Jeanne Clutterham Memorial Service

Friends, my family is trying to contact people about the memorial service for my Mom. I'm hoping that this post will help spread the word.

Jeanne Clutterham Memorial Service
Saturday, March 29, 2008
11 am
Grace Community Church
13248 Roscoe Blvd.,
Sun Valley, California 91352
Directions

Thanks.

A Greater Cloud of Witnesses

We do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess 4:13-18)

God appoints a time to die and He does so in His infinite care, and wisdom. There are many things that I know to be true and at the same time beg the Spirit to convince me of them in the way I trust, think, speak, and do. The Lord brought my Mom to heaven at 4:40 this afternoon. We rejoice in her heavenly experience and joy. I know this is true but still wait on the Spirit to make me to know it.

My Mom was a wonderful lady. She was the most kind and compassionate lady I knew. I remember kisses at elementary school drop-off, hot cocoa on rainy days. I remember finding her in the crowd of parents when getting a school award. I remember meeting her (tear-filled) with hugs when coming home from long trips. I remember family vacations, family bike rides, and waterskiing.... I loved my Mom so much.

More mercies of God to me:
6. 27 years with Jeanne Clutterham as mother. No one chooses their family and some are placed in the most difficult of environments. I have known a mother's love my entire life.

7. Jenna Guillory, RaeAnna Seaton, and Nate Scroggins who served us this last week (and are still serving) by turning people's desires to help into action. I am so thankful for them and those who have been cooking for us.

8. Encouraging emails, blog comments, facebook grafitti, phone calls from friends. These helped balance the sorrow with truth-telling, hope proclaiming.

9. John MacArthur's visit to our home this afternoon to encourage us and pray for my Mom and our family.

Now brothers and sisters, my Mom joins a long list of faithful saints who have gone before us, proclaiming that Jesus is trustworthy in all that He promised and that the race of faith can be run to the finish. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb 12:1).

A memorial service for my Mom is being arranged for this Saturday at Grace Community Church. I will give more details as they become available. I would like to extend an invitation to all who knew my Mom or have a connection to someone who knew my Mom or our family.

The Home Stretch

Friends, It appears that my Mom is heading down the home stretch of her life and battle with cancer. When hearing the news from Dr. Hugh last Tuesday, I considered that God was bringing my Mom's condition to a point of decision, rejoicing that either way would result in divine healing (whether through the restoration of her tumor-damaged organs or through leaving that earthly tent behind, 2 Cor 5:1-8; Ps 103:3). Her hospice nurse was here this morning. After taking her blood pressure, it seemed likely to her that she would go today.

I have seen that it takes great courage to die of cancer...and my Mom has been heroic. Thursday night (last week) with a full room of visitors, she gave testimony of the joy of walking with God. She told us of how she knew that God was walking with her each step of the way and then led us in singing a hymn: Blessed assurance.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

More mercies of God to me:
4. Mike and Christina Roe who twice made and brought homemade ice cream to my Mom in the last week. In the midst of her suffering, it brought us joy to hear her say, "That's good."

5. A father who kept his vow to the end: "To have and to hold...in sickness and in health."

Please pray for my Mom, that this will be a sprint of faith to Jesus--and for my Dad that he will hold onto the promise ("neither death...will separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord," Rom 8:38-39).

Days or Weeks

We sat in the noisy hospital room waiting for news. The procedure the previous day had failed to remove the waste fluids that were accumulating in my Mom's legs and abdomen. Dr. Hugh was sent to level with us. He, in the most gracious but straightforward way available, presented my parents with the option: days or weeks. Her tumor on her liver (despite the surgery) had grown steadily to the point of making it inoperable. This then contributed to the breaking down of the function of her kidneys (which work to remove waste from the body). In Dr. Hugh's estimation this signaled the beginning of the breakdown of her body's essential organic system. Poking and prodding, taking blood and giving pills would mean a painful extension of life for a few weeks. Days are shorter than weeks but presented the alternative of being more comfortable, in the place where she has called home for almost 35 years, surrounded by an unbroken chain of family and friends to tell her that they love her. Believing that there is a life to begin in the presence of Jesus on the other side of death, my parents decided days at home would be more precious than weeks in the hospital.

My Mom (Jeanne) is resting now. With great courage, she made it through the night. She asked my aunt Karen this morning (who has worked as a nurse for many years), "Karen, is this what happens?" It breaks the heart of a son. The days have been exhausting. Physical energy can be spent as much in tears as in laying bricks. But our faith and hope are in Jesus who promised us, "he who believes in Me will live even if he dies."

I will share more in the coming days as I give updates. But, with the example of Paul (Phil 2:27) and a dear friend (here) who acknowledged the mercies of God in the midst of trial, I would like to start a list of of noticed mercies of God to me and my family.

1. God's provision of a caring, believing doctor for the five years of my Mom's battle with cancer. I bless Dr. Lee for her personal care of my Mom for all these years. It was a precious sight for me to be there when she came to visit last Tuesday. Being so exposed to death, she was overwhelmed with sorrow to acknowledge that death was near.

2. God's gift of salvation to my Mom as a young 5th grader. He saved her and worked to sanctify her for so many years (about 44 years). The difference between my Mom and the other patients in that room was so evident. God has caused her to become like His Son with a gracious and kind Spirit.

3. God's provision of many friends who love my Mom. Their visits in these last days have been so precious as she is reminded of how she has blessed so many. Their expressions of love have been an unending song, the same melody of love with new verses of blessing and faithfulness, these last few days.

I will stop there for now. There are many more which are evident for me but I want to keep the coming posts manageable.

Why I love my blog banner

I was telling a friend about the picture I use for the banner of this blog and why I love it. The picture was taken on my second trip to Croatia (Aug 2005) outside the town of Krapina. To me it is the picture of contrast. A sign indicating the course of the railroad track and the railroad track itself, which appears entirely different than the sign indicates. My friend and I were talking about how many temptations to get off the track of trusting God present themselves everyday. We were reminding ourselves of the proverb that speaks God's wisdom concerning these temptations:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge HIm, and He will make your paths straight. (Prov 3:5-6)

My banner illustrates this instruction to me. The future may hold a million different curves, sharp turns, and go in unexpected directions, but to the man who trusts the Lord the future is straight. The principle begs the action of always trusting the Lord. Life's test may offer other options in multiple choice fashion, but the right answer is always A: Trust the Lord (all down the scantron, answer TTL no matter how attractive B or C look).

A good friend of mine (and roommate in college) serves as an example of someone who did this characteristically. I watched how time and time again he exercised faith in trusting God's wisdom. God used him as an RA at the master's college, brought him to Israel for a semester of study, brought him to the Master's Seminary, and then onto missions in Scotland. As God was doing these things I was struck by how straight his life appeared. I know that there were curves along the way, but God made them straight.