Gone Home…god Honors Faith And His Servants
This is a short version from story number five (out of 50) from my recently published book, My Walk with the Lord.
Psalm 116.15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
I had a dear uncle, the Rev. Owen Rozier, who came down with cancer. Although his body was weak, his faith in the Lord was strong. Just like the verse in Amazing Grace “Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come”, Uncle Owen had his share of tribulations while preaching the word for over thirty years. He and my father, the late Rev. A.J. Rozier, were close in age and close as brothers. Daddy went home to be with the Lord in 1966, and here it was in 1987.
On July 17, 1987, about 7 PM, the Lord spoke to me and said, “I’m going to take Uncle Owen home tonight. Go on over to his house.” As I was driving over there, the song “I Won’t Have to Cross Jordan Alone” came on the radio. It played twice. As tears filled my eyes, the Lord gave confirmation of what He had told me.
When I arrived at Uncle owen’s, I noticed several other cars were there. Other people started arriving. No one had called them to come. The Lord drew them so Uncle Owen could preach his last sermon. We all gathered around his bed; I read Psalm 23. Uncle Owen called on someone to pray, and then feebly preached his last sermon..the few words he spoke was precious.
As one of his daughters sang a beautiful song, one she hadn’t sung in 20 years, Uncle Owen took his last breath and went home to be with Jesus.
What was amazing about this, is several days earlier, Uncle Owen told me that he desired to preach one more service. As I prayed for him that day, I asked God to honor his request. On his deathbed, Uncle Owen preached a sweet service. God honors the faith of his servants!
Rev 14.13: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me. Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”
Irvin L. Rozier, Captain (Retired) US Army, now serving as a soldier in God’s army
About the Author
author, preacher, retired US Army
If you have decided to keep a live tree in house always, remember that special fire safety precautions need to be taken. Real trees can pose a serious fire hazard, especially if the tree becomes dry.
It only takes a matter of seconds for a Christmas tree to catch on fire; it spreads rapidly and is almost impossible to put out.
When selecting a tree, try to select a fresh tree. Look for one that is a healthy green color and have minimal browning needles, the needles should be flexible and should be hard to pull off. Run your hands through the needles, and see if they easily fall off. Pick the tree up and tap the butt on the ground a few times, notice how many needles fall off the tree. It’s expected that some brown needles will fall off, but if you notice more then a few of the green needles falling off, the tree has already begun to dry out and it’s best to select a different tree.
Once you get the tree home, you want to cut about a quarter inch to an inch off the truck of the tree. If this was already done at the lot when you bought the tree, you do not need to do it again. If you don’t put the tree up right away, you might want to cut another quarter inch of the truck. This helps the tree absorb water.
Always trim the butt of the tree straight across, do not cut at an angle as this decreases the tree’s ability to absorb water. To keep your trees freshness, provide adequate supply of clean water every day. There is no need to use any commercial preservatives, sugar, aspirin or bleach; none of these have been proven to work.
Check the water level every day and clean the tree stand to improve the tree’s water intake.
Keep your tree at least three feet away from fireplaces, radiators, furnaces and other heat sources. It’s also a good idea to make sure the tree does not block doorways or high traffic areas. Always unplug all lights before going to sleep or leaving the home.
The biggest thing to remember with live Christmas trees is that well-watered Christmas tress do not represent a fire hazard. Threes that are dried out do. When Christmas is over or the tree starts to drop needles, properly dispose of it right away.
Cassandra Stinchcombe - For more great Christmas Tip and Ideas visit http://www.envisionopportunity.com/christmas/christmasmain.html today.
Merry Christmas from EnVisionOpportunity.com
Unfortunately, some fights will lead to an end to a relationship. This has the potential to be devastating. The important thing is to not let it be. Relationships, especially long ones, are tragic when they end. It is natural to find that any symptoms you have would be significantly worse after a breakup. A period of mourning should be expected during a time like this. However, there are things that you should do, and others that should be avoided.
The first thing to do is to try and see your therapist as soon as possible. Getting the issues out is an important task, and by talking with your therapist, you will be able to address the issues. The next thing that you need to do is to move on, decide on what your next move will be. Dating would most likely be out of the question, and you shouldn’t feel pressure to get back into the dating scene, but getting out of the house is important. Activities should be continued. Find comfort in your friends, that is what they are there for. By making activities - both inside the house and outside - meaningful, you can distract yourself from any loneliness that might set in.
Some of the standard truisms of a breakup hold true, even in this case. Especially when you suffer from depression, looking for an answer in alcohol will be counter-productive. What is important is to make sure that you continue in your normal schedule. Even though a part of your life is now missing, your life is not over and you should work to find other ways to make yourself happy.
You can read more about depression at http://www.curemydepression.com
