Aunt Ruby, Kathy, and Easter Day

Kopp Disclosure

(John 3:19-21)

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    While I've had lots of Damascus Road kinda spiritual evolutions since - October 2011 with Eugene and brothers in Montana being among the most notable - I've been blessed since physical birth in a 2 Timothy 1:5 kinda way.

    Aunt Ruby comes to mind.

    She died on April 4 at 94.

    Obit excerpt: "Jesus, her friends and her family were the loves of her life.  She always prayed, hoped and loved.  She had a quiet and gentle spirit and was a great example of Jesus' steadfast love and sacrifices."

    I could not be in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania for her memorial/resurrection service because I am an undershepherd because of gospel seeds planted in my life from as early as I can remember by family members like Aunt Ruby.

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    Kathy, who privileged me with being her undershepherd, went home to Jesus on April 5 at 61.

    Kathy loved Jesus and her family like Aunt Ruby.

    She and husband David exemplified His best in marriage like I rarely see anymore.

    On the day that Kathy traveled home, I kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "You'll be fine.  See you later."

    She whispered back, "Alright!"

    I could not be in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania because I was in Belvidere, Illinois connecting the dots to eternity through Jesus for Aunt Ruby and Kathy.

    Both are alright.

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    I will be thinking about Aunt Ruby, Kathy, and Jesus on Easter Day.

    I will be connecting the dots to eternity; for whoever believes in Jesus, as He promised, never dies.

    They just go home and wait for the rest of the family.

    Or as Grandpa Hayden said to me not long before he went home to Jesus so many years ago, "See you later, Bobby!"

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    A pastor who I counsel because of clergy killers came to see me on April 11 before Kathy's memorial/resurrection service.

    He was troubled: "Is Christianity as complicated as we are making it?  Did Jesus really have all of these theologies and denominations and ...in mind?"

    "I may be wrong," I offered, especially informed since October 2011 which resulted in the cleaning out of my library and closet (wink), "it's quite simple.  Love Jesus and you go to heaven after you die.  In the meantime, you love Jesus by loving like Jesus because you're going to heaven after you die.  That's Christianity - that's Jesus - by the book."

    Then remembering the clergy killers in his life, I said to him as I said to Kathy as Aunt Ruby said along the way, "The present sufferings are not worth comparing to what's coming in heaven!"

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    On that first resurrection day that we call Easter, the folks who got it/Him didn't run through the streets celebrating theologies and denominations and liturgies and architecture and vestments and...other temporal idolatries.

    Come to think of it, I don't think any of that stuff is mentioned in the book...anywhere by anybody that knew Him in an enfleshed kinda way.

    All they said was something like this: "He has risen from the dead!  That means we will live forever with Him through Him!  So let's act like it/Him!"

    Or something like that.

    That's what connects Aunt Ruby and Kathy and anyone else who chooses Him.

    Really, I think that's what Easter/Christianity is all about.

    It's not that complicated when you know Jesus by the book.

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Blessings and Love!