When someone dies we can all speculate whether they will go to heaven or hell. I usually don’t spend much time doing that. There isn’t anything any of us can do about it now. My heart usually goes out to the family of the deceased. Someone has just lost their mother, father, brother, sister or friend. After such a loss, getting on with life can be difficult no matter how much money the family has.

After the initial shock of death, the family will likely need some support on some level. As we all know, prayer always works. Pray continually that they Lord will give family and friend comfort during this tough time. Here  some other ways you can help when someone you know experiences the loss of a loved one.

Offer to make meals
I know people usually take food over the families house when someone dies. Here is another spin on that. You could gather up people from from your congregation and provide the family with meals over the course of 2-3 weeks. All you need to do is develop a schedule and a different person can bring the family a meal every other day.

Offer to help with housework
It is amazing how housework piles up during times of bereavement. This is your opportunity to offer to help cut grass, do laundry or any other chores that need to be done around the house.

Spend some time with the children
Consider taking the children out for a good time. They have just lost their mother or father. I’m sure the surviving parent could use a little break. A day of fun and activities could go a long way in helping the grieving process.

Stay in contact
When the death initially happens there will be tons of people around to provide help and support. Will those same people be around a month or even a week later? That is when you could be a big help. Follow-up days, weeks and months after the death. A listening ear or a shoulder to cry on is always helpful.

This is just a starting point. You can always ask what the person needs. I believe God will honor you for having a willing heart to help others. Remember, prayer works too!

As I think about it, there are three gospel artist who were clearly influenced by Michael Jackson: Kirk Franklin, Ton3x and Deitrick Haddon. I’m sure there were others, but with these three it is very obvious. You can hear it in their music and see it when they perform. Between the three of them, they have reached millions of people. I don’t know where any of them would be without the Michael Jackson influence in their music. I’m sure they would all be wonderful artists, but the Michael Jackson influence definitely gave them something extra.

I never considered myself much of a big Michael Jackson fan. I respected his music, but there were other artists that I preferred more. Now that I think about it, I guess I was a bigger fan than I initially thought.

Please remeber to keep the Jackson family in your prayers. Please feel free to share your thoughts and reflections.