Dear Family and Friends,

This is turning into a year like no other for our family. It feels like we’ve been in mourning since the beginning of the year, having lost two uncles, three aunties, a young cousin and several friends.

And I’m certain we’re not the only family that’s hurting. One popular mortuary in town is so busy, it’s now taking a month to get an appointment – not for the service, but to schedule a date for the service.

Given all the memorials we’ve attended this year, memories of the time spent with my mother in her final days came rushing back.

I shared one of those quiet moments in a short message to the church. Here is my story again, but with a bit of an update.

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Did you have a set bedtime when you were growing up? I did. I still remember watching the clock tick towards 7:30, hoping it would slow down.

It never did. The result was a nightly ritual of please, please, please followed by no, no, no.

Sound familiar?

Then there were Those Evenings. I remember them vividly.

Those were the evenings I was sent off to bed before the clock struck 7:30. “I’m not tired. I was a good boy.” But all my complaining didn’t help. It was time to go to my room.

What made it worse was a whole bunch of people would come over and all they did was talk and talk and talk. At that age, it seemed like torture. Who could sleep through that?

My mother went to be with Jesus nine years ago this month. I really miss her.

In her final 6 months, the months between her diagnosis and her passing, we got to spend a lot of time together. The long drives to see her doctors or take tests gave us plenty of time to just be mom and son.

It was during one of those drives that I asked her about those early bedtime evenings. “Who were those people?”

As it turns out it was her small group getting together for their Bible study.

God, forgive me for all my sinful, selfish thoughts!

One reason why getting involved at church comes naturally for me is my mother did the same.

She was a good role model of how to follow Jesus. She hosted a small group, studied the Bible, attended church weekly, and she served as a deacon for her church.

Paul wrote the following instruction about being a role model to his co-worker Titus.

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works.”  Titus 2:7 ESV

Although I’m not nearly as faithful as my mom was, I must say that modeling does work!

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It’s a well established fact that the Church in our country is in steep decline.

Millions of Christians have left the church in recent years. The non-religious are rejecting Christianity.

And the downward trends are accelerating.

There’s a number of reasons for the exodus, many of which are beyond our control.

Except for this reason as expressed by the late Brennan Manning.

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

Whether we realize it or not, people are watching. And they’re not liking what they see.

Let me close with this.

Of the six relatives lost this year, only three were Christian.

Do I have regrets? Yes, of course. I should have done better.

For all our sakes, we must do better.

Let’s remember to “be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”  Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV

In love always,