The Kreider Connection
Racers For Christ
November, 2008 Newsletter
Some of you who have been in contact with me may have noticed that I wasn’t fully myself lately. You see, we have been riding that old roller coaster of emotion that many of you know all too well. My 91 year old father has been in failing health, and since mid- August we have traveled knowing we may have to make an emergency trip to Pennsylvania for his funeral if he is called home. This also required a contingency plan to cover the race we were working if the need arose.
As always, God has used this to teach a few more perspectives on life. In September we were called; Dad was not expected to be alive by the time we got there due to kidney and heart failure. I sat by my father’s bed for two weeks contemplating the difference between the culture I now live in compared to the one I grew up with in southeast Pennsylvania. I struggled with why this whole process of getting from earth to heaven sometimes takes so long. One of our NHRA Div. 3 racers had his life cut short in a racing accident at the track where I was to be. Even though we were blessed with great staff filling in I felt I should have been there for everyone. Then I came face to face with the reality that God apparently had preordained our visit to minister to some dear people who were searching for real forgiveness so their souls could touch the spirit of God!
Sometimes it is very humbling to realize God wants to use someone like little old me and my wonderful wife to make a difference for Him in unexpected places. I still sometimes question why is it so difficult to leave this earth when that is my elderly fathers wish? I also don’t come close to understanding why other lives are cut so short with so much more life to be lived. As I ever so slowly learn to put it all in the hands of almighty God and submit to His perfect plan for my life, we will get through the difficult valleys and celebrate the mountain top experiences together. Then, in His timing, those of us who trust in Jesus will travel from this troubled earth to experience something more fantastic than our wildest imagination – life with Him.
So as we move towards the Thanksgiving season, we urge you to make the most of each earthly moment with those you love. Thank God for who He made you to be and remember, if He can use someone such as me, he can use you. Why not reach out and take His mighty hand and enjoy the ride His way? I can assure you your use of the word ‘boring’ will always be in past tense. God bless you all for your prayers and encouragement through our difficult time, and hug the ones you love at every opportunity.
Glenn and Linda, Servants of Jesus
Email: kreiders@papadocs.com
What I Know About Grief
When I say I know something about grief, I’m not saying I understand your pain.
I’m whispering that I have also grieved.
When I speak of God’s grace, I speak of it reverently, confessing that I have stumbled,
doubted, and cried my way to God’s mercy.
When I speak of surviving grief, I am not saying I am strong, I am professing that I am weak and continue to pray daily for strength.
When I share my story, I’m not saying I have all the answers to grief’s questions.
I’m saying I’m willing to let you see inside my pain.
When I offer you my hand, it’s not because I am more courageous than you.
I offer because I understand weakness, imperfect faith, and vulnerability.
When I speak of God’s healing, it doesn’t mean I don’t still feel the sting of grief.
It means I’ve found hope during moments of God’s tender comfort.
When I mention faith, it’s not because I have found a formula for surviving loss.
It means I am here because God helped me find my way through the darkness.
From “Grieving Forward” by Susan Duke