God bless you.
The Holy Ghost has commanded that I share with you a recent comment that deeply
touched my heart and compelled me to take a stroll back down memory lane to visit my
dear departed mother.
I also want to share the response I made to my beloved reader in my effort to comfort
her as I would like to do the same for others of you who have recently lost your dear
mother and are wondering how you might face this trying new year without mama.
From: Jami
"Rev. Banks,
Thank you for sharing your inspirational thoughts. As I write this, I am in the pits of depression because my dear mother died. I cannot think of ever being happy again and the thought of going through 2009 is just exhausting. God must have led me to your blog. I will re-visit to be inspired by your faith and strength.
Finally, I wish you the very best of health. Please continue to share your ministry to those of us who need to be strengthened.
God bless you and your family."
BANKS' RESPONSE: Dear Jami, I lost my dear mother, Sarah Loraine Banks,
when I was but 11 years old. She was just 43 years old when she died a painful death and
my pain still throbs deep in the pits of my heart and soul some 54 years later.
We'll never forget our dear mother. Never. And no matter how long she lives, even if
she lives to be 100, we never want to lose her. She is more precious than the rarest of
diamonds and the purest of gold. But we also never want to see our loved
ones suffer, too, as is often the case when they age greatly.
So we thank God for the season He saw fit to bless us with her precious presence,
knowing all long that she, you and I must some day also die unless Jesus beats death to
the punch and comes back for us in the Rapture. For we are not our own anyway. Mama
always belonged to God. He simply loaned her to us to bear us, nurse us, wean us, rock
us to sleep with a lullaby, raise and train us up in the way that we should go in order
for us to get the most out of life.
But eventually, in His own appointed time, He dispatches death from that seeming
terrible terminal in destiny's dungeon to come here on special assignment to reclaim her
for His pleasure. But God never leaves us shortchanged when He reclaims mama. He
leaves us countless precious memories.
Thank God for Mama. Thank God for her apple pie, buttermilk biscuits, pancakes,
fried chicken, green peas, mashed potatoes and gravy. Thank God's for mama's kisses,
mama's hugs, mama's smiles, mama's tears, mama's sacrifices and, most of all, for
mama's prayers. She's gone now but only in the flesh, Jami. As long as we have a
memory, we can tabernacle with her any sweet time we please.
Precious memories, how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight,
Precious, sacred scenes unfold.
Be encouraged, Jami and others of you in the same predicament. You have our
prayers and God will not only see you through this loss, He will compensate by being
a mother for the motherless and a father for the fatherless. He will turn your tears into
cheers and your sadness into gladness.
Be not dismayed whate'er betide, God will take care of you.
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care for you.
God will take care of you, thru every day o'er all the way
He will take care of you, God will take care of you
And furthermore, largely because of the good old years you used to have with her,
you will be able to have a happy new year without her because of your precious
memories.And rest assured that we will meet our dear mothers again some day in a
land where we will never grow old.
God bless you.
Amen.
My mother is still living and I can only imagine what Jami is feeling. My heart goes out to those who have experienced the loss of a mother. Thanks for those words of encouragement; I have filed them away for future reference to share with others in their time of need or when that time comes when I may need them. Praise God.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thanks Barbara and I'm sure that Jami appreciates
your king words, too. You are blessed to still have your dear mother and the tragic
loss suffered by others helps you to value your mother even more and at the right
time: Now. Too many of us wait until it's too late to say and do the things that will
bring joy to our mothers and other loved ones. When they're dead, they can't hear
one loving compliment or smell one rose. So let's give our loved ones their
flowers while they yet live so that they can smell them and enjoy their beauty. God
bless you, Barbara, and please give my beat regards to your dear mother. She
has to be one outstanding woman to have a beautiful, caring and sharing
daughter like you.
of others
Lacy, I'm a big fan of the blog and have been a regular reader since it's inception. Your positive attitude and overall good spirits are inspiring to more people than you will ever realize. While rummaging through my garage the other day I came across an old Sun-Times sports section advert featuring caricatures of yourself, Rick Telander, and the (late) Jay Mariotti. I’m not quite sure when it’s from but it’s a pretty funny sketch of the three of you. This may sound a bit odd but I was wondering if you would be willing to sign it for me. I also plan on getting Telander to sign and perhaps Mariotti if I can track him down. If this is at all possible let me know, as it would be a great keepsake for me, a Sun-Times sports section reader for the last 8 years. Keep up the good work and may God continue to bless you. Best wishes,- Ross McHale.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Thanks, Ross, for reading my blog and for emailing
those kind comments. I would be happy to sign your ad clipping. How would you
like to have me do it. My email is Lacybanks3@aol.com and I live in Hazel Crest,
Ill. By the way, I admire your great sense of humor and satire as regards my
former colleague, Jay Mariotti, who trashed us all on his way out the door. I never
knew he had so much anger, doom and gloom for the profession that employed
and supported him and his family for so many years. But we do not in any way
wish the ill on him that he chooses to wish and predict on us.
Rev. Lacy,
I have read and printed all of your testimonies, I trust God for your recovery. But I thank God for the sermons that you are delivering to all the nations. I am privilage to have sat in our church hear hear them in person. I am also blessed to have had you in my life for some 30years, teaching us ( the Youth)to witness and pray for all mankind. this has been a great tool in which I still use today. I shall never forget the times tha tI would call to chek up on you, and you deliver the prayer. Or to see you enter the church then find the Elder and just kneel to pray for him. Ih so many precious memories. I get full every week reading your sermons, and smile when I actualy hear you preaching and singing. To God be the Glory for the things He has done! rev. Lacy I will continue to pray for your strength and for your family. May God conitinue to use you as a vessel to reach his people.
And we both know that HE IS A HEALER IN MY SOUL!
Jessie Mae Sharkey
BANKS' RESPONSE: Mae Sharkey, you remain a long-stem rose in the flower
garden of my Fellowship memories. I have always felt your deep faith in my
calling from God and it has propelled me to excel and prevail. The lovely likes of
provide strong wings beneath the wings of God's preachers. You have always
loved good, anointed preaching and I have treasured your salvation among the
redeemed of the Lord and the smiles of your dear sanctified mother forever glow
in my mind. I remember presiding over the wedding of your brother, at your
behest. I felt like I was the undershepherding preacher of your family and I assure
you that God is pleased with your closer walk with Him. Thank you for retaining
thoughts of me in your heart and mind. Fellowshiping with saints line you make
serving God exciting and extremely appealing. Thanks for reading my blog and
for emailing your encouraging, heart-warming comments. Please continue to
rejoice in the Lord and let His joy remain your strength that will steer you through
the toughest of times.
calling u
Good Morning Rev,
Happy New Year to you and the family. I don't think I commented on your last blog (?) but I cculdn't miss out on this one That was a beautiful response that you wrote to Jami. I can feel her pain because I have lost my mother too. It was around Christmas that she went into the hospital in 2000 and she never came out. Therefore during the holiday season, I find myself thinking about her constantly. When I do, I remember what a lady told me when I was going through the process of making funeral arrangements. She told me that her mother had been gone for 20 years but it still hurt. So to Jami I say that it will always hurt. Maybe not as bad. But to me that is my way of knowing that she is constantly with me.
Rev., I continue to remember you in my prayers.
Blessings,
Donna
BANKS' RESPONSE: Donna, Donna, Donna. What could I do without you?
From the very start, you were there to support and inspire the man of God and
you have never wavered since then. You stand sturdy like a giant queen
Sequoia towering to ward the highest blue and spreading abroad lush branches
on which yonder's bird roost and nest. And you provide shepherding shade to
those around and beneath you. I'm sure that your comments warmed the hearts
of Jami and so many others in her situation. Thanking you for continuing to bless
the Lord with me through this blog. He is ever faithful usward and to Him be the
glory and the thanksgiving forever and evermore. Let the words of our mouths and
the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in God's sight for He remains our
strength and our redeemer.
I wandered on to your blog during a time when I was alone but not lonely. My gentle, loving husband died 5 years ago. His was a painful death, but he bore it stoically, always more concerned about me than about himself. Not a day goes by without some reminder of his presence. I thank God for the blessings of the people I have had in my life but who have gone home to Him. One of my best friends also died suddenly at a young age. Every afternoon for months, I missed her daily call to me when I got home from work.There are a lot of us out here who need comfort. I have healed to the point where I would like to help others. Any idea as to how I can do this?
BANKS' RESPONSE: Yes, Patricia, praise the Lord of life by celebrating life
and honoring your loved ones while they are alive with the knowledge that any day
or night may be the last for you, for me or for any of them. My sicknesses have
forced me to a rueful reckoning with my own mortality and I am often haunted by
the prospect that I could leave my wife a widow and my grown children
fatherless at any time. But thank God that they ARE grown and that I have been
able to give my wife 40 years of marvelous marriage and tons of forgettable,
breath-taking experiences and memories to last her the rest of my life. They should
not feel, and will not be, cheated. And neither will I even though I wish I could live
to be 100. But I want to live in comfort and in good health and not in agony and
bad health so that I become a burden to others and a pain to myself. So, rejoice
in the Lord always Patricia and let Him know how much you love Him and are
grateful for the life and good times He gives you and for the loved ones, past and
present, whose lives have contributed to making yours worth living. And live your
life, Patricia, in such a manner that other will mourn your passing but celebrate
your life when you have to leave this world. When you do that, every breath,
every flower, every day, every loved one, every wonderful experience should
take on a new gleam and glitter, enabling you to better live life to the fullest not
so much for the acquisition of material things but for the enjoyment of
experiences that enrich you with precious memories and help you to better love
people and life itself. Most of all, put your trust in God, build your hopes on things
eternal and hold to God's unchanging hand.
Dear Lacy,
I just read this and tears are streaming down my face. I lost my mother December 6, 2006 and I miss her so much. But your words comforted me and thank you for your wisdom. I am so happy that a wise man like you is with us and please continue your battle.
BANKS' RESPONSE: God bless you Kathy. Thanks for reading my blog and
emailing your kind comments. I pray that God comforts you in your loss and gives
you the peace that passes all understanding and the joy that is unspeakable. Rest
assured that God is not only our heavenly Father but also our heavenly Mother.
As such, you and I are not orphans and certainly not comfortless, thanks to God's
holy Spirit. May the precious memories of your dear, beloved mother linger long
and lovingly in your heart, mind and soul and let you enjoy her spiritual presence
endlessly.
Greetings Rev. Banks,
I'm so glad you and your family had another blessed Christmas together. Very happy you and your wife took the old year out and brought the new year in on your knees in prayer. I thank God for that.My father, Rev. De Ville,the Alpha Temple family,and myself are still praying for you.Your blog for Dec.24 was like a sermon to me,I truly enjoyed it. Continue to take care of yourself. You can decorate the outside of your house for Christmas next year.I'm still looking forward to you coming to render us service in the near furture.God Bless You.
BANKS' RESPONSE: Yes, Marcia Starks, you are right. I'll just put more
lights outside this Christmas to make up for missing last Christmas. I pay my
debts. Moreover, I owe Pastor Leonard DeVille and Alpha Temple for the sweet
Christmas card and gift they sent to me straight from their hearts because my
heart, and the rest of my body for that matter, jumped for joy at the sight of that
Christmas gift. So I owe Dr. DeVille and Alpha Temple and I will redeem the
preaching rain check that I hold and preach for you again hopefully in February.
In my 56 years of preaching, no church has ever been that kind to me at Christmas
or any other time of the year. It's just good to be good and do good because God
multiplies the good we do for others and channels it all right back to us. For Jesus
Himself said, "Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running over shall men give unto your busom.
What a beautiful message you gave to that girl, not only her but to everyone who has lost a Mother, I still have mine, and I can't image life without her, but memories and time, God does heal all wounds. I wish both my Sons, who do not talk to me would only realize that you get one Mother in this life. Hopefully maybe one day they will realize it, before it is too late. I pray for them all the time, and I put my faith in God that there is a reason for everything, but sometimes you wonder WHY
BANKS' RESPONSE: It's sad, Bernadette, that too many times too many kids
takes their parents for granted and end up letting them die before they properly
appreciate what they meant in their lives. I am included, There are many things I
wanted to tell my daddy before he died. Among those things were: "Thank you,"
"I'm sorry," "Why didn't you whip me more often?" and "Why didn't you just kill my
sassy, hard-headed, disobedient self?" I could have said the same to my mother
before she died. My parents raised me the old-fashion way where when I got out
of line, they whipped my behind. I hated them for whipping me then and love them
for whipping me now. In fact, Bernadette, I believe I'll do one of my entries on this
very subject. Thank you for reading my blog and for emailing your comment,
@Bernadette DiCaro I'm so sad to hear that your kids don't realize what a wonderful gift of God they have. *hug* wish I could have my mother back for a single day and I would make it the most memorable day of our lives.
Only those of us who lose our mothers realize how an immense shelter has been taken away from us. I lost my mother last year in June and am her youngest daughter aged 23...and I feel so unprotected and alone without her. Every little thing reminds me of her sweetest gestures. Now I regret every little thing that I think might have annoyed her or displeased her and there is no way I can make up to her...All I can do is cry my heart out,marvel her strengths, sacrifices and unconditional love...
Mr. Banks, your post made me cry... I was randomly googling "mama can you talk to me" and I stumbled upon this blogpost. May be God or mama wanted me to get here and read this...
BANKS' RESPONSE: Sundas, it sounds to me that your mother is far from
dead. She yet lives in the deep chambers of your heart, mind and soul for safe
keeping For it is there where the would can never take her away from you. She is
indeed there in the spirit world where your spirit can caresse her at any time
through the vehicles of the sweetest memories any mother could leave her
child. Truly, you loved her dearly. I could feel it in your comment. And you feelings
are no different from those of us who also loved dearly the mothers who have gone
on before us. My mother died in the flesh 54 years ago. But she remains alive in
my spirit so that I can always love and remember her just they sweet way she was.
She died at the tenderest age of 43 and she hasn't aged since. She remains
locked into the wonderful woman she was just before she died--loving, caring,
supportive, instructive and most inspiring. Thank God for mama, always and
forever.