A Treasure!

Les received a package in the mail from his sister yesterday.  His Mom's Bible!

 

Dolly received this Bible from her home church in Toledo, Ohio when she left to attend Apostolic Bible Institute in Minnesota.  She was 17 or 18 at the time.  She was a student of the Word which is quite obvious!

It is falling apart, so we are handling it with great care.

 

“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”
― Charles Spurgeon

Iris Morning

 

While I was out running this morning I saw several irises in bloom.  These were my mother-in-law's favorite flower and as we are heading towards Mother's Day I thought they were such a sweet reminder.

I do not believe that our loved ones are looking down on us from heaven.  The Bible says there is no sorrow nor crying (Revelation 21:4) so if they were to look down on this earth they would see plenty to bring them sorrow.

I think God sends us signs - little reminders that HE is looking down on us.  He cares about us.  Just as the iris blooms each year, there is joy and hope for those who walk with Him.

Prime Time!

After we returned home from Tennessee I decided I wanted to get a few more of my mother-in-law's books.  Many are available on Amazon (you can check them out here) but the ones I wanted were only available for Kindle.  I then headed over to Pentecostal Publishing House and found what I was looking for (you can check those out here.)

 

 

"Faith Fills An Empty Basket" is a follow-up book to "Faith Brings An Empty Basket."  Both are based on stories of the Faith Promise program and how God will take our commitment and multiply it.  Bro. Jack Leaman is known far and wide for his many years of Faith Promise services but he was also Dolly's classmate at ABI (Apostolic Bible Institute.)  This book was published in 2017 when Dolly was 80 years old.

She adapted stories from her two books about the DeMerchants (Flying Full Throttle and Still Flying Full Throttle) for children in "Pilot Bennie’s Amazing Amazon Adventures" and "More Amazon Adventures with Pilot Bennie."

This second book was published in 2020 - Dolly was 82 or 83 at the time!

This post may seem like an advertisement to buy Dolly's books, but it's not!  You won't be disappointed if you do buy them, but I just wanted to encourage all of us who over getting a little "older" to keep  living our lives with purpose.  We are not past our prime.  There is still so much to do.  Lessons to teach, songs to sing, souls to reach.

The Bible is full of examples of those made an impact when they were "well sticken in years" as Elisabeth and Zacharias, the parents of John the Baptist.  Anna the Prophetess was at least 84 when the baby Jesus was presented in the temple.  She "departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day."  Job lived 140 years after his trial and saw four generations of his family.  Abraham and Sarah were 100 and 90 when Isaac was born.  Caleb was 85 when he said, "Give me this mountain."

On and on the list goes.  Men and women who continued on even when others considered them past their prime.  Psalm 92:13-14 says, "Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age."  Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible says, "They shall continue to grow in grace, and be fruitful to the end of their lives. It is a rare case to find a man in old age full of faith, love, and spiritual activity." John Gill's Exposition of the Bible says, "Being thus planted and watered, they shall not only bring forth the fruits of righteousness, but shall continue, and go on to do so, and even when they are grown old; contrary to all other trees, which, when old, cease bearing fruit; but so do not the righteous; grace is often in the greatest vigour when nature is decayed." John Wesley's Notes on the Bible says about this verse:  "Their last days shall be their best days, wherein they shall grow in grace, and increase in blessedness."

 

Our best days are still ahead of us!

The Memory of the Righteous

 

We were back in Tennessee last week for my mother-in-law's memorial service.  It was a beautiful celebration of a life well lived.  Over 30 family members from all over the country were in attendance.  Her three children honored her, three of her pastors spoke, one pastor's wife and one friend.  We sang songs about the Blood of Jesus.  It truly was a beautiful celebration.

Proverbs 10:7 says, "The memory of the just is blessed."  Another translation says, "The memory of the righteous is a blessing."  Memories shared that day were such a blessing to our family.  There was a lump in our throats, but there was also so much joy and laughter.

Dolly loved to tell the story about being "A Jeremiah Baby."  Pastor Phillips told of it during his remarks.  When Grandma Loeffler was pregnant with Dolly she was told by the doctor that she might not survive giving birth so she dedicated her unborn child to the Lord.  Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee."  Dolly was known by her God before she was even born and she never took that for granted.

My sister-in-law, Lisa, read two poems during the service.  The second poem, called "Transition," was written by Dolly on her 16th birthday, it was the day her grandmother passed away.

Transition

To cross over the river,

To walk on that golden strand,

To change the leadings of this earth

For those of the Savior's hand.

 

To leave this world and our loved ones-

To meet others around the white throne,

To walk in darkness through the vale

On the path that leads toward Home.

 

To exchange for darkness, light,

To be sheltered from the cold,

To meet the Shepherd face to face

And be gathered into His fold.

Oh! Blessed Transition

That leads to the promised land

As we leave this earth for Heaven

We hold to the Savior's hand.

 

Goodbye for now, Dear Dolly, we'll meet you on the other side!

Hello, Dolly

 

It's been two weeks since my mother-in-law, Dolly, passed from this life to the next.  Before you think my title is a bit callous, I believe that those were the words she heard, along with, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."  She knew her God and He knew her!

 

She will be greatly missed by so many.  I haven't written, not because there isn't anything to say, but because there is so much!  How do you capture 85 years in a simple post?  I know that I really can't, but I thought I'd write about some of the things she loved.

She Loved God

I know this sounds like the obvious, but it rings true.  She was blessed to be born into a home that honored God and she never strayed from that foundation.  Going to church was part of who she was, not what she did.  She attended Apostolic Bible Institute in Minnesota, it was there that she met Jim McElhaney who would introduce her to his older brother Bill. 

 

She Loved Her Family

She was the youngest of two daughters.  She and her father shared a love for golf - it was the thing the two of them shared.  As I mentioned, she met Bill while she was attending ABI.  They married on August 1, 1959 and raised three great kids, including my favorite person on the planet.  She loved her grandchildren and was so proud of each of them.

She Loved God's Word

The Bible wasn't just a book that sat on a shelf.  Dolly studied it for herself.  When we met with her pastor to discuss her memorial service he mentioned how she had a unique way at looking at scripture.  It wasn't uncommon for her to talk to him after service and say, "Have you looked at that verse this way?"

She Loved to Write

Dolly began writing poetry as a child.  The earliest we have is from when she was eight years old.  Her writing never stopped - she had "one more book" that she wanted to get published.  Les said it wouldn't have mattered if that book had gotten published because there would always be one more book.  Fun fact:  I knew the name Dolly McElhaney before I knew the name Les McElhaney!  Dolly's first book, "Born With A Mission" was published in 1981.  This is the story of missionary to the Philippines, Carl Adams.  I read this shortly after it came out and before my first trip to the Philippines in 1984.  

Full confession:  When I started my blog I was very nervous about Dolly reading it.  I don't consider myself a good writer, actually I don't even consider myself a writer, so the thought of a true author reading my ramblings was intimidating.  I had nothing to worry about - Dolly was my biggest cheerleader when it came to my blog.  Without fail, she would encourage me, tell me she loved what I wrote, and give me a gentle nudge when I went too long without writing.

She Loved Missions

Along with "Born With A Mission," Dolly also wrote "Full Throttle" the story of missionaries to Brazil Bennie and Theresa DeMerchant.  This was followed up several years later by "Still Flying Full Throttle."  Her love for missions went beyond writing about it - the royalties from her stories went towards the support of an orphanage in Guatemala.  Bill and Dolly visited Guatemala many years ago and help build the facility.

We will be celebrating her life on Saturday, March 4th at the First United Pentecostal Church in Cookeville, TN. Visitation will begin at 1:00, followed by the service at 2:00. Per her request for anyone attending -  please wear bright colors - NO black!  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Home (the orphanage in Guatemala.)