On Sunday morning March 8th 2009
To the horror of those present and the shock of the town
At the First Baptist church of Maryville, Illinois
Pastor Fred Winters, while preaching, is suddenly gunned down

Through each word of each sentence
In every memorial service and interview,
Came the story of redemption
The love of Christ shone through

There was no denying the grieving,
Yet there was a worshipful faith-filled witness
Of He who dwelled within them
And of His radiant presence

I remember feeling such pride
In their Christ like responses
A powerful example of Jesus words
“Therefore whoever confesses…” (Matt 10:32)

“If this happened in my church”
I found myself contemplating in my mind
“Would this be the character that was found
If we were searched and tried?” (Psalm 139:23)

So here it is the 5th of May
Again, tragedy, due to their testimony
In the Coleman home, Columbia, Illinois
Three are taken down, Violently.

Our beloved Sheri, Garett and Gavin
No longer to be a part of our family, church or town
As we rend our hearts and garments here
They don their “graduation” gowns!

I am walking and praying
I am grieved and bewildered
I am thinking about the grain
That dies as it falls to the earth (John12:24a)

Coals have been fanned to flame
Fires of urgency have been rekindled (Jude 1:23a)
Seeds have fallen to the ground
But we are promised multitudes for each single (John 12:24b)

As I’m carrying these seeds
Securely cupped within my heart and symbolically my hands
I press on towards the river
And think “Yes, they will need water to fulfill the plan”

I arrive at the rivers edge
To find its crest is high and borders wide
Reminding me of the river in Ezekiel 47 (Ezekiel 47:5)
And the fruit bearing trees planted along its side (Ezekiel 47:7 and 47:12)

It says everything in its path will live (Ezekiel 47:9)
As it flows from the temple to the East (Ezekiel 47:1 and Ezekiel 47:8)
You may have gone into the ground a seed
But you will become a nourishing, medicinal tree. (Ezekiel 47:12) *

The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone–a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels–a plentiful harvest of new lives. - John 12:24 NLT

* Sheri participated in Medical Missions!

© Laura Jean Eubanks May 6th 2009

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 3:36 pm and is filed under Poetry, Thoughts & Communications . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.