Jacksonville

We, our friends, family, and the church at large have suffered a great loss this past week. A beautiful, and incredibly unique girl has passed from this realm....

I was there when she was born.... she was radiant, glorious and vibrant with supernatural Life. It was 1/1/00, the new millenium,.... such a strange yet exciting time and I was so blessed and thankful to be a participant! So many came to meet her...spent time in her house, fellowshipped with her, ate with her, watched her in amazement as she grew so quickly, and were awed by her freedom and the sheer strength of her voice. She freely proclaimed her Lord to any and all who would hear with wisdom beyond her years. It was obvious that She was born for Him and His purpose alone.....though young, she sacrificed everything to share His Life with others.....and I was priviledged to be there...to partake...

but this world takes its toll....

After a time, sickness crept in...some discerning ones saw her struggle...others had no knowledge but only noticed that her radiance was dimming. She no longer reached out to the far ends of the earth with her glory, she no longer raised her voice high proclaiming her Lord as she once had. She became tired, sluggish, her face clouded with pain.....until one day her earthly father looked at her and knew the truth....she was slipping away.....
She departed this life on Sat. May 20th, 2006.
She was 6 and a half in earth years, yet timeless in God's eyes.
I was blessed to have known Her.
Good bye my lovely one!

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I post this tribute
.....To her earthly father, to all those brothers and sisters who suffer her loss, to all who stand for something they see deep in their spirits, though it be but a dream for the present... to those who fight to climb that mountain and stake a flag even just a little bit higher up the precipice, those who are the pioneers of the faith who are among us even now, always striving for higher ground........May I steadfastly stand in your company......we are still climbing toward the Light!

President Theodore Roosevelt
Speech at the Sorbonne Paris, France April 23, 1910

"The Man In The Arena"

It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly;
who errs,
who comes short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows great enthusiasms,
the great devotions;
who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who at the worst,
if he fails,
at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls

who neither know victory nor defeat.