Ridgell's Originals

I was in Oklahoma working with a church on how to share Jesus.  It was Sunday morning at 5 AM when I got the call that my cousin Eppie had passed away.  I agreed to do the funeral Wednesday morning in East Texas.  I was scheduled to teach at University in Abilene Wednesday night but we figured I could fly home Sunday night from Stillwater, Marsha and I could drive to East Texas Tuesday night, do the funeral the next morning, and drive all afternoon to speak that night in Abilene. 

Then Tuesday night our daughter calls to tell us that my sister-in-law, Phyllis, was on her way to the emergency room with what they believed might be a heart attack. Stayed up most of the night getting updates and praying for Phyllis.  We were four hours away.

The next morning after the funeral we were at the family lunch getting ready to head west when we got a call that my Mom was on her way to the emergency room with severe pain.  Still four hours away.

Eppie was dead, Phyllis could be in critical condition, and my Mom is about to be 88 so any health scare could be critical.  And we could not be with everyone and do everything.  Satan really wanted us to be afraid of death and dying.  He wanted there be tears, fear, anxiety, and panic.
The week from hell.

And here is what happened.

Lots of praying from lots of people.

My daughter Julie and one of Marsha's cousins, Cathy, live in Abilene and they took care of Phyllis overnight.  Does help they are both nurses.  The next morning CT and Carol, great friends from church, took over helping Phyl so Cathy could go to work and Julie could get her kids to school.

Marsha' brother and his wife drove in from Fort Worth and helped with Phyllis and my Mom.  Julie came back up to the hospital to help out.

And I preached Eppie's funeral.  Lots of stories.  Laughter thru the tears.  And an unshakable conviction that Eppie was seeing God's face and that we would all be together again. 

Satan wanted to attack us with death and the fear of death.  But Jesus already defeated death and we believe.  Resurrection.

Family (both blood and church) stepped in and did what we could not.  Our people treated our people just like we would have.

And we honored God and proclaimed Jesus thru Eppie's funeral.  We realized how much it really matters that we do not go thru this life alone.  And I taught that Wednesday night.

Satan attacked as hard as he could.  And God saw to it we won anyway.

Eppie home.  Phyllis did not have a heart attack.  Other issues that mimicked symptoms.   And it was a kidney stone for my Mom.

Prayer.  Deliverance.  Healing.

A community/family of believers.  Hands and feet of Jesus.

Our God.  Our people.

We win.