Alive!

“My son was dead, but now he is alive.”  You might know the words from the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, but they were spoken more recently.   This storey began on May 6th when 82 year old Frank J. Kerrigan received the call that every parent dreads, even at 82.  The call was from the County Riverside County Sheriff’s Department requesting that he contact the Orange County Coroner.

It was the coroner’s office that told Mr. Kerrigan that his 57 year old homeless son had been found dead in an alley, and they assured Kerrigan that he didn’t have to id his son, that he had already been identified with fingerprints.

6 days later Frank Jr. was laid to rest next to his mother.  The family had spent $20,000.00 on what was described as a “Beautiful ceremony”. 

And then on May 23 Frank Sr. received a call telling him his son was alive, a mistake had been made in the identification.

Carole Meikle, Frank Jr.’s sister, summed it up when she said “We lived through our worst fear, he was dead on the sidewalk. We buried him. Those feelings don’t go away.”

Every one of us will die, that’s life.  But Jesus offers us a promise of eternal life, with no mistakes.

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Right Place, Wrong time

I rolled over and looked at the clock, in ten minutes my alarm would go off, so I decided to get an early start.  My Sundays usually begin at 4:34 a.m. but it hardly seemed worthwhile to go back to sleep for ten minutes, so I got up.

As I headed for the bathroom to get ready for the day my mind went to my message, and it went blank.   I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to be preaching on.  And then I remembered, and my next thought was “I just preached that, yesterday.”  It was then I realized that it was Monday, not 10 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off but 2 hours before my alarm was supposed to go off.

Sometimes we can be at the right place at the wrong time, or sometimes the right time and the wrong place. 

The trick is to be in the right place at the right time, which means to be where God wants you to be when He wants you to be there.   And you won’t know the where and the when unless you’re in communication with God.  Are you talking to Him?  That’s called prayer.  Are you listening to Him? That happens by reading His word. 

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

A foot in both camps

How convenient would that be, go out your front door and you are in the United States, go out your back door and you are in Canada?  Maybe not as convenient as you might think.  

In 1782 the house was built to straddle the border between Vermont and Quebec, it’s owner, a merchant, thought it was a great idea that he could sell to both sides of the border from his home.

Brian DuMoulin inherited the house more than forty years ago and now in his 70’s, he is seeking to sell.   The 7,000-square-foot house has been split into five apartments, and while there has been plenty of interest, nobody it seems is willing to shell out the $109,000.00 asking price.

Part of the issue might be that the home is a bit of a fixer upper. Remember, it was built almost 250 years ago.  But the biggest challenge is its location.  Ever since the heightened security concerns after 9/11, it’s no longer as easy as simply stepping out your door into the country of your choice. 

2,000 years ago, Jesus warned us of the perils of trying to serve 2 masters.  And those who try to keep a foot in the world while trying to serve Christ have discovered that His words still ring true today.

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.