My dear church family,
I am blessed beyond words. As a body of believers, you have been the hands and feet of Christ serving me and my loved ones during this sorrowful time. I have read all your cards, emails, blog entries, scripture verses and stories, and my soul is overflowing with joy, peace, and gratitude. I am so thankful to each one of you, even the precious children of BlastZone, who have showered us with love and comfort through their cards and prayers. It may not seem that much to you, but it has reaped dividends for me.
As strange as this sounds, when I step out of bed each morning, I really feel your prayers lifting me, carrying me throughout my entire day. I hear the promised words of the scriptures repeating in my ear, as well as my favorite praise songs which have taken on even deeper meaning. I love you all. I thank you for your gifts, your time, your prayers, your words of encouragement and comfort, and I am so honored to be united with you in Christ through Bedford Community Church.
People who don't know what it really means to have a relationship with Jesus, not just religious traditions or occasional pew warming, have no idea what blessings they're missing out on in this life. My prayer is that through Jim's death, those who don't know or understand God's grace will have the veils lifted from their eyes, and will be able to see what an incredible gift God has to freely give them through His son.
As tremendously sad as I feel to lose my husband and best friend, I am smiling because I know that Jim's life was not in vain. He may have brought new life, new hope to countless others who are seeking meaning and truth for their own lives, the same way Jim did 13 years ago. With Christ as my shepherd and you as my family, I can persevere through this enormous trial with grace and glory. My parents named me "Christine Grace", for the grace that comes from knowing Christ. Little did they know 37 years ago that would be my life song....Psalm 23
In Him, Chris Ehrlich
Chris,
ReplyDeletePlease let Jim know that his friends at Hertz just learned of his illness today. We are all devastated by the news. Jim has served our HR team well and in turn all of our employees have benefited from his hard work. Please let Jim know that he is in our thoughts and prayers!
May God bless you and your family thru this difficult time.
Sheldon, Frank & Diane