Call Your Grandparents

Grandpa at my cousin Jenna's wedding

My grandfather Norman Casimer Andrews went to be with the Lord today. It's been a tough day to say the least. A flood of memories comes back as I remember my time with him, but we should take comfort in the Lord's sovereignty. I can assure you that my grandfather was surrounded by our family, and my grandmother.

My grandfather was ready to go. This past weekend he told my parents and grandmother that he was "..ready to be with the Lord." It is amazing that God has created us with this recognition, but it is a further comfort in the truth that this Earth is not our home, and that we will never see death. We were made to be with the Lord. Jesus came at Christmas that we might have eternal life. “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Paul, the author of Corinthians encourages us in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, that God is our comfort.

Admittedly, I've struggled with the idea of death over the past month or two. I think the fact that my grandfather was nearing his passing was one of the reasons. There were days within the past few months where my eventual death was the first thing on my mind in the morning, paralyzing me from true fellowship and instilling fear in almost everything I did.

It was a dark week and a half, and I am still wading through many of my thoughts. I plan on heading to Michigan to be with family, and can relate to the words of pastor John Piper when he speaks about returning home, and especially when seeing family. Piper says,

"Do you feel restless for home? I have family coming home for the holidays. It feels good. I think the bottom line reason for why it feels good is that they and I are destined in the depths of our being for an ultimate Homecoming. All other homecomings are foretastes. And foretastes are good."

 There are very few times that I can remember my grandfather instructing us in something of great depth, as it was normally something trivial or to do with fishing or horse racing, but in these past few days I probably learned the most from him. It was apparent that he did not fear death and that he knew it would be his time.

The Lord graciously gave my grandfather many years, surrounded by a loving wife, four successful sons and their wives, and all of us grandchildren. In his final days he got to be near, or speak to, many of us.

I was able to speak to Grandpa Andrews yesterday for about 30 seconds. I made sure to tell him that the Lord loved him and that I loved him. With that, he briefly told me two things. First: That "We love you too". After being married for so long, it really does become your mentality that you and your spouse are a unit! And secondly, he wished that Emily and I would have a wonderful wedding. That one struck a chord. It's a great final memory of my grandpa, and the fact that we were on his mind during his last few hours of life brings joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. I would have loved to have celebrated our marriage with him. I was able to celebrate their 50th anniversary by singing their wedding song to them, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart". I will be thinking of him on March 16th as Emily and I are married. It's my hope that our family will be able to look to death, not with fear, but with comfort, knowing that Christ's death and resurrection destroyed the power of sin and death. Oh how freeing! It's my hope that we can remember this truth, and look to the Lord for our eternal rest.

Singing "Let Me Call You Sweetheart"

I always enjoy calling my grandparents, and even more so after having moved to college and then away from Michigan. Their wisdom and experience are invaluable, even when we find it pretty intolerable as children. Their stories remind us of much simpler times. We heard about the numerous jobs my grandpa seemed to hold, selling copiers and having served in the Coast Guard. He would always tell us about the time when he was allowed to steer a ship into port. And for the record, I will never believe this one! Us grandchildren remember his Mobil coffee mug that he used in the car to take us all up north to our cottage. Or the time he had to come get us grandkids from the Detroit Zoo because our Grandma had locked her keys in her car, while it was running!

I will continue to call my grandmother, hopefully even more often now. We'll talk about the weather, how her garden is doing, and most importantly, how the Tigers are doing. And, I'll be sure to comfort her, tell her I love her, and that the Lord loves her, just as I did with Grandpa. Our grandparents are gifts of great treasure and a grace from the Lord, so, go ahead, call your grandparents.

Friday's Weekly Rap-Up - May 25, 2013

Flame - Money

Last week I was reminded of a "thorn-in-the-flesh" that rears its head from time to time. I'm talkin' 'bout money. Money has been a topic that has periodically been a challenge, especially in close relationships.

My struggle with money was first exposed within the context of a relationship, and the financial status of the parents of my girlfriend at the time. There was no pressure on me to attain the same sort of success they had, but I imposed it on myself, thinking that my acceptance hinged on my ability to provide a certain lifestyle. That was not true at all, but I believed that lie I created for myself. It was an insecurity that was exposed, and that I continued to struggle with, even with encouragement from her that I was not going to be desired simply due to my monetary value, which for a college student at that point, was in the negative dollars. This insecurity has stuck with me and comes to the surface from time to time.

I'm not sure where this comes into the equation, but I am one of the most thrifty people I know. Alright, I will go ahead an admit that I am cheap. Sometimes it is to a fault. I also usually refrain from buying things (like brand name groceries) unless I have a coupon and it's on sale. This thriftiness is something that I picked up from my parents, and is a product of my blue-collar upbringing, and the general climate of suburban Detroit.

This challenge with money has also been fueled through my surroundings. There's no doubt Macomb, Michigan, my hometown, is a fairly blue-collar area. There are many families who have fathers that work on the assembly lines or in machine shops.  It's not as wealthy as surrounding townships in Michigan and it is not flashy by any means, but people do well for themselves. Until moving to Houston, I have lived in fairly blue-collar towns. Huntington, West Virginia is about as blue collar (really, it could have been called black collar with all of the former coal-related jobs in the area) of a place can get, and Harrisonburg, Virginia is an agrarian town teeming with multi-generational poultry farmers.

As a large city, Houston has some glam (I've heard things are even worse in Dallas when it comes to this topic). People like to look good, and remind others they look good. Cars, clothes, appearance and homes are common badges of merit. While in no way is it bad to have these things, if they define us or allow us to feel more accepted because of them, we've got an idol. That means  we worship our money, and what it can give us, rather than the One who gives.

Even with a masters degree, I can't help but sometimes feel the intimidation of engineers and lawyers, which make up a disproportionate percentage of the population here in Houston, as well as within my church. Even with a similar level of education, there is not the same level of earning. And, sometimes, understanding that this is intimidating, and is a source of insecurity, it leads me to believe that my worth, and how people will receive me, is based upon the value of my savings account. I can't be further from the truth at times.

I'm a public servant. We don't make much money, and I'm fine with that. I enjoy serving our residents, and will continue to do so. I've never desired to be wealthy, but rather to steward well what I have been blessed with. Without a doubt, we need money to survive and provide in this wold, but we do not need money to provide us with a feeling of acceptance. God provides that when we simply trust in Christ as Savior. Hebrews 13:5 exhorts us, telling us that we should be free from the love of money and content with what we have, as the Lord will not leave us.

Our answer will not be, "In houses, cars, and lands." Rather, we will say, "My hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to take me to himself. To live is Christ and to die is gain. I'm here on earth to spread the gospel. I'm going to keep my life as wartime as I can in order to maximize my effect for showing Jesus as valuable, not things as valuable." -John Piper - December 12, 2007

Biggie said "More Money, More Problems", and there's a lot of times where I can't help but think he's spot on.

Flame - "Money" - http://youtu.be/xbZt7xsh2jw