Saturday, February 14, 2009

Red Roses Were Her Favorite

I know that people who heard this at the Valentine's Dinner are going to want this, so I'm posting it here.


 


 

Red roses were her favorite,

her name was also Rose.

And every year her husband sent

them, tied with pretty bows.


 

The year he died, the roses were

delivered to her door.

The card said, "Be my Valentine",

like all the years before.


 

Each year he sent her roses, and

the note would always say,

"I love you even more this year,

than last year on this day.


 

"My love for you will always grow,

with every passing year."

She knew this was the last time

that the roses would appear.


 

She thought, he ordered roses in

advance before this day.

Her loving husband did not know,

that he would pass away.


 

He always liked to do things early,

way before the time.

Then, if he got too busy,

everything would work out fine.


 

She trimmed the stems, and placed

them in a very special vase.

Then, sat the vase beside the

portrait of his smiling face.


 

She would sit for hours, in her

husband's favorite chair.

While staring at his picture, and

the roses sitting there.


 

A year went by, and it was hard to

live without her mate.

With loneliness and solitude, that

had become her fate.


 

Then, the very hour, as on

Valentines before,

The doorbell rang, and there were

roses, sitting by her door.


 

She brought the roses in, and then

just looked at them in shock.

Then, went to get the telephone, to

call the florist shop.


 

The owner answered, and she asked

him, if he would explain,

Why would someone do this to her,

causing her such pain?


 

"I know your husband passed away,

more than a year ago,"

The owner said, "I knew you'd call,

and you would want to know.


 

The flowers you received today,

were paid for in advance.

Your husband always planned ahead,

he left nothing to chance.


 

There is a standing order, that I

have on file down here,

And he has paid, well in advance,

you'll get them every year.


 

There also is another thing, that I

think you should know,

He wrote a special little card...he

did this years ago.


 

Then, should ever I find out that

he's no longer here,

That's the card...that should be

sent, to you the following year."


 

She thanked him and hung up the

phone, her tears now flowing hard.

Her fingers shaking, as she slowly

reached to get the card.


 

Inside the card, she saw that he

had written her a note.

Then, as she stared in total

silence, this is what he wrote...


 

"Hello my love, I know it's been a

year since I've been gone,

I hope it hasn't been too hard for

you to overcome.


 

I know it must be lonely, and the

pain is very real.

For if it was the other way, I know

how I would feel.


 

The love we shared made everything

so beautiful in life.

I loved you more than words can

say, you were the perfect wife.


 

You were my friend and lover, you

fulfilled my every need.

I know it's only been a year,

but please try not to grieve.


 

I want you to be happy, even when

you shed your tears.

That is why the roses will be sent

to you for years.


 

When you get these roses, think of

all the happiness,

That we had together, and how both

of us were blessed.


 

I have always loved you and I know

I always will.

But, my love, you must go on, you

have some living still.


 

Please...try to find happiness,

while living out your days.

I know it is not easy, but I hope

you find some ways.


 

The roses will come every year, and

they will only stop,

When your door's not answered, when

the florist stops to knock.


 

He will come five times that day,

in case you have gone out.

But after his last visit, he will

know without a doubt,


 

To take the roses to the place,

where I've instructed him,

And place the roses where we are,

together once again.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Importance of a Title

It's a small world, especially within the church. Last night at Bible study in Montgomery AL, I heard about events in a congregation where I used to preach. I was not surprised to hear that they had appointed elders; they had been working toward that for quite some time, even before I had preached there. I was not surprised to hear which men had been appointed elders. Unfortunately, I was also not surprised to hear that nearly half the congregation had left as a result of these men being chosen. (Admittedly, most of these people were one very large extended family.) These people believed that at least one of these men, and perhaps both, did not meet the Biblical qualifications for elders. Knowing this, they still went ahead and accepted the position of elders, willingly splitting the congregation.

The true irony: these men, to a large extent, already controlled the events at that congregation. With very few exceptions, whatever these men wanted, they got. They gained no power or authority from becoming elders. The only difference between the situation before and the situation after is a title. For the sake of a title, the church in that place was split in half. The fact that the title of elder was more important than the welfare of the church is, in my sight, proof that these men were not qualified for the position.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Death and Atheism

It's not unusual to find that somebody who is now an atheist was once quite religious. I have found that there are usually two triggers that make somebody reject the very idea of God.

  1. They examined their religion and found it to be inconsistent with the Bible. (As far as I can tell, this says far more about their religion than it does about the existence of God. Getting a counterfeit bill doesn't mean that real money doesn't exist).
  2. Somebody close to them has died. A.N. Wilson is a well known biography writer, who also gained a reputation for his book, Against Religion: Why We Should Live Without It; he said, concerning the death of his father, "From the moment he died I stopped being religious."

While this is not an unusual motivation to reject God, it is completely nonsensical. The logic seems to be, "If God existed, then nobody close to me would ever die; only those I don't like or never knew would die." In essence, those who think this way place themselves at the center of the universe, and a perfect world would keep them from ever feeling any sort of pain or suffering. I've often said that there is pain and suffering in this world so that we won't want to stay here forever; we'll look forward to going someplace better. Death might be unpleasant for those left behind and it might be unexpected if the person is fairly young and healthy, but it shouldn't be seen as a sign that God doesn't exist; if anything, it's a sign that you're not God.