September 22, 2006
I Can Only Imagine
Do This.... Altar of the First Baptist Church of Artesia California.
"I can only imagine
what it will be like,
when I walk by Your side...
I can only imagine,
what my eyes will see,
when Your Face is before me!
I can only imagine.
I can only imagine.
Surrounded by Your Glory,
what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus?
Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence,
or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine!
I can only imagine!
I can only imagine,
when that day comes,
when I find myself standing in the Son!
I can only imagine,
when all I will do,
is forever, forever worship You!
I can only imagine!
I can only imagine!
Surrounded by Your Glory,
what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you,
Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence,
or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine!
Yeah! I can only imagine!
Surrounded by Your Glory,
what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus?
Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence,
or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine!
Yeah! I can only imagine!
I can only imagine!
Yeah! I can only imagine!!
Only imagine!!!
I can only imagine.
I can only imagine,
when all I do is forever,
forever worship You!
I can only imagine......" Copyright by MercyMe 1999
Used without permissionLong Beach Airport Marriott Sept 21 2006
I can only say this, my family has brought forth some amazing musicians and performers. We have served in the church for 4 generations. And that was apparent at the memorial service for my Mother. It came off beautifully and to me was very satisfying and gratifying... a wonderful tribute to a wonderful person
It was short notice. My Aunts had been out here a week and had done round the clock care of Mom in her last hours. There was a crisis of sorts when it was realized that it would take a week to get an internment arranged, so we put together a memorial service for the day we could get everyone together.
I was surprised at some of the people that came . People from her old job, a lady that had served with her on the mission field, a couple that have been friends of my family since, well, my dad met him at the local watering hole when he was still working. Frail, I think, and a bit fanciful, he walked up to the portrait of my parents and pointed at my Dad, in disbelief? "He never looked so well!, It looks just like him". The photo was taken in 1986 and he did look content and well then.
My brother, his son and soon to be daughter in law arrived. My brother looked ...old. Road weary, and had a terrible color. Maybe its too much smoking... maybe its drugs I dont know, but he looked awful. He turned and looked at me and I could see a strangeness in his eye and realized that he was quite mad. Mental illness runs in the family you know.
There was music and tributes from a number of her friends and my pastor cousin and I did some Bible readings. Then Pastor Rose picked up his guitar to accompany two of my mom's best friends, Jim and Alice, the last surviving members of a Gospel quartet that Mom was a part of for many years and they were going to sing...
Well, my nephew offered to play the piano. Its currently out of use because of need of tuning, and the tuner my Mom used is currently on mission in China... So they went on without the piano...
Well once they were done, David rose and pulled the cover off "my grandmother's piano" as he put it. Truly it was, as my Mom had selected it from the hundreds that she played prior to it being purchased for the new church back in the early eighties. David sat down and begain to play telling the group how much he owed to her as she gave him really the only music lessions he had received as a young boy. Her gifts for improvisation and transposition were never mine or my brothers but Dave can listen to a peice of music once and play it well then change its key and do it again, a real gift.
He is also a worship leader and a good one. I was so impressed. The torch has passed it really has and I feel good about it... Like I am realesed to do what ever God wants me to and not feel like I being measured by the expectation thatI would be like Mom, for I am not.
The spontanious rendition of "I Can Only Imagine" the perfect tribute for a 20 year
old singer, was wonderful and very well received. I will remember it always.
The rest of the service including the homily "the four things that improve when you die" was the name of it. 1. your health 2. your inheritance 3. your address 4. better friendships or fellowship... and not necessarily in that order. It was all good. A nine plus and a great send off for my Mom... Im sure that she was looking down and was very pleased...
I can only imagine...what her life is like now.....
Closeup of the flowers that Woody bought for the service. He is a lot of things but stingy about stuff like this he's not and he really seemed to understand and has been a great support. Yes, those were our favorite color roses, both Mom and I and those lillies smelled like heaven must smell like....
