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It is really evident - listening to those of you who’ve shared about your experiences with _____ - how she was so much a part of all of our lives - that _____ was very much respected - loved - honored - and deservedly so.  _____ set a very high standard - an example - for us to follow.  There isn’t one person in our congregation whose life hasn’t been positively touched by _____ .  A tremendous number of people in our greater community have been affected by _____ .  

When Karen and I were praying and thinking about coming here to Creekside it was Vinton and _____ that gave us the tour de Merced.  When we did get here I found that _____ was someone that I could go to and get an unfiltered honest opinion about what was going on.  _____ would share advice - not always the advice I wanted to hear - but advice that I could trust.  It was a privilege to know _____ and to spend time with her.

The passage that Vinton read earlier speaks volumes about _____’s life.

Psalm 73:26,28:  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  As for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

Our bodies fail us.  It is easy to think about giving up.  For a number of years _____ struggled physically - especially in the last year or so.

But what should impress us about _____ was that even in the worst of what she was going through - as she faced so many obstacles in life - she was walking with God - trusting Him - looking to Him for strength.  It was evident that God was walking with her - giving her His strength and peace to go through it all.

As we live life with the living God we’re never alone.  God is always with us - walking right beside us - guiding us - keeping us - protecting us.  He really is our strength and our refuge.  Whatever good we have in life comes from God.

Something else here in Psalm 73 - the purpose of turning to God as our refuge.  Trusting God with our lives isn’t about God making our lives all wonderful.  It isn’t about God blessing us the way we think He should.   Or, God meeting our needs.  That God is our refuge testifies of who God is.  When God sustains us - even in the midst of the worst of this life - we need to give glory to God - to give credit to where credit is due.

Certainly that was true of _____ as well.  The way she lived life testified - who she gave credit to - it was God who was with her through it all.

Genesis 5:21-24 - talk about a man named Enoch.  We really don't know a whole lot about Enoch except what's in these few verses.

Listen to how Enoch is described:  Enoch lived sixty-five years,  and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.  So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.  Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

That one statement is so absolutely amazing:  “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, God took him.”

Enoch lived day in and day out with God - through whatever circumstances came - even through flesh and heart failing types of circumstances - he and God walking in nearness together - and then one day - whoosh - God takes him to Heaven.  Of the billions who have ever lived and died - only two out of that vast number have never died - Enoch and Elijah.

We can imagine that Enoch’s family must have wondered what had happened to Enoch - the day he didn’t come home.  The 365 year old man out wandering in the wilderness.  Maybe they searched for Him.  Certainly they missed Him.  A great patriarch of a great family.  Then there’s the realization.  Enoch walked with God.  God took Enoch.  Enoch is with God.

In many ways _____ was the matriarch of her family.  Though life wasn’t easy - she walked with God - she lived testifying of God.  And very quickly - painlessly - God took her home.  And we miss here.

We need to be reminded that _____ is alive forever with God.

In the front part of one of her Bibles _____ wrote about her going home.  I’d like to read for you what she wrote.  Think about _____ writing to you as you hear this.  This is so _____.

Going Home!

Don’t be sad for me, I’m free of earth to soar with God and know the wonders of the universe and beyond!

Come with me (at your time), I love you so…  and long that you, too, know the power to be free… forever.

Where there is light, Son-warmed air and sparkling waters bubbling over rocks and splashing into brief, still, crystal pools, then spilling free and fulfilled.

Die?  Never!  Just moving on into the next adventure with God, prepared for each who loves Him wholeheartedly - singing hallelujah forever and ever!

The Bible speaks of death - for the believer in Jesus Christ - for the one who has trusted in Jesus as their Savior and Lord - given their life to Jesus - death is a blessing - a rest from labor - a reward for faithful service.      In Heaven - where _____ is - we dwell with God forever - healed of disease and in bodies that don’t fall apart - no pain - without tears and sorrow - no death or mourning - free of the burdens of this life.

Philippians 4:4 says, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! - even in death.

_____ inspired rejoicing.  Joy in others.  As those who know Jesus we have tons to rejoice in.

There’s a great hymn - the chorus goes “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!  When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.”

What a scene - the huge cheering crowds - an incredible celebration.  For the Christian death is not a tragedy.  For the Christian death is victory - a celebration of the homecoming of a believer who is taken to the presence of her Savior.  Imagine _____ in that type of celebration and victory.  The beginning of a new adventure walking with God.