Marcia L. Gerlach - Stapert

A green candle for you grandma, since it is your favorite color. Love you. I know you are singing and smiling up in heaven.

Sisters-in-law forever… Marcia and Margie. This picture is from their last in-person visit. My mom had fond memories of happy times spent with her sister-in-law and helping out when the nieces and nephews were little tykes. She always said she learned a lot from Marcia. With much love to my cousins. Hugs!

Dear Diane, Byron, Loren, Rosina, Darrell, Emory & the extended family, As I watched the video of your mother’s life’s history being pictured before the world, I could not help but think of Revelation 20:11-15 which says, “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them (no place for outer space living). And I saw the dead (all who had ever died), small and great, stand (they were all resurrected) before God; and the books (the history book of every person who ever lived written by the recording angels) were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (which is an everlasting, immortal punishment). And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (where Jesus said there is no annihilation because not even a worm dies there). Death and the judgment is a sobering occasion for all of us, just as life is a serious occasion in regard to how we respond to its tribulations, whether in grace and forgiveness toward those who hurt us, (sometimes the ones we love the most, or those who despise us) or in grudging and retaliation to those who hurt us. Jesus and His whole Word is our blueprint for modeling The Way, The Truth, and The Life (not one without the other). It is easier to believe in Jesus and believe that he takes care of our past, present, and future sins, while at the same time continuing in sin without being controlled by the Holy Spirit in obedience with repentance and conversion, which is a deception of Satan. It is a harder thing to confess our sins, forsake all sinning (go, and sin no more); to forgive those who trespass against us without revenging evil, and take up our own cross, and follow Jesus daily and faithfully, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit until we depart this life. We can not judge whether another person goes to heaven anymore than we can judge whether a person goes to hell. What each of us can do with the grace of God and power of the Holy Spirit is to yield total allegiance to Sovereign God and to love Him with all our being (body, soul, and spirit) and love our neighbor just like ourselves. The love for God and His righteousness and love for our neighbor in bearing a witness for Christ’s gospel goes much deeper than false religions’ love for lust and sinful fellowship in ungodly behaviors of the world. As the end-time tribulation is upon us, may your hearts be guided by the only One who can deliver us from eternal peril through the love of the truth according to all His Word. His Word will abide forever, though this old earth and the heavens will be destroyed with the brightness of His coming at judgment time. This clearly tells us nothing is any more important than to know the truth of God and live it out in the purity and holiness of God. With love and compassion for all of you. Uncle Gordon Allen; pianos@shentel.net; 540-984-4450