I think we all had enough of this snow and ice, while the back porch is kind of thawing out a little bit, I’m kind of left to my own devices. I kind of thought I’d take some time for a few words about a personal event. The Zoom bible class that I am a member of lost a good friend this past Wednesday. I’ve had a couple of days now to absorb the meaning of that loss and it took me to a rather surprising place. The passing of our friend Jim Fedraw led me to the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is a wisdom book in the Old Testament traditionally attributed to Solomon, that explores the meaning of life under the sun. Jim and I, our paths crossed about 10 years ago, in a Nazarene morning Bible study. Stay with me now and don’t let me confuse you.The key themes in the book of Ecclesiastes center around a Hebrew word which can be translated as vanity or meaninglessness. It appears nearly 40 times to describe life as intangible, unpredictable and fleeting, and the teacher laments  the fact that all people, regardless of their standing face the same fate… death. It is his consideration that nothing under the sun provides lasting meaning. There is a futility of human effort the author of the book laments, the fact that the cycles of nature in life repeat, leaving no lasting impact on the world. There are some key takeaways from this book in the Bible… They are that life is unpredictable, and death is an equalizer, both wise and foolish humans, animals, whatever, share the same end. The author reminds us that the one thing that really matters is that life  life is merely like just chasing after the wind.

I thought of this book in the Bible because Jim Fedraw was exactly the opposite. Jim was a man that loved God and he looked forward to learning about God, and he made God the centerpiece of his life, and was truly a blessing to those of us who sat with him all those years as we studied God’s word. Jim’s greatest burden was that his children would know God, that they would know Jesus, and they would make that the centerpiece of their life. He prayed for and worked for the salvation of his children, he valued family very much. Jim Fedraw knew that the things of this life were only temporary, and he knew where his treasure lay. I really don’t know how to end this. I guess the best way might be just simply say, job well done Jim.

 So Ponder This…can any man or woman have a greater legacy to leave than that they loved the Lord their God with all their heart with all their mind and with all their soul.

Kurt