I learned a couple of weeks ago about an older gentleman who passed away. I had only known him for about twenty years. He was always smiling and had such a sweet, gentle spirit of God about him. He was very positive in his attitude and way of life and very encouraging, too.
He was the kind of man that you never minded being around. When I met him, he had already aged. Wrinkled skin, and what hair he had was grey. If there were ever an “Adopt a Grandparent” program, he would be the first man to be picked. Hearing of his passing was difficult to accept, but knowing that he was now in heaven and that I was prepared to go there myself, I knew I would see him again. So I didn’t have to say, “Goodbye,” but instead said, “See ya later.”
If you are ready to stand before God and know that your sins have been forgiven by accepting Jesus Christ into your life, and a person you know has, too, then you have the hope of seeing them again. But if one of you has not accepted Jesus, then when death occurs, you or they will never be seen again.
I never did find out when his funeral was going to be, so I didn’t attend. But a few nights ago, I had a dream with him and his wife in it. The atmosphere was nice and sweet. The sun was shining very brightly, and the birds were chirping. We were trying to get somewhere but had trouble finding the correct path that would lead us to our destination. The three of us laughed at our struggle and kept trying.
When I woke up and recalled the dream, I had a good feeling in my spirit. I knew it was me saying to him, “See ya later.” Then, watching him walk ahead alone, leaving his wife and me behind.” I’m glad I had the opportunity to know him and spend the time we had together.
I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, Phi. 1:3 (ASV)
And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus. 1 Thes. 4:13-14 (MSG)
The first time I saw him, he was standing near the temple. There was such a crowd around him that he couldn’t even get inside. They were asking him questions about the law and what Moses taught them, and of course, they wanted to see another miracle. How many miracles does one have to see before you choose to believe that this man was who he said he was – the Son of God?
I believed right away, and it didn’t take a miracle to make me a believer. Perhaps it was a miracle? The miracle of a man displaying such love. I had never witnessed such peace and love flowing from anyone, much less a carpenter. Of course, I had my doubts, as everyone does at first. Can this be? Can God be walking among us as a man? I guess I managed to let my faith overpower my doubts. Sure, I still had questions, but did they really matter? All I knew was this man was different than anyone else I had ever encountered. Whenever he spoke something inside of me came to life, like a flame that I never wanted to go out ever again. It was a good feeling. It was also a good feeling meeting him in person and becoming friends with him.
I about died when I learned Jesus was going to come to our house for dinner and retire for the night. My sister Martha made a special trip to my office to tell me the news. I closed up early that afternoon to hurry home and to help clean and get the place ready. Martha was cooking feverishly in the kitchen, and Mary was making sure the place smelled nice. I’m not really sure how that helped. After all, when you filled the place with Jesus and his disciples, who would even notice? Martha got mad at Mary, but that was normal. I made sure the comfortable bed was ready to go for Jesus would be sleeping there. Of course, Martha felt she had to remind me to put out the guest towels. The ones that the family was never allowed to touch! I assured her I had done everything just the way I had seen her do it several times before. Even the folds of the towels were facing the door. According to Martha, this gave guests a more pleasant feeling when they entered the room.
The evening went well. It was nice not having to compete with everyone else to get Jesus to answer our questions. I asked him questions about his power. He explained to me that it came from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had baptized him with the power to minister, teach, know someone’s heart, pray to his father, and heal. Jesus assured us that someday, all of us could have this power. I asked if that meant women, too, and he said, “Yes!” Wow, women could have power like Jesus. “Okay, if he says so,” I thought. We retired late, but I thought being tired the next day was so worth it. I felt a little funny when I lay down that night, but I thought maybe it was something I ate, like that new fish recipe that Martha tried out. I believe she got it from “Jewish Home & Garden.” I asked her not to try it that night, but she said it would be fine, and after all, it sounded so good.
The next day, I still felt funny, but I got up to see Jesus and his disciples off. I believe he said they were off to Capernaum. Of course, Martha got up and prepared their breakfast and sack lunches. Shortly after they left, I went to my office.
Several days went by, and I couldn’t shake whatever it was I had. I began to lose my appetite, and it didn’t take long for me to start losing weight. Not that losing weight was a bad thing. I was definitely over the weight limit, but my sister said I was worth keeping anyway. After a couple of weeks, I finally went to see our local physician. He pressed on my stomach, and thought he could feel a lump. That is why men don’t like to go to the doctor. We’re afraid they will find something wrong with us! The doctor suggested that I try to change part of my diet. So I took his advice, but the pain only got worse.
Everything eventually got so bad that I could no longer go to the office. I tried working from home, but no matter what room I was in and no matter what position I tried to sit in, I couldn’t get comfortable. Martha was getting really scared. As the days went on, I got a lot worse. Mary came up with the idea of sending word to Jesus. Martha fussed about this at first because she felt he was too busy to be bothered, but she quickly changed her feelings as I began to slip in and out of consciousness. I told Martha I believed we had better get my affairs in order, so we did in the midst of a lot of tears.
Then, in the middle of the night, I slipped away. You know, the actual act of dying doesn’t hurt. I remember waking up in a strange place. I saw a lot of people. Most looked lost as they just wandered around aimlessly. But then others seemed very different. Walking around smiling. I approached one of these people and asked them where I was. They informed me I was in the place of the dead. I asked, “What does that mean?” They went on to tell me that it was like a holding place until our eternities would be determined. I asked about those who weren’t smiling, and he told me that from what he could make out, they had no hope of a bright future. He said they had denied the existence of God while on earth.
It was on my fourth day in this place when it happened. I was starting to get used to being there. One could say comfortable. I was in no pain and had no more suffering, which is a good thing.
Then, in the midst of the regular atmosphere of this place, I heard a voice that I recognized, yelling, “LAZARUS!” I turned my head back and forth fast! I wanted to find the face that this voice belonged to. For with this voice came power and love. This voice reminded me of home. To my surprise, the voice was calling my name. Then I realized this was the voice of Jesus, and he was speaking into death to set me free from its sting. Then I heard it again, “LAZARUS, COME FORTH!” and I quickly responded. I opened my eyes, got up, and went hopping out of my grave. The sunlight was blinding, but as I squinted, I could see through the shroud in which I had been wrapped. The first person I saw was Jesus. He was standing there with his arms wide open. Standing behind him were Mary, Martha, and a huge host of people who wanted to see how Jesus was going to handle the situation. There were cheers, gasps of awe and disbelief, but there were tears from my closest friends, including Jesus, and family members. My family came running up to me, hugging me as they began to unwrap me. I had just experienced the most incredible healing one can on earth!
We left the cemetery and went back to the house. I was so hungry! I hadn’t eaten in days. Jesus came back with us, as did the crowd, who roared and applauded all the way. It was after we settled in and began eating when Jesus looked over at Mary and asked, “So Mary, are you still mad at me?” She put her head down as that smile I had seen when Mary gets embarrassed came across her face, and she responded, “No. I’m not. Jesus, I’m so sorry. I knew you could heal, and that was why we sent news to you six days ago that Lazarus was very ill. However, I had no idea there was no limit to your power. I mean power over death! Wow! Who knew?” “I did,” Jesus replied.
(The actual account can be found in the Bible. John 11:1-44)
If you have never had your own encounter with Jesus Christ, know that you can. He is waiting for you to accept his offer of forgiveness for your sins. With that begins a relationship that brings hope, encouragement, comfort, and guidance with the added bonus of eternal life. Along the way, you can ask for help with anything. Problems in life, relationships, and healing. Having a relationship with Jesus is the best thing you will ever do with your life. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are real. So are heaven and hell. There are no other alternatives. Encounter Jesus and change your life.
Founder of the Church of Satan, the famous Satanist, Anton Szandor LaVey’s last deathbed words were, “Oh my, oh my, what have I done! There’s something very wrong, there’s something very wrong, there’s something very wrong!”
Voltaire (1694–1778), an atheist, said, “I am abandoned by God and man! I shall go to hell! O Jesus Christ!”
David Hume (1711–1776), an atheist, said while dying in utter despair, “I am in the flames!”
Sir Thomas Scott (1808–1878), an atheist, said, “Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there is both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty.”
The above, moments before their demise, saw a glimpse of what turned out to be real after all. All their lives, sadly, they had accepted the lies of the devil.
For the last several posts, I have keyed in on God’s judgment, eternity, heaven, and hell. I have felt an intense urgency to drive the point home that your time on Earth is extremely short, and then you will stand before God. You can believe now and start experiencing real life, or you can deny Him and continue to live as a dead man walking! Hear the words of some who found out too late! Learn from them.
Luke 16:19-31 (MSG) 19-21 “There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.
22-24 “Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I’m in agony in this fire.’
25-26 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It’s not like that here. Here he’s consoled and you’re tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.’
27-28 “The rich man said, ‘Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won’t end up here in this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.’
30 “‘I know, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but they’re not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.’
31 “Abraham replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they’re not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.’”
I share these words of truth with you because I don’t want to see anyone perish, and neither does God. He loves you and cares about you more than you’ll ever know! Eternity is too long to be wrong!!! Be informed. Please don’t wait until it’s too late. God is real.
Watching shows or movies about zombies takes me back to watching horror flicks with my father. Late Saturday nights, we would stay up and laugh at the creative ridiculousness of such things as giant spiders or rabbits that killed people.
Recently, while watching a zombie show, I realized that even though zombies do not exist in real life, in real life, we have people all around us that are the walking dead. You see, the truth is that those who have not accepted God’s love and his free gift of his son, Jesus, are dead in their sins.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, Eph. 2:1 (NIV)
It’s eerie how like zombies, the walking dead who live in sin seem to want to bite and infect the healthy. The “healthy” are those who are alive in Christ Jesus. Those who have had their sins forgiven by accepting Jesus as their savior.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Eph. 2:4-5 (NIV)
As we get closer to the end of the world, the devil is working overtime to keep people from knowing the truth. One way is to get them wrapped up in the world’s issues so they focus on that instead of recognizing God’s love and relentless pursuit to bring them into the family of God. Another way is to keep their personal life in chaos.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Eph. 2: 8-9 (NIV)
No one can save themselves from eternal destruction in hell. No one can be “good” enough. You still come up short, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) The ONLY way is to accept Jesus and to ask for forgiveness of your sins. Then, when you die, you will walk the streets of heaven alive.
Accept Jesus into your life before it is too late. Walk with and among the living. Life is better when you are truly alive.
“Yeah. Nothing ‘over the top’. It should be simple, but natural looking. Not that there is anything ‘natural’ about dying. I think it should reflect the kind of life the one lived who will be using it.”
“I understand. What do you think of this model over here?”
“Model? Gees! You make it sound like they are vehicles that transport the dead into eternity. Is this the newest model or a late model?”
“My apologies sir. It’s a particular style of casket. It’s in our ‘Wood Grain’ family.”
“Umm, not bad. May I see the interior, please?”
“Of course.”
“No squeaks. That’s good. Wouldn’t want to scare any children that may be at the funeral. I guess that one will do.”
“Very good, sir. Why don’t we go back to my office now and we can start the paper work.”
“You mean loan papers don’t you? With what these cost and everything.”
“Sir, they must be paid for upfront. We certainly don’t have a ‘Lay-a-way’ plan here.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?”
“It was.”
“Oh. Well I guess it kind of was. I’m just not in a laughing mood.”
“My apologies, sir.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”
“Ok. Tell me about the deceased.”
“In general, all his life he tried his best to be a good man. To live according to God’s words, and overall, live a life pleasing to God. He was born here in this town, reared here also, but lived in several other places as an adult. He loved to travel. He was married twice, to two different women, had two children and two grandchildren. His first wife poisoned his children about him though, so after they became young adults they told their father he was a horrible man, and they never wanted to see him ever again.”
“Was he?”
“What?”
“A bad man.”
“No. Not perfect, but not bad either. He provided everything he possibly could for his children. Even though he was paying child support, if he saw his kids had a need, he met it. He took them places in America too. They loved traveling as much as he did. He also took them to church. He introduced them to the loving, one, true, God of the universe. He was faithful in taking them there so their faith could grow.
I guess it has become obvious which force won his kids over. They chose ‘evil’ over ‘good’. They know that their sins will cost them their life for eternity, but even though they saw ‘God” at work in the life of their father, it didn’t make the impact it should have. That broke his heart more than not getting to see and spoil his grandchildren.”
“That’s too bad. Seeing, or hearing from their father most likely brought on guilt, and the Holy Spirit bringing to their mind they should be living for God, instead of for themselves. By the way, I’ll also need where all he went to school, and the primary places he lived and worked, and for how many years. Any affiliations he was associated with and any other hobbies he had. Oh! One thing I failed to ask, who’s the casket for?”
“Sir?”
“Sir?”
“Who’s the casket for?”
“Me.”
Hebrews 9:27 (MSG) Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences.
Unfortunately, death has been all around me lately. Not in my personal family, but in the families of others and some people I know. My mother-in-law informed us on the street she lives, there is one person, or more who die every day. She lives in the Philippines. Covid is a thief of life!
But yet others have passed away from illnesses and diseases we are more acquainted with, like cancer. Losing a family member, friend, neighbor, or a coworker hurts. We mourn, grieve, and cry, because we will miss them, and that’s understood. Although the pain can be great, when one we know passes but has first accepted Jesus Christ as God’s son, and has made a public confession of their faith in him, then we can be assured we will see them again. Our grief is temporary as the sting of death first hits us. That statement is only true if we too have accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts, asking him to forgive us of every wrong thing we have ever done. I sense I need to write that there is nothing you have done that God will not forgive, nothing!
I had a coworker several years back that believed in reincarnation. I learned that as we talked about life after death while riding the commuter train out of Chicago, IL. We respected each other’s views and opinions. You might say he believed that life offered up “Round Trip” tickets. My view was it’s a “One Way” ticket. Meaning, you only get one opportunity to make that important decision to accept Jesus.
27 Every human being is appointed to die once, and then to face God’s judgment. 28 But when we die we will be face-to-face with Christ, the One who experienced death once for all to bear the sins of many! Heb. 9:27-28 (TPT)
As my friend and I debarked the train, I turned to him and said, “If you are right, and I am wrong, then I have nothing to be concerned about. But if I am right, and you are wrong, then you will find yourself standing before God explaining to him why you didn’t accept him in your one life.” I went on to explain that the wages of sin, unforgiven wrong deeds, is death. For eternity! As one of my cousins said, “Eternity is a very long time!”
So I ask you, before you die, “Would you like a one way ticket?” Oh, and by the way, no charge. Jesus paid the price for you when he died on the cross.
Confession: I have never been inside a confessional booth. I grew up in a church where doing so was not part of our spiritual practice. I am at a temple where there is one. I am writing this blog post while sitting inside it. Not intended, but in order to see I brought a small, but bright LED light. It is casting such a white glow I think it scared a couple checking out the temple.
Here I sit, in this small, wooden structure. It smells old, musty, perhaps from tears soaking the carpeted board beneath my feet. There is carpet on the walls as well. I guess to absorb the sound, but aren’t confessions meant to be heard?
I think there is also supposed to be a man in the booth next door. A man to hear my sins? My wrong doing? What if he is actually a newspaper reporter? Wait, when Jesus died on the cross, didn’t his selfless act of love cut out the middle man? After all, the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom. The veil that once separated man from God. Now Jesus is our High Priest.
I guess while I am in here I might as well start talking. Heavenly Father bless me. It has been 23 minutes since my last confession. You remember. Oh, you don’t? Then maybe I should choose to forget it also.
Now, I confess all my sins. The ones that denied you, dissatisfied you, destroyed me and demolished others. The sins that dishonored you, discomforted you. The ones that would disqualify me from your presence, if it were not for your Son. The sins that diminished others, disgruntled my employers, and devalued my wife and children. And don’t forget the one that deflowered me before I was with the proper one at the proper time. The ones that delayed me from being obedient unto you and your plans. I also confess the times I digested things that defiled my body, your temple. The words I spoke that derailed others on track to finding you. The times my actions denounced you. The sins that I allowed that wound up discouraging me and damaging my faith.
Forgive me Father. I ask for your mercy and grace. Thank you for not deleting my name from your Book of Life. Thank you for forgiveness, and for your Son, Jesus who gives life through his death.
After my father passed away, recently, I reflected on his life, and realized there were a lot of gifts, “life lessons” he gave me, but today I want to share the 5 biggest ones.
5. My father taught me how to fish. You see, he is the greatest fisherman I have ever met. I realize I will never be as good as him, but I learned the sport of it, the joy of being in nature, and taking on the challenge. Go fishing, and take a young person with you.
4. My father taught me how to be a good worker. I can only count maybe 10 days my father missed work, other than weekends and vacations. He taught me; at work, look around, there is always something to do. Be loyal, and work hard.
3. My father showed me, you can talk to anyone. My father was funny, and even a few seconds after meeting a stranger, a friend, or a loved one they would be smiling. Spending time with someone is a gift. Be generous.
2. My father taught me how to plan, be organized, and resourceful. A greater gift than I ever realized when I was young. This lesson, has saved time, helped me be prepared, and in general, made life easier. Be ready for your next event.
1. My father (and mother) took me, and my sister, faithfully to church where I fell in love with the most amazing God. I accepted his free gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus. I grew in knowledge of God, and dedicated my life to living for him. I have not always gotten it right, but my loving Heavenly Father has understood, has forgiven me, and has helped me to move on. This was the greatest gift my father and mother ever gave me. It’s the greatest gift you could ever give anyone. Share God.
Dad was ready for his final event as well. Dying. I hope you will be too. I pray if you have never made that decision to accept God’s greatest gift, you will right now. Just say, “God, I accept your Son, Jesus. I ask him to forgive me of my sins, my wrong doings in life, and to come into my life and show me how to truly live.”
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. (Phi 1:3 AMP) I love you Dad!
No other Gods before me.
I’m to be your first priority.
Nothing should be your idol.
Keep your life pure.
Don’t use my name when cussing.
Understanding this can bring humility.
Keep Sundays Holy.
Resting one day a week is a wonderful thing.
Honor your father and mother.
Doing so will bless your life.
Killing is not good.
Love is a much better way.
Committing adultery tears people apart.
Learning intimacy will bring people together.
Don’t take what isn’t yours.
If you do, you’ll never learn to trust.
Lying is a bad idea.
Honesty is always the way to go.
You shouldn’t want what isn’t yours.
Contentment brings peace to your life.
God didn’t come up with these 10 commandments to make your life miserable. He didn’t do it so we would become “religious”, and start a bunch of denominations with a list of “rules” to live by. He gave us these principles, to live by, so we could relate to him better, and with each other.
Mankind’s first address was inside Garden Grove Estates. God gave Adam and Eve a home there, but they wanted more. They wanted to know what God knew, even though he told them that kind of knowledge wasn’t for them. They disobeyed, and got evicted.
Do you live in a garden? I don’t live in a perfect one yet, but things are growing. And I don’t even have a green thumb either! My neighbor one day saw me trying to plant some flowers. She said, “You don’t know what you are doing!” I said, “I know, but I am having a great time.” I desire, ache to live where God intended, meaning the kind of life, but since I don’t know what I am doing I need him. I need him to design it. I need him to remove the weeds, remove the trash, move boulders, and dig trenches for the living waters to flow in my garden.
I look around, and I see very few people living in gardens. Instead, they have, like Adam and Eve, believed the lies of the devil, and have paid the consequences. They have gotten hurt, down, defeated, or have settled. Some have given up. They act like “hope” is a four letter word, so they accept life in a dump. It stinks! It’s dirty, toxic, hazardous to your health, but they accept it. More and more broken, ugly, bent, faded, rusty things of life, gets dumped on them day after day, and they take it. They call it life, and just assume, it can’t get any better.
This is not the kind of life God intended for you. It hurts him to see pile after pile of trash dumped upon you. Guess what? You don’t have to live there! You can move out of the dump, and into a garden, but you will need the help of the Gardner. The One who loves you like you can’t even imagine. Will you accept his invitation? Will you change your address? Come live in the garden God wanted you to live in. Oh, and the cost? Free, for his Son, Jesus paid it for you.
Confession: I have never been inside a confessional booth. I grew up in a church where doing so was not part of our spiritual practice. I am at a temple where there is one. I am writing this blog post while sitting inside it. Not intended, but in order to see I brought a small, but bright LED light. It is casting such a white glow I think it scared a couple checking out the temple.
After my father passed away, recently, I reflected on his life, and realized there were a lot of gifts, “life lessons” he gave me, but today I want to share the 5 biggest ones.
Mankind’s first address was inside Garden Grove Estates. God gave Adam and Eve a home there, but they wanted more. They wanted to know what God knew, even though he told them that kind of knowledge wasn’t for them. They disobeyed, and got evicted.
brady, mark a. 