you. you Good afternoon. We are here for the funeral service of Della Mae Taylor Blount to the family On behalf of Pastor Ken Jones and the Glendale Baptist Church family, we'd like to extend our heartfelt condolences and our deepest sympathies. Death hurts. It never gets old. We are going to miss our dear sister Blunt. Our loss is heaven's gain. You know, I was just thinking about Sister Blunt sitting in the back of the church. I would see her every Sunday. And then after the pandemic, she would, when she wasn't feeling so well, she would drop off her tithing offering, even though she wasn't feeling well, she would still drive by. And a few months ago, I was outside of the church, it was early in the morning, and she gave me her tithe, and she said, here, put this in the church. And I asked her, how you feeling today, Sister Blunt? He said, I'm feeling all right. And so here we are today, saying goodbye to our dear sister and just thinking about her brings back so many memories as I look out into the congregation and I see Kathy and I see Timothy and we all grew up right here at this church. Oh, Glendale, I'm talking about before this building was even here. She reminded me of a whole lot of mothers who loaded their kids up in station wagons, they had station wagons back then, and vans, and they brought us to Glendale. And here we learned about Jesus. And so what a blessing it is to have a mother who not only fed us and clothed us and taught us, but they led us to the Savior. Ultimately, we receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. We will follow the program as printed. I am minister Ronnie Wright, I will be officiating in the service and also I'll be preaching the message later on. But next we will have a prayer by Chaplain Emma Riggins Moss. Chaplain Moss will also be reading the Old Testament and the New Testament. in the Bible, and then next we will have a solo by Marvin Pendleton. And then after that, we will read the obituary silently. Amen. Sister Moss. Good afternoon, family. This is hard. When my cousin asked me to come and do this, this is hard. But I guess wanna come and address my family. We're gonna be strong in this. We're gonna be strong in this. I'll be coming from the New Testament, Romans 8, 35, and then 37 through 39, the NIV. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword. No, in these things we are more than conquerors, through him who love us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor demons, neither the present, nor the future, nor any power, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation when it be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And then I become Isaiah 57 1 to 2, the NIV version. The righteous perish and no one take it to heart. The devout are taken away and no one understand. that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace and they shall find rest as they lay in death. Father God, in the name of Jesus, Lord God, we thank you for this time, Lord God, in the name of Jesus. Oh God, in the name of Jesus, as we come, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, to eulogize my aunt, Lord God. Father God, in the name of Jesus, your words say there is a season for everything. But Father God, I guess I ask you to not let my cousins and my uncles and aunt grieve long, Lord God. Let us hold to your legacy that she so eloquently lived before us, Lord God. And most of all, that the one that she lived living for you, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, Lord God, to represent you in the kingdom, Lord God, not only to her children, but me and my cousins and all of us, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, being able to show the love of Christ. And Father God, we thank you right now, Lord God, for her life, Lord God, in the name of Jesus. And we know that the scriptures say, to be absent from the body is present with the Lord. And we know that she is present with you in the name of Jesus, Lord God. So Father God, let us lift up and rejoice in you, Lord God, knowing that she have made it there in your presence in the name of Jesus, Lord God. Oh God, cover my cousins, Lord God, as they go through this time, Lord God. In the name of Jesus, send your angels all around them, Lord God, and camp around them, as well as her siblings, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, Lord God. So God, we thank you what you're going to continue to do, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, through this service, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, and throughout this time, Lord God, that we will hold her dear to our hearts, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, Lord God. And when we think, Lord God, we will not be sad, but we will have a rejoicing in our hearts, Lord God. In the name of Jesus, Lord God. Oh God, we give every facet of this service back to you like only you can, Lord God. And Holy Spirit, have your way in this place. And we give you all the honor, glory, and praise. And we say, bless God, thank God. Amen and amen. God is able. God is able. God is able. And he, he, he won't fail. God is able. God is able. God is able. He is in all things. He is in all things. Can y'all hear me? Jesus, keep me near the cross. There's a precious fire Take free to all of history. From Calvary's mountain One more time Jesus came Shed smiles and free to roam every mystery. Flow from care. be my glory. Dear my man, just so you find rest. ♪ In the cross ♪ In the cross ♪ Emmanuel ♪ Emmanuel Your soul shall find rest beyond the river. At this time, we will read our obituaries silently. And then after that, we will have a reflection of love, a poem by granddaughters, nieces, Niecy and Desiree, Desiree Garnett. And after that, we will have a solo by Sam Wilson, and then the resolution by Tawana Lewis. so so so so so so so At this time, we will have reflections of love. Good afternoon, everyone. This is my first time ever doing something like this. I never stood up at nobody's funeral. Bear with me. I always shout to the back. It's not a poem. It's just something I'm going to read that was on my heart. To my grandma, I've been thinking of the words to say, but I decided to be me and say what's on my heart. Had I known you was going to take your last breath riding with me, I would have joked with you one last time. I would have told you I loved you. I would have stopped to Family Dollar and got you some mumbos, because we all knew she loved her some mumbos. I would go to the store and buy Grandma eight bags of mumbos. By the next day, Grandma would only have a bag and a half left. I'm glad that God gave me four months with her, four extra months with her, and gave me the opportunity to drive her around, cook for her, fold her clothes with her, and brush her hair. The day you left me will forever stick with me. Had I known the Lord was going to call you home, I would have reached back and held your hand just to hear you say, girl, turn around and drive. I felt myself being selfish after your passing. I stopped and realized. You wanted to take your last ride to the store. When you locked eyes with me, you knew then that was your last time. You left this world peacefully and not in pain. I'm thanking God for allowing me to take you on your last ride as you transition to your forever home. To my cousins, we may cry, but let's not mourn, but celebrate the life God gave Grandma. There is coming a day Where no heartache shall come No more clouds in the sky No more tears to dim the eye All is peace forevermore On that happy golden shore What a day, glorious day that will be What a day that will be When my Jesus I shall see I will look upon his face The one who saved me by his grace When he takes me by the hand And leads me through the promised land What a day, glorious day that will be There'll be no sorrows there, no more burdens to bear, no more sickness, no more pain. No more partying over there. And forever I will be with the one who died for me. What a day. Glorious day that will be What a day that will be When my Jesus I see When I look upon his face, the one who saved me by his grace, when he takes me by the hand, And leads me through the promised land What a day, glorious day that will be Once the Savior went away A place to stay He is coming back someday Today is waiting bright away And forever we will be With the one who died for me What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be. When my Jesus I shall see When I look upon His face The One who saved me by His grace When He takes me by the hand And leads me to the promised land What a day, glorious day that will be When He takes me by the hand And leads me through the promised land What a day, glorious day that will be. Amen. Good afternoon, my sincere condolences to the family. Resolution for the late Della Mae Taylor Blunt, Saturday, July 27th, 2024. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforted us in all of our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, So our consolation also abounded by Christ. 1 Corinthians 1, verses 3 through 5, wherein it has pleased the Lord to call to himself our dear sister in Christ, Delamay Taylor Blount, from labor to reward. And in as much as she was a beloved follower of Christ and member of Glendale Missionary Baptist Church for many years, we the officers and members of Glendale Missionary Baptist Church offer our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family in this, your season of grief. We therefore resolve that we submit to the will and sovereign purpose of Almighty God, even in this season of sorrowing, knowing that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. We further resolve that we do and will cherish the fellowship we enjoyed with Sister Blunt over the years and thank God for her gifts, service, and contributions to this local assembly. We acknowledge the depth of the family's loss and pray that they take consolation in the eternal word of God regarding those who die in the Lord. We further pray that her great legacy of love, her example of a Christ-like spirit, and all other precious memories she leaves with the family will bring joy rather than sorrow as the Lord continues his grace of healing and comfort upon the family in the days ahead. be it further resolved that Glendale Missionary Baptist Church offer our continued prayers to the family and avail ourselves to your service in whatever capacity we are able. We finally resolve that God is to be glorified in all things, seasons, and situations, including when we go through the valley of the shadow of death, Our comfort and confidence is that He is with us. His promises will not fail, and His purposes are never frustrated. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. This resolution is ordered by the pastor and officers of Glendale Missionary Baptist Church, a copy of which will be given to the family and one retained in the files of Glendale Missionary Baptist Church. Humbly submitted, Kenneth R. Jones, pastor, Celia M. Grant, secretary. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege it is to carry everything to the Lord in prayer. On behalf of the Paradise Memorial Funeral Home, its owners, management, and staff, I'd like to thank each and every one of you that have come to be with this family during this, their hour. Your calls, visits, texts, maybe a covered dish, whatever act of kindness you extended toward this family, know that they do appreciate it and will reach out to you at a later time when they are better composed and thank you in a personal way. There were some that went a step further and sent floral arrangements. And by request of the family, we will acknowledge them at this time. As you walk through the time of the Lord, may your heart be assured that the Lord walks with you. May you conquer your needs in the Lord. Thinking of you in this time of sorrow. and asking God to surround you with his perfect peace and love. Bishop Travis. It's a life in the mirror with love. Someone who makes so much to give all the soul he's got in his name will be truly blessed with love from the center of his heart. That's death, separation, fear, and change. Beautiful plant here comes with a letter. We're praying with you in your time of sorrow and standing to your love, praying in deep sympathy from Reverend Kennedy Jones. I am so sorry. And it's so beautiful when you think about that. But I would say probably, it's the most important thing. And I'm not thinking most of the time. But this arrangement represents all the love that one can have. One has just to dance. And before you even move on to the next part of your day, Della Blount, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, other relatives, and many friends. The Bible tells us to cast your cares upon the Lord, for he cares for you. It may not seem like it at this time, family, but the Lord does, in fact, care about you. He'll meet you at your point of need and comfort you, not only today, but in the coming days, weeks, months. All that you need to do is to call upon him and he will be there. Finally, we're taught to lean not on our own understanding, but in all our ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path. You thought I was worth saving For you came and changed my life You thought I was worth keeping So you cleaned me up inside. You thought I was the devil. So you sacrificed your life so I could be free. I could be whole. You thought I was worth saving. So you came and changed my life. You thought I was worth keeping. So you cleaned me up inside. You thought I was a duffel. So you sacrificed your life so I could be clean. I could be old. I could tell everyone I know. So I can be free. You thought I was worth saving. So you came and changed my life. You thought I was worth keeping. So you cleaned me up inside. You thought I was the devil. You thought I was the devil. You thought I was the devil. And you sacrificed your life so I could be free. Amen. There is a word of encouragement from the Lord. The scripture will be taken from Psalm 39. And from there, I will focus on three verses. I will reference the entire book throughout the message. The Scripture again is Psalm 39, verses 1 through, excuse me, 4 through 6. Psalm 39, verses 4 through 6. The Scripture reads as follows, Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, you have made my days as hand breaths, and my age is nothing before you. Certainly, every man at his best state is but vapor. Surely every man walks about like a shadow surely they busy themselves in vain He heaps up riches and does not know who will gather them May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of his holy word Today I'm going to speak to you from the subject life is short Life is short And I'm going to operate from three headings this afternoon, three headings. My first heading is, life is short in view of eternity. Secondly, life is short in view of death. Thirdly, life is short in view of our existence. The last few years, all of us have had to come face to face with our own mortality. The fact that we are all subject to death. COVID-19 invaded the bodies of over 700 million people and killed more than 6 million people worldwide. Sickness has a way of reminding us how vulnerable we are. It does not matter how strong you are. It does not matter how tough you are. It does not matter how healthy you are. All these are no match for death. Since life is short, how can I make the most of it? I'm going to answer that question at the end of my message. Since life is short, how do I make the most of it? This psalm, Psalm 39, addresses David's struggle with this question. This is a psalm written by David, and although it cannot be connected to any specific area in his life, it is possible that he wrote this psalm at the end of his life. David is suffering with some unknown illness as a result of God's hand of discipline. And so he engages in passionate expression of grief and sorrow with God. And then in verse 10 and 11 he says, remove your plague from me. I am consumed by the blow of your hand. When with rebukes you correct man for iniquity, you make his beauty melt away like a moth. Surely every man is but vapor. He agonizes over the severity of God's discipline in view of the shortness and uncertainty of life. In fact, Job says in chapter 7, he says, I waste away. I will not live forever. Leave me alone for my days are but a breath. As Job writhes in pain, he asks God, don't you have anything better to do than to afflict me? Leave me alone. Job and David complained, but they were not rebellious toward God. David knew that unbelievers were waiting to twist his words, and he did not want to appear to be disloyal to God. In fact, he says in verse 1, I said, I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue. I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle while the wicked are before me. Again, my first heading this afternoon is life is short in view of eternity. And so he says in verse 4, Lord, make me to know my end. So by the time he gets here to verse 4, he's no longer silent. He prays to God that he might learn the lesson of his suffering, but he's not asking God the date his life will end. But he is asking God for wisdom and grace to see life through the lens of eternity. When I see life through the lens of eternity, then I know, according to God's Word, that death is an appointment that's set by God. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27 tells us, and as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment. Death doesn't just happen. It is appointment that only God can make. God told Adam in Genesis chapter two in verse 17, he says, the day you eat, you shall surely die. And I know we all are familiar with the phrase accidental death. Me being in the insurance industry for over 20 years, I have seen the phrase, accidental death, many times. But can I tell you something this afternoon? There are no accidents with God. 1 Samuel chapter 2 says, the Lord brings death and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and He raises up. Death is intentional. It is also inescapable. When God says it's your time, there is no negotiating. Time to go. If you didn't do it, it will not get done. Whatever you need to do, do it now. Life is short. But death is not the end of existence. That same book in chapter Hebrews 9 and 27, the second half says, but after this, the judgment. Physical death does not end conscious existence. The soul does not die. There is an after this. Lazarus and the rich man died in scripture. Lazarus went to Abraham's bosom, which is a metaphor for heaven, and the rich man went to hell. Both continue to exist. For the believer, our judgment day has already come. Hallelujah. Somebody said the other day, I hope he say, well done, good and faithful servant. I hope God say nothing. Jesus Christ is my well done. May the work I've done speak for me? Nah, not my works. My works are filthy rag. My thoughts are all over the place. My hands sometimes do evil, and there's wickedness in my heart. And I'm not saved by my own works. I'm saved by the works of Christ. Because if it's up to me, I'll never make it in. I'm saved by the blood of Jesus. And we, as God's children, are seated in heavenly places. That means we are here on planet Earth. But in the mind of God, we are already with Him. It is what's called the already-not-yet dynamic. It's already happened, but not yet. My second point, life is short in view of death. And so David says in verse 5, he says, you have made my days as hand breaths. David compares the duration of life to the smallest unit of measure. And so what he's saying, from my index finger to my pinky is a hand breath. Man, that's short. That's short. David, the giant killer, the king, the poet, the musical genius, the warrior, humbly admits every man at his best state, I don't care who you are, what you've accomplished in life, what your name is, who your parents were, every man is but a vapor. Job says, my life is but a breath. In verse 5, after the word vapor, you see the word selah. And in verse 11, after the word vapor, you also see the word selah. Selah means think about it. The writer wants you to know that your life is short and ain't nothing you can do about it. So, oh God, I want to live to be 150 years old. It's still short as it relates to eternity. Since life is short, it's important to know that there are two ways to die. The first is you can die in your sins. John chapter 8 and verse 24 says, Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. Sin is rebelling against God. It is a violation of God's law. It is a condition that we were born in, inherited by Adam. We're not sinners because of the things that we've done. We're sinners because of the condition that we're born in. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. There's nothing you can do to change that. We were born enemies of God. So not only can you die in your sins, but secondly, we can die in Jesus. Revelation chapter 14 verse 13, then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, right? Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. We can believe in the eternal son of God. Hallelujah. He became like us to save us. He, he, he condescended. He came down to meet us where we are. God's wrath against sinners was absorbed in the body of Jesus on the cross. He died for our sins and he lived for our righteousness. Not my own righteousness. My own righteousness is a filthy rag. But he took our sins and he gave us his righteousness. That's known as the great exchange. So when God sees His children, He sees the righteousness of His Son, and that makes us acceptable to God. When God sees this righteousness, He sees us as if we never sinned. And not only that, He loves us as He loves His own Son. So to die in Jesus is to believe in Jesus. To believe in Jesus means we believe that He died on the cross for our sins. He was buried and was raised from the grave. Everyone is going to die. You can die in your sins, or you can die in Jesus. My third heading, and I'm going to move out of your way. Life is short in view of our existence. In verse 6, David says, every man walks about like a shadow. They busy themselves in vain. We are as temporary as a shadow, living life with no substance. Many people are busy for nothing, blind to the things that have eternal value. What is it that we are pursuing? only to reach the end of life and to realize that I have pursued the wrong thing. Lord have mercy. David says we work overtime accumulating wealth for someone else to spend. Recently I was listening to this podcast and it was filled with NFL athletes and professional basketball players and these, they were worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And one of the athletes said, man, I came to the realization that my $100 million contract and all of my endorsements, I'm making all this money for somebody else to spend because I won't spend it all. Please understand this afternoon that God is not against accumulating wealth. Load your savings and fund your 401ks, mutual funds, invest. But the problem occurs when we fail to see beyond our own short and frail life. Because life is short, it is important to know that the wages of sin is death. That's what Romans chapter 6 says. See, if you die in your sins, death is your paycheck. Wages is what you earn. For the sinner, death is payment for sin. Pastor Ken Jones, he always, a pastor of this church, he always says that the eternal torture and torment of hell is not because God is absent, but because he will be present with no mercy. There is no worse horror for a human being than the experience of an eternity in hell. Sinners don't have the ability to endure the punishment that they deserve. So here's what God does. He keeps them alive for all eternity so that the sinner will experience the fierceness of His wrath with no mercy. They're going to want to die, but can't die. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. If you bow now, if you dine Jesus, you will be saved for all eternity. If you are forced to bow later, if you dine your sins, you will be damned for all of eternity. Then there's a second part of Romans chapter 6. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hallelujah. For those who die in Jesus, death is a transition. We receive our gift. Christ took the sting out of death. Do you understand what that means? If I put that in layman's terms, have anybody ever got stung by a bee or wasp? Man, that's like fire. Been there, done that. But if you know the wasp or the bee has no sting, you ain't worried about nothing. Get out of here. Christ has taken the sting out of death, so now death for the believer becomes a mode of transportation. With those who die in Jesus, death is a limousine that'll pick you up and take you to your gift. Don't be afraid of death. God uses death to take us to our eternal gift. Please don't be afraid of death. No matter how you die, from old age, from cancer, from violence, from an accident, however you die, God will use death to take you to your gift. He used death to take sister Blunt to eternal life, and there'll be no more pain. There'll be no more sickness. She is with Jesus forever. Please understand today that this is no ordinary death. All death is not the same. All death is not the same. This is God's daughter. The scripture tells us that precious in the sight of God is the death of his saint. God is smiling when his daughter comes and embraces him. God calls his children home. He calls Sister Blood home, where she will be with him forever in eternal peace, eternal peace. Reminded some time ago where a few pastors went to Nigeria, and they preached for the whole week. They went from village to village. And they kept hearing about these handmade, authentic Nigerian baskets. And so the last day they got to this village, saw the lady sitting in a circle, knitting these handmade, authentic Nigerian baskets. And they were working from the inside out, and one of the pastors whispered to another pastor, he said, man, these are the authentic, handmade Nigerian baskets. He said, they ugly. And just as he said that, the lady flipped the basket on the other side. And then the next one sitting to her, she flipped the basket on the other side. Oh, and then the next lady flipped the basket on the other side, and as they saw those baskets, they were the most beautiful baskets that they had ever seen. And so it reminds me of life on this side. There's pain, there's heartache, and there's death on this side. But when you flip it on the other side, there's no more pain and there's no more hurt and there's no more heartache on the other side. On this side, people put poison in it. People slander your name. People hurt you. Facebook and Instagram. I can't get away from foolishness on this side, all but on the other side. There'll be no more pain. There'll be no more heartache. There'll be no more glasses. There'll be no more medication. There'll be no more wheelchairs. There'll be no more walkers. On the other side, I'm gonna be with Jesus. Glory, hallelujah. Glory, hallelujah on the other side. Oh God, oh God, oh God, it may not look good on this side. Oh, it hurts on this side. I'm losing my loved one. But oh, on the other side, on the other side, it's going to be all right. On the other side, I'm going to be with Jesus now and forevermore. Death is the end of dying. No more crying there. Going. to see the King. In spite of his sickness, David knows that God is his only hope. And so I asked a question earlier in my message, and life is short, how do I make the most of it? Because life is short, here it is, it must be lived for God. Because life is short, you gotta live it for God. Who you thank gave you life? You didn't ask to be here. God allowed all of us to be here, to be contemporaries, cousins, family, and friends. He allowed us to be here in the 21st century together. David wrote in Psalm 63, he said, my soul follows hard after you. Nothing is wrong with other pursuits. Pursue your masters, pursue your doctorate, pursue your own business. God is saying, put me first. Seek ye first. the kingdom of God and all of his righteousness and everything shall be added unto you. The only real meaning of our existence is to know God who is eternal. Our eternal God has made us in his eternal image and he has put eternity in our hearts. God has placed an awareness and longing beyond this brief life. David said, I'm a stranger on the planet, I'm just passing through. We're all just passing through. Someone has a decision to make. My prayer is that you will seek the Lord while He may be found, that you will call upon Him while He is near. Today, the Scripture says, is the day of salvation. Today is the day you must call on the Lord. Let us bow for a word of prayer. Oh Father, our life on this planet, Lord, is brief as a vapor. Soon we will be absent from this body and present with you. No one knows the day, no one knows the hour, but there is a date with all of our names on it. While we have breath, oh God, let us pursue God, who is our only hope. We are sinners in desperate need of a Savior. O God, I pray that we will seek the Lord while He may be found. There is a window of grace open for us. My prayer, O God, that when we die, that we will die in Jesus. Amen. you