The last months prior to our move to Colorado were full of everyday trials. One we did not anticipate was the loss of one of our Disciple classmates Melinda Shipman. She was a wonderful person who lived her life fully in God’s grace. She had been ill for many years and her beauty was only enhanced by her fight for a normal life for herself, her husband John and her children.

At her passing John asked Suzy and me to speak at her memorial service. To follow is what I was to say.

To Melinda

Melinda joined our class at the Disciple III level and continued on with us taking Disciple IV this year.

From early on we recognized that every time Melinda entered in the room, Grace and Kindness were always with her.

Melinda was an active member of our class. She shared her heart, her story and her love of her family in many ways.

Over the last 2 days, I was wondering what I could say today that would comfort her family and friends. I believe the hand of God is always with us, if we have but the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

Last night I was reading the book, “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoefer. I came across an excerpt from Mark, Chapter 10, Verses 28-31.

I had been looking for this particular verse for the last 6-9 months.

This verse talks how as a Disciple that when you give yourself up for God’s sake, you shall receive, “A hundred-fold… in the world to come; eternal life.”

Our Class had talked about this concept at length one night. None of us could really imagine a Life with God… such that it would be 100 times better than what we have now.

But, as God’s Disciple, Melinda now knows what this verse means.

Our Class talked a lot about C. S. Lewis, starting with his “Mere Christianity” book. This year we were introduced to Lewis’ sermon called the “Weight of Glory”.

In this sermon, Lewis says: “He (God) thinks of us… we shall stand before Him… The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ… that any of us who truly chooses (God)… shall find approval, shall please God. To please God… to be loved by God, but delighted as a father in a (daughter), it seems impossible, but so it is.”

Then Lewis adds what he calls the “divine accolade”. That is, God, holding our hand and saying:

“Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

I can assure you that Melinda has already heard these words.

The Disciple IV class ends with the study of Revelation. I will finish with, Chapter 21, Verses 3 and 4.

“They will be his people,… and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

As it is.

This is a talk I did at the Sunday Bible School class Suzy and I attend. As we are moving soon I was “moved” to offer up my spiritual journey in advance of my physical journey. Dean Brown the outstanding teacher of the class obliged and what follows is what I said that day. Most of the writing has appeared in parts in the Rocky Mountain Climbing Diary in prior versions and compiled and edited for the Trinity audience of friends and Disciples.

I want to apologize for not being able to attend class for the last 5-6 months. Many of you know that Suzy and I are moving to Colorado soon after my daughter graduates from high school. Over the last 18 months we bought, fixed up and moved in renters into a condo in Avon, Colorado. Started building a house in Eagle, Colorado. Went on numerous business trips from Atlanta to Santa Barbara. Had a couple of school visits. First my daughter Sarah was going to be a Missouri Tiger. She ended up an Aggie. Moved tenants out of the condo, fixed it up again, moved furniture into the condo to make it more saleable, sold it, moved furniture out, closed the sale. Put our house in Dallas on the market… and on and on. Oh yeah, Suzy just got a great job with a company based in New York.

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