“bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits.” psalm 103:1,2
“a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” ecclesiastes 3:4
and she did
she danced
in her church
at her house
and in her heart
she danced
because she was grateful
so grateful
and everything within her praised the Lord
for saving her
rescuing her
freeing her
walking with her
and…. she spoke
she was not ashamed of the gospel
not ever
wherever she went
whomever she was with
she spoke LIFE
the Jesus Life
the Jesus Truth
the Jesus Freedom
she spoke it because she knew it, experienced it, lived it
and because of that
she desired that others experience it
so… she prayed
she prayed in her heart
she prayed in her home
she prayed in her church
and she prayed in the public.
yeah
in the public
like… over strangers who were hurting
those in need
those most others avoided
she looked for them
she asked God to trust her with them
she noticed them, approached them
offered Jesus to them
and prayed right there
“why not here? why not now? Jesus loves you. and i love you.”
she also gave
resources – food – funds
an empty bedroom
“come, mary, come anytime. your room is always ready.”
dearest Lord God, thank you for your daughter jerry brown. thank you for her worship, her faith, her celebration of You. thank you for her friendship, her generosity, her compassion…
“are you new here? i don’t believe i’ve seen you at our church before. are you here just for our women’s conference, or are you looking for a church home? do you have someone to sit with? how can i pray for you?”
15 years.
15 years of prayers, emails, phone calls, visits, car rides, overnights.
thank you, Jesus, for her willingness to empty herself and allow your great, awesome love to pour out through her. thank you that it landed on me! on my heart! on my soul!
thank you that right now she is exactly where she always dreamed of being – with You, the one her soul loves.
what did she do when she got there, Jesus? when she saw You?
i bet she gasped.
and cried out.
and ran.
and fell at your feet.
i bet she worshipped.
covering your feet with her tears.
i bet when she got up
she kissed you.
hugged you.
and then
i bet
she danced.
Inside Out 
Fits Jerry to a “T”
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Oh Mary, what a wonderful tribute to Jerry! It said all that was in my heart about her and the calling she fulfilled with such grace. She influenced my life tremendously as we worked together. It was such a sweet time to spend our lunch times in a conference room praying over the needs in our lives and workplace. I can only imagine what she is doing now…dancing for sure. Her face is all aglow with His glory shining on her as she praises Him. Makes me kinda homesick for Heaven. Thank you for sharing your heart with us. Looking forward to hearing from you again and praying for the book that God is going to bring from you. My love and prayers for you and your family. Vivian
Vivian
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thank you vivian! i loved her so much. no one on this earth loved me like she did. ❤
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How wonderful to see this tribute to Jerry on such a glorious day! I have thought over and over about her welcome home!
What a celebration ,,,,,,,,it is probably still going on! Have fun, Jerry. I know you are! Love, Barbara
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Oh so beautiful, Mary! Thank you!!! We have so much to be grateful for. To Him be all glory, honor and praise.
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Oh so true of Jerry, every beautiful word! I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Jerry in person this side of heaven, but she loved me and our family from across the miles anyway, with her sweet loving prayers and cards for my daughter Jessie as she struggled on and off with serious life issues. In turn, we began to feel a connection to Jerry, her sweet daughter Beckey and grandson Matthew, keeping them in our prayers as well! She is dear to my heart, as they are! This tribute is beautiful, just like her beautiful soul and life song!
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Mary, though we never met Jerry personally, we became acquainted with, and loved her, through the many encouraging messages, cards and prayers for our granddaughter, Jessi and our family. A true prayer warrior. This is the most wonderful tribute to Jerry! We are forever grateful to her, for her. Thank you!
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Thank you, this means a lot to me.
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