Living Life With Eternity in Mind

She walked into rooms with glitter, a gentle laugh, and a quiet focus on Jesus and somehow everyone felt seen. We dedicate this conversation to our friend, Melinda Emerson, whose life of art, hospitality, and prayer taught us how to live with eternity in mind. From choir risers to hospital rooms, her creativity became care, her presence became welcome, and her faith became courage for the rest of us.

We share first encounters that show her calm in chaos, the way she saved seats for newcomers and followed up when they were missing, and how a simple painting turned into comfort after unimaginable loss. You’ll hear community stories that reveal the depth of her impact: custom canvases that carried Scripture into classrooms, a reimagined “tikveh” image that steadied a family through cancer, and a dropped pot of taco meat that turned into laughter and a feast anyway. Through it all, Melinda kept the main thing the main thing eyes fixed on Jesus, hands open to serve, heart ready to pray.

We also get practical about carrying her legacy forward. We talk about slowing down, lifting our heads, and choosing presence over performance. And we introduce Create With Me, our partnership with Together We Foster, building an arts space for children entering foster care—because creativity can give words to pain and dignity to waiting. It’s a simple, local way to honor the woman who turned every hallway into a welcome.

If you're interested in donating or learning more about the Create with M.E. program, reach out to Kara Spencer at kara@togetherwefosternea.org. 

If this story stirs you, share it with a friend who needs hope, subscribe for future episodes, and leave a review to help others find the show. Tell us how you plan to “love big” this week and keep the main thing the main thing.

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Transcript

Welcome And Recent Guest Recap

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to the Table of Greats podcast, where every woman has a seat. Every story matters, and Jesus is always at the center. We're here to create space for real conversations and faith-filled stories that help you grow in your walk with Jesus. So grab your favorite cup of coffee and pull up a chair. Because at his table, there's always a seat for you.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Welcome back to the Table of Grace podcast. I'm Tessa Lepke here with Tracy Smith, and we are so glad to be back in the studio. If you didn't get to listen to our podcast last week, I definitely encourage you to. We got to speak with our Flourish Night speaker, Tara Do, and she was just phenomenal. If you got to attend Flourish with us, you also were just, I'm sure, so blessed and encouraged by the message that she brought. She talked a little bit about a similar message on the podcast too. So if you weren't able to join us for Flourish, you can actually watch the replay on our Facebook page. And you can also listen to the podcast episode we had with her. She was so phenomenal. And we loved having her with us.

Dedicating The Episode To Melinda

SPEAKER_02 1:14

We are dedicating this podcast episode to a dear friend of ours that has um gone to be with Jesus in the past uh few weeks. Um it's been a few weeks since our dear friend Melinda Emerson passed away, and she fought the good fight. Um, and we all know she was welcomed with well done, good and faithful servant. And we really just wanted to sit and um honor her memory, but also just share about the life that she lived because it was so admirable, and it was just watching her serve and love and be so generous and create, it was just a blessing to get to rub shoulders with her and serve and just watch her love people. Um, and we want to just honor her that. And the title of this episode is Living Life with Eternity in Mind. And that's really just what Melinda did. She was such a gift to us in our women's ministry, to our church. Um, she was such a gift. Um, Tracy, I

First Encounters And First Impressions

SPEAKER_02 2:11

would love for you to share a little bit about your first encounters with Melinda. What did that look like? And how did you how did you guys meet?

SPEAKER_00 2:19

I remember we moved from Lake City, Arkansas, to Jonesboro, which was a big 15 miles move. Big hop. Yes, but coming from the church that we loved in Lake City to Central was a huge jump. Well, our plan was we were going to come and be invisible in a worship service and leave and then kind of figure out if this was going to be for us. And I, no one else in my family, got the time wrong. And we walked in and the service was over, and it was life group time. Oh, wow. And we saw Bill panic, he knew who we were, and he said, Oh, come on, let's find you a class. So we did that, and that's that's our entrance. It's almost as if it was just meant to be. We didn't have a choice. Yeah. And so we came here. Melinda's one of the first people that I met. Wow. Um, and she was like a unicorn, literally. Yep, glitter everywhere. Glitter, blue, yes, confetti everywhere. Yeah. And uh there was something so intriguing

Art, Intentionality, And Seeing People

SPEAKER_00 3:19

about her. She was calm in all situations, even when I would be having a panic attack over something in women's ministry, just as cool as she could be because she Melinda lived with a heart that kept the main thing the main thing. And I think about how many times I have not done that. And she was an inspiration to me in truly seeing people, and not just seeing them, but stopping and meeting them and making them them feel welcome and comfortable in space. She was a one of a kind.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

Yes, yes, she was. Um, I remember actually the first time I met her, which is really kind of funny, it wasn't through women's ministry, it was through choir. So it's very, very funny. Um, I remember we used she was an alto, shout out to the Altos. Um, but she stood right beside me and we just started a conversation because that's just who she was. She was like, I don't know this girl, I'm gonna introduce myself. And um, I had just I think it might have been like one of my first choir practices. So I was like very like, I don't know anybody here. Oh, I know it's like Corey and Stephanie, like that's it. Um, and I just remember her going, like, I and she was so so humble too. I mean, she was like, Oh, I'm an art teacher, or like I was an art teacher, and like went through all these things like I do art or whatever now, and like da-da-da-da. And that was my first Melinda encounter, and then I saw all the things that she did do, and I was like, girl, you were holding back what you doing. And so, uh, and then meeting her through the women's ministry was such a gift. Um, and yeah, I think of uh one of my last Melinda art pieces was um we all shared our word of the year. Yes. Um, and she created a piece of art for all of us. And mine was my grandpa had just passed away, and um I had shared that like he just loved God so big, and she put, you know, um, no that loved God and loved people. Um what was the I'm trying to even remember what the what word language and statement it was, but um oh, love big is what it was was that word of like statement of the year I had. And when she gave that to me, it was just like this, um, yeah, just this sweet. I remember like had tears. I want to cry thinking about it now. But um just this her remembering and like being so intentional. I mean, it just challenged me to go, I forgot we even shared her. Like, I forgot we even shared our statements of the year. But she didn't, and she sat there and she wrote every single one down. Um, and she sat at home, like she sat at home and c and intentionally created art for everybody. And it's just um I think so often we live this fast-paced life. Um, and it's easy to, and it's easy to just like hustle and then serve over here and then go home and then do this and serve over here and like do all the things. Um, and it's so hard to sometimes stop and really see people. It is.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

We we're so bad about I I feel like there's almost this guilt-driven angst that we have about we've got to stay busy. Yep. And if we are idle, and I use that term very loosely in this, that somehow we're not carrying our fair share of the weight and things. But Melinda was able to live in a uh a world and a life that was busy. I mean, her husband was a surgeon, they were they were busy, they had three boys to raise, she had all these grandkids that she loved, but she lived with intention and she would keep the main thing, the main thing.

Showing Up In Suffering With Faith

SPEAKER_00 6:47

I'll never forget the first time she just showed up at my door. But I was going through um a struggle and a hard time when my mom was sick and we were trying to make some decisions about what we were gonna do there. Um and and she just showed up with art that she had brought that was a remembrance for me that God saw me and saw this situation and he used her to do that.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Um my son had a friend who was suffering from cancer, and the the tikva image that we all love so much, she took that and changed it and painted this friend uh uh in the middle of it with these women praying, and I shared that with his family. She just literally walked with the hands and feet of Jesus. Yeah, even in sickness. Yeah, even when she was sick. Um she she left big shoes to fill.

SPEAKER_02 7:44

She did.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

And I'm so thankful for her. I'm so thankful for the way her husband shared her with us even in the times of sickness. Um she was uh was a blessing.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Yes. I I I think about uh just as you're mentioning this, like within how um just encouraged and how much how she encouraged us even when she was sick. I mean, I just think a whole year she battled with pancreatic cancer. And honestly, what's really crazy is when I heard her diagnosis, I didn't know exactly what it was. So I wouldn't have even thought it was as bad as it was because of how she reacted in response to it. Um and then when I found out I was like, oh my gosh, that's like so scary. And like so and the way that she just navigated with grace and faith and you know, if n God's will, not my own, like she just I mean, she just walked that out in a way that like I will I will never forget. Um and I know all the people that encountered her, even through that year of really hard things and and being sick and struggling and going to treatment and doing all things. I know there were countless lives that she even I know personally like countless lives that she interacted with throughout in the hospitals and the treatment centers. Like she never stopped.

SPEAKER_00 9:00

No, she didn't. Yeah, she lived with um eyes that were set on heaven and then were seeing

A Legacy Of Hospitality And Prayer

SPEAKER_00 9:11

people who needed their eyes set on heaven, and she did everything she could to make them feel welcome. In our uh women's Bible studies, Melinda was always the one when someone would come in and they didn't uh know, you know, they hadn't been here, they didn't know where they were gonna sit, they didn't know who they were gonna sit with. She had a an eagle eye for those people. She did and she didn't just go find them and have them sit with her that night. She made sure that they knew, okay, next week you have the seat right here beside me, yeah, and I'm expecting you. And if they didn't show up, she was gonna call them.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

She just um she was like the welcome wagon for Jesus. She was. She really was. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

I expect uh it's when we all get to be together again one day, that we'll have a lot of art up there. You know, and our our mansions will be fully decorated. Yes. They will be fully decorated with art. They will. Yeah, it'll be it will be so good. And she'll be part of the welcome company, I'm sure. She absolutely. Yes. Um, and yeah, what an encouraging thing to know that we have people there that are waiting for us too.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

What what a um neat way to live and an even neater way to go to heaven. Yeah. I mean, there are a lot of things people can say about us uh after we die, but I don't think I don't think there's a human on this earth that could say anything except what we're saying about her right now.

SPEAKER_02 10:35

Yeah, for sure. And um one of the we me, Tracy, and another one of our ladies in our women's ministry got to go visit her alongside so many other church members and family and friends um in her last days and something that just stuck with me is in the midst of just all the things. Um she was just going, Praise God. I was like, Yes, the way that you can I mean, just the faith to sit there knowing it's your last few days on earth and praising the Lord as you go. Um, wow, like what a what I want to be Melinda when I grow up, you know, like that's I want to have faith that um lives that way. And um yeah, she did she did such a good job at uh just denying herself and just showing up and being being Christ to others, you know, and that's something that I think we can all um just strive to strive to do in honoring her legacy. I mean there's uh yeah, there's not many people like Melinda out there.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Um and e there were have been times, I mean goodness, in all the years that we've served together in women's ministry, there have been some times where we've had some challenges where you know we might want to sit in it, you know how you like to sit in it for a minute and just and she would say, nope, we're not gonna do this. We're not gonna do this. God has this and we're gonna be obedient in what he's called us to, and we're gonna move forward. And she said it in that same loving way, but it was said with authority. So so you just you it was a reminder that there's something bigger here. And I just think that she's lived her days like that. Um I can't wait to see her in heaven.

SPEAKER_02 12:18

Yeah, she's so that's so good. Um, and to kind of inc include even more Melinda stories during this episode, I'm going to share a few um that have been sent into us and just to show a little bit more of like the kind of the impact, not only the impact she had, but just the heart that she had. Um she just lived and loved like Jesus did. And we want to share all of that with you guys because we think it's so important. I am gonna share just some Melinda stories and memories that have been shared with us from some of the women in our church, and it has been so encouraging to hear how her life impacted so many others, and I hope you find it encouraging too. So here we go. I never knew when sweet Melinda would

Community Stories That Keep Her Memory

SPEAKER_02 13:21

show up with a gift of a piece of art or a craft. I have Melinda's love throughout my house and office. My favorite painting is the one that the Lord inspired to paint, representing the heart of our women's ministry. Each of the women looked different in age and ethnicity. That painting was absolutely divinely inspired. One comical memory I have of Melinda is when I went to visit her in the hospital. Imagine someone very sick and incredibly weak. And when I entered her room, she said, Oh good, I have something to give you, and handed me a post-it note. Ran it on it was three ideas for me to start planning for our woman's ministry. Nothing was going to halt her creativity and passion to serve the women of our church. Another story. There are many things I loved about Melinda. We both loved Disney. We would talk for hours about our favorite food, rides, and favorite food. I loved how encouraging she was. She never ceased to remind me how valuable I was as a teacher and how important my job was. She would make me things for my classroom, offer to donate anything to a child in need, and always had ideas when I needed craft ideas. There were fingerprints of Melinda all around my house, whether it's a canvas, an ornament, a keychain, or jewelry, she was a generous gift giver and showed her love often. She was super intentional, and you never knew when a happy would be coming your way. Melinda didn't just love me, she loved my family. She spoke kindly about my daughter and husband and always checked on both of them. We are currently reading a book that Melinda gave my daughter. One of the times I met Melinda was at my mom's group during summer. She would do a craft, share devotional at my mom, enjoy time with other moms while our kids played. That summer we made a clay nativity set, and the Lord knows that she had to do the most of mine. I was a super needy student, and she encouraged me every step of the way. I had to miss the last session, but she bagged up all that I needed and gave it to me to make it at home. And I did. And I put that nativity set out at Christmas. I loved how Melinda cared for women. She would host events with food and crafts and sweet fellowship. And one night we were having a taco night, and she would she was bringing the ground beef, and when I got there, she had dropped her pot of meat all over the church floor. And unlike me, she never panicked or got discouraged, and we made the most of what we had. She was never in a hurry. She would talk with you and give you all of her attention. She was a wealth of knowledge, and I was always super eager to share. Her teaching, the study of Jesus, and women came to life for me. She would have pictures of Israel, food we talked about, crafts to help us remember, and to welcome every woman that came in those doors. And Melinda was a faithful prayer warrior, up early every Wednesday to pray over our women, faithfully intervening on our behalf to the Father. It was the honor of a lifetime to be one of her girls. Her memory, her memory and legacy will live forever in my heart. The next story. She always was there for me and would be there for anything that I needed. I thank God for all the time I had Melinda to myself as a very special friend. And finally, the last story. The first time I met Melinda was about five years ago. I was new to our church and preparing to sing at the annual Police Wives Banquet that evening. Melinda was busy decorating and setting up tables, yet she took a moment to introduce herself to me with a warm smile. Before the event began, she surprised me with a couple of art pieces she had created as a thank you for singing. They were so creative and beautifully crafted, just like her spirit. A year or two later I saw Melinda again as she helped out for the same event. This time I was scheduled to be the evening's presenter. Before the banquet began, she again once approached me, and this time holding a painting she had made as a token of appreciation. The painting featured two angels embracing, one in a blue gown with brown hair, and the other in a pink gown with blonde hair. The moment I saw it, my heart was touched. The angel in blue reminded me of my sister, who had passed away from a brain aneurysm in 2017. She had brown hair and her favorite color had always been blue. And about two months after that evening, my family faced another unimaginable loss. I'm the oldest of four daughters, and our youngest sister was tragically killed in a car accident on a warm, sunny day in June. A few weeks after that funeral, I walked onto my home office and noticed Melinda's painting on the display. In that moment, I saw it with new eyes. There's no way that Melinda could have known, but now the two angels represented both of my sisters. That sister that had recently passed away had blonde hair and her favorite color was pink, just like that second angel in the painting. Not long after I've shared the story with Melinda, telling her how much more meaningful her gift had become, she listened with her characteristic kindness and humility, and our friendship deepened from that point on. Over the next few years, Melinda and I grew even closer. In the summer before her diagnosis, I asked if she would be willing to lead a Bible study for teachers who had more free time during the break. She gladly agreed, and it turned out to be one of the most impactful Bible studies I've ever attended. I'm forever grateful for the way Melinda touched my life with her faith, her compassion, and her creative spirit. Her love for God radiated through everything she did, and she will never be forgotten. And those were just a very small portion of who Melinda was and the life that she lived. And I have I just love all of those stories because it just reminds me of her and her spirit and her heart to serve others and to serve God. So I hope that you were encouraged by all of those stories. Um they are just um such a great reminder of who Melinda was, how she loved, how she served. Um and if you have a Melinda story, we'd still love to hear it. Feel free to share it with us. Um and yeah, we would love to hear that because she has blessed us and so many other people, and it's just encouraging to be reminded of how she lived. Tracy, I'd love for you to share for those listening, maybe who know Melinda or who don't um how would you say that in living life with eternity in mind and honoring Melinda's legacy, how would you say that we can do that and just living a life with with you know, keeping the main thing, the main thing, like you mentioned? How do how does that look like to walk and live live?

SPEAKER_00 19:57

One of the things that I have become aware of over the years

What It Means To Live For Eternity

SPEAKER_00 20:01

is as we have had like women's ministry opportunities where we would set tables up and we would be here. Um, you know, a lot of people pass in and out of this church into services where they come in and it's dark because we're getting ready for the worship time and and they'll leave, maybe never encountering anyone else. And that's not their responsibility to create that, that is ours. And so I I think the best way we could honor her is if we all chose to um exercise that kind of heart. Okay. Um I think it will take work for it to become as natural as it was for Melinda, but to truly raise our heads up because we go 90 miles an hour with our head down, getting from one place to the next, and just being a little more leisurely as we walk through this space here at church, as we walk through Walmart, to the grocery store, as we spend time with our family, and just really be present in those moments and see people and and listen to them, yeah, and then encourage them, and then be consistent in doing it again and again and again. Um everybody wants to know that they matter to somebody. Yeah, and Melinda made a sea of people feel like they mattered to her.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

She's so yeah, she loves such a legacy and big shoes to feel, as you mentioned. Um yeah, and I think just echoing that is seeing people um wherever we are, and like where wherever we have influence, wherever we have the ability to step in and just see someone.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

Um and I think that comes from a prayerful heart. Yep. Uh that's not natural in us. And I think I in fact I know Melinda prayed for that in her own life and asking God to give us a vision to really see people beyond the facade of what they're wearing or how busy they are or how important we think they are, or maybe not, but truly looking at the heart. I think that is the Holy Spirit within us. And she wore that well.

SPEAKER_02 22:18

Yeah, she did. And I think that's the best way we can honor her is to is to have eyes to see um and ears to hear, um, and be the hands and feet of Jesus. And um we will miss her dearly. Um there's such a big hole left um that is feels impossible um to fill in that way. But we also know that she is no longer in any pain at all, and is if there's an art room and arts and crafts in heaven, she is over there and and leading it up.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

If there wasn't, there is now.

SPEAKER_02 22:50

Yeah, if there wasn't, she's definitely started it or reamped it up, whichever, whichever way. So we're so thankful um to just have experience, have having known her was such a blessing. Um, and so we're so thankful to be able to honor her legacy. Also, there is a few different ways that you can join us in honoring her. Um, we are actually partnering with Together We Foster, um, and we are helping create and develop this arts and crafts area um kind of a program, honestly, in a way. Um it's called Create With Me, which is M E stands for Melinda Emerson. Um and I'm gonna leave some details in the show notes as well. But it's basically a way that um people can donate either art supplies or um paint or all the things. And as these kids are getting processed into the foster system, they'll have these um kind of areas to create art. And it's a very, if you know anything about the foster system, um it takes a long time sometimes to get those kids processed through. And they're coming, they're getting taken from their homes. It's a very traumatic, honestly, experience. So to be able to express that in art um is I think going to be a way that we also honor Melinda and who she was and how she showed up.

Honoring Her Through Create With Me

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Thank you so much for listening in to this podcast episode. It was such a sweet and special one for us to record. If you have been encouraged and enjoyed these episodes, feel free to leave us a review. Let us know what you think on wherever platform you listen to your podcast. Also, feel free to let us know what topics you would love to hear about on this podcast, as well as any suggestions on people we should interview. We would love to hear from you guys. And always remember.