A Sweet Fragrance: Kerri Lane

The last few days have been hard. I am mouning the loss of an incredible friend, servant, sister, and mentor. Kerri probably didn't realize she was a mentor to me but she certainly was! I cannot express what she meant to me in mere words. Kerri was a single mother raising two precious, Christ-honoring little girls, ages 6 and 9. Less than a year ago, she noticed a growth on her abdomen, but thought nothing of it. This growth turned out to be malignant melanoma. The roots of her soul were so deep before her diagnosis but they grew even more rich and beautiful as she made the journey through cancer. Kerri Lane was a woman totally anointed in the oil of joy and fully devoted to the call of Christ Jesus. There were only two places she longed to abide with all of her being, either at home with Carlee and Jolee or in the throneroom of Heaven worshipping her God and King. Everything she did and said was bathed in the fragrance of the Most High. In my life, Kerri embodied Jesus in a way that permanantly marked my own journey of faith. As I remember her at this moment, I am reminded of a powerful phrase from a Christian song. " We live and we love." That is the sum of Kerri's life. She fulfilled the two greatest commands that the Father has called each of his beloved children to be defined by. This precious woman was so very intentional in her love and in her relationship with her God. She understood what it truly meant to know and experience the love of Christ as her Bridegroom and the Lover of her Soul. I want to live with that devotion and that insaitable hunger and thirst that only He can quench and bring forth. She has left quite a legacy in my life and in the life and body of Highland Church of Christ. She will be an everlasting example of a living, vital, humble, and most beautiful faith and trust in the way of Christ. Now, Kerri joins the multitudes of angels as she is inducted into Heaven's Faithful Servants Hall of Fame. I love you so much, Kerri. Know that Carlee and Jolee are loved and will carry your legacy to many generations. Lord, you created such a masterpeice in Kerri Lane. Thank you for bringing her into my life and allowing me to be formed and shaped more fully into the image of Jesus as a result of knowing her. Kerri, the harvest of souls that you have touched and left behind is plentiful. The fruit of your life is most beautiful beloved. Jesus, take good care of her!