The Solid Rock. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand All other ground is sinking sand, Edward Mote ( ), public domain

Transcription

1 The Solid Rok My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus name. When darkness veils His lovely fae, I rest on His unhanging grae; In every high and stormy gale, My anhor holds within the veil. His oath, His ovenant, His blood Support me in the whelming flood; When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. When He shall ome with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rok, I stand All other ground is sinking sand, Edward Mote ( ), publi domain

2 Dear Readers We here at CF like to let you know when there are onferenes espeially for widows. Just suh a onferene ame aross my desk reently. Here are the details if you would be interested in attending. Tis So Sweet Conferene for Widows. The dates for this are Otober 1-3, It is being held at Bell Shoals Baptist Churh, Brandon, FL. Some of the seminars will be: Understanding the Heart of a Widow Legal Help from an Attorney GriefShare - from mourning to joy Setting Comfortable Boundaries - knowing how to handle help from others Holiday Heartahes - learning to elebrate them again Health and Fitness - aring for God s temple Beginning Again God-honoring Relationships Who s that Knok, Knok, Knoking at my Door! - safety issues and more. Verdell Davis Krisher, who wrote A Storm Too Big for God (CF Summer 2009) will be the keynote speaker. [See her book exerpt below.] This onferene is held every year on the first weekend of Otober, so if you did not reeive this notie in time for 2009, keep it in mind for next year. CDs of this year s onferene may also be available. Go online to: or Jaa DePriest at jdepriest@bellshoals.om. If you don t have Internet, you an all her at 813/ , Ext Miriam Lofquist, Editor Miriam has her first grandhild! Carter Rummel Lofquist was born July 2, 2009, to her son Chris and his wife Emily. Rogue Wind The sailors term desribes a wind that omes with no warning out of a lear blue sky, blows aross a plaid sea, and in moments is gone, leaving devastation in its wake. That is the storm that blew aross my life on June 28, A storm with no warning on a day of sunshine and happy thoughts. A storm that forever hanged my life. As I look bak and see the rogue wind, I must also see the rainbows that appeared in my gray and loudy skies and ethed my horizons with the assurane that God would walk through the storm with me. Whenever a storm blows into our lives, it brings along its own store of heartahes; and all pain, from whatever soure, is an intensely personal experiene. Most often we annot hoose what happens to us our hoie lies in what we do with what life brings our way. Will we see only the devastation left by the rogue wind, or will we also see the rainbows that promise life will not always feel so oppressive? The pains, the heartahes, the losses of our lives an beome the altar on whih we offer up to God all the things that keep us relying on our own strength. It is then that God an do a new work in us and show us Himself in ways we have never seen before. My husband s death was the tragedy in the news, and my piture was the one under the headline. I was struk by a lifestorm that would bring me fae to fae with everything I believed and everything I had ever been taught. This book is the result of that journey. Verdell Davis, taken from, Let Me Grieve but Not Forever, published by Thomas Nelson Leftovers Reheated food often gets a bad rap. But don t you think soup and Italian dishes taste better after they ve rested in the fridge a day or two? Well, maybe not pizza! I say this beause we get so many good artiles from our readers and don t have room to publish them all, or perhaps we don t have a theme to plug them into, so we save them for issues like this. Atually I should refer to them as overflow rather than leftovers, but you get the idea. Artiles on a variety of topis may even meet needs better than when we fous on a theme. Speaking of meeting needs, did you notie that we ran the same over poem on the last two issues? Both Spring and Summer 2009 gave you the meaningful lyris to Gordon Jensen s beautiful song, Tears Are A Language God Understands. Through some kind of glith at the printer s, the poem ran twie. Miriam said, God must know that our readers needed to hear those words again. To order a gift subsription for someone To donate to this ministry For bak issues of CHERA Fellowship The woe and the waste and the tears of life belong to the interlude and not to the finale. F. B. Meyer Gordon Jensen graiously gave us his permission (after the fat!) and mentioned that the web address we inluded had a letter missing. His orret address is There you an learn about his international ministry, see and hear other songs he has written, and order his CDs. The issue on the value of tears (Spring 2009) did minister to many of you. It was one of the most widely read and passedaround issues yet. We appreiate your omments and responses. We are glad CF gets shared. Remember that we still give a free one-year subsription to widows and widowers who request it. Also, for $10.00 you an order a gift subsription for someone. (See the box on this page.) With today s unpreditable eonomy, several popular Christian magazines have eased publiation and an only be read online. We are ommitted to remaining a print magazine as long as possible, espeially sine many of our readers do not use the Internet. Therefore, we appreiate everyone who donates to IFCA International for CF. As God enables, this ministry will ontinue to help those who are grieving the loss of their mate and rebuilding their life with God s help. Maria Hornok, Managing Editor D Memorial Gift From Frieda Hornok In honor of her husband of 64 years, Rev. John Hornok 2 CHERAFellowship CHERAFellowship 3

3 After the First Year An Eternal Perspetive A year ago I ouldn t imagine a day without Kevin and now I have survived a year without him. I didn t think it was possible. I an even imagine more days like today and the idea is doable. Only a few weeks ago I realized I was ontent. Amazing! I won t say that I m not lonely and that life isn t hard, but God is with me and life is good. I ry out to God for wisdom frequently and remind Him that it was His idea for me to finish raising our three hildren alone. Psalm 40:1-3 says I waited patiently on the Lord and He inlined to me and heard my ry. My Bible has a note that says that patiently has the idea of intently. I imagine a at eyeing a mouse hole. He is ompletely still and foused on the hole expetantly. Only the tip of his tail is twithing. Well, I waited patiently and intently and God heard my ry. He brought me out of the pit of destrution, out of the miry lay. We happen to have lay soil and this spring has been espeially wet, so I frequently slop through deep and stiky mud when I feed my horses. The lay grabs on and doesn t want to let go! Grief is like that, but God an lift us out. He set my feet upon a rok, making my footsteps firm. It is muh nier up on the rok of Jesus Christ than Tears are our body s natural response to hurt. It makes no differene whether it is physial, mental, or emotional hurt, the response is the same. Tears release things that are hard to put into words, things loked deep within our hearts. When we lose a loved one, the effet an be multifaeted and often overwhelming. Tears express our anguish over those physial separations. In the many months of illness preeding my husband s death, tears were my private release for all the weariness, frustration and heavy load that I was arrying. Often the words of a song served as the atalyst. Releasing Tears down in the lay. Jesus has shown me that I an only hope in Him. If I hope in anyone, or anything, or any irumstane for my happiness, I will be disappointed. God is jealous; He wants all of my expetations to be based on Him. With that in mind I have determined to delight in Him. One of the ways I need to delight in God is to delight in His ways. That means I need to be ontent with what happened on the day my husband was in a ar aident that resulted in his death. I m not there yet, but I do delight in some of the things God has done and how He has used those events for His glory. He has put a new song in my heart, a song of praise for our God. I am able to praise God and pray to God, neither of whih I ould do at first. Many will see and fear and trust in the Lord. May God use me to bring preious people to a vibrant, relationship with Jesus Christ! Barbara Leith. Barbara is disovering how to serve God as a widow. She and her family help with several ministries, inluding AWANA, Christian amps and ranhes, and speial musi at hurh. Barbara is a pianist and her hildren are studying instruments of their hoie. Tear therapy helped me empty out and let go, both during his illness and after his death. Over time, the tears ame less frequently but often appeared at the small things rather than the larger milestones. I never felt that I had to explain my tears to anyone they were my tears and I needed to release them. I m very grateful to the Lord for providing this muh-needed outlet. Even Jesus had oasion to ry, so we are in good ompany. Caryn Cole. Caryn enjoys spending time with her grandhildren, writing, gardening, and volunteering, while working part time. For our light and momentary troubles are ahieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporal but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). Struggling with having a biblial perspetive is part of our spiritual warfare. It is all too easy to fous on the struggles and diffiulties we fae in a fallen world. But 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 an help us reflet on having an eternal perspetive during times of weakness and hardship. 1. Fous on what God is doing (v. 7). The weakness, trials, and suffering are not a divine mistake. They are ruial parts of God s plan. A reality of our weakness is a reminder that we annot trust in ourselves. God uses trials to reveal the power of Christ living in us. 2. Do not fous ( fix our eyes ) on what is seen beause the world of physial things is passing away. The older we get the more we realize our bodies are deaying. We reak with age. Our values begin to refous to build our lives on what truly gives hope (v. 16). 3. Do not fous on what is seen beause eternity is real (v. 18). Life viewed from this perspetive looks radially different. Though Paul was beaten, shipwreked, imprisoned, betrayed, and often ill (f. 2 Corinthians 11:23-29), he desribed his troubles as light and momentary (v. 17). How many of us would look at his life and say the same? The original Greek word translated trouble or afflition simply means pressure. Afflition is anything ausing pain or distress. It implies any sorrow, suffering, or heartahe imposed by illness, loss, or misfortune. I m sure there are times when we would not onsider our afflitions to be light or momentary, espeially if the pain and distress are severe and long-term. Therefore, how is it possible that afflitions may ahieve for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all? This means our temporary troubles an atually reate or produe for us an eternal glory that exeeds the pain of the afflition. Romans 8:18 further amplifies this glorious truth, I onsider that our present sufferings are not worth omparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Also Romans 5:3-5, Not only so, but we also rejoie in our sufferings, beause we know that suffering produes perseverane; perseverane, harater; and harater, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, beause God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Temporal suffering, properly aepted, is the pathway to eternal glory! Paul saw things this way beause he had weighed his troubles against the never-ending glory of eternity, a reality that far outweighs all our experienes put together. Alfred B. Smith wrote a little horus to help us have this perspetive. He titled it, With Eternity s Values in View. My prayer is that we will live eah day for the Lord with eternity in view. Steve D. Spaek. After nearly 40 years of marriage, Steve s wife Bev went to glory after suffering with breast aner for five years. Steve direts Help Ministries. Some of his web sites are (ministry), (outreah), and (prophey). Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe. Reprinted with permission from Cathedral Press Exhange 4 CHERAFellowship CHERAFellowship 5

4 From God s Word That we through patiene and omfort of the Sriptures might have hope (Romans 15:4). The Bible s Most Depressing Book I just finished my 33rd year of teahing at Multnomah Shool of the Bible, and this piee I wrote at the beginning of the 2004 shool year reminds me that God gives signifiane to every moment of life. If the Olympis had an event for the most depressing book in the Bible, Lamentations gets gold, but Elesiastes is nipping at its heels. This summer I read Elesiastes a dozen times. I have never understood the unthinking optimist. How ould anyone NOT entertain the idea that all life is futile and meaningless? If you have never felt vanity of vanity, all is vanity, something is wrong with you. Solomon tried everything and onluded: There is nothing new under the sun. Labor is striving after wind. Men die like beasts and return to dust. Chane and time overtake everyone. Nothing under the sun makes sense. Comfort from Sripture All of us potentially fae the loss for now of a loved one. God provides omfort through ards, gifts, s, meals, the love of friends and family, and partiularly through His Word. First Peter 1, a hapter whih Joe and I had memorized together, ontains great truths whih enourage me: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, aording to His abundant mery, hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurretion of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritane inorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this ye greatly rejoie, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold trials, that the trial of your faith, being muh more preious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, ye love (I Peter 1:3-8). Joe often spoke of proof trials that God allows to reveal the quality of our faith. Why art thou ast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in But what if we looked not just under the sun, but above the sun? Above the sun is the One who gives meaning to every at. He is Judge and will give eternal signifiane to everything whether seen or hidden, remembered by man or forgotten. Rightly we fear God as Judge. But we should also thank Him for giving an eternal signifiane to everything that we do. Solomon onludes, Eat, drink, and enjoy life. Remember the Creator in the days of your youth. Fear God and keep His ommandments. Above the sun, they all make sense. Garry Friesen, used with permission. You may reeive Garry s bi-monthly devotional by logging in to blogs.multnomah.edu/friesenfortnightly/ God; for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His ountenane. O my God, my soul is ast down within me; therefore will I remember Thee. Deep allest unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts; all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will ommand His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life (Psalm 42:5-8). A phrase in Hebrews 11:27 has jumped out at me beause it was true of both Moses and of Joe: For he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible. Then my mind zeroed in on Hebrews 12:1, Let us run with patiene [patient endurane] the rae that is set before us. I want to share that there is omfort for the believer in Jesus Christ in the fae of one of life s most diffiult trials. I may ontinue to shed tears when I go into our offie at shool and Joe is not there or into hapel and I annot sit with him. But I do know Whom I have believed. His promises sustain me and I rest in His love. Mihele Charles. Mihele s husband, Joe Charles was the o-founder of Cornerstone Bible Institute in Hot Springs, SD. He went to be with the Lord on January 7, Like a literary masterpiee, Sripture needs to be analyzed and studied in order to get the most benefit. What results an we expet, based on a story in Nehemiah 8:1-13? 1. Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the sribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, whih the Lord had ommanded Israel. 2. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the ongregation, of men and women and all who ould hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. 3. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who ould understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 4. So Ezra the sribe stood on a platform of wood whih they had made for the purpose 5. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. 6. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, Amen, Amen! while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faes to the ground. 7. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their plae. 8. So they read distintly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. 9. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and sribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10. Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 11. So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved. 12. And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoie greatly, beause they understood the words that were delared to them. 13. Now on the seond day the heads of the fathers houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the sribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. Who listened to God s Word that day? (8:2-3) How long did Ezra read to the people? (8:3) How did the people show reverene for God s Word? (8:3,5) How did the people reverene and worship God? (8:6) What do you think was happening in verses 7-8? What three things did Ezra and the other readers do so the people ould understand the Word of God? (8:8) (Are you attending a hurh that teahes the Word of God this way?) How did the people respond to God s Word? (8:9) What did the leaders tell the people to do in response? (8:10-12) Joy in verse 12 refers to God-given gladness beause of one s relation to God and ommunion with Him. The word for strength means safety, refuge, protetion. Sometimes the God s Word will make us weep, but mostly it rejoies our heart and renews our spirit. Therefore we an enourage ourselves in the Lord by reading Sripture to learn about God, and by applying His priniples to our irumstanes and needs. 6 CHERAFellowship CHERAFellowship 7

5 Poetry Page u u Who Holds My Hand? August 4th, My husband of but a few moments holds my hand as we walk up the aisle. Grinning. The whiteribboned pews are filled with relatives and friends. Members of my hurh family lean forward in their balony seats, grinning bak. Two hours later, Bill one again holds my hand as we leave this building through its double-glass doors. He takes me far away, into a new life with him. More than forty years pass before I return to live in my home state. This time I m at a hapel, the mini-hurh tuked in at the edge of the emetery s rolling hills. Loved ones gather with me for Bill s burial servie. I held him, our tears mingling as he moved through anguish to aeptane far sooner than I was able. The sky weeps as his body is arried out in a mahogany box. I stand stiff beneath a blak umbrella, listening to the whine of the gears that lower the asket into the sodden ground. The air seems laustrophobi. Oh God, I breathe upwards, gulping in oxygen. I had ared for Bill during the four months as paralysis rept up his right side and down his left. Diagnosis? Three malignant brainstem tumors. I held him, our tears mingling as he moved through anguish to aeptane far sooner than I was able. I wathed wide-eyed, as he lifted the one hand he ould still move, in praise to God. His hands now and for all eternity, in the hands of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. A few months later, I re-visit the hurh of my hildhood. I wander through quiet rooms on a weekday, memories flashing like a strobe light: Age seven, sitting between my parents during Sunday evening servie. Feeling safe as twilight falls. At seventeen, singing off-key in hoir and ating in a play with my best friends. I walk into the room where I taught Sunday Shool so long ago. Push open the door to the adjoining bathroom where one little boy loked himself in, mid-lesson. The same rooms where I dressed in lay-white while Bill waited for me up front in the santuary. I peer into the Fellowship Hall, seeing in my mind, the plates of finger sandwihes and gelatin molds laid out on white tableloths wax melting down the flikering andles as Bill laid his hand on mine. Together, we ut our fourtiered wedding ake. Now he s gone. I grab the doorknob as the room shifts. The pastor omes padding down the hallway in his stoking feet. Left my shoes in my study, he smiles as he introdues himself. We amble through the new wing, stopping before one wall lined with photographs of all the ministers for the past 100 years. I reognize several of them. During their years of servie here, they and their wives often visited with my parents over offee and Date-nut ookies. The pastor and I irle the hurh and walk bak into the Fellowship Hall. The ustodian pauses in her vauuming and welomes me as though I left only yesterday. Remembers me. Remembers my wedding. On my way out, I pass the santuary and reall one last memory: Bill and I kneeling, heads bowed, before the ross that still hangs entral behind the pulpit. The ross of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again. Jesus. My Savior. My Redeemer. And my Friend. I walk through the double-glass doors. Holding those nail-sarred hands. Sandi Elzinga. Her husband Bill died in April of 2002, after four months of paralysis from brainstem tumors. She has four grown hildren and seven grandhildren. In addition to writing artiles on grief for magazines, she is urrently working on a blog entitled, GriefWalk: Hope through the dark plaes. I Have A Peae When trouble omes I run to the shelter of the Mighty One When fear invades my way I rest here in the shadow of Yahweh. When sorrow shakes my faith and leaves me with the burdens of today; When all I hear are lies, I stand upon the truth of the Most High And I have a peae; I have a peae A peae that passes all my understanding. I have a peae all over me And it omes from the very hand of God. Ben Calhoun. Taken from his CD I m a Dreamer and used with permission. Joy Comes Psalm 30:5 I didn t know I needed Him so muh, until He was there, when He was needed, in the pit of my despair. Quietly, softly He touhed my life. Gently, tenderly He gazed into my eyes, showing me a love so deep, so full, my heart ould not surmise the depth, nor bear to look away He stayed... In silene through the night, absorbing tears. In silene through the night, erasing fears. In silene through the night, just being near enough to touh, enough to see. In silene through the night, just for me. Gayle Ottemiller. Gayle is urrently working on a book of poetry whih will inlude her photos from around the world and a CD of her song lyris set to musi. Desperately Seeking Comfort Taken home so young, without explanation. Life ut short in an instant. And life for those left, never the same. So muh potential, never realized. So many things, unsaid. So muh love, yet to be given. Photos lak a ritial dimension. All seem rudely out of fous. None satisfy the longing for a touh. Tears ome and go with no distinguishable pattern. Some are a welome relief. Some intrude, uninvited. Memories enmesh with dreams. Reality seems unreal; the truth, a lie. Time passes without permission. Grass grows over the grave far too soon. The pain ignores the passing time. But long nights end in beautiful sunrises. And little heads rise all too early, hattering. Reminders from God that life goes on, somehow. Joy is available through the Giver and Taker of life. He who omprehends all things has a plan. He an be trusted. Seeking Him is the only thing that makes sense, In a world where onfusion seeks to rule, Where self-reliane doesn t work. The Comforter omes in a mighty way, To envelop the mourning who seek His fae, Those waiting for their turn to go home. And omfort is found in His loving arms. Patti MCarthy Broderik, Written in Otober 1995, nine months after her pilot husband Mark MCarthy was killed when his fighter plane went down in the Adriati Sea during a training mission. The last issue of CF (Summer 09) featured her exellent book, He Said Press : Hearing God Through Grief. Order it at 8 CHERAFellowship CHERAFellowship 9

6 Suffering: How Do We Respond? Why is there suffering? You might ask that question when you hear of hurrianes, mudslides, earthquakes, and other disasters taking people s lives. Job asked that question too. Why is there so muh pain in God s world? Consider these reasons: We an t esape the laws that govern our universe. We need suh things as gravity, weather, and fire to survive, but they an lead to tragedy. Fire is good in your stove, but an out-of-ontrol fire an kill. We are a soial rae. Our lives are intertwined, so we sometimes suffer when the sin or foolishness of others spreads trouble (1 Corinthians 12:26). Sin brought a urse on the earth and its people. This urse inludes disease and death (Genesis 3:15-24). Suffering awakens ompassion. Jesus told us to are Through Whose Eyes? Call me Mara, for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full but the Lord has brought me home empty. (NLT) Naomi spoke this to her friends upon her return to Bethlehem from Moab, where her husband and two sons had died. Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, reloated with Naomi, vowing to make your people, my people; your God my God. Naomi seemed glad to have her ompany and yet quite unaware of Ruth s value to her or to God s plan. Ruth, [also a widow], was young and strong, able to glean food for them both. And Ruth, in God s timing and God s way, beame the grandmother of David, from whom Messiah was desended. And yet, in the middle of the journey, Naomi, in the manner of us all, ould only see through her own eyes. In her eyes, the basket she arried was empty. In God s vision, the basket was ready to be filled. How often we walk in short-sightedness, aware only of the empty basket we arry. We see fruit all around us that for those who suffer in poverty. We are His partners in helping others (Luke 10:33-35). As Job disovered, God s world is a fallen plae. When we see suffering, we an use it as an opportunity to serve God by helping others, to trust Him in spite of the diffiulty, and to grow in our faith in Him. When trouble hits, let our first reation be to trust the Lord and are for the needs of others. Dave Branon. Copied from Our Daily Bread, Otober 10, 2006, opyright 2006 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission, all rights reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries. Our Daily Bread may be ordered without ost or obligation by alling or going online at www. rb.org. RBC also offers the booklet, Why Would A Good God Allow Suffering? See it at we think we need to fill our emptiness. How do we learn to see what God sees? How do we believe God is even now, piking the fruit to fill our baskets? How do we believe, in the angst of grief, that God intends to give us meaning and purpose? How do we grasp the goodness He means to pour out on us in the midst of the loneliness? What helps us hold on to Abba-God s hand when the dotor says, I m sorry? We an gather hope from these haraters in God s story who speak without knowledge, just before God fills their empty baskets with His purpose. We are all in the middle of our stories. And we are in the middle of God s great story of reation, redemption, and glory. Abba (Papa)-Father, give us eyes to see and hearts to behold the goodness You mean to pour out on us. Karen Rabbitt, M.S.W. Karen has published an awardwinning book titled, Trading Fathers, about finding healing for hildhood hurts by learning to forgive and to embrae God as our loving Papa. Learn more at The Names of Jesus: A Z Suggestion: for one month, every Monday through Saturday, meditate on one of Jesus names. Anointed One: Ats 10:38 God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit Bridegroom: Matthew 9:15 as long as the bridegroom is with them Counselor: Isaiah 9:6 His name shall be alled Wonderful Counselor Deliverer: Romans 11:26 The Deliverer will ome from Zion Everlasting Father: Isaiah 9:6 His name will be Everlasting Father Faithful Friend: John 14:13 He lay down His life for His friends God: Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God Holy, Holy, Holy: Isaiah 6:3 Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts I AM: John 8:58 Before Abraham was born, I AM (See Exodus 3:14.) Jesus: Matthew 1:21 all His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins King of kings: 1 Timothy 6:15 He who is the blessed and the only Sovereign, the King of kings Lord of lords: and the Lord of lords Master: Luke 17:13 Jesus, Master, have mery on us Name above all names: Philippians 2:9 whih is above every name One: Ephesians 4:5-6 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all Prine: Ats 5:31 whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prine Quikening Spirit: 1 Corinthians 15:45 (KJV) the last Adam was made a quikening Spirit Resurretion: John 11:25 I am the resurretion and the life Savior: Titus 2:13 our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ Teaher: Matthew 7:28-29 The multitudes were amazed at His teahing Upholder: Hebrews 1:3 [He] upholds all things by the word of His power Vine: John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branhes Word: John 1:14 And the Word beame flesh and dwelt among us Exalted: Philippians 2:9 God also has highly exalted Him Yes: 2 Corinthians 1:20 the promises of God in Him they are yes Zion s Cornerstone: Isaiah 28:16 I am laying in Zion a stone a ostly ornerstone Liz Curtis Higgs, used with permission. Liz is an international speaker and the best-selling author of 26 books, inluding her Bad Girls of the Bible series of nonfition books, her Lowlands of Sotland series of historial novels, and her Parable series of books for young hildren. Learn more about Liz at Q The death of a family member is not a broken bone it s an amputation. You will never reover from it in the sense that things return to normal. Things will never be the same again. But you get a new normal that you an make the best of, and God promises to omfort those who mourn. Greg Laurie Q 10 CHERAFellowship CHERAFellowship 11

7 The Door is Open A would-be thief labored all night to rob a lothing store in Tulsa, OK. After smashing a six-foot hole in the wall, he found the safe and started drilling into it. A surveillane amera reorded him laboring for six hours before giving up. When the store manager arrived in the morning, he disovered all the damage along with another surprise: he had left the safe unloked! Had the thief merely turned the handle, he would have found what he wanted. Many people approah eternal life the way the thief tried to aess the safe. They assume they an aquire it only by their diligent effort (good works), but that is not God s plan. He offers eternal life as a gift not a reward (Romans 6:23). Anyone an reeive this treasure beause Jesus death and resurretion opened the door. It takes belief not behavior. Jesus said, I tell you the truth, he who believes in Me has everlasting life (John 6:47). We an add nothing to what Jesus has done for us by His death and resurretion. We need not labor all night for something the Divine Manager offers for the taking. The story of the hard-working thief has an ironi twist, however. The store manager offered to hire him! As an employee his diligent work would result in a pay hek. Similarly, our work for God as His legitimate employees will be rewarded. God does ommend and ommand good works from those who already belong to Him. One we reeive His gift of eternal life, we serve Him out of appreiation for His undeserved kindness, not beause we need to make ourselves worthy or pay Him bak. When we gratefully work for Him, He will graiously reward us in eternity (Matthew 16:27). To summarize, entrane to heaven is God s gift to everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ. Rewards in heaven result from how faithfully we serve Him after that. If we onfuse these two onepts, we will fail like the frustrated robber of the lothing store. Maria Hornok. Based on Not so Bright, but He Works Hard from The Salt Lake Tribune, September 20, Fall VOLUME 17 - NUMBER 4 Chera (Ker-ah) Fellowship is a quarterly publiation of IFCA International. Chera is the Greek word translated widow in the New Testament. Carol Gregory... Founder Miriam Lofquist.... Editor Maria Hornok... Managing Editor Nila Rae Phelps...Editor Emeritus Jim Connelly Studio... Design and Layout artiles (to 900 words) and poems to Maria Hornok at kenmarh@omast.net or mail to 2451 Surrey Road, Salt Lake City, UT Please inlude your phone number. Rates: Gift Subsription: $10.00 (4 issues). Go to Disounts for bulk orders. We enourage the distribution of CF in hurhes, senior enters, retirement homes, are failities, mortuaries, and hospitals. Chera Fellowship IFCA International PO Box 810 Grandville, MI Call (616) Bak issues at Widows and widowers reeive CF free of harge for one year when they request it. We an do this beause of donations (tax dedutible) sent to IFCA International speifially for CF. Thank you for partiipating in this ministry to people who have lost their mate.