It seems like so much time has passed and then at the same time it seems like it was yesterday that I received the phone call from my Dad. "He's gone, Karen." This day a year ago was a sad day for our family. My grandfather's battle with cancer ended and in the same second he was present with our Almighty God. I ponder what that moment was like for him, knowing I won't know fully till I arrive there myself. It was sad telling my little man, who was just shy of 3 then...it was still sad praying and talking with him tonight as we both cried and remembered how much Pepaw loved him. Oh, boy, was I ever grateful for those trips that we took to see him...Boo...his only great grandson. Pepaw certainly loved that little man. I asked Boo if he would tell his little brother about his Pepaw...he agreed he would.
The pain isn't there any longer, but the memories and the loss still grow. From experience I know the loss will get less difficult as the years pass and I pray the memories grow by leaps and bounds.
God proved Himself faithful through those days leading up to his memorial service. It was a beautiful ceremony, with family and baseball friends speaking about what kind of man and baseball player he was. The video tribute was incredible! I just watched it and I still love all the pictures that were chosen for it.
It's probably a hard day for my family still, so at this time I pray for God's all-surpassing peace to overwhelm them all. God's perfect plan is still in order and effect and we need to continue to turn to Him during the rough patches that still lie ahead.
If you would like to read my tribute to him, please read My Grandfather.
Love,
Karen
Showing posts with label Purpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Purpose. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Thursday, February 08, 2007
My Grandfather
The man I referred to as Pepaw - -
He was married to my Mema. They had four children together. The man my father and his three sisters called 'Dad'. I am blessed to be his only granddaughter.
He went to the grocery store of choice, normally Publix, pretty much every day. He was a polite man. He made funny faces at babies (I have pictures) and he is the one who taught me how to blow kisses when we said goodbye. This man was the one who drove my mom and I from Sarasota to Miami one time and had to listen to me read the book 'Never Talk to Strangers' 800 times. (I was three and he claimed that he hated that book). This is also the man I told 'Don't be here, Pepaw' when the love bugs were attacking our car while driving in Florida - around the same time as the book reading incident. This is the man who made the BEST pepper dressing and sausage gravy EVER...of course, not together. I remember pulling into their beach house and prancing up the stairs - stopping on the landing to see if they were in the kitchen. As I grew older and they moved into the 'city', they had a half circle driveway that you could see right into the kitchen - where they normally were. The kitchen was the heart of where our family was. I have the fondest memories sitting on the stools as an almost adult girl and talking, reading the paper, drinking juice and eating cereal in the mornings. I would love to sneak all the way around through the bedrooms and come in a different way and scare my Mema and Pepaw! My cousins ate the best chocolate pie one Christmas on those stools...they may not remember, but I think I have a picture to prove it.
I practically grew up at the house on the beach - on Longboat Key - I think I was almost in high school when they moved to the city. I had a baby pool there. I remember playing Boggle for hours with my cousin Mike. When we were allowed to watch TV, we watched Gilligan's Island, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. My uncle Paul knew the words to the song of Gilligan...and I marveled at that for some reason. I always asked Pepaw to make me some shrimp. This usually required lots of work, but he normally made it happen. He rented a bike for me one summer...upon returning it we stopped for ice cream BEFORE DINNER and he asked me not to tell my Mema - this is the first time I have ever shared that story with anyone! :)
He always took me to the Buccaneer restaurant to eat on the island. This required dressing up, but I loved it! We always had the same waiter - Otto - and I still remember eating there as if it were yesterday.
He did nice things for people because he genuinely loved and cared for them.
In elementary school I wrote a paper about him in P.E. class - his profession was a baseball player. He spent 11 seasons as a Milwaukee Brave pitcher (from 1953-1963) playing with greats like Warren Spahn, Henry "Hank" Aaron, Bob Buhl, Eddie Matthews and so many more. He was once a Yankee (gasp!), a Boston Brave before they moved to Milwaukee, a Cardinal, a Cub, a Phillie, and an Angel. His best years were spent in Milwaukee, where he helped give them their only championship in 1957, by pitching three games in the series and winning the decisive Game 7 on just two days rest. 3 complete games and 2 shutouts in a World Series?...well, it's just unheard of in these days!
In all my years growing up he was just my grandfather, but to so many others he was a legend. His legend lives on now...
My grandfather, Lou Burdette, passed away on Tuesday, February 6th at his home. Some of my family was present with him.
In a few weeks we will honor him - Dad, Pepaw, "Fidgety Lou", whatever you called him - at a memorial service in Winter Garden on the 24th. I am looking forward to celebrating his life and his achievements...none more important than the decision he made just weeks ago to acknowledge the Lord as Savior.
I will post some pictures of him in a day or so.
If you would like more information about him, you can read some articles on www.atlantabraves.com - it's one of the rotating stories.
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 NASB
I love you,
Karen
Tags: Lou Burdette
He was married to my Mema. They had four children together. The man my father and his three sisters called 'Dad'. I am blessed to be his only granddaughter.
He went to the grocery store of choice, normally Publix, pretty much every day. He was a polite man. He made funny faces at babies (I have pictures) and he is the one who taught me how to blow kisses when we said goodbye. This man was the one who drove my mom and I from Sarasota to Miami one time and had to listen to me read the book 'Never Talk to Strangers' 800 times. (I was three and he claimed that he hated that book). This is also the man I told 'Don't be here, Pepaw' when the love bugs were attacking our car while driving in Florida - around the same time as the book reading incident. This is the man who made the BEST pepper dressing and sausage gravy EVER...of course, not together. I remember pulling into their beach house and prancing up the stairs - stopping on the landing to see if they were in the kitchen. As I grew older and they moved into the 'city', they had a half circle driveway that you could see right into the kitchen - where they normally were. The kitchen was the heart of where our family was. I have the fondest memories sitting on the stools as an almost adult girl and talking, reading the paper, drinking juice and eating cereal in the mornings. I would love to sneak all the way around through the bedrooms and come in a different way and scare my Mema and Pepaw! My cousins ate the best chocolate pie one Christmas on those stools...they may not remember, but I think I have a picture to prove it.
I practically grew up at the house on the beach - on Longboat Key - I think I was almost in high school when they moved to the city. I had a baby pool there. I remember playing Boggle for hours with my cousin Mike. When we were allowed to watch TV, we watched Gilligan's Island, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. My uncle Paul knew the words to the song of Gilligan...and I marveled at that for some reason. I always asked Pepaw to make me some shrimp. This usually required lots of work, but he normally made it happen. He rented a bike for me one summer...upon returning it we stopped for ice cream BEFORE DINNER and he asked me not to tell my Mema - this is the first time I have ever shared that story with anyone! :)
He always took me to the Buccaneer restaurant to eat on the island. This required dressing up, but I loved it! We always had the same waiter - Otto - and I still remember eating there as if it were yesterday.
He did nice things for people because he genuinely loved and cared for them.
In elementary school I wrote a paper about him in P.E. class - his profession was a baseball player. He spent 11 seasons as a Milwaukee Brave pitcher (from 1953-1963) playing with greats like Warren Spahn, Henry "Hank" Aaron, Bob Buhl, Eddie Matthews and so many more. He was once a Yankee (gasp!), a Boston Brave before they moved to Milwaukee, a Cardinal, a Cub, a Phillie, and an Angel. His best years were spent in Milwaukee, where he helped give them their only championship in 1957, by pitching three games in the series and winning the decisive Game 7 on just two days rest. 3 complete games and 2 shutouts in a World Series?...well, it's just unheard of in these days!
In all my years growing up he was just my grandfather, but to so many others he was a legend. His legend lives on now...
My grandfather, Lou Burdette, passed away on Tuesday, February 6th at his home. Some of my family was present with him.
In a few weeks we will honor him - Dad, Pepaw, "Fidgety Lou", whatever you called him - at a memorial service in Winter Garden on the 24th. I am looking forward to celebrating his life and his achievements...none more important than the decision he made just weeks ago to acknowledge the Lord as Savior.
I will post some pictures of him in a day or so.
If you would like more information about him, you can read some articles on www.atlantabraves.com - it's one of the rotating stories.
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 NASB
I love you,
Karen
Tags: Lou Burdette
Friday, February 02, 2007
Changing my Life - I am Hungry!
What if my first response was to worship Him?
What if? my very first response/reaction. was to worship Him!?
Ever thought about it?
What if my soul responded/reacted first instead of my flesh?
Hm. I think my life would change. I want it to change.
Maybe it is changing.
I am enjoying participating in the Daniel Bible Study on Wednesday nights and also in the Living Worship study on Sunday nights. Each unique and different, yet each, so very similar. Living Worship by John Randall Dennis is said to be "A Biblical Guide to making Worship real in your life." Hm...sounds interesting. I mean, who doesn't want to be real in their worship? What? You mean there are some people that aren't real in their worship? Oh my...
The Minister of Music is leading this class and will be out of town this weekend and has asked me to lead the class. I am honored and completely relying on the Lord to guide me through it. It's an incredible book. This week we study David and Jehoshaphat, last week we studied Job and Isaiah. It's been a roller coaster ride and I am enjoying all the Lord is saying to me.
He is using much of the Daniel Bible Study to speak to me just as equally in part with this Living Worship book. My mind is completely expanding...and so that brings me to my questions above.
Last week as we were going through the lesson Sunday night about worship, one of the questions asked was what do we do when a "circumstance" comes our way...we freak out, we lash out at God, we say 'Why ME?', we question Him on His way, His purpose, Him in general. Some times it takes a while to get over it. Some times people never do. I answered that I would like to think that my lashing out gets shorter and shorter each time. I honestly meant that. I came home that night with the question of "What if my first response was not to lash out, but to worship?"
As I was going along in the Daniel study, Beth Moore wrote something in Day 3 or 4 that struck me..."God is no less on His throne just because chaos happens in the world" (my paraphrase). Oh. Wow. It occured to me that God is no less on His throne right now than He was two days ago when one of my very good friends told me that someone else had entered their marriage and as much as it pains the two of them right now, they are going to seek counseling and move forward...TOGETHER. God is no less on His throne right now than He was on September 11, 2001. Does that strike a cord in you? God will be no less on His throne five days from now should tragedy strike you, your family, your friends, whomever.
He's GOD.
He is GOD.
God is changing my life. I believe it's impossible to read the Bible and it NOT change your life. I am absorbing all I can about my LORD because I am hungry. I am truly hungry for Him.
Oh Lord, you have shown me Your glory and at times I have been unwilling to accept it or to take and eat of it. But Lord, I am hungry now. It's not too late to be hungry or to be filled by Him.
In Jesus-
Karen
What if? my very first response/reaction. was to worship Him!?
Ever thought about it?
What if my soul responded/reacted first instead of my flesh?
Hm. I think my life would change. I want it to change.
Maybe it is changing.
I am enjoying participating in the Daniel Bible Study on Wednesday nights and also in the Living Worship study on Sunday nights. Each unique and different, yet each, so very similar. Living Worship by John Randall Dennis is said to be "A Biblical Guide to making Worship real in your life." Hm...sounds interesting. I mean, who doesn't want to be real in their worship? What? You mean there are some people that aren't real in their worship? Oh my...
The Minister of Music is leading this class and will be out of town this weekend and has asked me to lead the class. I am honored and completely relying on the Lord to guide me through it. It's an incredible book. This week we study David and Jehoshaphat, last week we studied Job and Isaiah. It's been a roller coaster ride and I am enjoying all the Lord is saying to me.
He is using much of the Daniel Bible Study to speak to me just as equally in part with this Living Worship book. My mind is completely expanding...and so that brings me to my questions above.
Last week as we were going through the lesson Sunday night about worship, one of the questions asked was what do we do when a "circumstance" comes our way...we freak out, we lash out at God, we say 'Why ME?', we question Him on His way, His purpose, Him in general. Some times it takes a while to get over it. Some times people never do. I answered that I would like to think that my lashing out gets shorter and shorter each time. I honestly meant that. I came home that night with the question of "What if my first response was not to lash out, but to worship?"
As I was going along in the Daniel study, Beth Moore wrote something in Day 3 or 4 that struck me..."God is no less on His throne just because chaos happens in the world" (my paraphrase). Oh. Wow. It occured to me that God is no less on His throne right now than He was two days ago when one of my very good friends told me that someone else had entered their marriage and as much as it pains the two of them right now, they are going to seek counseling and move forward...TOGETHER. God is no less on His throne right now than He was on September 11, 2001. Does that strike a cord in you? God will be no less on His throne five days from now should tragedy strike you, your family, your friends, whomever.
He's GOD.
He is GOD.
God is changing my life. I believe it's impossible to read the Bible and it NOT change your life. I am absorbing all I can about my LORD because I am hungry. I am truly hungry for Him.
Oh Lord, you have shown me Your glory and at times I have been unwilling to accept it or to take and eat of it. But Lord, I am hungry now. It's not too late to be hungry or to be filled by Him.
In Jesus-
Karen
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Hear My Praise, Oh Lord!
From the mountains to the valleys
Hear our Praises
Rise to You
From the heavens to the nations
Hear our Singing
Fill the air
Hear Our Praises by Hillsong United
Sunday night was a time of reflection and worship by the choir at our church. It was an amazing experience and as always, the Lord did not disappoint. The choir was full and the testimonies were filled with richness of the Lord. "Somebody's Praying Me Through" was the title of the night and as I sat and listened to the songs, to the testimonies of God's great power and love, I was in awe yet again. I lifted my hands to worship during the song above because I wanted my praise to rise to Him. I got the image of me standing on a mountain and raising my hands in reverance to Him.
Keeping in the spirit of song and worship, we got Chris Tomlin's new CD, See the Morning on Friday night. It's been less than a week, and I think I already have overplayed it...well, maybe not overplayed, but it sure is getting used. We got the Special Edition, since we wanted to extra songs and oh my...so worth it! In fact, songs 11-14 are my new favorites. To give you an idea of how much I have listened to them...the boo bear knows the words to Song 12, Enough. He says, with much joy, "God is more than enough for us!" I agree whole heartedly. The Lord is absolutely more than enough for me. Whatever He gives me in life, well, it's more than enough. I don't really deserve anything, none of us do...we are sinners; but the grace and love of Jesus Christ and most importanly His blood on the cross, that's enough...it's more than enough. It's the ultimate in enough.
It's been a wild year for us...and I predict the Lord has more great things in store in the coming year. It was a year ago this week that I came home from a week long hospital stay for complications with my gallbladder. I sometimes can re-live the absolute pain and recovery that I made. I honestly thought I was dying. I went a whole week without seeing my son and it was the most heartbreaking thing ever when I came home and he still wasn't too sure about me. It took him quite a few days to allow me to do things for him again. The months following that I began losing my hair because of the trauma to my body and all the medications I had taken. My hair was the one thing I really loved and it was gone. I cried once over it. After that, I gave it to Him. After all, God knew the number I had on my head, so He obviously knew the number I didn't have. :) I lost 50% of my hair by the time it was all over. My dermatologist assured me it would come back over time, and a year later, it is mostly all back and all curly again. It is truly a gift from the Lord. See, all during those months, the Lord was assuring me that He was in control, and I was learning to trust Him step by step to bring fruition to those things He started in me.
Around that same time, the Lord called me back to work. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I knew I needed to do it for my family. I felt Him telling me to locate a center for David first and then He would provide the job. As I sent my resume out, I looked at places to keep David around the places to work. I found a great church that has a full-time program and I just knew that was going to be the place for us. The job I got allows me to drop David off there and pick him up on my way home. It was not easy to leave him each day. I missed him, but I didn't let it show at work. I am in a position that I never thought I would be in and they hired be because of my faith. Because I am a pastor's wife. On the retreat I took with my office in August, it confirmed to me that God allowed me to be in this position for a reason. They had interviewed for months for this job and all that time, God was working on my heart, renewing my strength in Him, and getting me ready for these tasks. I don't know how long God will keep me here, but I do know that I am forever changed by the people I have met.
When I was little, the Lord created in me a desire for music. Now, I am not musically inclined, and I don't think I sing all that well (I can keep beat and on key, but that's about it). But all those years ago, he instilled that purpose in me...when I accepted Christ, He began working on that purpose of worshipping Him. The Lord can speak to me through a song in a matter of seconds. My hearts enjoys worshipping and singing praises to Him. I am so amazed at how worshipping Him can change my outlook and attitude on something so quickly.
Hear my praise, Oh Lord! Hear the cry of your child. I love you. Thank you for instilling in me a purpose to worship You and the reason why I worship You. May my life sing the praises of Your name and Your renown.
Over at Faith Lifts the girls are talking about Purpose this month. If you get a chance and you want to chat about Purpose in Life, What is God's Purpose?, What is my own Purpose?, etc., you should click on over there. I promise it will inspire you to dig deeper in your life and pursue all God has to offer you.
In Christ-
Karen
Tags: Chris Tomlin, Faith Lifts, Purpose, Worship
Hear our Praises
Rise to You
From the heavens to the nations
Hear our Singing
Fill the air
Hear Our Praises by Hillsong United
Sunday night was a time of reflection and worship by the choir at our church. It was an amazing experience and as always, the Lord did not disappoint. The choir was full and the testimonies were filled with richness of the Lord. "Somebody's Praying Me Through" was the title of the night and as I sat and listened to the songs, to the testimonies of God's great power and love, I was in awe yet again. I lifted my hands to worship during the song above because I wanted my praise to rise to Him. I got the image of me standing on a mountain and raising my hands in reverance to Him.
Keeping in the spirit of song and worship, we got Chris Tomlin's new CD, See the Morning on Friday night. It's been less than a week, and I think I already have overplayed it...well, maybe not overplayed, but it sure is getting used. We got the Special Edition, since we wanted to extra songs and oh my...so worth it! In fact, songs 11-14 are my new favorites. To give you an idea of how much I have listened to them...the boo bear knows the words to Song 12, Enough. He says, with much joy, "God is more than enough for us!" I agree whole heartedly. The Lord is absolutely more than enough for me. Whatever He gives me in life, well, it's more than enough. I don't really deserve anything, none of us do...we are sinners; but the grace and love of Jesus Christ and most importanly His blood on the cross, that's enough...it's more than enough. It's the ultimate in enough.
It's been a wild year for us...and I predict the Lord has more great things in store in the coming year. It was a year ago this week that I came home from a week long hospital stay for complications with my gallbladder. I sometimes can re-live the absolute pain and recovery that I made. I honestly thought I was dying. I went a whole week without seeing my son and it was the most heartbreaking thing ever when I came home and he still wasn't too sure about me. It took him quite a few days to allow me to do things for him again. The months following that I began losing my hair because of the trauma to my body and all the medications I had taken. My hair was the one thing I really loved and it was gone. I cried once over it. After that, I gave it to Him. After all, God knew the number I had on my head, so He obviously knew the number I didn't have. :) I lost 50% of my hair by the time it was all over. My dermatologist assured me it would come back over time, and a year later, it is mostly all back and all curly again. It is truly a gift from the Lord. See, all during those months, the Lord was assuring me that He was in control, and I was learning to trust Him step by step to bring fruition to those things He started in me.
Around that same time, the Lord called me back to work. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I knew I needed to do it for my family. I felt Him telling me to locate a center for David first and then He would provide the job. As I sent my resume out, I looked at places to keep David around the places to work. I found a great church that has a full-time program and I just knew that was going to be the place for us. The job I got allows me to drop David off there and pick him up on my way home. It was not easy to leave him each day. I missed him, but I didn't let it show at work. I am in a position that I never thought I would be in and they hired be because of my faith. Because I am a pastor's wife. On the retreat I took with my office in August, it confirmed to me that God allowed me to be in this position for a reason. They had interviewed for months for this job and all that time, God was working on my heart, renewing my strength in Him, and getting me ready for these tasks. I don't know how long God will keep me here, but I do know that I am forever changed by the people I have met.
When I was little, the Lord created in me a desire for music. Now, I am not musically inclined, and I don't think I sing all that well (I can keep beat and on key, but that's about it). But all those years ago, he instilled that purpose in me...when I accepted Christ, He began working on that purpose of worshipping Him. The Lord can speak to me through a song in a matter of seconds. My hearts enjoys worshipping and singing praises to Him. I am so amazed at how worshipping Him can change my outlook and attitude on something so quickly.
Hear my praise, Oh Lord! Hear the cry of your child. I love you. Thank you for instilling in me a purpose to worship You and the reason why I worship You. May my life sing the praises of Your name and Your renown.
Over at Faith Lifts the girls are talking about Purpose this month. If you get a chance and you want to chat about Purpose in Life, What is God's Purpose?, What is my own Purpose?, etc., you should click on over there. I promise it will inspire you to dig deeper in your life and pursue all God has to offer you.
In Christ-
Karen
Tags: Chris Tomlin, Faith Lifts, Purpose, Worship
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