Is God Really Omnipotent? I Wonder...

One of the cornerstones of Christian theology is that God is omnipotent, all-powerful. But I remember coming to a different conclusion thanks to a lesson I learned from my son when he was about two-years old. I realized that I could not actually MAKE Christopher do what I wanted; that he would always choose what to do based on criteria some of which I had little control over. I could only set out the consequences for a given decision. From that point on, I tried to approach my children with the attitude, "how can I motivate them to choose correctly?"

I eventually realized that this condition also applies to my own life, that God can't MAKE me do anything. If I don't want to, or believe I can't, that's it. Game over, I "win." I can "beat" God at this game every time. Of course technically, one could argue that this doesn't really count as an inability on God's part, but an unwillingness on mine. This may be true, but the outcome is the same. God will not do in our lives what we believe He cannot do.

When I was a child, I wanted to be an international spy roaming the great countries of the world singlehandedly solving crime and defeating international evil. For a while, I wanted to be a fireman, running into burning buildings, saving beautiful women and babies. I also wanted to be an astronaut, exploring space and other planets. I'm sure some of you had similar goals when you were young.

But as people grow, the goals we had in childhood change. Some become impractical (very little chance of single-handedly conquering "international evil"), others less desirable (fire is HOT and did you know that you can't breathe smoke?). And some goals well, you just didn't understand. I mean, exploring space? Hey, space is big, I mean REALLY BIG. You may thing it's a long way to the neighborhood McDonald's, but that's just PEANUTS to space. (1) 

But the worst kind of demise a goal can suffer is the slow death by our own hand, well words really. The progression from "I will!" to "maybe I can" to "I probably can't" to simply "I can't" quietly lays goals to rest in graves of limitations that we have dug with our own words. "I can't."

So, God is omnipotent, all powerful. Well, sort of. God can do anything He wants. Well, mostly. There is one thing that God's unlimited power cannot do. He cannot overcome the "I can'ts" that we hold on to in our lives and we will be right. If we truly believe we can't accomplish something, nothing God will, not "can't" but "will" do can change that. He works through imperfect vessels by choice and as odd as it may sound, He is bound by that choice to the limitations of the vessel: us.

So, is there no hope of miracles? Is God to be rendered powerless in the world by our limitations? Of course not. As vessels, we must come to know that our limitations are really "invitations." Just because we can't doesn't mean God won't, we need to trust that His omnipotence can conquer our "I can'ts". As we come to understand our limitations, we can begin to recognize the ones that would be possible with God's omnipotent power. When we see "impossible to accomplish" as merely "need God's help here" then we know what we can expect God to do. I love CS Lewis' statement "We are what we believe we are." Wow, there is so much power in those 7 simple words.

When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, Moses said "I can't" talk, "I can't" throw down my rod, "I can't" make them listen to me. But eventually Aaron would speak, Moses laid down his rod before God and when he picked it up again, it was no longer the rod of Moses it had become the Rod of God. Using that rod, everyone heard God through Moses. 

A friend of mine tells the story of when he set out to paint his fence. His young son enthusiastically asked if he could help. Ken said that the boy could help and got him a brush. By the time Ken had finished the entire fence, the boy had only done a couple of fence slats, and those not very well. When they went into the house, the lad excitedly told his mom "Me and dad painted the fence!" When Ken heard this he smiled and a still, small voice say, "That is the way of things with you and Me." 

God doesn't need our help. He doesn't need our money. He doesn't need our ideas (which explains why I haven't won the lottery!). What He needs are willing hands excited about "helping" God paint the fence. He does things through us because we need to do things with him. It deepens our relationship, stretches our faith, and pushes us out of our comfort zone. We must come to realize that we are more than the sum of our limitations; we are miracles waiting to happen.

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1) the "space" quote was taken loosely from a passage in The Hitchiker's Guide to the Universe, by Douglas  Adams.

Congratulations! You're still alive!

Welcome November!  As I enter the "Fall" of my life, I find it somewhat comforting that the Fall season has largely become my favorite time of year. The once-green leaves put off their verdant coats and turn brilliant shades of red and gold. The air is colder, but the sun still shines and while this may make one's steering wheel painfully hot to the touch, the passage from the cool out-of-doors to warm, relaxing car interior can be,  mmmmm.

As a rule, I'm not much on annual celebrations. Oh, I don't mean the "big" holidays like Thanksgiving or the soon following Christmas and New Year's, and I'm certainly Not talking about Anniversaries like first time Penny & I dated or when we got married. And the kids birthdays always bring the family together.

But Labor day? Sounds like work. Boxing day? Nothing. Arbor day? Meh. I guess mostly I mean my own birthday. It's just not the same as when I was young. Sometimes it just feels like being congratulated on surviving another year in the slow, inevitable march towards death. My perspective changed, though when my wife told me in no uncertain terms, "Your birthday? It's not about you. It's about the people who love you." Yeah, wise words. I get it now.

When we're young, celebrating birthdays meant "Things" like cake and ice cream, presents, and possibly some cash, and maybe, god-forbid, a clown. As one grows older, it becomes harder to find "Things" that hold the same wonder as one's first bike, or the "Major Matt Mason" Astronaut toys, or the awesome "Secret Sam Attache Case Weapons Set" (vintage '65), but I digress.

As birthdays have come and gone, I find my attention has migrated from the Gift to the Giver. My wife is correct: "Gifts" pale when compared to "Givers." It's relationships and friendships I find most precious and awe-inspiring. I covet in maturity what I barely acknowledged in my youth. That a "Someone" chose to give has become far more wondrous to me than the "Something" that was given.

Of course having said that I am forced to admit that I am not nearly as mature as I would like. As an adult, some of my favorite gifts have been a 3D Minion Puzzle (thanks Kirk Heald​) and a "Port-a-pig" (thanks Larry Bowen​), and I still get disappointed when my wife brings home cereal that doesn't have a prize in the box. Yeah, I may be not the same youth that was so excited by the Secret Sam Attache case, but I still have a bit of "maturity" to cultivate.

Oddly enough, this same progression can be found in my salvation experience. In the early days of my Christian walk, I marveled at Salvation's Gift. Every answered prayer was fodder for excited conversation. And healings? Oh, yeah. Big news!

But now, I find that I covet my relationship with the Divine more and more. In awe I think how Salvation's Giver was willing to pay the price for my freedom. That the Advocate stands between me and a totally holy God. That Jehovah Rophi is willing to heal.  These are the wonders that touch me deeply. The Giver is truly greater than the gift.

Recently, I have spent time listening to "high praise, and worship" music; what Mike Herron might call "Eagle" worship. One of my current favorites is "Here in Your Presence" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2bLUYz-Zvo). It is such a wondrous picture of worship. It takes my focus off "me" and centers it on God and, at least for a while, my problems, which moments before seemed so insurmountably big, fade into the background and become small, unimportant, "Somethings," swallowed up in the enormity of God's grace and provision.

I think I'm a little toe...

My daily Bible verse intrigued me:

"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

Romans 12:3-5

This is similar to the verse in 1 Corinthians 12:16 that talks about the foot wanting to be the hand or the ear wanting to be the eye. It takes every joint to make a body and the body functions best when we are all "fit jointly together" and fulfilling our nature. Me? I see myself as a little toe. You know, the one that is useful for finding furniture and children's toys in the dark? But enough about me.

A couple things jumped out at me in this bit of Scripture. First I'm sure that "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought" does not mean "think of your self more lowly than you are" nor are we expected to "think of ourselves only high as others see us." I think the true opposite, to think of ourselves with "sober judgement" just means to think of yourself as God sees you and recognize the gifting He has given into your trust. 

How do we identify with how God sees us? I suppose that if "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) that is the likely key. There are certainly things in my life that are not yet substance and not yet in evidence. It is a challenge to us all to discover how God's word describes us and then press towards that mark honestly and without fear. Having trouble seeing yourself through God's eyes? Here are a couple of verses to get you started.

"So you who are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God."  Galatians 4:7 ESV

"...And hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father" - Revelations 1:6

"... we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and Joint heirs with Christ" Romans 8:16-17

To "think of yourself with sober judgment" is not an easy thing, and for some of us, it may be a fine line to walk. Think too little of yourself and you may not attempt the things God wants you to accomplish. Think too much of yourself and you are in danger of becoming one who is just lost, but leads others astray. "The whole point of what were urging is simply love-love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven't the faintest idea of what they're holding forth with such imposing eloquence." (1 Tim 1:6-7 The Message). 

There is hope, though. I like what C.S. Lewis said, "We are what we believe we are." Tough, but not impossible.

The other thing that struck me was that although we strive towards the same ultimate goal, the path we take to get there is unique to each of us. We are as diverse as snowflakes. The infinitely diverse shades of humanity which make us unique (just like everyone else :-D) also makes our contribution to the body unique as well. And even though every joint supplies we shouldn't try to figure out if we're an ear, eye, or foot, or toe, etc. The analogy breaks down at that level otherwise it reduces our Christianity to a survey that you might find on FaceBook ("If you were a cheese, what kind of cheese would you be?") Then you'd have people trying to figure out whether they're an eye, ear, spleen, pancreas, or that vein in your forehead that pulses every time "you-know-who" comes around. 

How do we determine what gifts have been bestowed to us. The best way to figure out what you are here to do is to just give what you've been given. If you're funny, make people laugh. Good with figures, help someone that struggles. If you bake, bake something (and bring it by my house). Remember, the Rod of Moses became the Rod of God and the only difference was that it was laid down, given as a sacrifice to God, then taken up again.

One thing have I desired of the LORD…

Psalm 27, verse 4 says "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple." This wonderful bit of Scripture has been memorized, quoted, and sung for as long as I can remember. It was written by David, a man after God's own heart and the future king of Israel, at a time when he was just a shepherd boy expressing his heart-felt desire to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

As the youngest in his family it would have fallen to him to take care of the sheep so David spent a lot of time in the meadow, surrounded by his quietly grazing flock, playing his harp, and communing with the Spirit of God. We see a picture of this in the first verse of this Psalm. Verse 1 is a happy, cavalier attitude, praising the Lord without a care in the world. "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

 

So what is David's motivation for his devotion to the the Lord's House? Let's look at verse 2: "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh..." Yikes! Like many of us, when confronted by hard trials and troubled times, David runs off like a scared rabbit to the safest place he knows: the House of the Lord. It is a lesson he learned well.

 

"For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." Psalm 61:3. 

 

"Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress." Psalm 71:3.

 

He came to trust in the Lord's protection in a very real way and it bolstered his confidence in a very real way too. He believed the Good Shepherd would be with him as he struck down a lion and a bear. He knew the Lord of Hosts would be with him as he brought down Goliath, the biggest, baddest champion the Philistines had. And he was absolutely convinced that the Lord our Banner had been with him when the song was sung "Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." (I Sam 18:7)

 

It is not a bad thing to want security and protection and it is ok to anticipate God's provision. It is a part of God's nature to protect and provide; shown in His redemptive names, Jehovah-Jirah, the Lord my Provider (Psalm 23:1), Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts (1 Sam 1:3), and Jehovah-Nissi, the Lord, my Banner (Psalm 23:5).

 

Not long ago our family suffered the loss of a young niece and a few weeks later two others friend followed her into the presence of God. In times like these it feels as though the enemy truly has fallen upon us to eat up our flesh. In times like these we need that provision, that protection. In times like these we desire to dwell in the house of the Lord.

 

We are His children, as Jesus said in Matthew 23:37 "How often I've ached to embrace your  (Jerusalem's) children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn't let me." We are even told we must become like little children to enter the Kingdom in Matt 18:3.

 

Like children we expect security, but we also want independence. As Christians, we sometimes act like teenagers and most of us know what that means. Like the bumper sticker says, "hire a teenager while they still know everything."  There is an anonymous quote (erroneously attributed to Mark Twain): "When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." Even though His "yoke is easy" and His "burden is light" we can still bristle at being yoked and burdened. Experience will teach us that Jehovah will be with us, as it did with David, and as we realize this we begin taking down lions, bears, giants, and armies.

 

As in life, Christians are not meant to stay children forever. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter (pebble), and upon this rock (boulder) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matt 16:18. Gates don't fall on anyone to eat up their flesh. They just stand there and wait to get stormed.

 

But until we become gate-storming adult Christians, we must grow up and like teenagers, we think we know what is good for us, and want to be left to our own devices. We tend to want to just lounge around singing God's praises (of course I could just be talking about myself). At least that's what we want until the enemy comes ravening at our meadow. Then we, like the man after God's own heart, are quick to say "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life…"

The Importance of being "Grampa"

I am a rather blessed man for a number of reasons. I'm still married to my junior high sweetheart, I have 4 amazing children, now grown to adulthood, they all seem to love me and enjoy spending time with my wife and me, and starting later this year I finally qualify for the "Senior Discount" at movie theaters! I'm also blessed because all my children live somewhere close, but other than my house. Don't get me wrong, I love having my kids around and would gladly open my doors should they need a place to stay, but I'm blessed that my kids have reached that stage of self-reliance where they no longer need "dad" to provide for them... as much... at least not in the same way.

I am also blessed because this Summer, I'm going to become a grandpa for the first time. My oldest son and his amazing wife are going to have a boy in August! My wife and I are thrilled and can hardly wait for this blessed event. I am thrilled not only to see my grandson, but also to watch as my son grows into fatherhood. I've mentioned a number of times elsewhere and in this blog about how much my kids have taught me. They have "schooled" me on patience, forgiveness, taming my temper, teaching, using accents while reading stories, even on being a better husband, as well as other life lessons too numerous to mention. He may not realize it today, but my son is about to go back to the "School of Life" and his little boy will be the school-master.

There is one area in which my grandson will have an advantage that I didn't: he will have not 1 but 2 grandpas in his life (Lord willing). "Papa Mike," my daughter-in-law's dad, is an amazing master builder, has a great sense of humor, and is a wonderful man of God. As for me, I look forward to things like teaching my grandson how to think rationally, how to tell a joke, and how to make his voice sound like a cartoon character.

I grew up with no grampas to teach me things and I sometimes wonder how my life would have been different had I had even 1 grampa. My dad's dad died a few years after I was born so I only have only very fuzzy, vague memories of him. He had my dad's smile, for example and he used it as often as we came to visit. He had a soft heart and could never bring himself to spank his children. He used to take them out to the woodshed and tell his kids to scream and cry as he banged the side of the shed with a piece of wood. I never new my mom's dad and she didn't talk about him much, at least not to me. Without a significant sampling of grampas to learn from, I've had to research myself how to be one. During my reading in 2 Chronicles chapter 33 I came across something that I found interesting and significant, namely that grandpas may be more important than I had considered.

In 2 Chron 33 we learn that King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah (a very good king), and grandson to Ahaz (A very bad king), rebelled against his father's godliness and followed the way of his grandfather. Manasseh became king of Judah at 12-years old and ruled for 55 years; longer than any other king. In the beginning of his reign, he led the Children of Israel into worship of foreign gods. In fact Manasseh was such a bad king and the God of Israel became so displeased with him, that God sent the king of Assyria to take him captive. It was during this time of imprisonment that Manasseh repented and humbled himself before God and was eventually released and returned to Judah as king.

When Manasseh died, his son, Amon, became king at the age of 22 (2 Chron 33:21). He was a bad king and only reigned for 2 years before he was assassinated by his own servants. Amon's son, Josiah took the throne at the age of 8 and was considered one of the best kings Judah had ever seen (2 Chron 34). During his 31-year reign, he was responsible for pulling down the worship groves of foreign cults and leading the nation back to the worship of the God of Israel. How is it that Josiah, a godly king could have turned out so well when his father was such a bad king that he got himself assassinated? I think the answer lies with grampa Manasseh.

If one works out the chronology of these three kings (and I may be off a year or two here and there), it looks to me like the 1st 6-7 years of Josiah's life would have been during the last years of Manasseh's reign. We know that at some point Manasseh repented and tried to be a "good" king even though the people did not listen to him. Amon would have been born 30-some years after the death of good king Hezekiah and so would never have met his grandfather. He would have been a young prince around 15-years old when Josiah was born and it is reasonable to assume that teen-aged Amon would have had very little interest in being any kind of a father to a young child.  This would have left the role of "father figure" during the very impressionable first few years of Josiah's life to the now repentant and God-fearing grandpa Manasseh. At least, that's what I choose to believe.

Some people rage against the unfairness of "old age" even as they fall victim to a sense of uselessness and disability while others greet it as a friend, accepting and embracing it for what it can be: a new adventure with new responsibilities, challenges, and victories. I believe that the story of "grampa Manasseh" can can give us hope that there are still goals to strive for and influence to wield regardless of one's age. You never know what you can accomplish until called upon to try and starting this Summer, I will be called upon.

Hurry up, little Anthem! Grampa Scott has a lot to share with you!

St. Isidore de Seville: Patron Saint of the Internet?

I'm not much in to jewelry myself.  I have two rings, a wedding band and a ring that is silver and gold. The gold reminds me of my divine nature, made in the image of the Creator and the silver that I was redeemed by a price.  There's more to the story behind this ring but I'll save that for another time. The reason I mention this is because I've recently added something new. A medallion of St. Isidore de Seville around my neck. St. Isidore is the Catholic's patron saint of the internet, technology, and computers and their users. Now, before you wonder if I've converted to Catholicism, hang in there for a bit and let me explain.

St. Isidore lived around 1600 years ago, which if nothing else makes his sainted patronage noteworthy. He was a stalwart advocate of education who believed seminaries should include classes on science, literature, medicine, and other academic subjects. In short, he was not afraid of information that might seem to contradict the Spiritual Truth. He also was responsible for creating an encyclopedia which remained in use for hundreds of years after his death. You may not pray to the saints, but you must admit that he was a remarkable man.

Despite his being remarkable, I don't pray to him for guidance or miracles but I do remember him. I remember his desire to educate, to disseminate Knowledge and not just speak Truth. If we, as Christians, are afraid of science or medicine, we cut ourselves off from a rather large part of God's creation. There is much we can learn, much we need to learn about this world we live in and our place in the cosmos. An atheist can look at the night sky and ask, "Where is God?" but Christians should look at the same panorama of stars, galaxies, nebulas, and temporal anomalies (threw that one in for my Star Trek fan friends) and see His handiwork everywhere. You may be asking yourself "What does this have to do with a saint, the thing over which he was granted patronage wasn't even invented for a millennium and a half after his death?" I'm getting to that.

In John 9, starting at verse 6 we see Jesus heal a blind man. He took some dust, spit on it and made clay, then put that mess into the blind man's eyes. Then he told the man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam (which means "sent" by the way). The man's healing was realized after he did what Jesus told him. Great story. What I find interesting is that in Mark 8, beginning with verse 22 Jesus encountered another blind man. This one he led out of the city and spit in his eyes and laid hands on them to give him sight. And even more interesting is that in Matthew 9:27, Jesus healed 2 blind men with only a touch and the phrase "Become what you believe" (or "According to your faith be it unto you" for our King James stalwarts that believe it was the translation that Paul used).

Jesus healed with dirt and spit, with just spit, and with just a touch and a few words. If Jesus could have healed all four men with just a touch, why all the spit and mud? I believe the answer lies in the question he asked the two blind men in Matthew. "Do you believe I can do this?" They may not have realized it, but they set the stage for their healing when they answered "We do!" It was the confession of their faith that healed them through the touch of the Messiah. From this I conclude that the blind man in Mark needed the spit to trigger his faith and the one in John had to have mud put in his eyes to activate his faith. We see this in so many places, Jairus told Jesus that if he were to touch his little girl, she would be healed ("Don't be afraid, only believe") The centurion knew that Jesus only had to speak the words to heal his servant("I have not found such faith in all of Israel"). The woman with the issue of blood was absolutely convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that should she touch even just the hem of Jesus' robes that she would be healed ("According to your faith...").

According to your faith, be it unto you. What is it that you believe Jesus can do in your life? Or more importantly, what do you believe he CAN'T do? C. S. Lewis, arguably the greatest Christian apologist of the twentieth century put it this way: "We are what we believe we are." What do you believe you are? The Word says we are Kings, Priests, Joint Heirs with Christ. Do you believe it? So often we believe what others say we are and don't dare aspire to anything more. What do you tell your children? They will believe what you tell them.

So, what does this have to do with St. Izzy? When I think of him, I remember that God is sovereign over technology. That He watches over computer users. That Al Gore had very little to do with the creation of the internet. Also, I remember that I do not need to fear information. Knowledge can only confirm the presence of God in the universe-- IF one approaches facts with an open mind. If you don't believe in the possibility of the Divine, you will never see Him no matter where you look. If, on the other hand you DO believe in a Creator, you will see Him, no matter where you look.

I used to have a motto in Latin: Aut viam invenium, aut faciam. It was reportedly said by Hannibal when he was told he would never get elephants through the Alps to attack Rome and means "I will find a way, or invent one." But now, I have a new motto. One inspired by St. Isidore de Seville, patron saint of the internet, technology, and computer users: Conari vicis id de, tum vicis id in. Which roughly translated means "Try turning it off, then on."

How have you used the gifts God gave you?

One of my favorite jokes is about 3 men who died about the same time and are in line to get into Heaven. St. Peter meets them at the gate and makes a general announcement: "Excuse me! May I have your attention, please? We are a little backed up with mansion construction just now, so we are going to let people in based on how they used the gifts God gave them." Some of the people in line started shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"You there," said Peter to the first man in line. "What was your IQ?" After a brief pause the man replied "130."

"Well, then! Did you get your Master's degree?"

"Yes..." came the somewhat puzzled answer.

"Wonderful! Come on in!" To the next man in line Peter asked the same question. "120!" came the confident answer. "Okay! Did you get your Bachelor's degree?" Peter responded. "I sure did!" said the man. "Very good!" said Peter. "Come on in!" and patted the man on the shoulder as he walked through the gates. Turning to the third man in line, the sainted gatekeeper asked the question again. "You, sir. What was your IQ?" The man looked down at his feet and replied, "80, sir."

"Ah," said Peter with a look of compassion on his face. "Um... uh... OH! Did you get your elk?"

It should come as no surprise that hunter's wives find this joke far more amusing than hunters.

This last week has been a week of introspection and emotion for me and my family. We lost a family member this week. My niece, Katie. A twin, 40 years old with a husband, a beautiful 19-year old daughter and a set of beautiful 12-year old twin girls. She met Jesus this last Wednesday after years of health problems that included two open-heart surgeries. My wife, Penny helped raise these twins since before we were married, and they have always considered her a second mom. We were with Katie a few days before she passed and I was impressed by her faith, her Humanity, and her family. She told us she was ready. She had made things right and prepared her family as best she could. She seemed pretty confident so I was a little surprised when she looked at us and said "But, I'm still kinda scared. I'm not ready to go yet." Yeah, I know what you mean Katie.

You see, I'm not afraid of "Death" but I am a bit concerned about "dying." As Christians, we have faith that there is something for us beyond the veil of death. We believe we will be united with God on the "other side," but we don't have many specifics about our new address. What we have been given all comes from descriptions of first-hand accounts given to us by people that didn't even have indoor plumbing. As a result, our picture of Heaven consists of images conjured by phrases like "streets of gold" and "a city with a foundation made of precious jewels," and "4 and 20 elders singing around a crystal sea." While that verbal imagery may have meant something to the disciples of 2000 years ago, it has lost something in translation, not just into English, but into the 21st century. Were these visions of Heaven or did they have some other purpose? Depends on who you talk with, and what they WANT to believe.

Oddly enough, this may have been by design. No one, even today, has any idea of what Heaven will be like. Those that say they do, will likely be surprised when they finally arrive there. It is a place conceived by an infinite intellect. A mind so far beyond us that were it not for the fact that He wants us to understand a portion of his character, and wrote us a Bible to do just that, we would be totally unable to comprehend Him at all. Like a dog looking at a ceiling fan.

I know this sounds like the ramblings of someone who is afraid to die, but it is actually the ramblings of someone who is more afraid not to live. We will all die eventually "should the Lord tarry" (as they used to say in my church) and it doesn't do anyone any good to dwell on that overmuch. In 100 years, virtually every one alive today on the entire planet will have been replaced with others. Worrying about the "afterlife" wastes too much of the precious "now-life" that God has granted to us.

I don't want to take health and life for granted. I want to be more engaged and active. I want to find reasons to say "yes" rather than excuses to say "no." I've heard someone say they wanted to end their life by four-wheel drifting into their space in Heaven's parking lot, jump out of the hot-rod red convertible yelling "WHOO HOO! What a ride!" I'm quite not there anymore, but yeah. I get you. At this point in my life, the most I can probably hope for is that my answer will not be "Um..." when asked "What did you do with the life I gave you?"

Goodbye Katie. We love you. We'll look after your kids. Tell Jesus I said "Hi."