Prayer is something that we talk a lot about in our churches. It is something that just about everyone has tried at one time or another before going to bed or before a meal or in times of great stress. Some of us may even have a well established habit of a daily time alone with God where we spend time with God in prayer. It is undoubtedly essential for a healthy Christian life. We cannot grow to be more like Jesus and cannot hope to be connected to God in an intimate relationship with God without prayer. But what about corporate prayer, praying with God’s people?

In our church that I serve, Community United Methodist Church we have several opportunities to join with other sisters and brothers in Christ for prayer. On Wednesday night we have a small group of women who come together for an hour of prayer. On Sunday mornings during worship we obviously pray together. When I lead a Wednesday night bible study we take time before the study to take prayer requests and pray for each other. There is another special opportunity in our church that is a very meaningful place to pray together, our Tuesday morning Men’s Prayer Group. About 20+ men meet every Tuesday morning in our fellowship hall for breakfast, fun ribbing of each other (really mostly them picking on poor, little, ole me as the Pastor . . . although I can dish it out too), a short devotional and then prayer. I especially love this prayer group because of it’s simplicity and sincerity. Most of these men would never have prayed out loud in public before becoming a part of this prayer group but it has become a safe, non-judgmental place to simply connect with other men in prayer. We simply list on a dry erase board all the needs in our church family, their families and friends, our surrounding communities, our nation and even the needs of the world and then we just pray. Our time of prayer typically consists of the men spontaneously lifting up a prayer need that they had listed on the board. Each person’s prayer is very simple, conversational in style with some even being somewhat awkward. The prayers are short and sweet with little or no floury language and we conclude the entire time of prayer with the Lord’s Prayer. The majority of the time I leave that prayer breakfast I feel like we have met God. Usually nothing overwhelmingly profound was shared but the simplicity and sincerity of meeting with these men in prayer is very powerful.

In Scripture we see that when God’s people came together prayer was a vital part of their worship and fellowship. The infant church in Acts made prayer an essential part of their time together (Acts 2:42). Movements of God throughout church history were always connected with God’s people coming together for prayer. This is a vital piece of the health of the church worldwide, local churches, and us as individuals to not only pray privately but also to come together as the church family and touch God in prayer. It doesn’t have to be something elaborate or long but just God’s people coming together to meet God and pour our their lives together to God in prayer. It is one of the greatest places to find encouragement, strength, correction, inspiration, support, healing, and so much more to help us “make it today!”

God then tells us in Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” I have encouraged everyone in our congregation to join me in memorizing this powerful passage which is equally true for us as it was thousands of years ago. With God we can face anything. His presence makes all the difference. Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, writes:

Christianity does not so much offer solutions to the problems of suffering, but rather provides the promise of a God who is completely present with us in suffering. Only Christians believe in a God who says, “Here I am alongside you. I have experienced the same suffering you have. I know what it is like.” No other religion even begins to offer that assurance. After the World Trade Center tragedy, between 600 and 800 new people began attending Redeemer. The sudden influx of people pressed the question, “What does your God have to offer me at a time like this?” I preached, “Christianity is the only faith that tells you that God lost a child in an act of violent injustice. Christianity is the only religion that tells you, therefore, God suffered as you have suffered.” (Tim Keller, “Preaching Amid Pluralism,” Leadership (Winter 2002), pp. 34-35)

A song that I have heard on the radio these past months at just the time when I needed it is entitled, “He Is With You.” I encourage you to take a few minutes and listen carefully to Mandisa share this powerful message of God’s presence. May it be a source of strength and comfort to you as it was to me.

She’s gone.
It happened in a flash,
leaving everything behind.
Confusion swept over me.
For I know she has a new, better life
but, I can’t believe it.
Not now.
I can’t wait to see her.
Listen to her explain everything.
But, until I get there:
I must trust in God.
~Rebecca Fordham

Teresa Lynn Martin Fordham

Last night my family and 1,000+ of us said goodbye to my wife, Teresa Lynn Martin Fordham, who after a very brief, sudden illness, went ahead of us to paradise on February, 28, 2010 at only 45 years of age. We mourned our loss, celebrated her life and the legacy she has left behind, and we celebrated her eternal life. Below are the words that I wrote on behalf of our family and shared at the service. May they honor her life and point us to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

First, our family would like to thank so many who have walked with us through this most shocking time of saying goodby to Terri. We could not have asked for better care from the all the medical staff who truly cared and gave their best in fighting to save Terri’s life. We would also like to thank Morrison United Methodist Church for so generously and graciously allowing us to meet here this evening. Also, a special thank you to our church family, Community United Methodist Church, for their steadfast loving support. So many of our dear friends have come alongside of us and continue to carry us through our terrible loss. We have been made aware this past week that not only is our family broken and shocked with Terri’s sudden passing but we are a part of a community not only here in Central Florida but throughout the world who are shocked and deeply saddened with us. We thank you for the tears you have shed with us! We are overwhelmed with your support here this evening. Terri never knew that she was loved this much!

This world will never be the same because of the gift that God gave us in the life of Teresa Lynn Martin Fordham. Terri’s legacy will continue on in each one of our lives. Terri could often be seen walking into a room and lighting it up with her bright smile and infectious personality. Terri was a passionate person who loved life and gave her all to everything that she did. Terri had a strong, even stubborn, driven personality who when she set her heart set on something she would not give up until it was accomplished. She did not like “no” for an answer. Terri had strong convictions about everything that she did with her life. If she believed something was the right thing to do she would not rest until it was accomplished. Sometimes that would get under people’s skin as she would push with passion that which she thought was right or best. Terri was a passionate person who gave 100% to everything that she did and she could not understand those who made shortcuts or who gave less than their best or as she would call it “half-baked.” Speaking of half-baked, Terri was a phenomenal cook who loved to share her hospitality to others through a meal or one of her phenomenal cakes that she would bake and decorate with great skill, love, and care. Terri had a gift of hospitality where she loved to throw a party at Halloween for parents and kids at our home. She loved our Christmas staff party and cooking the best meal possible as her gift of love to our staff. She loved welcoming friends and family into our home and showing them God’s love through the meal and her warm hospitality. Terri loved getting away spending time with friends, scrapbooking her family’s life. Terri was also very competitive in everything she did as could easily been seen in her love of sports, especially as a 4.0 tennis player. She couldn’t wait to hit the courts and often came home spent after a great match.

Another love that Terri had was for music. Terri was frustrated that she could not sing as well as she would like to. She loved to listen to her Shawn, Rebecca, and Amanda sing. She listened every chance that she had to the Florida State University’s coed Acapella group that you heard this evening, All-Night Yahtzee, of whom Amanda, her daughter, is a member. Terri loved to hear her precious daughter, Lindsey, play something soulful on her saxophone. When I, Mike, was up on the stage in a worship service and looked at Terri during the singing of the worship songs she seemed lost in the songs as she gave her all in worship to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and sang out to God with great passion.

One of Terri’s heartfelt passions was teaching children. Terri understood her role as a teacher not as a job or a means to make money but as a calling from God. Teaching was Terri’s ministry and way that she worshiped God. Terri’s #1 goal was to provide the absolute best education and care of all children, especially those whom society and others would be frustrated by or would be overlooked. Terri saw every child through the loving eyes of God and often came home and told us of another child for whom she was fighting to provide the best care. Terri did not teach for the school system or for other teachers but for her children. She would do whatever it took to provide the best care for these children.

By far, Terri’s greatest passion of all was her love for her family and relationship with God. She gave her all to these two. Terri loved and was proud to be the daughter of Bill and Peggy Martin and the sister of Pam and her husband Todd. Terri kept the birthdays of all her family, including nieces and nephews on her calendar. Terri was an amazing daughter also to her mother-in-law, Rita. Terri loved and cared deeply about all her relatives some of whom were able to be here with us tonight and represent those who could not be with us. Terri loved to travel with her family and get away on vacations creating memories with her family. Without a doubt, the greatest day in Terri and I, Mike’s lives was when God gave us the gift of His love in our 4 children: Amanda, Lindsey, Shawn and Rebecca. We had no idea on the day we became husband and wife almost 27 years ago in 1983 how much God would bless us with our four children! They are the greatest expression of love that Terri and I have for each other. We could not ask for more. It is not possible for Terri and I to be any more proud than we are of these precious gifts from God. Terri’s legacy will be carried on through them more than any other way. When our family said goodbye to Terri and gave her to the Lord our children expressed their concern that people would not blame God or turn their back on God because of the sudden, tragic loss of their mother. Their hope and prayer was that God would use this loss of their mother as a means to draw people closer to God and maybe even for some here to today to turn to God and allow Him to forgive them of their sins and then turn their entire lives over to Him to lead their lives as Jesus has done for Terri all these years.

The only other passion that Terri has in her life that equals the love for her family is her love for her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with whom she is now sharing her new, eternal life. Terri wanted all the world to know of God’s undying love for all of us. Not only did Terri dedicate herself to telling people about Jesus, she truly strived with all that she had within her to show Jesus Christ to this world with her life. Whether it was teaching Sunday School, helping with Winterfest, leading and organizing our Women of Faith group, or serving on a mission trip Terri was passionate about shining the light of Christ wherever she went.

Terri lived by the words of Jesus who told us the key to life when he said that we are to love the Lord with all that we have and to love each other in the same manner. Terri gave everything that she had to her relationship with the Lord and to us. What more could we or ask for? She truly was the Proverbs 31 woman.

There is a song by Alan Jackson called, “Sissy’s Song” that echoes the heart of our family. Please listen carefully to the words as if we our family are singing them.

As we close this funeral, this worship service we have asked our dear friend, Michele James-Pruyn to sing a song that Terri asked her to sing years ago, “My Redeemer Lives.” As Michele sings this powerful song with her God-given beautiful voice that Terri loved to listen to know that we as a family grieve but not as those who are without hope. Our shock and pain in the loss of Terri is overshadowed by rejoicing in the victory that Terri and we all have over sin and death through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we one day reunite with Terri on the other side of death’s door we will look back on the years we have missed without her as just a very short moment compared to the eternity that we will have together. Terri, you have been my wife, my life partner for these past, almost 27 years. You will continue to take my breath away when I recall the many years of memories that we have shared together. I have loved you with all my life and I will continue to do so for all eternity. We do not say goodbye but we will do our best to carry on your legacy and look forward to our reunion in God’s time on the other side of death’s door where we will be together for all eternity. We all say to you this evening, honey, we love you and will miss you greatly until we meet again!

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

I asked God to take away my pride, and God said no. He said it was not for him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole, and God said, “No, her spirit is already whole. Her body is only temporary.”

I asked God to grant me patience, and God said no. He said that patience is the byproduct of tribulation. It isn’t granted; it’s earned.

I asked God to give me happiness; God said no. He said he gives blessings; happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain, and God said no. He said I must grow on my own, but he will prune me in order to make me fruitful.

I asked God if he loved me, and God said yes. He gave me his only Son who died for me, and I will be in heaven some day because I believe.

I asked God to help me love others as much as he loves me, and God said, “Ahhh, finally! Now you have the idea.”

One very important truth that I have learned over the years about being a leader is the need to not take myself too seriously. I have learned to laugh at myself. Afterall, everyone else is laughing at me! John Maxwell models this truth in his latest blog post where he posts a masterfully edited YouTube video spoof of John. As he wrote on his blog, “I saw this for the first time at the conference, and I loved it. I hope you had as much fun watching it as I did.” I had a blast watching the video and hope it will brighten your day and also serve to remind us to join others and continue to laugh at ourself.

Lance Cormier -- Isaiah 41:13

This evening my son, Shawn, and I were watching our beloved Tampa Bay Rays take on the Cleveland Indians. It was somewhere in the middle of the game where one of Tampa’s middle relievers, Lance Cormier, was working hard on the mound trying to keep the Indians from scoring more runs. My son then noticed the passage Isaiah 41:13 written on the thumb of Cormier’s glove. Immediately, I pulled out my blackberry storm to look up the passage (no, I did not have the passage memorized!). I was fascinated as I read, “For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I realized why he chose these powerful words. Obviously, he has chosen this verse because to him it says that God is holding his right hand, his pitching hand, and God gives him confidence and chases away fear as God promises to help him. My seminary professors would probably, no, definitely object to this prooftext and rightly so and yet it is impressive at the same time. As I see it Lance is striving to fulfill the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, “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.” Whether pitching on the mound, cleaning toilets, parenting children, preaching, leading a corporation, or anything that we do in life we are to bring God into the situation to work His will in and through our lives. God desires to accomplish His perfect will in and through our lives as we submit every area of our lives to His will! God longs to be our strength and walk with us every step of the way.

Incidently, in case you were wondering the Rays came back from the biggest deficit in the history of the franchise, 0-7, to win the game 8-7 with BJ Upton’s walk-off homer. Cormier’s pitching stopped the momentum of the Indians and gave the Rays a chance to overcome overwhelming odds. Go Rays!