Shirley was chosen to provide comforting words for them by an Alpena funeral director, Wayne McWilliams, who was installed as the Association’s President for the upcoming year. He appreciated how Shirley had conducted funerals that he was involved with and wanted her to take part in this event. Her words were well received and she enjoyed her role at the Convention. We also had time to do some sight seeing around Detroit!
Shirley recently acted as Convention Chaplain during the 2016 Michigan Funeral Directors’ Annual Convention at the MGM Grand Hotel in Detroit, MI. In her role she gave a reflection at the Service of Remembrance which was focused on the funeral directors and their staff members who had lost family members since their last convention. These professionals always support their clients who have lost loved ones, but this was their time to be supported and ministered to in their grief. Shirley was chosen to provide comforting words for them by an Alpena funeral director, Wayne McWilliams, who was installed as the Association’s President for the upcoming year. He appreciated how Shirley had conducted funerals that he was involved with and wanted her to take part in this event. Her words were well received and she enjoyed her role at the Convention. We also had time to do some sight seeing around Detroit!
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"Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For me life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away . . . I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel . . . But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors." Psalm 31: 9-10, 12, 14-15
Many of us have had times when we have felt like what was expressed in verses 9-10. These verses outline a life that is filled with distress, grief, sorrow, declining strength, and whose body is worn down. For those of us who have gone through periods like this one, it is extremely difficult to function or to maintain any hope. The writer goes on to say that their body is like someone who has died, and they feel like a "broken vessel." A broken vessel can’t do what it was made to do, that is to hold something liquid, thus the owner has no use for the vessel any longer. For it to be of any use, it must be repaired or it will have to be torn away. How this relates to the spiritual pilgrimage is that as imperfect human beings, we too are broken and need to be repaired. One way that this can be done is when we ask God for the forgiveness of our sins and trespasses. As we attempt to strive for the kingdom of God, an important daily step is the act of repentance, turning around, or conversion, however you state it. This can be often overlooked by those on this spiritual journey because it can be viewed as a once in a lifetime action, rather then a daily one. When this is done, we can then repeat the words in verse 14 that we can trust in the Lord God, whose hands we are in! Vernon T. Prayer: God of repaired vessels and humans, help me to daily ask for this repentance and to be made whole again, so that my new life can be shared with those I meet today! Copyright © 2016 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved Last week end I was able to take part in a personal retreat at St. Augustine’s House, a Lutheran Monastery, in Oxford, MI. Part of the retreat was silent, and there were many opportunities for worship, as the Monks normally worship eight different times a day. I was able to make several of their worship periods each day, and I had time for my own prayer, reading, and reflection. The Monks were very welcoming and gracious to me while there. It was a very good experience for me, and I came away with a few good insights for me and the ministry that I feel called to. I would encourage you to think about taking part in something like that, somewhere, some day, when moved by the Holy Spirit to do so. You could also do a mini retreat, by just going off to a park, a waterfront, empty church, basically any place where you can feel calm and quiet in your inner core, where you are able to pray, read, and reflect. Peace, Vernon T. Jones "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118: 24 One of the more challenging lessons in my life that I have had to learn over and over is to not think too much about what is coming down the road. On this spiritual pilgrimage, most often we are only given enough light for the current step, and the steps that come after the existing moment may still be out there in the clouds and fog somewhere. However, our trust is in the Lord God who will be with us in those steps when they are taken. Many spiritual writers have noted that for our spiritual pilgrimage, it is taking it one day/step at a time scenario. This verse from the Psalms encourages us to rejoice in today, to enjoy what God has made for us today. It reminds us to bask today in all of the beauty and wonder that are around us in God’s creation and in other humans. This of course can be very challenging in our very fast-paced society, which seems to always be looking forward to what is coming next. However, I would strongly encourage you to rejoice in this day, and savor the moment that you have right now. It is okay to plan when you need to, but please don’t forget, that the present moment is all that is guaranteed! Vernon T. Prayer: Lord of all creation, please help me to rejoice in this moment, in this day that you have made, and help me to realize that I can’t enjoy the next moment until I get there! Copyright © 2016 Vernon T. Jones, All Rights Reserved |
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