Hold Him in Heaven for Me!

Hold Him in Heaven for Me

March 1, 2015
"Son"day

Dear God,

It was cold and rainy when I opened my eyes this morning. My mind and spirit wanted to go to church; my body was aching and was crying out for more rest. I jumped up and before I could change my mind, got dressed in record time. Before long, we were winding down country roads with our windshield wipers swishing. Brr... With all the rain coming down, the snow is sure to be gone this afternoon. 

Seven months ago, I began attending the Open Range Cowboy Church in Whitney, Texas. I cannot even begin to express what has happened within me. All I can tell You is that the minute I walk through those doors, You're there to greet me and my spirit leaps for joy infusing me with liquid love. Today, I swear, You were there, Jesus was there, and the Holy Spirit was doing magic. I have prayed that You would guide my hands and thoughts this day as I tell Your Story. 

This past Tuesday, two dear friends of mine, lost their grandson. Kasen was 8 months in utero. His mother delivered him and he was welcomed by his family and held tightly. His Grandmother Diane, "Mimi," described him as a perfect little angel with a head full of dark hair; his grandfather described the moment as surreal ... a time of hello and goodbye. Mom, Dad and the rest of the family were numb, angry, in shock, and oh, so broken. They'd all talked about little Kasen for months ~ and, how soon he'd be making his appearance. Little did they know that last Monday Kasen would spend his last day on earth.  Tuesday morning, he was ... gone. His little heart just stopped beating.

Everyone copes with the death of a child differently yet in one sentence, they all agree, their baby was gone only to be seen one day in heaven.  Empty arms hurt. Oh how they hurt!

This morning we all rallied around to hug and comfort them. We cried with them and wished there was something more we could do. Prayers had been and were being offered in hopes of healing their broken hearts and spirits. Before the service started, they were not alone ~ they were surrounded by love and Your Spirit!

We had a special performance by Barbara Fairchild and Roy Morris this morning. They had come in from Branson, MO and although they were exhausted from the trip, they brightened our morning with jokes, stories, and song. About midway through their performance, Barbara told a story about her grandson who passed away when he was 7 months old. (She had no precious knowledge of what had happened to Diane and Brad this week). She began to sing the song, Hold Him in Heaven for Me and Diane went to the altar. One by one other women flanked her and ministered to her need. The Holy Spirit took Barbara Fairchild and used her to minister to everyone who has lost children and grandchildren through abortion, miscarriage, illness, or stillbirth. God, You knew, didn't you? Of all the stories Barbara had to share, it was this one that she spoke of from her heart.

I had tears and a lump in my throat as I thought about my own grandchildren that were in heaven. Everyone expects the parents to mourn but little is mentioned about the grandparents and the love held for their grandchildren. I witnessed a miracle today. You took Brad and Diane's loss and showed them point blank that You heard their tears of sorrow and were with them. You showed others that You had been and would always be with us. You brought two people from Branson, MO way down into Central Texas to wrap their arms around a family and touch their lives forever. What a miracle.

Each person who spoke today had special messages ... Miss Kitty (who just lost her father) held the attention and hearts of the little buckaroos; Pastor Rick, reminded me that no matter what happened to me and no matter how old I got, I should "use what I had left to the glory of God;" and, after Barbara and Roy had performed, Pastor Dudley, took us to another level of intimacy with the Father. The altar was filled with people coming before God with their broken dreams, sins, and hearts knowing that they could leave them at the altar. Jesus said, "Go and sin no more." He did NOT say pick up your load and follow me. We are raised to a newness in life and cleansed from ALL unrighteousness.

I hated for the service to end. There's never been a set time for it to be over and I like that. Worship at the Open Range Church is orchestrated by You with Pastor Dudley as the main shepherd. I wanted to sit in my seat today and just soak in what had transpired in those two hours. I wanted to move into a more glorious form of worship with the Open Range Band. I wanted to let You know how much I loved You for who You are and what You mean to me.

Father God in Heaven: Peace! Be still! (Mark 4:39) As we confess our sin and are forgiven, help us to leave our baggage behind. May we walk hand in hand with You throughout our days using our minutes to Your Glory. For those grandparents, parents, men, and women who came to the altar today, I ask for your divine mercy. Help them to rise above their tragedy and use it to minister to others. Help me to put the deaths of my own grandchildren in your hands. I am sure there must be a special place in Heaven for those little ones. Protect our hearts, minds, and spirits from the evil one. Let us NOT believe the words of Satan that keep us from moving forward. Thank you over and over for this day of miracles. You knew and You showed us that You were in control. Amen, it is so!

Miss Dottie

NOTE TO READERS:  Ever break a mirror?  What do you do? Throw it away? If you look into a broken mirror you will experience a distortion of your image. Don't keep those distortions to punish yourself over and over. Leave them at the foot of the cross ~ in the trash can ~ moving on to use what you have left to glorify God!

It is days like this that I know there is a living God. What is so amazing to me is how He used a tragedy to minister to so many. I am blessed to be in a church where the Spirit moves so mightily. I see it, I feel it, I know it without a doubt! 

Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU

... each and every one of you!

"God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness. Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders. Your marvelous doings are headline news; I could write a book full of the details of your greatness. The fame of your goodness spreads across the country; your righteousness is on everyone's lips. God is all mercy and grace - not quick to anger, is rich in love. God is good to one and all; everything he does is suffused with grace. Creation and creatures applaud you, God; Your holy people bless you. They talk about the glories of your rule, they exclaim over your splendor, letting the world know of your power for good, the lavish splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal; you never get voted out of office. God always does what he says and is gracious in everything he does."

~Psalm 145:3-13 (MSG)