It's never easy when a crowd gathers for the loss of a loved one, but today I was proud to be part of my church and community in Newmarket. On Thursday, a young man from my church died in a tragic motorcycle accident. Sunday morning, the worship team switched from a Pentecost theme to a morning of comfort and recognizing that God is still in control, even when we don't understand.
This morning I headed to the church early to find a seat in the sanctuary since I knew the crowd would be big. The sanctuary was packed and the fellowship hall was overflowing... there were about 40 people attending the funeral who didn't even have a chair to sit on. Michael F. Devries was a man whose life was worth remembering. As I listened to stories of his life, I was encouraged to live life to the fullest, to not live in fear, but with a spirit of peace, joy, and adventure. Michael loved everyone, and from the 600ish people that attended his funeral, I knew that he was well loved too.
At times like this, the DeVries family needs a lot of prayer and support. I hope that I will be able to bring encouragement to them as they are my siblings in Christ.
Quotes from Michael's Profession of Faith speech:
"... the whole meaning is taking on the covenant between my God and myself, that I am his child and he is my God."
"God has made us pure. He has made us white as snow. God has chosen each one of us to be his child. He already believes in us, now all we have to do is accept him as our father. Today, I want to accept God as my personal father. I want to promise to him that I will let him make the decisions in my life, and let him do with me what his plan requires."
"I want to use the fire Jesus put in my heart and let it go wild."
This morning I headed to the church early to find a seat in the sanctuary since I knew the crowd would be big. The sanctuary was packed and the fellowship hall was overflowing... there were about 40 people attending the funeral who didn't even have a chair to sit on. Michael F. Devries was a man whose life was worth remembering. As I listened to stories of his life, I was encouraged to live life to the fullest, to not live in fear, but with a spirit of peace, joy, and adventure. Michael loved everyone, and from the 600ish people that attended his funeral, I knew that he was well loved too.
At times like this, the DeVries family needs a lot of prayer and support. I hope that I will be able to bring encouragement to them as they are my siblings in Christ.
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| In 2008 I was a chauffeur and youth leader for a retreat that Michael went to. He was a ball of fun! |
"... the whole meaning is taking on the covenant between my God and myself, that I am his child and he is my God."
"God has made us pure. He has made us white as snow. God has chosen each one of us to be his child. He already believes in us, now all we have to do is accept him as our father. Today, I want to accept God as my personal father. I want to promise to him that I will let him make the decisions in my life, and let him do with me what his plan requires."
"I want to use the fire Jesus put in my heart and let it go wild."
this is beautiful
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