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remembering my father in law


This past week has been tough for our family as we went through the death of Julie’s father, Ellis Howell, and his funeral.  It was good to be with family at such a difficult time.


On a personal note I want to say thank you for your support and prayers.  We missed being with our church family on Sunday.  It was such a blessing to have our three children with us as we have not been together since July of 2020.  What a blessing to be with all our family.


I had the honor to preaching at his home going service.  The entire family agreed that we wanted this to be a celebrate and not a sad time.  It was so good to hear and share stories about his life, and my father in law was one of a kind.  His humor was strong, yet what was so much stronger was his faith in God.  


He was saved and secure in his faith.  He knew that heaven was his final destination for for decades he and his wife, Sandra, of 63 years lived out their walk with God for us to see.  What a blessing to literally be able to say this man “preached his funeral sermon long before his funeral”.


One of the things I have enjoyed in the past is preaching from someone else’s Bible.  I began to make my way through Pa’s Bible and noted over and over verses that meant much to him.  Let me share a few of those verses with you…


1 John 4:4  NASB

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.


1 Peter 5:6-7  NASB

Humble yourself therefore under the nighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.


Psalm 1:3  NASB

He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.


That is just three of those verses, and the one that stuck out the most to me is Psalm 1:3.  Pa was that tree.  Firmly planted his faith in God.  He lived what he believed.


I asked his children to share something that stuck out about their father, and here are a few of the things they shared…


He loved my youngens … Go play on the yellow line … Taught her to change oil and change a tire so I didn’t have to depend on a man … His wisdom and unselfish sacrifices he made for his family and country … Any time I had a question he always had an answer and was most often right … His unconditional love for his family regardless of how sarcastic he could be.  


Ellis Howell was a great man that impacted my life and many others.  I am stronger, physically and spiritually, because of him in my life.


Thank you for your prayers, your continued prayers for Julie, her mother and the family.

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