Living Stones Series: First Published in All Around Old Bridge Publication – February 2024

Recently, a 30-year-plus member of our church passed into eternity. She impacted so many and was a model of a godly woman, wife, mother, and friend. Her husband, family, and our church community will miss her sorely. But her passing made me think about some of her qualities that are so needful today! Her selflessness overflowed with joy, serving, and uplifting all around her! What a contrast to an increasingly narcissistic and godless culture dominated by broken marriages, families, and communities plagued with frustration, loneliness, and depression.

Many of the world's problems can be traced back to a selfish farmer and a drunken sailor (Adam and Noah)! But the selfless and sacrificial carpenter, the son of Mary, Son of God, came to repair our broken lives! Without that inner power from a right relationship with God, there will naturally be escalating divorce and fatherless children, bringing havoc to the next generation. Having grown up in a broken home, I can tell you firsthand the insecurity, depression, and paranoia that plagued me. I didn't need someone to help me to pretend that was "normal." Thank God for a godly praying grandmother who connected me to godly mentors. They rescued me from the loss that came from not having a strong dad and a loving mother in the home.

Let's acknowledge the need for strong families, which Caroline and her husband Alex modeled. We don't need the mantra "normal is whatever you make it." One can't improve the impact of children when they're in a home with a mom and a dad who love each other and serve the family. And the strength to do that comes from a right relationship with Jesus Christ.