Personal Development Newsletter

My First Funeral.?

???? Well … It was not really MY funeral.?

????????? It was Mr. Wilke’s funeral.?

At 11 years old … it was the first funeral I attended.?

My memories of that funeral 77 year ago are etched forever in my mind.?

Mr. Wilke was a neighbor of my Grandma Waldrop in rural Cobb County, Georgia.? My brother Tommy, who was 9 years old, and I were staying with Grandma on her farm while my mother recovered from a serious surgery.?

Grandma lived in an unpainted share-cropper house on Miss Emma’s place.? The house had no plumbing or electricity.? Many of her neighbors didn’t have electricity ... ?none of them had plumbing.

Tommy and I went with Grandma to Mr. Wilke’s funeral.? The funeral was in a small church on a dusty unpaved red clay road.?

It was a very hot summer day. All the windows and doors of the church were open to allow a breeze ... if we were lucky enough to get one.?

We weren’t!?

Every woman in the little church was flapping in front of her face a funeral home paper fan on a thin wooden stick.? They were trying to stay cool. ??

It didn’t work!?

Mr. Wilke’s casket was up front ...?

????? with the lid closed.?

After some songs and prayers the pastor got up to preach.? It was hot in that little church and the preacher was really sweating.? Sweat was dripping from his face and the collar of his shirt was soaked.?

His message was ... ??

“Mr. Wilke is going to rise up out of that casket and walk.”??

The preacher kept repeating that Mr. Wilke was going to get up out of that casket and walk.? He said it again and again.?

I kept my eyes on ... that casket.?

That’s when it happened!?

The lid of that casket opened.?

Mr. Wilke got up out of that casket …?

????? ?and walked!?

I was thunder struck!?

Mr. Wilke did get up and walk!?

I don’t remember what happened next.?

After the funeral I asked my brother Tommy if he saw Mr. Wilke get up and walk.? He said he didn’t see it.?

When I asked Grandma, she said she didn’t see it either.?

At this point you probably think …?

????? it was an illusion.??

It was not …?

???? I saw Mr. Wilke get up and walk!?

It was a spiritual experience that I will never forget.?

One day, not long from now … ??

????? I’m going to get up out of my casket and walk!?

I’m going to walk to that Golden Gate and ...?

????? meet Jesus!?

Are you??

When you ...?

????? have a spiritual experience …?

Don’t Ignore It!?

?-- Jimmy Collins, Personal Development Newsletter?

Like stories? My latest book Jimmy’s Stories is available on Biblio.com .?

?Career advancement principles are in my book,?Creative Followership? ?also available on Biblio.com .???

#funeral #spiritualexperience #encourage #encouragement #leadership #followership

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