Good morning my dear family and friends on this beautiful day in our hometown of Morrilton, Arkansas at the foot of Petit Jean Mountain. What a blessing it is to be a member of such an outstanding congregation of God’s people. As many of you know, my mother Shirley Burleson passed from this life into the hands of the Lord on Wednesday morning in Hamilton, Alabama. She had been battling a terrible disease, one that many of you know too well, dementia and Alzheimer’s. She was buried at Hamilton Memory Gardens in Alabama on Thursday (October 7). I am so very thankful to everyone of you for your kind words, your support for me and my family, and for your prayers for me during these difficult times in life. The death of my mother has changed me in many ways. I find that I am now much more sensitive to others in their own sorrows and grief. You know that verse in James chapter 4 where God tells us about life being just a vapor, a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes away? Well, you better believe it. My mother was 83 years of age and lived through many difficult times in life as well as experiencing many wonderful adventures. You can’t have a daughter and three active sons out in the rural countryside of Alabama and not have many adventures. Through it all her grace, her beauty, her wisdom, her love for learning, her generosity to the poor and those who are “the least” in the world, and her love for God and His church penetrated the hearts and minds of her four children to the depths of our souls. She loved each of us uniquely and forever reminded us of our heritage that surpasses time, distance, and anything life may hand us. She always told me to be good, to protect and watch out for my brothers and sister, to guard my words, and to remember who I am; a Burleson, but more importantly, a Christian who represents our family. Thank you for allowing me to share these sentiments with you today. I held it together pretty well on Sunday as I shared a lesson on the meaning of repentance in our series “Repentance” – A Commandment for All for All Time.
On Sunday evening we concluded our series Be All You Can Be and thought about being PRAYERFUL, PATIENT, AND PERSISTENT as we live every day to its fullest.
Remember our schedule:
MONTHLY AREA-WIDE FELLOWSHIP AND SINGING
GREENBRIER CHURCH OF CHRIST
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12 – 5:30 P.M.
The church van will be leaving the parking lot at 5:00 p.m. if you would like to ride or follow along with us. I’m so glad that our numbers are going every lower and that we can once again be together without fear to sing praises to God and share in a good meal together with fellow Christians in our area. Come and enjoy.
If you are not a Christian, don’t wait another moment. We are here for you. MB
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