The Virtual Pew Daily: Mary Jane Erwin Furches

Showing posts with label Mary Jane Erwin Furches. Show all posts

Friday, November 27, 2020

Not So Happy Holidays

Yesterdays Thanksgiving Day for my family was a first, the first time we faced Thanksgiving without my wife Mary Jane also a mother and grandmother. While our family is small, only 2 children and 2 grandchildren, the day was tough. It is a journey we will all face someday minus the tragedy of loosing our own lives and being the first to go.

Mary Jane Erwin Furches was a loving wife and mother. Many know our journey though the journaling I did on Facebook and the public way we lived our lives. We lived it publicly for most of our lives, not to impress but to hopefully inspire. In that capacity, few inspired as much, in their own silent way as did Mary Jane. She was literally the glue that held our family together. She was the epitome of how to love.

Scrolling through FaceBook this morning, I realized there are many families that know what I'm talking about. While the holidays for many are a time of joy and memories, it is also a time of reflection and sadness for those who are no longer around. In these moments many of us have come to realize, Thanksgiving is about more than a big meal and Christmas is about much more than presents under the tree. We understand that with loss, memories play much more of a role in our joy and happiness than the things, be they food or gifts ever were.

This holiday season, I'll be honest, I don't want to decorate the house and you have to know how much our family celebrated the holidays, but I think I have to try and muster the strength to do it. I haven't even taken down the Christmas tree from last year because Mary Jane put a few decorations on the tree and she loved Christmas so much that I just can't bring myself to do it. Not just for me, but for many, the holidays, especially those first ones without a loved one are a struggle.

Next up is Christmas and while Mary Jane went to dance with Jesus on December 22, we had a Christmas celebration with her the day she died. She saw the grandkids open some presents, told them Merry Christmas and that she loved them a few hours before dying. She saw her children before laying down, falling asleep with me next to her and going to be with Jesus. In many ways this December 22 and ultimately Christmas will be the first without her. I already find myself shedding tears thinking about that and I know there are many others who can relate.

I have heard these stories for most of my life, you know, how the holidays are tough, but this is the first time experiencing it this close to home. For those blessed to have all of your family, enjoy, celebrate and cherish the time together. For the others, like us, on your first time, hang in there, let's be there for each other. I made a few phone calls yesterday, will make more today, but let's let each other know we are still loved by our friends and family that remain. For those who have been through the process for many years, I will say I cherish your wisdom and advice on how to endure because God knows, it sure is hard.

To each of you, blessings and the Happiest of Holidays possible.

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Wichita Kansas, 67214
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Thursday, September 24, 2020

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 23, 24, Lost and Found Love, a Godly Woman

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 23, 24

Lost and Found Love, A Godly Woman

I can so relate do the deep love Abraham has had for Sarah, although I don't always understand his reasoning in some things. There comes a time when all of us will leave this planet and so was the case for Sarah who has died. Abraham wants the best for her, even in death, so he goes out of his way to honor her. He insists on buying land to have his wife buried on even after he was offered the land for free. I've learned, grief does that. There is no doubt of the love Abraham had for his wife; we saw it through his life, we see it in the death of his wife Sarah.

I can't help but think; while there are many lessons we can learn here; do we show the love we have for others in the now? I'm convinced, the more we love in the now, the more we grieve in the loss. I've experienced that, we see it with Abraham and Sarah.

After the death of Sarah, Abraham turns to his son Isaac. He wants the best for him. Abraham realizes it is through his son that God will do the things He has promised. Abraham sends out a servant to find a wife for Isaac. Through a rather unusual set of circumstances the servant finds the wife that God has for Isaac, Rebekah. Rebekah and her family see the hand of God in all of this. They allow Abraham's servant to take back Rebekah to Isaac where they will wed and have a deep love for each other.

The one lost person in this story is the servant. A servant who saw the sincerity of Abraham's faith and prays to the God of Abraham as he sees the power of God. Do we display a faith so strong that others around us are moved by that faith? I'm not talking about a lot of the things people relate to faith like healings, money and so forth, (although that can be a part of it,) but a faith that recognizes and accepts the ways and reality of God?

I know that in the scheme of things, I'll never be wealthy like Abraham, but, I realize I can have faith in my life, as messed up as I am that can inspire others. Of course I have to walk in faith to demonstrate that May we all have a faith that produces results and inspires others.

To see Genesis Chapter 23 and 24 Click the following link:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+23%2C+24&version=CEV

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Sunday, September 13, 2020

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 9 and 10. God Loves The Cities and There Are Many Nations Under God

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 9, 10

God Loves the Cities and It's Many Nations Under God

In chapter 9 of Genesis we see the establishment of cities. I have lived in the cities but I have also lived in the country. There is definitely benefits to both, but when doing the work of God, there is so much opportunity in cities. There are those ministries, to people that we see Jesus involved in in the New Testament. For whatever reason, we know that often times people are drawn to the cities. People from all walks and with all kinds of needs. Unfortunately we see unrest in cities as well, we see this especially so as of this devotion, in America, we see riots, discord and rebellion. The one thing we don't see enough of is a turning to God as the answer to the worlds problems.

There is also a concept approached in chapter 10 that I appreciate here. We see that God is the God of all Nations, that in reality, many nations, not just one, is to be under the rule and direction of God. We often think, no matter where we are at in the world that it is all about us no matter what nation we live in, yet we can clearly see through scripture that God loves all people, of all nations. In church this morning I appreciated the comments of the pastor on this subject, while some of us are blessed, and should feel so to be in the nation we are, we must remember, we are only visitors here, our ultimate nation as followers of Jesus is the Kingdom of God, our brothers and sisters are in many nations around the globe, not just the one we live in.

How should we see the needs of our brothers and sisters around the World, how do we contemplate their faith journey and especially so in conjunction with the reality that while we may have brothers and sisters who are citizens of other nations, we are all citizens of the Kingdom of God.

To see Genesis Chapter 9 and 10 Click the following link:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+9%2C+10&version=CEV

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We Need Your Help, Covid Has Impacted Our Ministry

This one has been a long time coming, but Covid has impacted the ministries I am a part of. Over the last number of years there has been support that has come in from individuals and churches to the amount of approximately $650 a month. Mary Jane and I supplied the additional $1,400 - $1,500 a month to cover costs. We had it, it was never a problem, so, we did it.

With Covid having such an impact on individuals and churches we are losing that $650 per month income as of this coming month. That means I will have to come up with that amount on a monthly basis. To be blunt, that just isn't possible.

The ministry of The Virtual Pew has been busier than ever, especially with individuals not being able to get out and depending more on online ministries. I have done everything from meeting with people on a regular basis locally, to spending time online with those in need. There have been situations where I have taken my money, purchased groceries, helped pay for motel accommodations and then some for the homeless and others. I want to be careful about the specifics of things getting done and while I have admittedly been busy with music, I have also continued the ministry work of helping whoever I can in a reasonable way. In some situations, it may be marital counseling, in others it may be dealing with grief from the loss of a loved one and in others literally being available to help in other ways be it transportation, or some other way.

I had hopes that with the expansion of ministry recently, along with the music that I would be able to continue to support those ministry needs. It has been very difficult. We lost approximately 1/2 of our donations some months ago, and as of this coming month, will loose all of those donations, I just can't continue on that path.

Will you; can you consider helping on a monthly basis? I may also very likely be looking for another resident in the near future but I will also admit, I don't want to, I'm not planning on running a housing program. Whoever would be considered has to do their part of maintaining the property and following through with things they have committed to do. I certainly don't have, won't take the time to do things that others have as an obligation when they stay here, frankly, if I had my druthers, I would stay totally by myself right, but the extra little bit of money to cover basic costs can help. It also helps if that person is taking their faith commitment seriously and making church and so forth a priority. If the person staying here does their part it can work. I find it easier and less stressful just to live by myself than to have to deal with those types of issues. I'm a firm believer as to a resident, if they can't take the time to be actively involved in church and Bible study, it is best to live someplace else, or, I live by myself.

Anyway, please consider helping, and if possible on a monthly basis, this is a ministry Mary Jane believed in, there have been areas that she would be proud of that have continued since she went to Dance with Jesus.

You can give a tax deductible donation to Mosaic or you can also contribute to The Virtual Pew at paypal at mike@furches.org or via cash app at $MichaelFurches. You can also mail donations to 1249 North Saint Francis, Wichita, KS 67214.

Thank you for considering helping this ministry out.

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Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Daily Devotion: Genesis Chapter 5 and 6. Ancestry and Super Heroes

Daily Devotion: Genesis Chapters 5, 6

Ancestry and Super Heroes

In today's reading Chapter 5 starts off with something that many tend to overlook when reading the Bible, genealogy. We do the same thing in life, well at least most of us do until we get older. We tend to not focus on, be concerned about or search out our own history. Thankfully in today's world we are seeing some changes in that due to things like ancestry dot com and DNA research. Prior to my wife's death, early on in her diagnosis with Pancreatic Cancer, I decided to invest in a detailed DNA test and research into our Ancestry.

We learned fascinating things. It was like her 10th great grandmother who was a passenger on the Mayflower, and my 10th great grandfather was the pilot of the Mayflower. The fact that our relatives likely knew each other was a fascinating thing to us. There were other things, like one of Mary Jane's grandfathers, being John Sterling whom Sterling Castle was named after where Mary Queen of Scotts was christened and King Richard the 3rd or 4th being one of my grandfathers and Henry the 8th being a distant relative as well. Ancestry while interesting is a part of defining who we are and where we come from. A fascinating part of Jesus ancestry shows that not only King David was a part of his lineage, but so was Adam and Eve.

While there is a lot who will debate the story of Adam and Eve and the history there, I find it fascinating and them being a part of the listed genealogy of Jesus is meaningful to me on various levels.

Another thing that stuck out to me in today's reading is the Nephilim who were supernatural beings who bred with women on earth, and them being described essentially as "super heroes." Personally I am fascinated and would like to know a lot more about these beings and their offspring as we just don't have that much written about them in the Bible. Anyone knowing of other reliable texts that may tell more about them, I would like to know as this is one of those things that keeps the Bible, for me, far from being a boring read. Of course I like reading The Contemporary English Version when reading because of the easy to understand translation and the way it was translated. That said, wouldn't you like to know more about this species of creature? Is it angels, is it something else and how were they like super heroes?

The rest of Chapter 6 starts to get into the story of Noah. We see how far human kind has progressed, or regressed in the time frame from the point of creation to the point of Noah. We see again, just like we saw earlier, God will only take so much before he acts. He is tired of what humankind has become and even contemplates the total destruction of the earth except for one who was faithful, Noah. How faithful are we in today's world to loving and serving God and others? How many times will God show through scripture that he will only put up with so much? Of course we know some of what is coming next and in the future, but until then, keep enjoying the read and thoughts.

To read these chapters click on the following link:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+5%2C+6&version=CEV

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Saturday, July 6, 2019

An End Of Life Dream Date With Jeff Lynne's ELO

The link to the article on my other page is as follows: https://mikefurchesreviews.blogspot.com/2019/07/an-end-of-life-dream-date-with-jeff.html

Click on the link to check it out, it is well worth it.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Celebrating A Great Teacher & Incredible Wife

I married my wife, Mary Jane Erwin Furches on November 20, 1979. It would have been her mother and father’s 50^th wedding anniversary. The initial plan was to have a joint service, our marriage and their 50^th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, her mother died the summer prior to the time we had planned to get married. We faced other challenges though, mainly some of our families disapproval. They disapproved because my wife was older than me. That has been a challenge off and on during our years of marriage but I didn’t expect it to be the brunt of a joke that should have honored her 39 years of teaching as she is set to retire this Thursday from Derby Middle School, but it was and while some will think there is some aspect of an overreaction from me, I will state that after 39 years of working with troubled youth in inner city neighborhoods and schools and teaching special education during most of that time, out of a love to educate and better the life of children, that should have been the focus and the reason for celebration before the Derby School Board and 12 others from the State of Kansas largest school system who were also retiring and their families recognition dinner on 5/20/12. Simply put, my wife deserved more than she got without having to be embarrassed before this group of people. Sure it may have been intended as a harmless comment, I am sure it was, but even as we left the parking lot another retiree made comment to us of her being a “cradle robber.” Again, while I don’t think that she or the person during the presentation meant harm from their comments, they were still embarrassing and somewhat stung.

I never liked the term “cradle robber!” I never liked it for a lot of reasons, one because it implies I had nothing to do with our relationship. Despite several close friends and doctors telling us we were making a good decision because of the expectant life span of men and women, (we would normally be expected to die around the same time) we made the decision to marry for one reason and really one reason only, we loved each other. While we are polar opposites in many regards, those who have known us over the years have mentioned about how good of a couple we are. We have been together some 35 years now, (we started dating 2 years prior to our marriage going on 34 years now) had our first child, our daughter Marathana, 2 years after we married, and while our marriage hasn’t been perfect, it has been worth fighting for and is now stronger than ever. We love each other and anyone who knows me, knows that if anything, especially if reading our story in my book The Keystone Kid, they know I fought for her prior to our marriage and if anything, due to my own circumstances while growing up, was older than my years in the area of maturity. I’ll be honest, I take some joy in that many who said it wouldn’t last, can’t help but have to wonder now, why it has lasted so long, it is simple, a powerful 4-letter word called L-O-V-E!

As of late the concept of older women marrying younger men is not so much of a thing. We live in an age where I like the terminology better; we live in the age, if you will, of the Cougar. I like that concept better for various reasons, there has been much written on it and while not perfect, the term is certainly better than “cradle robber.” I look at it like this, Mary Jane was hot prior to us getting married and as far as I am concerned, she has maintained her age great and for me, is still hot. We have put on some weight, age and wrinkles over the years but I still get turned on when we hold hands and caress each other’s hands at the movies, other places. I still open the door for her, take her on dates, we still enjoy our lives together and at the rate of freaking our kids out; we still enjoy the most intimate of moments together. It’s simple, we still love each other.

My wife is a remarkable woman. I don’t want to offend anyone, but for me or anyone else, a person living out her faith. When we met, even today, she lives out her faith more than any human being I have ever come into contact with. She loves God passionately and when I read the Scripture about being a loving wife I could never point to a better example than she. While we are far from perfect it is ridiculous, (in a good way,) how Mary Jane has lived out her faith and I really do know that I am the one who has come out the better due to our friendship and marriage.

Mary Jane has sacrificially supported our ministry over the years. I know without a doubt, there is no way the ministry I have been involved in could have taken place without her support; from moving time and time again, (over 39 years of teaching she has taught in approximately 10 schools) to at times, being the primary bread winner of the family. She left her family which she deeply loved so I would go back to school to finish my degree, she has done so much, even selling her prized 72 Nova Super Sport so we could have the funds to move back to Kansas. I could go on and on with things some would consider small sacrifices but I know, deep down, were tremendous sacrifices. Why? Because she is in the ministry of doing what God has called us to do together.

Mary Jane will continue in ministry, living in our Community House as a House Mother but also starting up her PartyLite business again and booking me to speak around the country while she also performs musically. This will all be secondary to spending time with our grandchildren and children in the twilight of our years. She has earned that right.

I guess I could go on, but will leave it at that other than to say, that on Sunday June 2 from 2 PM – 4 PM we are going to be hosting a celebration of her years of service and the next step in her journey of life and ministry at our house, 1249 N. St. Francis Street Wichita KS, 67214. We will provide snacks and I am begging and pleading, that those who can attend to honor Mary Jane’s contribution to ministry and teaching for the last 39 years, teaching children and showing them the love of God while at the same time, bettering their lives. I am asking that people share this with others, time is short, get the word out. Let people from all of the schools she has taught over the years know about it, friends, family, people who have supported The Virtual Pew, the ministries like Mosaic we have been a part of, the Fountain House Clubhouse world and more where she also had a tremendous role in my work there. Then there are those at various churches, Ninth Street Baptist Church in Erwin Tennessee, Calvary Chapel in Hendersonville North Carolina, United at the Cross in Wichita Kansas, Good News Christian Fellowship, (Formerly Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church,) in Marion Kansas, Discovery One Fellowship, (Formerly Westport Mennonite Brethren Church in Tulsa Oklahoma and more. If you can’t attend, please consider dropping her a note at my email address which I can print out for her at mikefurches@yahoo.com or mike@furches.org . If you can attend the reception it would be so appreciated. I would like the focus to be on her though, let it be from if at all possible, the students who have known her, her fellow teachers, her fellow administrators’ family, friends and so forth. Why am I doing this? Because after 39 years of contribution to teaching and touching so many, I believe she deserves it. Her contribution and sacrifice to the children in Kansas, Tennessee, South Carolina and Oklahoma has been remarkable. Many have gone on to live productive lives. She kept every Christmas ornament she ever got from any of her students and they still, to this day, decorate our tree because she values the fact that she had a positive impact as a teacher on the life of a young person. I think the same could be said of all good teachers, I just know personally, I have seen few, if any, better and more loving than Mary Jane.

Again the address of the event is 1249 North St. Francis, Wichita KS 67214 and you can email her your thoughts and congratulatory comments regarding her teaching and ministry experience to me at mikefurches@yahoo.com or mike@furches.org

The Virtual Pew and our other work is supported solely by the kind contributions of others. You can click on the donate button below to give any amount to this work that does so much more than just post articles on the net; I draw no ongoing salary from the church I pastor, Mosaic Wichita which is predominantly a homeless church; I am grateful for any small amount you can contribute to help with this ministry. Believe me there is much more going on than most realize. I will also provide information to verify the ministry and income that comes into this ministry and work. Thanks and feel free to share any material from The Virtual Pew, I only ask that appropriate credit is given and a link to the original site with the material is provided.

To see a video of Mary Jane singing click on the following video, if the video doesn't appear click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DE4HpGV-_U

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Now I get asked this quite often, Can we repost your blogs or articles? The short answer to that is, what an honor that you would ask, and by all means, spread the word.Here is our contact information

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You are important and I want you to know that you can feel free to contact me at any time. I always try to respond to comments posted here, when appropriate, and have learned from my work as a counselor and pastor that people need to know that they are important. My contact information is available and I encourage you to contact me when need be. The fact that you are a real person is not lost on me. While you are at it, if needing a place to plug in, you can also join and become a part of The Virtual Pew. Message boards and interaction are available there as well. Thanks for visiting and know that God loves you and so do I.