Jennifer, Betty’s daughter, called me on Monday in the mid-afternoon. I didn’t get to the phone until it was about to go to voice mail. I didn’t recognize the number, and, I suppose, the steady stream of spam calls – and also my general dislike of talking on the phone – have trained me to … Continue reading Pastor Note #122: Pastoring in the Face of Death
Tag: death
Quote of Note #146: Living in Light of Death
photo by GAC "Death is inevitable. It is a democracy for all of the people, not an aristocracy for some of the people--kings die and beggars die; young men die and old men die; learned men die and ignorant men die. We need not fear it. The God who brought our whirling planet from the … Continue reading Quote of Note #146: Living in Light of Death
Quote of Note #98: In Life and in Death We Belong to God
Question #1: What is your only comfort in life and in death? Answer: That I am not my own, but belong--body and soul, in life and in death--to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the … Continue reading Quote of Note #98: In Life and in Death We Belong to God
Quote of Note #79: Living in Light of Dying
"John Wesley was once asked, 'If you knew that you would die at twelve o'clock tomorrow night, how would you spend the intervening time?' 'Why,' was the answer, 'just as I intend to spend it. I would preach tonight in Gloucester and again tomorrow morning. After that I would ride to Tewksbury, preach in the … Continue reading Quote of Note #79: Living in Light of Dying
Pastor Note #69: Death and the Victory of Christ
DEATH AND THE VICTORY OF CHRIST: Living and Dying Well You are going to die. So am I. This is a fundamental and unavoidable truth for all human beings, and how we deal with that great truth can have a profound impact on how well we live and on how well we die. Sadly, many … Continue reading Pastor Note #69: Death and the Victory of Christ
Poem #1 My Grandma’s Old, Orange Cat
MY GRANDMA'S OLD, ORANGE CAT My grandma had an old, orange cat Older than me when I knew him. A stern companion, Not always patient with little boys, He bore his age With as much dignity as an old cat can, Though in his last summer The flies bothered him. In the end, he liked … Continue reading Poem #1 My Grandma’s Old, Orange Cat
Bible Note #13 — 1 Peter 1:23-25
"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.' (Isaiah 40:6-8)" 1 … Continue reading Bible Note #13 — 1 Peter 1:23-25
Pastor Note #30 — Death and the Embodiment of Love
Yesterday, I was looking over the annual report for my congregation for 2011. I was surprised to see that only five of our members died during the year. It was surprise to me, because I had done more than twice that many funeral in 2011. Now that I've been here in the community for nine … Continue reading Pastor Note #30 — Death and the Embodiment of Love
Pastor Note #26 — After His Dad Died
{The following post is the text of a letter I wrote to a man in his early fifties shortly after his father died.} Dear F., There is an ache and strangeness that comes when our parents die. I don't think it really matters a lot how old we or they are when that happens. I … Continue reading Pastor Note #26 — After His Dad Died
Pastor Note #23 — Marking Time
Seasons come and go, cycling from one to the next. Our calendars turn from one year to the next. Time passes along, steadily, inescapably, unavoidably, relentlessly. Recently, I was sitting in the dental chair waiting for my dentist to finish with another patient across the room. The dentist was saying something to that patient about … Continue reading Pastor Note #23 — Marking Time
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 