The Love of a Church

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My family is blessed by the people of First Baptist Church of Leonard. While I am spending time with my twin sister, Denise, and my family, they are praying for us to recognize God’s sufficiency in what she is facing and how we are feeling and thinking about things. My mind is here and there as I consider what’s going on with my twin. One minute I’m laughing about a memory with her. Then, without any warning, I begin to cry profusely thinking of my 1/2 leaving here. Then I shout with joy and praise of Jesus Christ’s saving power toward us.

All the while, my church is praying. I’m not sure how people face life’s toughest challenges without a church family. Sure there are friends that come our way, but there is something different about church families. You see, we are not just friends, we are brothers and sisters.

Now no one will ever be able to replace my twin sister–no one. She’s one of a kind just like I’m one of a kind. We just happen to be of the same kind. We understand each other like no one else understands us. We can read each other’s expressions and know exactly what we are thinking about. We like the same things. We have similar interests. We like the same kind of music. And best of all, we love each other unconditionally.

Now I’m finding through communique with my Staff and others that they are loving me unconditionally. They are praying as I said before. They are sending me messages by text and Facebook and email. The love I am receiving for me and my family is tremendous. My church loves. My church reaches out, reaches in and reaches up. My church stands with me and others. All the while they keep asking, seeking and knocking on my behalf.

My church is a blessing. I love you, Church!

I’m Jealous

20140607-105231-39151097.jpgMy twin sister, Denise, is facing one of the greatest challenges of her life: death. For most this challenge is daunting. Denise, on the other hand, is living. Sure, she’s not doing as well physically as we would like for her. But after running a race and fighting a fight for over a year what would you expect?

The reality of my twin sister’s life as we see it at this point, she’s the strongest woman I have ever known. She happens to be just as beautiful inside and out as well. She is not diminished in her words of love, encouragement, grace and mercy for those of us who are around her. Her sense of humor is incredible. Her boyfriend, Tom, came into the room the other day and Denise stuck out her tongue at him and then she smiled. She says one liners here and there and she is just so witty.

What’s even more infectious to everyone around her is her smile. When she smiles she lightens up the room. When she says something even E.F. Hutton listens. The sparkle in her eyes is not lost to anything that she’s going through. And believe me, she’s going through the valley of the shadow of death. It is only a shadow. That means that something or someone is with her blocking the darkness of death itself. Now obviously my family believes that the One who is creating the shadow is none other than God Himself. This means that she is walking with Him; I mean to say that she is WALKING WITH HIM! Before too long, we will be able to say, “Denise walked with God, and then she was not.” That simply means she’s walking with Him now and then she won’t be here but there with Him in person!

She’s not alone. She’s not afraid. She’s not anxious. She’s not worried. She gets to rest. She gets to go through that valley knowing that the Lord is with her. She gets to see and hear things that we only read about in the Bible. And then she gets to see and hear things that we cannot even imagine as they are not written down for us in the Scriptures! She gets to have no more pain. She gets to have no more tears. She gets to have the Light’s presence–Jesus Christ. She gets to walk around with Abraham and Sarah. She gets to see King David. She gets to meet Nicodemus. She gets to meet Paul the apostle. She gets to see my Grandpa and Grandma. She gets to meet my uncle Dionicio who was killed in the Korean War. She gets to walk the streets of gold. She gets to see the throne room of Heaven. She gets to see the pearly gates. She gets to…you name it! She gets it all and she no longer has to pay taxes to boot!!!

I’m jealous of Denise. She gets to beat me to the victory once again. She has eternity in her heart. She gets to see it before I do.

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NASB)

My Twin Sister

Denise is one of the strongest persons I have ever known. My Mother is another strong woman and so is my sister Dina. But right now my twin is very weak. They have inserted a tube in her nose to her stomach to suck out some fluid in her stomach. I am honored to have been the one who held her hand in this process.

Yesterday, when my wife was here with me, she and Denise were singing this song together:

I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul rejoice

Take joy, my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet
Sweet sound in Your ear

Oh, I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul rejoice

Take joy, my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet
Sweet sound in Your ear, oh

I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul rejoice

Take joy, my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet
Sweet sound in Your ear

I love you, Lord
I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
I love you, Lord
Take joy, my King
Take joy, my King

I love you, Lord
I love you, Lord
I love you, Lord

Songwriters
KLEIN, LAURIE B.

Published by
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing