... Tuesday

Thank you all for praying for Al and Sherry. Sherry went home to be with the Lord yesterday. Please continue to pray for Al and the family, as this was a very sudden loss for them. Two weeks ago, we were doing SportsCamp together ... a good reminder that life is very fragile. Below are words from our pastor's blog -

April 28, 2008
Sherry
Our Children's Minister, Sherry Gill, passed away around noon today. We asked the Lord to heal her, but He must have had higher plans. God used Sherry's life and struggle with death to display His glory.
I have spent as much time with Sherry as I have with anybody. Time reveals a lot of things about a person. For Sherry, time revealed her compassion for others, her gentle spirit, her faithfulness to her calling, and a deep love for her husband Al.
Sherry's illness did not take God by surprise. He was not distracted by other things going on. He did not ignore our prayers or look beyond our needs. God took every final breath with Sherry. In His sovereign perspective, He is unfolding a plan that far outweighs even the necessity for Sherry to remain on this earth.
I am convinced that things look much different from heaven. Death, life, decisions, all are viewed from an eternal perspective. We are the Lord's, and whether we live or die, we are still the Lord's. So, we are mercifully used as vessels to accomplish Jesus' mission here on earth. Sometimes God heals us from life-ending diseases. (Sherry had already been healed of breast cancer so she had experienced what it is like to be delivered from death.) Sometimes the Lord allows physical infirmities to take their course as He views death through the lens of His love, provision, and presence.
One of Sherry's most used verses is Jer. 29:11. I have heard her teach this to children and adults. God says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I used to think that verse applied to this lifetime exclusively. But as God gave hope to the Israelites who were in exile, He gives hope to those of us in Christ. God's plans for us extend far beyond what we call life. Sherry is with the Lord who spoke these words.
I suppose I'll write more later. Be praying that many people come to the Lord by the softening of their hearts through Sherry's journey.