It's really hot. Thank you. 30 minutes. This is my story. This is my song. ♪ This is my song, this is my song ♪ ♪ This is my song, this is my song ♪ ♪ This is my song, this is my song ♪ This is my story. This is my song. Praising my Savior more than all. This is my story. This is my song. This is my song. This is my song. ♪ And I can appreciate it by the tables ♪ ♪ For the love you have for me ♪ ♪ And I don't want you to be sad ♪ ♪ For the love you have for me ♪ ♪ And I don't want you to be sad ♪ ♪ I wish upon a star ♪ ♪ That I could fly to the land ♪ ♪ Where I can have a crown ♪ ♪ That no one can steal from me ♪ Amen. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. ♪ I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I pray for you, I ♪ Precious messages and glad tidings ♪ ♪ This we do proclaim ♪ ♪ To all who follow Jesus ♪ ♪ To the end of time and age ♪ ♪ To this day the Lord be with thee ♪ ♪ And with thee alone ♪ and an Looks like everyone's doing a good job of visiting anyway. Yes. Still got a number of people coming in. It's like old home week. Right, right. Thank you. Thank you. We'll give everybody a chance to find a seat and then we'll start. ♪ We are here to help and stand by you ♪ ♪ Touching the land with our own hands ♪ ♪ And we'll join with you as we sing to the land of the free ♪ th th Okay. Thank you. th th Thank you. Okay. Yeah. It was scary, but it happened. ♪ We're not done yet ♪ Should we go ahead and have our time? Yes, let's go ahead and have it. I thought about having everybody go downstairs, but everyone's here, so it's just... Well, everyone can't make it now. Oh, sure, right. Good point, too. Yeah, I think we're about ready to begin. Just come on in and sit. Yep. Okay. So, are we supposed to... Good afternoon. Welcome. Thank you each one for coming and being a part of this special day. Come on in. We've got seating up here for the family. Great to see everybody visiting with one another. A different tone today than I usually feel in memorials and funeral services. I can tell that we've gathered family from far and wide. Many have not seen each other for a time. It's great to be able to gather here in this place where Darlene and Gene worshipped the Lord for so many years. Where I got to be privileged to get to know Darlene and her A few years in here in Nebraska, last few years in Nebraska before moving to Arkansas. And so it's a privilege for our church to be able to host the friends and family of Darlene Isley as we have a common experience of saying goodbye. We've all had time to say goodbye in our own ways, in our own places, but to be able to come together and to do it as one puts a final touch on the farewell that God allows us to say to His servants. as they pass from their service here into His presence. And we do know where Darlene has been this last year. Thankfully, or the same, thankfulness with gratitude to her Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Allow me to open us with a word of prayer and then make a few comments before we have our first song. Father God, as we gather in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to honor the, Your servant, Darlene Isley. We pray that you would give each one of us the spirit of thankfulness, the spirit of comfort, the spirit of joy, the spirit that comes from you, the spirit who is the spirit of truth. Lord, fill this place with your presence so that we might be able to minister to one another as we give praise and thanks to you. We pray these things in the name of our Savior, Well, a memorial service like we have today is, like I said, an opportunity for us to say farewell. And it's not a final goodbye for those who are in the Lord. For those who are in the Lord, it's a until we meet again. And that is the joy of the resurrection. The resurrection changes everything. You see at the front of our church we have the symbol of the cross. I don't think we're ready for this slide yet. Go all the way back to the beginning if you would. You see that we have up here the symbol of the cross, and the cross is of course the most important symbol in the history of the church. But I would give a thought that perhaps the empty tomb is equally as important a symbol of Christianity as the cross of Jesus Christ. Now as we gather in church and we're having a service here, it's a very traditional church, a very traditional service. And for many in our culture, these trappings of the past don't seem quite as meaningful or quite as relevant. When it comes to celebrating the life of Darlene, we keep in mind that tomorrow would have been her 97th birthday on May 9th. And we also keep in mind that tomorrow is Mother's Day. And what a wonderful time to get together to remember a mother in the Lord and to remember the long life, the long blessed life that God gave to Darlene. And as I mentioned that Darlene passed from this life to be with her Lord last April 2020 and you might wonder how do we know that? How do we know that a person's spirit goes on after physical death? It's not something that we can observe scientifically or prove scientifically. And science is a wonderful tool, but there are other ways of knowing things. And we know that to be absent from the body for the believer in Jesus Christ is to be present with the Lord. And if the Bible is God's word, then God knows, and God doesn't lie. And so, as he says in 2 Corinthians 5-8, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. But then, of course, that would raise the follow-up question for us. Well, how do we know that the Bible really is God's word? How do we know that we can believe everything that is stated in this book? Many people might say, well, the heart has its reasons that the head doesn't know about. And while that may be true, I'm thankful that God has given us more reasons than just subjective, personal reasons to know that the Bible truly is the Word of God. This is a Bible church. It's been a church that has taught the Bible for as long as it's stood here. And just recently we've changed our name to Firth Bible Church, previously being the Evangelical Free Church at Firth, and Darlene was here even before we were called that. But whatever the name is, we've always stood on the Word of God here. And so I want you to know that as we start off this service, it's the Word of God that we look to for answers. It's the Word of God that we look to for understanding. It's the Word of God that comforts us in the midst of grief and parting, in the reality of mortality and death. The Word of God doesn't come to us without reasons for believing that it is, in fact, from God. There's no other book like this one in the world. There's no other book that has the prophecies that are contained in this book, that have been fulfilled exactly in the time and the place and the way that God predicted things would be. to the miracles of God by men of conviction, by men of integrity, by men who sealed the testimony of their own eyewitness resurrection account with their life willing to go even unto death because of what they had seen and come to understand about how God had overcome death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And so with the miracles and the evidence of the prophecy and the eyewitnesses to those miracles, we can have strong assurance, we can have confidence that the Word of God is no fairy tale. It is not something that is just a relic from a bygone era. But it is the living and abiding Word of God with the truth that we need in our world today. And with that in mind, I wanna introduce our first song of the day. It's a recorded song that Darlene wanted to be played here for us today, and someone in the family was gonna sing it, who was not able to be here, and so I want you to listen to the words of this song that would mean so much to us. Speaking of where the spirit of the saints go when we depart from this life, the song is entitled Where Eyes Don't Cry. Everywhere I look around me, there is pain in every eye. Broken hearts and promises, the sorrow of children in a world that is unfair. And the only hope is the hope I have of a place somewhere where I just don't ♪ And hearts don't break ♪ We'll never ever wonder why again ♪ Our question's here ♪ He'll answer them It's beyond my understanding how everything will be. I only know my fate. And a million years of endless joy For every tear we cry We'll be the gift the Father gives As He welcomes us Eyes don't cry and hearts don't break We'll never ever wonder why again When eyes don't cry and hearts don't break. I'd like to invite Terry Batts to come forward for the reading of the obituary. formerly of Burke, Nebraska, passed away April 6, 2020, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Darlene was born on May 9, 1924, in Pine Bluff, Arizona, Wyoming, to William and Leora Ehrlich-Papke. Darlene was a homemaker and a caterer. She was amazingly talented and a chef extraordinaire. She cooked, baking, sewing, painting, hair cutting, decorating, gardening, floral arrangements. There was not anything she did not do, especially if she set her mind to it. And she won many contests because of her amazing artistic talent. Her immediate and extended family all have very fond memories of her delicious pies and cinnamon rolls. And it's not on there, but runs us. She was a member of the Evangelical Free Church of Hope, and her and Eugene were active members of the Gideon International for many years. Darlene is survived by her daughters, Cheryl and husband, Val Halstead of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Diane Katz of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Terry Beth Israel of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Her grandchildren, Galen Halstead, Her granddaughter, Dawn, and her husband, Jerry Cook. Her granddaughter, Regina Rodert. Grandson, Darren Katz, Derek Katz, and Daniel Katz. Her great-grandchildren were Dustin Cook, Blake Cook, and his wife, Lindsey. Madison Rodert, Lucas Rodert, Yemica Katz, and Nyra Katz. Her great-great-grandchildren, Presley Green, Eliza and Daly Cook. Survived by her sister Donna Reeves of Olathe, Kansas, her sister-in-law Lila Packie, and several nieces and nephews of both Darlene and Jean. She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother Normal, by sisters-in-laws and brothers-in-law, and her loving husband of 15 years. It's good to see so many faces, some I do recognize from the past, some I do not, and I'm sure that's partly mutual. I will be reading from the 15th chapter of Corinthians, starting with verse 1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I have preached unto you, which ye also have received, and wherein ye stand, by which if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you believe in vain. For I deliver unto you first of all that which is also received now that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures, and that he was seen by Cephas, then of the twelve, and after that he was seen above 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain into this present. Some have fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James, then all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen by me also as one born out of due time, for I am the least of the apostles that I not meet to be called an apostle, was not in vain. But I labored more abundantly, and they all yet not, they all yet not, I, but the grace of God, which was within me. Therefore, whether it were I or they who preached, also that he who believed, now if Christ be preached, that he is rose from the dead, and say some among you that there is. For if the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised. For if Christ be not raised, your faith is in vain, yet ye were in your sins. Then they also which were fallen asleep in Christ are perished. And if this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Now not in Christ, risen from the dead, and became the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came the reaction of the dead, for as in Adam all die, even as Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order, Christ the firstfruits afterward, then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom of God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rules and all authority and power, for he must reign till he hath all enemies under his feet, and the last enemy that shall be I come to him. As a young man in Fort Smith, Arkansas, I had no idea at the time, but I am sure that it was God's mind and His fact for my life and the lives of the Eisen family that we'd be brought together. Somehow or another from Fort Smith, Arkansas, I wound up in a little town called Fort Lebraska, which I'd never, ever heard of. Long story in between all that, but then I was introduced to my soon-to-be wife, Cheryl Isley Halsted, and then I was introduced to Jean and Darlene Isley. And I would have to say that, you know, you hear all kinds of stories about in-laws. My dealings with Darlene and Jean Isley, I'll have to say, was very, very good. throughout the 60-some years that I knew them, never once that I can remember did we ever have a cross word between any one of us. I grew with their respect and mutual love toward one another, and I was forever grateful that the good Lord brought us all together through this time. Darlene and Gene were very, very fine Christians. I was glad to know them. Well, I want to let everybody know there's going to be an opportunity for you also to speak a word. If you have a memory that you would like to share or anything else that's on your heart that you would want to speak today, in a little while I'll give you that opportunity. But for right now, I'd like to lead us in another prayer followed by a congregational hymn. Bow your heads with me. Father, as we have had this scripture reading from 1 Corinthians 15 about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are reminded that the truth of the Bible is established by a historical fact. That if Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, then the Bible is true. And everything that it says changes our perspective on everything. If Jesus Christ has not risen from the dead, then it's all built on a false foundation and should be given up. Lord we thank you that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and that you've given proof to all men of that truth through the eyewitness testimony and the prophecies of Holy Scripture. Lord may our hearts be assured of the truth of your word today so that we can receive the comfort and the grace that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ in this time. We pray for our You may take a hymnal out of the pew if you'd like to look at the music for our hymn today, but I'll also have the words here up on the screen for us. An old spiritual, one that speaks of the future hope. Those who wrote this song and those who have loved and sung this song over the years have experienced many trials and many difficulties, even as Darlene had many They pale in comparison to the glory that God has in store for those that He has called and chosen. And so, let's stand together. We've been sitting for a little while. I always like to stand as we sing. We'll sing all three verses that are there in the hymnal, number 779, I'll Fly Away. I'll fly away To the home of God's celestial joy I'll fly away I'll fly away, oh glory I'll fly away When I die, hallelujah, my, oh my I'll fly away. When the shadows of this life have grown, I'll fly away. Light of the front, mercy's wise has flown, I'll fly away. I'll fly away, oh glory, I'll fly away. When I die, hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away. Just a few more weary days and then I'll fly away. To a land where joy shall never end I'll fly away I'll fly away, oh glory I'll fly away When I die, hallelujah, bye and bye I'll fly away Thank you for singing with us. You may be seated. I'd like to share a tribute that I composed with great help from the family, in particular Darlene was born on May 9, 1924, in Pine Bluff, Wyoming, to William and Leora Papke. Now, children and grandchildren, of which we have a number here today. Children and grandchildren often do not appreciate their parents and grandparents enough because we lack the context of understanding our parents' lives before we came into them. So we often don't fully empathize with their struggles. It's difficult sometimes to honor one's father and mother when we see them from our own limited perspective. But God sees the whole picture. And Darlene did not have an easy childhood. So, to see what she made of her life, through God's grace, allows us to admire her even more. Darlene's own mother, Leora, passed away when she was only 30, leaving Darlene to be the caregiver of her brother and sister. When her father, William, remarried again later that same year, it was a Cinderella story for Darlene. But you remember how the Cinderella story began. So she lived through the wicked stepmother scenario and endured, much like the heroic character in the classic tale, learning to have courage and be kind. Darlene became an Isley when she married Eugene when she was 19. They had their first child a year later, Sherry. They moved to various cities from 1944 to 1946 as Eugene was in military service. making lifelong friends everywhere that they went. After those initial years, they lived on several farms here in Nebraska. The first, just south of Firth, at a little house off of State Highway Spur 34B and Aspen Road. Next, they rented farmland and a farmhouse from around 1952 to 1960. Then they spent almost a year renovating a 100-year-old farmhouse where Jean's parents had lived. They bought 220 acres of land for $200 an acre. I'd like to be able to get that price today. And Darlene was so troubled about thinking about all the interest on the farm loan that she worked many hours in Lincoln, cleaning, cooking, babysitting, caring for the sick and disabled, catering, while working every night at her house. and their income being so limited, the hard-working mom and dad did everything they could themselves. And even with that limited income, Darlene managed to save almost every penny, made smart investments. Her children for many years didn't understand Darlene's penny-pinching, but later came to appreciate how hard she worked for the family money and why she was so careful with it, planning for her own latter years and for her family's future. but it was good. Darlene was a homemaker, and she excelled at that. Everything she did, she did with excellence. As I already mentioned, everyone always wanted her pies, cakes, and cinnamon rolls at the potlucks here at the church, and she could paint, she could sew without using any patterns, she could cut and style hair, make floral arrangements, name all the flowers and every bird, bake and cook extraordinarily well, Paint, garden, clean, and the list goes on. There didn't seem to be anything that Darlene couldn't do well. Winning many contests because of her artistic talents. So her husband bought the world of her. As it says in Proverbs 31, 29, I'm sure he told her often, many women have done excellently, but you surpassed them all. Well, Darlene and Gene also became actively involved with the Gideons. The family remembers that sometimes it seemed like Jean was more of a part-time farmer than a full-time Gideon. They both enjoyed the fulfilling work of placing God's Word, getting it out into all corners of the world through the Gideon ministry, and the wonderful Christian friendships that they made there. Praise God for the Gideons. Darlene suffered through migraines throughout her life, though, and few probably knew about her pain. Her daughter Diane remembers how Darlene would be making a 10-course meal for 15 people on a Sunday for her holiday, but she would be in the bathroom numerous times, throwing up because of the migraine headache. Not very many knew how many days she would be ill almost every week. And their latter years together did not come without trials of their own. Darlene's husband started exhibiting the signs of Alzheimer's at only 68 years old when Darlene was 61. He'd always said that he would never retire from the farm. So when he told Darlene that he wanted to sell the farm and move to Lincoln, well, that was a sign. Darlene enjoyed the move to Lincoln, but it was very hard for Gene to give up the farm. So in 1992, they bought a little house at 420 South 54th Street. And so once again, Darlene had the job of remodeling another house into a home. There's a big difference. Darlene took on most of the burden herself, because her husband's Alzheimer's had advanced considerably, and he was not able to bear the load with her. So for five years, she cared for Eugene in their new home. But in 1997, Sherry made the decision, for both mom and dad's sake, that Gene needed to be placed into a nursing home in Arkansas. So Darlene had some years on her own in Lincoln, after Eugene moved Darlene, at that time, being 73, for the first time in her life, was free to come and go as she pleased. However, that didn't last too long, because in her late 70s, she lost most of her eyesight due to macular degeneration. She never complained about it, not to anybody but the Lord, probably, and He always wants to hear what's on our hearts. But it must have been difficult, as her many talents were rendered inoperative without the gift of sight. And then, when she was 82, she had a stroke and could no longer drive. A difficult life. Difficult start, difficult end. But a good one. And she made the best of it. Darlene lived without complaint or depression. The Bible reveals to us that God takes his servants through many trials on their way to glory. All who knew Darlene would be able to see the effect of her faith that endured through the difficult trials. And she was never without joy. Now, you can look around and you can see Jean and Darlene's biggest accomplishment. The legacy of family and the legacy of faith that they have left behind. Neither Jean or Darlene grew up in a Christian home. are saved and openly confess the Lord Jesus Christ because of their example. Darlene May Isley was 95 years old at the time of her passing last April in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Darlene's loving labor as a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother was not At this time, I'd like to open up the microphone and the pulpit for anyone among the friends and family of Darlene who would like to come and share a memory or say something. That would be an encouragement to those gathered. If you have something that you would like to share, please come forward. I should have invited before I spoke.