When I Get To Heaven

Evolution

2011-06-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

I started this blog a few months ago because I thought that it encapsulated my personal, spiritual battlefield. I have since realized, however, that focusing on heaven is paramount, but it is actually only one weapon in the overall war. And sometimes -- though maybe it shouldn't be this way -- trying to take comfort in the fact that I will eventually not have earthly trials just doesn't get it.

We all share common struggles. We all have our personal battles as well. Depression is mine. Hopefully, if it is yours, we will both benefit from my sharing as I fight. If it is not yours, perhaps you will benefit somehow anyway; or, maybe you know someone else who could.

If you care to follow me on this next leg of my journey, you may do so here: http://DepressedInChrist.blogspot.com/.

Thank you!

Trials' End

2011-05-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- James 1:2-4

What don't kill ya make ya more strong!
- Metallica

Trials. Tests. Challenges. Hard times. Man, "you know I've had my share..."

Sad, lonely, profoundly insecure, and eventually suicidal, growing up. Father got sick and died literally when a boy needs his dad the most. Drugs, alcohol, and all that path brings. Heart broken repeatedly. Disappointment. Disillusionment. Frustration. Multiple layoffs. Financially strapped for...ever, it seems.

And this is just the tip-of-the-iceberg snapshot of my story. What about your story? What have you endured? I have some friends who have been through things I know I could never handle! (Thankfully, God promises those who love him that we will never be tested beyond what we can handle.) But you know what? Even despite this promise, and despite how good for me trials are, sometimes, I am cotton pickin' tired of all the trials! Sometimes, I just want what I want, when I want, how I want, and exactly the way I want...and I want it to be EASY!

Contrary to what we would prefer, however, trials are an inevitable part of life. And truly, the best thing of all is that, for those who are in a position to claim them, not only are these trials progenitors of bigger, longer-lasting benefits; but, one day, the trials will end forever, and we will have relief(!):

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

I Am A Hot Mess!

2011-05-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

I would guess that most, if not all, of us have heard the saying, "God doesn't make mistakes," as in, "God made you, and God doesn't make mistakes."

Does he, however, make messes? It does kind of make sense that he does. After all, children make messes; and, he did say that we need to become like them if we want to get to heaven. Maybe he even likes messes. That would be really good for me; cuz friend, lemme tell ya, I am one hot MESS!

First, start with all the lists of sins or shortcomings in the Bible. Then, add to that what can only really be described as a kind of deep, inner darkness. Et voila! That's me. :) In fact, on those oh-so-rare occasions when I feel like I'm actually doing all right, I catch a glimpse of my pride about it, and BAM!, I'm right back to being a hot mess.

Ah but here's the good news:

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
- 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

"In applying these analogies, the apostle says that in the case of the resurrection of the dead, God will take a perishable, dishonorable, weak (and sinful) body -- 'a natural body' characterized by sin -- and in the resurrection make it an imperishable, glorious, powerful body, fit to live eternally with God."
- NIV Study Bible

Now, I don't know or care how much, if any, of eternity is physical. All I need to know is that God will make the heavenly me perfect -- Goodbye hot mess!

Leave Your Faith At The Door!

2011-05-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

I like to think I've learned a few things along the way. One of these things is that there are two kinds of trust -- and, at least in the context of this post, the same can be said of faith. The first kind of trust is the kind you choose to put in someone; the second kind is what you implicitly have. My relationship with my wife illustrates this pretty well.

When we first started dating, I chose to trust her based basically on what I saw in her and where I wanted the relationship to go. Now, 15 years into our friendship and 12 years into our marriage, I implicitly trust her. Things that worried me back then don't even cross my mind now! This second kind of trust -- or faith -- comes only from experience; and, it works the same way with God.

When I first became a Christian, I chose to trust God, based on what I read in his Word and what I saw in his people. Now, after being with him for just shy of 17 years, I implicitly trust him. I know he will take care of me and mine no matter what comes our way! To get to this point, I and we have had to go through some pretty tough times, lemme tell ya -- and I'm pretty sure the refining trials aren't over yet, either -- but that's how it works. How else can you know how someone will respond in tough times (e.g., that they will not abandon you) if you never actually experience tough times?

The best part of all of this, though, is that when I get to heaven, I will leave my faith at the door!

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
- Hebrews 11:1

When I get to heaven, everything I have put my trust, hope, and faith in all these years, as well as the years to come -- the one basket into which I have placed all my truly valuable eggs -- will finally be mine to SEE and HAVE! I picture a big barrel at the "pearly gates" with a sign that reads, "Please deposit your faith here - you won't be needing it any more!" Now won't that be awesome!

Endurance Rewarded

2011-05-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think the greatest challenge in life does not come with the great tragedies, but in the challenge to simply endure. Let's face it: each day really does have enough trouble of its own. We all face hard times; but, even more, we all face the day-to-day grind of life. I mean, if you really think about it, the general pattern of life seems to follow the general pattern of the average career: lots and lots (and lots...) of the time is spent working, with a real vacation thrown in only occasionally. Like I talk about in my book*, this life really is a battle.

(*Was that a shameless plug? Naaah, of course not, pas de moi! :D )

The Israelites' journey exemplifies it pretty well, too. We all know they spent 40 years wandering when the trip should have taken less than two weeks; but, what happened next? 40 years of treacherous wandering in the desert followed by...the moment they entered the promised land. Ahhh, what a great moment, right? But a moment is all it was. The land may have been flowing with milk and honey, but they still needed to build their homes, work for their food, fight their enemies, get along with each other(!), etc.

We all LOOONG to live a life of peace, comfort, convenience, fun, rest, and ease (I actually fantasize about having a replicator from Star Trek in my home...and a holodeck wouldn't be too bad, either). But we don't live those lives. And we won't. Will we experience moments of those things? Sure. But we will never get to the point when our lives are nothing but those things. At least, not in this life:

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

- James 1:12

The original Greek word translated as "crown" here was the usual term for a wreath placed on the head of a victorious athlete or military leader. So, God will personally reward those of us who love Him with the eternal life only He can provide! I'd say that's worth just a little more enduring!

No Famine, Just Feast

2011-04-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we joined friends for an Easter feast. Oh man, that was good stuff! My wife said it was like being at a buffet, and she was right (three different meats alone, plus all the sides and desserts)!

And yes, I thought of heaven:

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
- Matthew 8:11

I LOVE food! I love eating it. I love smelling it. I love tasting it. And, unlike many, I revel in the joys of food without paying too much attention to the effect it has on my waste size. :D (I may have to start making different choices soon due to strictly health reasons, but for now....)

There are a couple scenes in "Supernatural," apparently in heaven, with a personalized feast for the character: one platter piled two feet high with juicy cheeseburgers, and a deep pail filled with ice-cold beers. Sounds good to me! Add an endless supply of hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies and I'm set!

Whatever it turns out to be, I am sure that, with God as the Head Chef, this feast will be beyond perfectly amazing...especially since I won't be enjoying it alone!

All Comfort

2011-04-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Man have I been feeling the battle lately. (For more on said battle, see the "My book!" link in the upper right. :D )

Jesus was right: every day really does have enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). Sometimes, I just want it to be over already. A minister asked lately what one question we would ask Jesus if we had the chance. After a little thought, I came up with, "What are you waiting for?"

But then I remember that I serve the God of all comfort:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

and I go to Him, His word, and His people. Even better, I remember and meditate on the fact that, once in heaven, the battle is over and won, and there is eternal comfort in store for me (Luke 16:25)!

I start to feel the sweet, sweet victory that is mine once again, and I keep going, ready to share with someone in need the comfort I have received.

Ah, Politics...

2011-03-31T20:02:00.023-07:00

This video combined with the fact that our elected officials spend a ridiculous amount of time campaigning for re-election (anywhere from 30% to 70(!)%) instead of the job they were elected to do perfectly summarize what is awesome about our system of government in theory and how it is fundamentally broken in practice.

Ultimately though, where I stand on politics is pretty simple:

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
- 2 Timothy 2:4

I apply this to politics -- I believe we as Christians are called to focus on pleasing God, which cannot coexist with concentrating our hope or energy on trying to find earthly solutions.

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:33

This one's pretty much a no-brainer as to how it applies to politics. :)

(Think about it: how many times have you heard about someone just elected to office who was non-political and going to "shake things up"...and never heard about or from them again? They either got chewed up and spit out or fully assimilated.)

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I do vote. In my teens and 20s I leaned left; in my 30s and 40s I tended to lean right; now, I pretty much just lean away. I am registered NP (Non-partisan), and I truly take every issue and candidate individually. This is one of the reasons I vote by mail, because it takes me HOURS! I also get involved occasionally (letters, petitions, and even sometimes protests). I do not, however, put my hope in politics. To me, it's just an endless tug-o'-war, with very little of real value ever accomplished. Consider that the Jews of Jesus' day wanted him to overthrow the Roman Empire and return them to power physically; yet, there is a reason Jesus didn't run for office or anything like it. Getting to the heart is the only way to bring about true, lasting change.

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Now for the good news! That's right: NO POLITICS IN HEAVEN!

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
- Daniel 7:13-14

God is in charge.
And his reign will be forever.
No tug-o'-war; no debates; no philosophies. Just God.
And since God is the very definition of "good," "love," and the like, this is something I very much look forward to!

Custom Built

2011-03-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Do you ever watch those shows on HGTV and other channels where people are looking for a home? Or, have you, yourself, been through the experience of looking for a home, especially a home to purchase? Boy do we have our specific criteria: the size of the home, how many rooms, the color(s) of each room, the view it should have, the yard it should have, the amenities it should have...and so on.

Now, unless you are truly wealthy, you always end up having to make some sort of compromise; you never get everything exactly as you wanted. On the other hand, I know of someone who recently purchased a $55 million home, then spent $45 million to customize it!

Yeeeaaah...I'm pretty sure I won't be able to relate to that experience in this life.

HOWEVER....

...Jesus promised that he is preparing a place for me in heaven:

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
- John 14:2-3

When I get to heaven, I will have my own place, prepared just for me, by Jesus himself! (I mean, Jesus treated his followers individually while he was here; how much more will he customize our rooms/places in heaven?)

How exactly will this look? I don't know. Will my place have an awesome game room? Will it have a killer pool? Will it be the starship Enterprise, under my command??

One thing we know is that Jesus can do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). (I don't know about you, but I often feel like Han Solo with that concept: "I don't know; I can imagine quite a bit.") So one thing's for sure (no, not that we're all gonna be a lot thinner): it is going to be AWESOME!! I can hardly wait!

Plus(!), even the $55 million homes are here today and gone tomorrow; my home in heaven is eternal, paid for, and will never need any kind of maintenance whatsoever. I'd say that is well worth the wait!

(Man, just imagine that house-warming party....)

All Play And No Work

2011-03-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

There are those in this world who truly love their jobs. I cannot relate.

‎So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.
- Peter, Office Space

Yeeeaaah...now that one I get. I like to play! (Now, to clarify, as long as I have to work, I will do so "as working for the Lord;" but, let's face it, most of us work because we have to, not because we want to.)

Did you know that work, as we know it, is a curse?

To Adam [God] said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from it,'
  "Cursed is the ground because of you;
   through painful toil you will eat food from it
   all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
   and you will eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your brow
   you will eat your food
until you return to the ground...."
(Genesis 3:17-19)

When I get to heaven, however, I will finally have rest from all this toilsome labor!

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
(Hebrews 4:9-10)

No work. No toil. No meetings. No administrative nonsense. No customers. No bosses. No budgets. No deadlines. No goals. No hoops. No "dog and pony." (Did I already say, "no customers"?)

Just rest and play and joy!

I think about my favorite vacation, or relaxing on a lazy weekend, and then I think about how heaven will be unimaginably better...forever...and a little more of this doesn't seem so bad.

Death and Destruction

2011-03-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

With the horror Japan has been experiencing this week, I have been thinking about all the natural disasters and subsequent destruction and death we've experienced or witnessed over the past several years (earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions). These kinds of events truly break my heart; I'm not even able to watch the actual tsunami/flood footage. Unfortunately, these kinds of events are often twisted by some to mean something they don't necessarily mean. I find this "wrath of God" nonsense to be insensitive and repulsive, when we who call ourselves Christians are supposed to be a light to this dark world.

It is at times like this, more than any other perhaps, that we should be serving and ministering to needs without making claims that could not possibly be substantiated! Maybe we should just stick to trying to imitate Jesus:

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him."
(John 9:1-3)

After saying a few more things, Jesus simply healed the man. Let us focus on meeting the needs; and, maybe, instead of howling fire and brimstone judgment that is not ours to make, we could try to comfort people by sharing with them that all this death and destruction do not exist in heaven!

Reunited, And It Feels So Good

2011-03-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

Like so many, I have lost people very dear to me. The most recent was a dear friend and an amazing man. He died suddenly and tragically: he drowned during a family reunion trip. The fact that he was very fit and athletic just added maddening irony to the whole thing!

A week or so after it happened, I drove to the location, sat on the shore, and talked to both him and God. It was rough, but it was helpful too. While making my way through the stages of grief, I found comfort in God's word:

The righteous perish,
   and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away,
   and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
   to be spared from evil.
(Isaiah 57:1)

Pondering this verse and my friend's death led me to a recent theory that some people do, in fact, "arrive;" and, like Elijah, soon after get to go home younger than the rest of us. (I've already shared this in more detail via a "Note" on my Facebook; so, I will leave it at that for now.)

When I sit and think about my friend Tom, it still brings tears. I know, though, that when I get to heaven, I will see him again...and "what a day of rejoicing that will be!"

Why This Blog

2011-03-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

I became a Christian on July 17, 1994. In the time since, I have had many struggles, experienced many victories, and have learned many lessons. At this point in my life, I believe the only way to "fail" in this life, whether as a Christian or in any other area, is to give up. I also believe that the only way to succeed is to keep your mind and heart set on the goal.

For Christians, the ultimate goal of our faith is heaven; thus, this must be our focus.

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:1-2).

Another thing I have learned is that this setting of our hearts and minds is not a once-for-all thing. Life happens. Jesus promised us, in fact, that each day would have "enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). This blog, at least for the time being, is my way of fighting this fight.