Henriet's Blog

Saying goodbye, remembering together, focusing on new life

Still, I know that God lives - the One who gives me back my life - and eventually he'll take his stand on earth. And I'll see him ... [I will] see God myself, with my very own eyes. Oh, how I long for that day!

Job 19: 25-27

Saying "Goodbye"

Yesterday (October 10, 2015), I officiated my father-in-law's memorial at Palo Alto Christian Reformed Church. Pastor Matthew Burns hosted us with warmth, care and generosity. The memorial was a family affair. Aunts and uncles, cousins, second cousins and in-laws came to support my husband Fred and his brother Harold, and their families.

The service was simple. Pastor Burns welcomed us. Fred and Harold shared memories of their dad…some funny, some moving, some unusual (if you were there you remember the dog story). As with any memorial there was laughter, some stories and tears. My part was sharing a bit about my father-in-law and offering the hope of heaven. 

I love officiating at memorials!

I do. I love officiating at memorials. It's one of the greatest opportunities to love people and share the Good News. 

When we believe in Jesus, death is not our final termination but our transition into eternity. 

“Just as the nine months you spent in your mother’s womb were not an end in themselves but preparation for life, so this life is preparation for the next.  If you have a relationship with God through Jesus, you don’t need to fear death. It is the door to eternity.  It will be the last hour of your time on earth, but it won’t be the last of you.  Rather than being the end of your life, it will be your birthday into eternal life.”¹

Jesus promised his followers:

John 14:1-6

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Revelation 21:1-4

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.  

They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

For those who know Jesus, death is not the end. It's just a temporary goodbye. I hope you know Jesus! 

 

 

 (Rick Warren Purpose Driven Life, pg 38-40)

Stones and burial spices—we worry, God provides

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.

Mark 16: 1-4, ESV

My family travels a complicated journey filled with obstacles and challenges—probably just like you right? Some of these situations are so big, they seem immovable yet in the midst of it all I catch myself trying to manage, control and preserve "normal" life. Very funny, really. God keeps sending me to Mark 16. I think he's talking to me about stones and spices.

Spending time preparing to preserve

I love Jesus and trust him. I really do. I want to live my life for him! Yet, when things get complicated I look down at my circumstances and start preparing "the spices"—doing what I can to take care of things. The smart thing to do would be to look to Jesus and trust him, really trust him, to work thing out for my good and his glory.

My desire is to honor Jesus so why do I try so hard to keep things going and staying normal? My life is not normal. As a family, we are dealing with issues of drug addiction. The pull on us is to get (or stay) on the crazy bus with the addict. Often I'm rushing around trying to keep things normal. Can I just say, "It's not NORMAL around here!"

Jesus just asks me to do what I can, that what HE leads me to do. No more.

Worrying about immovable objects

The women had done what they could, they prepared the spices to honor Jesus and prepare his body. Then they worried, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” We worry about the stones in our lives. I worry about the big stones. Today, God showed me that I've been asking the question, "Who will roll away the stone of addiction from the entrance of the tomb in my family's life?" There is a person trapped in the darkness of the tomb held by the large stone! And, I keep trying to make the stone go away...sometimes by praying, sometimes by worrying, sometimes by trying to tug on that big ugly thing. It won't budge!

He will roll the stone away

Today, Jesus helped me to see HE is the one who rolls the stone away. The problem isn't his power to roll it away! He's proven that. Do I trust that he'll remove it? Do I really believe he will?

I need to stop worrying then trust and believe Jesus will roll away the stone. God provides the power through his Holy Spirit. His power is available to us. His power is enough to roll away this, and every, stone.

I choose to say, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) 

What's your stone? How are you dealing with things? 

 

Rest? New Puppy and, Fun in St. Louis!

Taking a Sabbatical

Over the last year, I ran on fumes emotionally and physically. My sleep patterns were off, I felt exhausted, and wondered if I ever would get my energy back. I longed for a break but there is always so much to do. What about Semper Vita? What about my training business, Semper Vita Institute? What about...? You get the picture. So I kept plugging away but making no progress. I had learned to ignore the flashing warning lights on my dashboard of life. This was not good.

Thankfully, God cared about my well being much more than I did. He answered my prayers for energy through my friend, Rita Nussli, a spiritual director at Soul Formation. She told me I needed to take a Sabbatical. I felt assurance and rest as I heard her say the words. So, I made plans to unplug as of the middle of May. Rita challenged me to adhere to this Sabbatical through August. So I started this season of rest that included rest from work, more sleep and better eating.

It took a few weeks to feel any effects but slowly my sleeping patterns returned to normal and I felt some energy coming back. Ahhh.

A New Puppy in the House

In the midst of this season of rest, we added a new family member. A new puppy, named Maximus Orelius. It's Harrison's dog. He's awesome and has been great for our boxer, Belle. Everyone gets along and seems happier: the cats, Belle, Harrison. It's great! Max is intelligent and a quick learner.

 

Fun in St. Louis!

At the end of May, we took a trip to St. Louis to visit my sister and her family. We had a wonderful time and beat the heat! We went to a dirt track race, The Anheuser Busch Brewery, the zoo, and a canoe trip on the Meramec River. It was great to see the family and to have a little vacation.

Photos: at the racetrack (left) and with my niece, Eleanor.

Belle the Boxer Finds Her New Home

As a third generation boxer owner I can honestly say boxers are the only dogs for me. They are just wonderful and suit our family's personality. My husband and son are boxer lovers too. They've been eager to get another one after our previous boxer had cancer and died on June 26, 2010. We've waited to get just the right one for our family. A few months ago, Jill Dyche posted a boxer on her Facebook wall that needed rescueing. We could not do it at that time but it started the ball rolling. We had never rescued before. So after talking with Jill we were determined to rescue rather than get another puppy. Our first attempt to get a dog from a local boxer rescue did not work at all. Then, also via Facebook, Charlotte Campanella put us in contact with Northwest Boxer Rescue. They were great and matched us with the perfect boxer for us.

Meet Belle!

She is 3-years-old and was used to breed. Her owners dropped her off at a shelter eight weeks after her last litter. Luckily she was rescued by Northwest Boxer Rescue and put in a loving foster home for about a month. We met and adopted her on February 4, 2012. We named her Belle. She is a beauty! She had lived a beastly life but now will be loved and have a safe home.

Consider Rescue

This morning I was at a doctor's office. The nurse asked if I had plans for this coming weekend. I mentioned that we would be home to play with our new dog. She told me her mom has a rescued boxer. I'm running into people all the time now who rescue dogs. Very cool!

If you're thinking of getting a dog, check out dog rescue! If you're looking for a boxer, contact Christian at Northwest Boxer Rescue. They really are in need of foster and adoptive homes right now. Another puppy mill breede... so now they have lots of boxers that need a good home. Do you have room for a wonderful dog?

Have you ever rescued? I would love to hear your dog story!

Overture For Mom's

If you've had a mom, been a mom, wanted to be a mom, wished you weren't a mom: This one's for you!

It takes 3 minutes. Enjoy!

Hat tip to Debbie W.

Serving Up Easter

For me Easter means remembering the truth about the resurrection of Jesus, going to church and enjoying my family's traditional Easter brunch. Because I work at a church, brunch now is around 1 p.m.

Easter brunch is not at my house because I don't have what it takes. Oh, I can make brunch but I do not have the right dishes. You see, in my family, our tradition is to use my mom's special breakfast china.  She received them from her aunt (who died in 1977 when she was in her 90's). However, my mom has had these dishes since I was little.

We only use them once a year--at Easter. These dishes hold great memories that date back to when I was 5. I prayed that God would wake me up early so that I could surprise my mom and set the table for Easter.  This was before we went to church regularly. God did wake me up, but after getting up I realized that the tablecloths were in my parents' bedroom. My mom is a light sleeper. I felt horrible. After going back to bed I apologized to God for bothering Him and not thinking it through.

My mom set the table that day and ever since. She told me yesterday that she almost didn't use the dishes but knew I would be terribly disappointed. She's right, I would have been.

How was your Easter? What did you do?

The Nail and The Penny

Odd how when the stakes are high, I have found it relatively easy to count the cost. Yet when other less important things test integrity, I seem to struggle. When I'm driving to an appointment and running late, many possible excuses I could give to make myself look good fly through my mind.  Lying is not integrity! Or ways to tell the story to avoid people being disappointed, mad or hurt. Lying is ...

My husband and I were in a hardware store with our son who was six. He'd taken a long nail out of a bin and put it in a pocket. In line at the cash register we discovered the nail.

"Well, you have to pay for it. Do you have money?" He had no money. I knew that. He searched through his pockets and came up  with a penny he had found in the parking lot.  Looking hopefully at me and sheepishly at the checkout clerk, he surrendered the nail and penny. The clerk, suppressing a grin, rang up the nail. Total cost: $0.01. My husband and I didn't suppress our proud smiles. My son breathed a sigh of relief.

Did he learn integrity? Time will tell...