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This poem was given to me, quoted to me actually while serving an interim at the Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC. This dear elderly lady was a resident of a local nursing home during that time (c. 1978-1979). The pastor of the church and I visited with her and when she learned that I was preparing for a career in ministry, but attended a Methodist College (Wofford, Spartanburg, SC) she was greatly concerned that I do not leave the Baptist denomination to become a Methodist

J. Vernon McGee

Very moving story

I have sometimes thought of the contrast between the poor man’s funeral and the rich man’s funeral. When the poor man dies, his sons and daughters weep with real distress, for the death of the father brings sadness and sympathy into that house. The poor man is to be buried, but it can only be managed…

When Mark Eklund was in junior high school, Helen Mrosla was his math teacher. One Friday she sensed that the students were frustrated with themselves and edgy with one another. To get a handle on this she asked them to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving…

What does it mean to be grateful? William Weigal worked in the post office as a mail sorter. One day a supervisor asked William to replace a postman who was too sick to do his route. Thinking that it would not be too much trouble he agreed. After only one day on the job he refused to ever take the position…

A hospital in Barrie, Ontario has apologized for an advertisement on their parking garage gate for cancer patients. Cancer patients entering the cancer ward for treatment saw the ad for the funeral home. A patient with cancer needs to see and hear words that are uplifting, not an appeal for their service…

We are gathered here today to mourn the loss, but also to celebrate the life of Russell Bowen. Today we find comfort in knowing that God is with us as we grieve. In the Bible we read these words: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not…

A German undertaker received the shock of his life when a coffin lid at his funeral parlor slid open and the supposedly dead woman inside asked, “Where am I?” The man passed out in shock. The 92-year-old woman had been pronounced dead just hours earlier after staff at her retirement home found her unresponsive,…

The staff at a funeral home in Mississippi says Walter Williams woke up and surprised them. Authorities say the local coroner examined Williams about 9 PM and pronounced him dead because he had no pulse. When William’s body was taken to a local funeral home later than night, workers were getting ready…

“Workers at a Mississippi funeral home got a shock when a corpse started moving inside his body bag.” Walter Williams, 78, had been declared dead several hours earlier and morticians were about to start the embalming process. Then the coroner, Dexter Howard, noticed something not quite right. There was…

Jelena Ma was on the way to New York to attend her father’s funeral, when she learned that she was stuck in Detroit because her connected flight had been cancelled. Since she and her two children were stranded, she decided to do what few people will do, ask for help. Three of the people standing in line…

I still remember hearing Bro. Bert Tippett preach a message on this passage of scripture many years ago now. Little did I know at the time that I would be privileged to have his son as my partner in ministry, nor did I know that I would be treated to a front row seat as this man of God showed all of…

I read of one man who read a book entitled, Man of the House, while he was riding the train to and from work. On the evening he finished the book, this newly “enlightened” husband stormed into his home and confronted his wife. Pointing his finger in her face, he said, "From now on, I want you to know…

I still remember hearing Bro. Bert Tippett preach a message on this passage of scripture many years ago now. Little did I know at the time that I would be privileged to have his son as my partner in ministry, nor did I know that I would be treated to a front row seat as this man of God showed all of…

I read of one man who read a book entitled, Man of the House, while he was riding the train to and from work. On the evening he finished the book, this newly “enlightened” husband stormed into his home and confronted his wife. Pointing his finger in her face, he said, "From now on, I want you to know…

Here, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him. Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through…

MAGNOLIAS..........By Edna Ellison I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away. As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities as I watched…

Jill Costello was finishing her junior year at the University of California. Just before heading home for summer vacation, she discovered she was in the last stages of lung cancer. Her doctors gave her 9 months to live. Her support network was the Cal crew team where she was a coxswain. They had just…

William Willimon tells of his early ministry in rural Georgia. One Saturday he and his wife attended a funeral in a little country church from another denomination. (I think Willimon is a United Methodist). He had grown up in a big downtown church and had never attended a country church funeral like…

OUR ASSIGNMENT I like the story of the math teacher named Helen who gave her students an unusual assignment one day. The students were struggling to understand some math concepts so they became mean and short with one another. She instructed them to take out a blank piece of paper and write the name…

A recent poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds that a large percentage of church attendees do not exclusively go to one church. “Of the 72% of Americans who attend religious services at least once a year (excluding holidays, weddings, and funerals), 35% say they attend in multiple places,…

RESURRECTION Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. —John 5:25 5020 Raleigh’s Trust After Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded in the tower they found in his Bible these true and striking lines, written…

Taking Time to Pray Eduardo Sierra was on a business trip to Stockholm. He had no way of knowing how the trip would change his life. Eduardo found himself with a free afternoon, so he decided to take in some sights. On his afternoon of sightseeing he stopped by one of the Catholic churches. He wanted…

DEATH After Greg Delmain graduated from college, but before he could start his new job, he had to bring evidence of his U.S. citizenship to a clerk at the company. The clerk took his driver’s license and jotted down some notes in his file. She gave it back to Greg and took his birth certificate. For…