DADDY'S GONE FISHING

BY: DONNA SELMA LIND

"DADDY'S GONE FISHING"

It has been a month since Daddy moved to Heaven. 

That's why I haven't written for awhile. I'm still getting used to him being gone. 

I was blessed to give Daddy's Eulogy at his memorial service and I thought I would share a bit of it with you today. 

My Grandparents were married in 1926, the doctors told them they would never be able to have children. 

BUT GOD! 

My Grandparents were great people of faith and they never stopped praying for a miracle baby. Nearly thirteen years later at the tail end of the Great Depression, in a little community called Roseland on the south side of Chicago that miracle baby was born. They named him "Thomas"after the Apostle in the Bible.

Three years later God surprised them with another miracle baby boy. 

Tommy and Jimmy grew up in an idyllic time and a place reminiscent of Mayberry and Leave it to Beaver. 

As a kid Daddy loved to go fishing. If he wasn't playing baseball or swimming, he would grab a fishing pole jump on his bicycle and ride down to the lake to go fishing. 

Grandma and Grandpa had dedicated their lives to serving the Lord and every Sunday the family went to Sunday School and Church together where they served as Teachers and Leaders.

My Grandparents were Youth Leaders and on Friday nights the Youth Group was held in their home where they studied the Bible as well as had Ice Cream Socials, Ping- Pong tournaments and Sock-Hops.

Daddy was a star athlete and had a gift in Art and Architectural Drafting.  

He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at 18. 

He became an Ironworker in 1959 and worked his way up through the years to become a Superintendent. He also was the Union Steward for Ironworkers Local# 63. 

For almost fifty years Daddy worked on nearly every big Hi-Rise building in Chicago including, John Hancock, Sears Tower, Prudential,Water Tower just to name a few.

 Daddy really was a Superhero who climbed Skyscrapers by day and fished by night!

He loved his family, loved the USA, and our Military. He loved our Flag what it stands for and all who fought and continue to fight for our freedom.

And Fishing, Daddy loved Fishing.

My favorite memory of Daddy is from about ten years ago. We were sitting at the kitchen table and I prayed with Daddy to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. 

Though Daddy grew up in a Christian home and went to church, he had never given his life over to the Lord until that day when I prayed with him. After that day Daddy had found a new peace and comfort with God.

On September 19, 2017 Daddy put his head down on his pillow and woke up in Heaven. 

He traded in his hard hat for a crown. 

His hammer for a fishing pole.

Fighting Parkinson's disease was a long hard battle but Daddy finally won the war and he will spend eternity in a glorified body. No more sickness, no more pain.

We will all miss him more than words can say, but I have the Blessed assurance that one day, we will walk the streets of gold together, fish in a river of living waters, laugh with joy unspeakable and together we will cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus.

Daddy's GONE FISHING in Heaven. 

Until that glorious day when we get to be together again, 

I'll be fishing too-right here on earth for more souls to come into the Kingdom of Heaven so they can meet my Daddy and my Heavenly Abba Father. 

"Go out into the deep water, and let down your nets for fish."Luke 5:4

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7, 8

HALLELUJAH! 

    PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

Donna Selma Lind 💓

 

  

"A ROOMMATE FROM HEAVEN"

By: Donna Selma Lind

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Proverbs 17:17

The week before Daddy had to go live in the Nursing home I started to pray for Daddy's roommate. I did not know who he would be, BUT GOD DID!

I prayed that Daddy's roommate would be a man of God who loved the Lord.

I prayed that he would be sweet, gentle and kind and that he would bring love, joy and the peace of God with him to share with my Daddy.

The first time we came to visit Daddy, we walked down the corridor looking for his room and as we approached the doorway we heard music coming from inside the room. It sounded like a choir of angels, singing "AMAZING GRACE."

There was Daddy and his new roommate "Ray" sitting in their wheel chairs surrounded by Ray's family all singing old Gospel Hymns!

The presence of God filled the room and my heart was overflowing with joy and gratitude that the Lord had answered my prayers and sent Daddy a Roommate from Heaven.

We joined in the sing-a-long and afterwards we introduced ourselves. We found out that Daddy's new roommate was a Minister. The more we talked the smaller our worlds got. Pastor Ray knew our Pastor and they and their wives had all served together for many years in A.G. Church Camp. Pastor Ray's daughter used to babysit our Pastor Gary and Linda's boys.

We knew so many of the same people from churches and ministries in the area it was like a family reunion! 

We all marveled at God's divine Kingdom connections.

Pastor Ray's wife shared how she also was praying for whoever God was going to send to be her husbands roommate! She prayed that somehow her husband would be a Blessing to the man he would share a room with and they would feel the peace and presence of God.

We continued to visit and I asked if they had always lived and served here in the Ozarks? Sister Louise said:

 No, we served as Pastor's for many years in Indiana.

Now I sat on the edge of my Daddy's bed and I thought to myself; there is no way...

Where at in Indiana? I asked

Oh, a town in southern Indiana, I'm sure you never heard of it, Bedford.

Bedford Indiana? Are you kidding me? What church did you Pastor?

Bedford First A.G.

Now I almost fell off the bed. 

That is our old church! I was the Children's Pastor there and we ran the Children's Church and VBS!

It turned out Pastor Ray had retired right before we came to minister at Bedford AG. Before he left, He and the church were desperate for a Children's Pastor and were praying God would send someone. God had sent us!

Even though it wasn't at the same time, we had all served at the same church, knew all the same people and been a part of the same congregation in Bedford Indiana!

What are the odds of us being at the same church in a state of over 6.6 million people? And then almost 15 years later we would all end up sitting in a room in a Nursing home 500 miles away in southwest Missouri singing AMAZING GRACE together...and Pastor Ray and my Daddy are roommates?

God already knew all those years ago that this would happen. He had already planned that all of our lives would be intertwined from the beginning of time.

God has mapped out our destiny every step of the way. 

"And those He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified he also glorified." 

Romans 8:30

Daddy and Pastor Ray were roommates for over a year before Ray was glorified and went to live in Heaven.

But before he went Pastor Ray and my Daddy had a very special time together in the presence of the Lord.

The Hospice Pastor Scott from the Nursing home shared with me an amazing testimony.

Pastor Scott said:

"We knew the time was close for Ray. I was sitting next to his bedside praying and singing hymns. Your Daddy Tom was lying in his bed a few feet away.

All of a sudden Ray sat up in his bed with his arms and hands straight up in the air. He had a peaceful smile on his face and he was looking upwards. He stayed frozen in that position.

What happened next blew my mind. I looked across the room and your Daddy Tom had sat straight up with his arms and hands lifted up in the air and was staring at the ceiling with that peaceful look on his face exactly like Ray!

How can this be when Tom cannot sit up or lift his arms above his head at all with his crippling Parkinsons? 

Both Ray and Tom stayed in that posture for several minutes. I knew they were both experiencing something in a Heavenly Realm in the presence of the Lord that I can only imagine.

Time stood still and then they both reclined back in their beds. A few minutes after that Ray passed over to Glory Land." 

"My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if  go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you in my presence, so that you also may be where I am." John 14:2,3

I have no doubt in my mind that God the Father sent my Daddy;

 "A ROOMMATE FROM HEAVEN".

THE DEVIL TRIED TO SQUEEZE US- BUT ALL HE GOT WAS JESUS!

By: Donna Selma Lind

"We are pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8

Last week we were coming back home from Springfield. It was late in the afternoon and traffic was fairly heavy on Route 13- Kansas Expressway.

The road was two lanes and we were in the left hand lane. There was a large semi-truck in the right lane and he started to come over in our left lane. 

Being the co-pilot I began to warn my husband,

THE TRUCK IS COMING OVER IN OUR LANE!

 I see him, don't worry he sees us, he's not coming over here.

NO, HE'S COMING OVER HERE! HE'S NOT STOPPING! HE'S GOING TO HIT US!

My husband pounded on the horn and so did all the other vehicles.

But the Trucker kept coming over and we were stuck in the middle of a concrete Roadway median and a Semi-truck trailer with no way out!

Everything went into slow-motion and all we could hear was the deafening screeching sound of the Semi-trailer's metal hitting and scraping our vehicle from the front of our passenger side scraping all the way to the end of the tail lights.I watched helpless for what  seemed like an eternity until finally the Semi cut us loose and kept going! 

During those seconds of terror, when we were literally pressed between life and death, I looked straight into the eyes of the Semi-Driver (the enemy) as he looked back at us in his rear-view mirror seeing us trapped and getting squeezed! I kept shouting- JESUS! JESUS! JESUS! JESUS! and then I cried out in my Heavenly prayer language. 

And then I shouted- WE SHALL NOT DIE BUT WE SHALL LIVE AND DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD! JESUS! JESUS! JESUS!

And just like that, it was over! We were alive! We did not die! Hallelujah! The devil tried to squeeze us, but all he got was JESUS!

The truck driver never stopped, we tried to flag him down and so did all the others that witnessed what happened.  A good Samaritan called 911 and reported the accident and made sure we were okay. I called 911 and when we got to a spot where we could pull over we met a Police officer who took our information.

The first thing he said was, "Wow usually when someone is involved with a Semi,they have a lot more damage."

I said; Praise Jesus! It's because the hand of God and His Guardian Angels protected us! Hallelujah!

When the officer finished taking our information for the report, I thanked him for serving and protecting us. I asked if it was okay if we could pray for him? He looked surprised and his face lit up and he said "Yes! Sure.Yes please!"

So there in the Papa Murphy's parking lot overlooking the highway and a procession of rush hour traffic, we Prayed for the Man in Blue. A Protector, a Hero, a Restorer of Peace, Law and Order. Some of the same qualities of my Savior Jesus!

After we prayed the Officer had a big smile on his face and chuckled, He said; "You know it's really something that you prayed for me, today of all days. When I went out on call this morning, I had a Praying Mantis land on me when I was driving. It just flew in the window and sat on my shoulder and every time I shooed it away, it came back and hopped all around me while was driving.I couldn't get rid of that thing.I never had anything like that happen to me before!"

I told him, MAYBE GOD JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW YOU ARE SURROUNDED AND COVERED IN PRAYER AND NO SHAKING OR SHOOING IS GOING TO STOP THE PRAYERS  THAT ARE COVERING YOU!  Hallelujah!

 

How do we know that the Officer didn't need extra prayers that day or that he didn't need a sign from the Lord showing him that people do love and appreciate what he does by putting his life on the line for the people in his community. Please if you see a Police Officer, thank them for what they do to protect us. Pray for them. Bless them. 

"What the enemy meant for harm, God turned into good."Genesis 15:20

In this event, THE DEVIL TRIED TO SQUEEZE US, BUT ALL HE GOT WAS JESUS!

When we were "SQUEEZED" all that came out of our mouths was JESUS!

What comes out of our mouth when we are "SQUEEZED" is what is in our heart.  

"A good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

What is coming out of your mouth when you are SQUEEZED?

Life or Death is in the power of the tongue. JESUS IS LIFE! 

We have the Victory in JESUS! To GOD BE THE GLORY!

Only by the Grace of God did we miraculously walk away from being SQUEEZED by the enemy...Squeezed, but NOT destroyed! 

 "We are pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8