a life well lived

This week we laid to rest our dear sister in Christ, Phyllis Rinkenberg, who passed away at the age of 92.  She lived a good and faithful life, having served the Lord with dignity and distinction.  She was known as a loving wife, a prayer warrior, a good mother and a kind friend.  

I knew her as an encourager.   Almost every Sunday she would tell me that she was praying for me and for my family.  And while many of you tell me that, it meant a bit more coming from Phyllis.  As the wife of a Pastor, I knew that Phyllis understood the unique pressure of the life of ministry and that she could relate to the joys and the heartbreaks that come with the role of minister.  Her prayers for me and for my family were a constant source of encouragement to me and I will always be thankful for them.

Phyllis and her husband Robert never had much wealth in this world, they lived simply and trusted God for what they needed (and the Lord always provided).  And so I think this proverb is so fitting as a way to learn from her life.  
 
"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver." Proverbs 16:16.
 
I am thankful for Phyllis and her example of faithfulness.  I am thankful for her prayers.  And I am thankful to the God who gave her to us, even for a time, that we might learn from her wisdom and example.  

Let us all seek to live likewise, until we too receive our eternal reward and join her in the Kingdom where she now dwells.

In Christ,
Pastor Scott