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Our
Beloved Sister Goes Home
By
Doug Post
June
6,
2004
Our
beloved sister in the Lord, Barbara Brewer, passed from this earthly
life on May 31st. Sister
Brewer exemplified Jesus Christ and was the epitome of Christian
graces. She positively impacted the lives of so many people -
literally thousands. Her Christ-like example will continue to impact
those of us who knew her till, we too, shall pass.
Sister Brewer obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ and from that
moment on her life became an open book to the world. How was she an
“open book” and what did we all see? Paul put it this way, “You
are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men,
clearly you are an epistle of Christ…” (2 Cor.3:2-3). Clearly,
sister Brewer was an easy to read epistle! You could not read her life
and not see Jesus Christ and the joy she had in belonging to Him! The
pages of her life are filled with illustrations of love, compassion,
encouragement, tenderness, gentleness, kindness, and dedication –
dedication to her Lord, her family, and to her brethren.
The words of Paul come quickly rushing to my mind, “Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…”(Philippians
2:5). Having the attitude of Jesus Christ, she allowed Christ to
supremely reign her heart and life. The epistle of Barbara Brewer
needs to be read and book-marked for continuous reference! What did we
see in sister Brewer? Quite simply, the Lord Jesus Christ! She
willingly crucified herself to allow the Crucified One to reign and
fill her heart (Galatians 2:20). I have searched my memory and am
unable to find many people who have exemplified the life of Christ as
did sister Brewer! With the angels, we rejoice in the reward that
sister Brewer longed for.
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Our
Beloved Sister Goes Home
Personal Reflections
From my youth to my adulthood, sister
Brewer encouraged me. I recall at the age of 9, when dressing for a
football game after church, sister Brewer saw my apprehension, and said,
“God has blessed you with a talent, and He wants you to use that
talent to the best of your ability. He will be with you and you will do
fine – He will always be with you. Remember that!” This 9 year old
boy was immediately comforted and strengthened by her gentle persuasion.
As a young boy, I recall when sister Brewer was teaching our
Bible class, how she encouraged me to read from the Bible, even when my
reading skills were not so great. As I nervously read and completed the
reading, she said, “Doug, you are a very good reader and did such a
fine job.”
Again,
another fear overcome from the encouragement of one dear Christian woman
who saw not only the value of reading, but the eternal value and benefit
from reading God’s word.
Sister
Brewer continued to encourage me throughout those trying and troubling
teenage years – those times when some teenagers are prone to
mischievous actions. Sister Brewer was right there to give me wisdom,
encouragement, and most of all, love and hugs. I recall when I was
baptized in February of 1981, by Gene Brewer, that Sister Brewer hugged
me and told me how happy and proud she was that I decided to put my Lord
on in baptism. I recall when she met my, then, girlfriend, Debbie, for
the first time. Debbie was not a member of the Lord’s church at that
time, but sister Brewer went out of her way to make Debbie feel
comfortable and even important! She was also there to offer
encouragement to Debbie in being baptized into Christ. Sister Brewer
impacted Debbie so much as a young Christian that Debbie would always
attend “church functions” knowing sister Brewer was going to be
there. Sister Brewer treated Debbie with an overflow of kindness and
respect.
I recall the first
year I ever lead an adult Bible class and how sister Brewer was right
there to offer praise and encouragement. Sister Brewer was there for my
football years, my high school graduation, my college years, my wedding,
the death of my father, and the maturing years of my spiritual life. She
has been and always will be a special part of my life.
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My
Refuge and My Fortress
Doug Post
"He
who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and
my fortress, my God, in him I will trust'" (Psalm 91:1,2).
While reflecting on the life of sister Brewer this week, I kept
quoting to myself the above passage. While life will always have
it’s obstacles, adversities, struggles, and hurts, it is such a
blessing to know that we have a God in whom we can trust. In fact,
there is eternal value in trusting in God!
"God
is my refuge and my fortress!" What a simple yet powerful
statement. Every day we find more evidence
of the evil and uncertainty
of the world in which we live. Enemies abound. Natural disasters are
commonplace. Disease, accident and crime kill thousands daily, and
cripple many more. As James says, "what
is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and
then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Where do we go to find
safety? We must even ask the question, "can it be found?"
The Psalmist's answer is an emphatic "Yes!" There is
security in trusting God. "Surely
he shall deliver you" (Psalm 91:3). "A
thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand,
but it shall not come near you" (Psalm 91:7). These bold
promises must be taken less than literally, of course. Faithful
soldiers are killed in battle. Good Christians become ill, suffer and
die. Faith in God does not prevent all accidents,
illnesses or disasters. Yet it is still true that evil does not
overcome those who trust in God. The New Testament expresses it in
these terms:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit…And we know that all things work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are the called according to his
purpose…What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,
who can be against us?…Yet in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither
death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things
present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other
created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:1, 28, 31, 37-39).
Bad things do happen to good people. But almighty God, our
Father, can preserve our eternal souls through those things, and can
comfort and secure us. Trust in God – He is our refuge and our
fortress.
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