but we should grieve with hope because just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, his promises were that he was coming back to bring us home.  

For believers in Jesus Christ, life simply doesn't end when we take our final breath, but life continues into this very real place we know as heaven.  The final song of this celebration of life was entitled, 'Thank you'.

 Pretend you died and in heaven and you see your former coach, Sunday school teacher or other Christian who influenced your decision to accept Christ as your savior.

  If there ever is a reason for us to carry on in this often distressing life it is for the very reason to be used by God to touch another's life.  I'm  reminded this every time I facilitate our grief share group when someone says how grateful they are to have a live group to share their suffering of loss.  If you are such a person who is hurting from the absence of someone dear to you, I encourage you to check out grief share. https://griefshare.org