Derelict Theology

Sometimes I know how Jeremiah felt.

I was looking through the obituaries here the other day, trying to figure out when visitation was for someone, and I read a line in the obituary that said something to this effect:

“Mr. So-and-so is survived by his wife Mrs. So-and-so, his children, his cousins, and his siblings, and HIS PET DOG JULIE.”

Only in Adamsville.

This week I had to do my first funeral. Now, it wasn’t my first funeral to ever attend. Being a minister, you end up attending a lot of funerals. But, this funeral was different, because it was for my wife’s grandmother, Louise Foley. And it was different because it was the first funeral I’d ever had a part in besides singing. The family requested that I sing “I Can Only Imagine” and then do the obituary part of the service. As you can guess, I was pretty nervous. It’s amazing to me that they chose me to read the brief story of her life. It was an honor to stand there and read those words and have the opportunity to share words of my own. In her honor, I read parts of Proverbs 31, which talks about the characteristics of a virtuous woman, many of which she embodied. I will miss her, and I know the family will as well.

There is very little time before Isaac arrives. As each day passes, I’m getting more and more nervous as I think about what type of father I’m going to be, and what type of father I don’t want to be. Sometimes I’m just able to sit back and be awed by the fact that in a few short weeks, I am going to be a daddy. There will be yet another life that I’m responsible for. It’s in those moments that I doubt if I’m ready, and all I can do is pray and ask for help in doing what God wants me to. There are so many dreams that I have for Isaac, but the greatest is for the day that will come one of these days hopefully, when he is saved. I can’t think of anything greater, and it’s something that I pray for often when I think about my child. In fact, I’d appreciate it if you prayed for that as well.