death | Ain't Complicated

Sasha Krause: Lost, Found, Buried

Actually, they found and buried only the body Sasha inhabited for over 27 years.

Sasha Marie Krause went alone to church on Saturday, January 18. It was just a quick trip for some Sunday School materials. She needed them to teach the preschool class the next day at her congregation’s outreach in Colorado.

Unscheduled in the grand scheme of life, that short drive to church was routine in that it was nothing special. She arrived safely…and vanished, no more to be seen in this life by family and friends. But someone else was with her. Someone not yet identified. Someone who took her or her lifeless body to Arizona.

On Friday (February 28) her body completed its earthly travels, this time in Texas to its burial.Read it all

Hopewell Mennonite Church: Two More Funerals

Marion Schrock and Roger Jones, buried one day apart in our little church cemetery

We have our own cemetery here at Hopewell Mennonite Church. But we rarely have funerals in our meeting house for capacity reasons. Yesterday afternoon, though, we hosted the Oregon funeral for former member Marion Schrock who died in Indiana. And this afternoon we had the funeral for Roger Jones, one of our newest members.

So we have two new graves in our cemetery. Here they are, still empty… Read it all

Esther Boss: A New Creation

God exchanged her ruined body for something new.

I got word early this morning that she died during the night.

In the last few days, we prayed often for God’s best for her, deeply hoping that meant a miraculous healing of her long-running rheumatoid arthritis and just-discovered bone cancer.

Instead, God’s best for her meant exchanging her ruined body for something new.

That faith does not erase the pain of loss for her husband Marvin and the rest of her family.

Such reassuring Christian hope does not eliminate the emptiness they feel.

They. We.

But believe and hope we shall.

Meanwhile, in Heaven, such glory for Esther!

And such glory for the Redeemer-Lamb who won her back to Himself and kept her for Himself! Read it all

Resurrection Morning

Jesus lives and all is well!

Today Orpha Tice Smucker would have been 67 years old. Now she is eternally ageless.

Below this photo of her and James’ grave is a poem written by one of her granddaughters. I took this picture at 7:29 the morning after their April 9 burial.

Resurrection Morning

They put Jesus to death on an ugly tree,
He endured the pain for you and me.
He loves us! His grace will be enough,
So in Him let us put all out trust.

The women, weeping, went to His grave,
To put spice on the One who is mighty to save,
But the cold, death stone was rolled away,
And an empty place where Jesus lay.

An angel told them, “He is not dead,
But He is risen as He said.”
The women rejoiced and ran to tell,
That Jesus lives and all is well!

Jesus is alive, today and forever,
His love for us no one can sever,
His blood can cleanse from every sin,
Just open your heart and let Him in.

–Kaitlynn Yoder, then 10

“James and Orpha, Come Home!”

Where we see an abrupt summons, God has seen a precious, long-scheduled event of glory.

At the vibrating buzz, I flipped open my cellphone…

James Smucker was killed

James Smucker was killed in an accident last night
and Orpha is in ICU. They were visiting Wisconsin.

I stared. Icy fingers squeezed my heart, bent my mind, twisted my emotions. How do you process a message like that? Rereading it carefully changed nothing.

My spirit reached out to the unerring Father, petitioning for His best for Orpha. He answered with exactly that. Read it all

Flowers for Friends Afar

A brief visit to an old gravestone

Flowers in memory of these friends:

Flowers for their children and grandchildren who mourn James’ abrupt departure for the Land where Joan dwells.

Flowers for Orpha too. Perhaps some day you also will see this picture. Your Creator alone knows. We trust Him to do what is best for you at this time. Read it all

They Killed Him Dead

All the way dead.

Dead. As in, no life left in the body.

Dead. As in, put that body in a tomb.

Dead. As in, still, cold, stiff.

They killed Jesus dead.

Others took His body off the cross, dead.

And put His body in a tomb, dead.

Dead, dead, dead — they killed Him dead.