To Do List From God
I ran my life in search of worldly things;
My time and will were firmly in control.
I thought I had no need for what God brings;
I gave no heed to murmurs from my soul.
“You’re planning, doing all the time,” it said,
“But something else is missing deep inside.
Your mind is whirling, but your heart is dead,
So turn to God and let go of your pride.”
I did, and God said, “Here’s My plan for you:
Give your life to Me, and just let go.
Have faith and pray, and read the Bible through,
And you’ll have blessings more than you can know.”
So simple, yet it brings me perfect peace,
Living life for God the way I should.
Direction, purpose, fullness and release—
Life with God is very, very good.
By Joanna Fuchs
Planning Your Own Funeral,
The Rev Ruth Innes, a Priest in the Scottish Episcopal Church and gave
permission to reprint this article which first appeared in 2011 in INSPIRES
(Submitted by B Williams)
I wonder how often you have heard someone say, “Ooh I love that hymn.
That’s one for my funeral”. (So far, if I were to have all my favourites the
funeral would go on for hours!). And perhaps you have heard a particular
reading or prayer that made a connection with you and you thought, “I’d like
that at my funeral”. Or it could be music, the appearance of the service
sheet; the venue for the funeral; tea/purvey (as they call it in western parts);
what people are to wear and what favourite flowers to have; a charity to
support; the list goes on … You may have daydreamed about these things
from time to time but did you ever think about writing them down to hand on
to those who will be arranging your actual funeral? No. Most people don’t.
As a priest I often take funerals (and if you ask, most priests will say they’d
rather do a funeral than a wedding any day) but sometimes it is a real
struggle to find out any of the information above. I’ve met people who are so,
understandably, upset that they are unable to think straight in their grief and
can’t tell you a single thing about their mum’s life. I’ve met widows who didn’t
know if their husband wanted buried or cremated. I’ve met children who
didn’t know what Dad’s favourite hymn was, even though he sang in the
church choir all his life, and they don’t go to church anyway so can we
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