Tuesday, October 27, 2009

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for... the living will lay it to heart (Ecc 7:2)


I have been wanting to begin to write on my blog again for a while and had not decided what to start with or write. But tonight, I have some thoughts that I desire to express.

I went to the funeral of a good friend and great Christian today--Candy Simons Phillips. Candy was a wife of one of my instructors while I was in the School of Preaching. She was 32 years old and died of a sudden brain aneurysm.

Her death was something that was unexpected, but not something for which she was unprepared.
Candy prepared herself by being obedient to the Gospel Plan of Salvation (Hear-John 6:45; Believe-Mark 16:16; Repent-Acts 2:38; Confess-Rom. 10:9-10; and Baptism--immersion in water--1 Pet. 3:21). She also prepared herself by serving the Lord on a daily basis. This is, I believe, what has struck me the most. When the students from the School of Preaching went to a lectureship or campaign, she took off of work and came too. When a Gospel Meeting was going on in the area, Candy would be present. When there was something going on with the congregation at Stoney Creek--Sunday, Wednesday, or any other day, she was there. When individuals from her workplace came to give their condolences to the family, none of them could say that Candy hadn't tried to teach them the Gospel. She was an encourager, a peacemaker, a teacher, a Christian wife, and a friend.

When we do go "to the house of mourning," may we never cease to learn the lessons that point us to prepared service of God.
God bless all of you who, like Candy, truly live a life of service to God and to man (cf. Mat. 22:37-40)!!!

~Aaron