Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Feb 25th, 2012 The Rocking Horse – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Passage – Numbers 27 – 29

(Second Milers also read – Acts 28 – Romans 2; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125)

Good morning. It’s been a long week. Monday was the funeral for my daughter, Melissa. The first two verses of Psalm 121 say

“ I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

And all I can say is thank you. I have never seen an out-pouring of Christian love like that, ever. From the one who may have prayed once or twice, to those who helped with the cooking, to those who helped my family out financially, all I can say is thank you. My help cometh from the LORD, and He sent you. Thank you. The Wimberg Funeral Home. We went there the week before Melissa went home. We went there nervous, confused, not knowing where to turn. We left there happy, having our burdens lifted, having a set direction in which way to go, and having new Christian friends. My help cometh from the LORD, and He sent us to the Wimberg Funeral Home. Thank you Loyd, Brian, and all the others there, and God bless them for allowing themselves to be used for His glory. And what can I say about all Melissa’s friends and relatives; the funeral home was packed. My help cometh from the LORD, and He sent you all. Thank you. Jimmy Dilley ( Melissa’s father), and Diane his fiance made it there from Arkansas. The weirdest thing to happen was Jake. Jake was married to one of Camille’s friends, and she hadn’t seen him since Melissa was one. He came down from Lakewood. Only God could arrange something like that. Everything went great. Even Ed’s chili was great! My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

There were 104 families who signed the book at the funeral home. That’s probably around 200 people who filed past the coffin to say goodbye (not forever, but only for a season). I wonder if anybody noticed the little wooden rocking horse in the casket? Well, I put it there for a reason. I had dated another woman who had a 2 year old daughter. Me and my dad built her a rocking horse for Christmas. I had taken a picture of it and put it in a photo album. Melissa came across it one day, and since that day she would always bust on me saying, “How come you never built me a rocking horse?” The Saturday before the funeral, I knew what I had to do. I went to several stores to find a rocking horse the size of a Christmas tree ornament. Nothing. I know what happened: Melissa and the Lord were looking down at my situation. She was telling the Lord, “Don’t let him find one – he’s got to build me one!” So I picked up some Balsa wood, glue, and paint, and I built her one. Why? To say thank you for being my daughter for 30 years.

Life is short. Nobody knows how long or how short their lives will be. Maybe we should treat everyone we meet today as if they were not going to have a tomorrow.

Peace. (Mark 9:50)