The next level

......... Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 MSG)

If you don't understand this verse, you better drop to your knees and pray for your salvation. 

I know how absolutely blessed I am. You probably get tired of hearing it. I haven't done anything to deserve it. God gives this gift to those that love him and the best is yet to come. I have been abundantly blessed by my God from above because he wants to prepare me for heaven. I see HIS amazing grace as a teaser that leads me to wanting more and more heaven. I can not wait until the day I get to walk those streets of gold. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for me and for you. I know this world seems so evil and it is heard to find good. If you look hard you can find it and I see the love of Jesus every where. The great blessings I see now are like a drop of water in the ocean. 

I praise my wonderful Lord for this life I have. I don't want to minimize the blessings of this life. But, I have to admit, I am amazingly anticipating the life I am promised in eternity. God doesn't want this relationship we have to end. He has prepared a loving home for me where the blessings of this life can be magnified. Praise God. I can't wait. I want all of you to be with me.

Not politically correct!

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NIV)

I easily get frustrated with people. The logic of the general public baffles me. It's not politically correct, but there is only one way to receive eternal life. It's through the saving grace ofJesus Christ. You can't do it by treating people nice. You can't do it by going to church. You can't do it by your own skill. You can't do it by praying to Allah or worshipping a cow. Actually, you can DO anything to EARN IT. It's a gift for those who love Jesus. You can only secure a life in Heaven by proclaiming Jesus died on a cross for your sins. There is no other way. Yet, our culture doesn't like the rigidity of one way. We can't hurt anyone's feelings by being so rigid and inflexible.

We call it political correctness, but it's anything but correct. Frankly, I'm not worried about hurting feelings. It's more important to me that I take as many as possible with me to Heaven. That can't be done by sugar-coating sin. We don't have the opportunity to claim we were innocent by reason of insanity. We all are guilty by reason of sinfulness. Our sentence has been served. We are now released from our chains because Jesus stepped in to serve our sentence that we could be set free!

Praise God for his love and desire for ALL of us to spend eternity with him. I am honored to be yours. I am blessed by your active presence in my life. Help me to spread your word so more can join me in eternity! Amen!

I Love my life, but.......

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:4 NIV)

I really do love my life. I am the most blessed man on the planet. I have the greatest wife in the world, daughters that all take after there wonderful mother, great son-in-laws, and 6 grandkids that mean the world to me. I have the best job in life spending my days with exceptional teenagers and working with talented teachers that have a passion for learning. God has blessed me with an exciting and fruitful motorcycle ministry that surprises me every day. I can not think of a single complaint about my life, but..............

I am looking forward to my future. Retirement is not too far away. I love what I'm doing but I'm always ready to start a new chapter, a new adventure. Starting something new always excites me. So, just the thought of retiring gets my head spinning with amazing possibilities. What will I do? I'm not going to sit around not doing anything, but I will be in control of my schedule. I might do some motorcycle repair, ministry, small business, consulting work, or some other plan God has. My future is going to be just as exciting as the present.

Retirement will be great, but...................

Nothing can compare to my date with eternity. That is the ultimate future. No cares, no sorrows, no sadness, just the joy of the presence of Jesus. I just love reading about that future. It's a dream that seems so far off, but in reality is just around the corner. I hope you can get excited about it like I can. If you can't, you really need to search your heart. If you can't look forward to eternity, you need to seek Jesus right now, I fear for your future! You have no time to waste!

Rest

As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness. (Psalm 17:15 NIV)

Earlier this week I was exhausted. I had to get some sleep. The last two days I have caught up on my sleep and feel much better. I went to bed early and had a nice long nap each day. I praise God for the rest he provides when I need it. 

I should have one goal in my life ...... To see the face of Jesus with my family, friends, and coworkers. When we leave this Earth we will get to be in the presence of Jesus for eternity. The rest we have will be more glorious than any nap or long night of sleep. After all the pressures and stresses of life we will be satisfied and relaxed. The hope of that future drives me through every day of my life. Praise God for his plan for my future here on this Earth and in Eternity with him.

I told you so!

Acts 27

 ²¹ After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. ²² But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. ²³Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me ²⁴ and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ ²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. ²⁶Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

Ok, I have to admit. I think this is a little funny. Paul was a prisoner on this ship and he warned the crew that they shouldn't sail. All of the sudden they got stuck in a Hurricane, a "Noreaster". I am sure when he told them "I told you so" it went over like a lead balloon. SO now, with the storm raging, he's providing great words of courage and comfort, except the last sentence. They are going to crash! Yet, he's just not sure where!

I hate it when someone tells you "I told you so". But, I really enjoy telling someone else! Am I the only one who thinks that way? But, there is one time I would love to share those words. When we all get to Heaven, I am looking forward to saying "I told you so" to all those who are there with my help. That will be a glorious time indeed. But, I sure don't want to share that sentiment with those who will NOT be there with me. How can I prove to them, RIGHT NOW, the reality of eternal life through Christ. The only way to attain it is through the Son of God. The  only goal I have in life is to take all of you with me to paradise. I want all my family there. I want all my friends. I even want all my enemies! 

Lord, give me the words, give me the opportunities, give me the boldness to share with others. Help me to convince them of the wonderful life you have prepared for them both HERE and in ETERNITY! I am your vessel, your hands and your feet. Amen!

My favorite Cities!

Revelation 21 (The Message)

 ¹I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. ²I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. ^3-5I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone." The Enthroned continued, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.".....................^21-27The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn't need sun or moon for light. God's Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth's kings bring in their splendor. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won't be any night. They'll bring the glory and honor of the nations into the City. Nothing dirty or defiled will get into the City, and no one who defiles or deceives. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will get in.

I love Garrett. That's the town I live in. They have done a great job making the downtown look great. In the summer time we have a great group of people who take care of the flowers lining Randolph street (our main street). Trees have been planted, most of the buildings are well taken care of, the local ford dealership has recently redone its building, and several other buildings have been recently remodeled. Most of our store fronts actually have businesses which is not true for most "Main Streets" in America. We have our "bad" areas of town. I'm not talking about the people, I'm talking about the buildings. But, we have some beautiful churches, some great parks and, even though I'm biased, our school and grounds are first rate. Our School is working through the process of planning a new school building. I am so excited because the process is getting closer to reality. I am so thankful I live in a community where people care about our town. It's not Heaven, but it's pretty great!

Think about the best town you've ever been in. during my Motorcycle trips, I have been in some great towns. I love Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Washington D.C. is a great place. McKenzie's family just came back from visiting New York City and they loved it. Stephanie and I loved Thunder Bay, Ontario. It has some fantastic views of Lake Superior and was really pretty. A lot of people love Las Vegas. I hope some day to visit San Francisco. I hear it is great! But, none of these places are anything close to what we will see when we get to heaven. In my travels, I have never seen streets of pure gold, translucent as glass. I can't wait to witness this. I have never seen a city that was completely "Brand New" with no blemishes or "Bad Areas". Won't that be amazing? I can't wait to feel the peace, to have no fear, to have no more tears, no more tension or stress. I can't wait to not have a care in the world. i can't wait to be able to relax in the loving arms of God! Thank you Lord for your promises! Thank You Lord for the City that awaits those who believe! Amen!

VICTORY!

Revelation 6 (The Message)

 ^1-2I watched while the Lamb ripped off the first of the seven seals.   I heard one of the Animals roar, "Come out!" I looked—I saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow and was given a victory garland. He rode off victorious, conquering right and left.


I am writing this on Thursday Night before our Football Sectional Championship game to be played tomorrow night. I write a lot of these ahead of time because my schedule tomorrow will be crazy. I won't get home until really late. I think I have shared that I do a lot of praying. I pray for so many things. I have a Prayer list that I just keep adding to every day. I get requests from church, cma, family, and friends. I TRY so hard to make sure I pray for those requests. God says we can bring anything to him. I do. I even bring some very petty things, like winning games! I'm pretty embarrassed about that. I try not to. But, when I get talking to God, it seems to always pop up. I always get brought down to Earth when I realize someone on the other team is probably praying for the same thing.

We have a great coaching staff at Garrett. Many of these Coaches are very devoted Christians. But ALL of them are men and women of character. When I see men and women of character doing the right things, I just get this overwhelming feeling I want to see them get rewarded. This certainly is true of my Football Coaching Staff. They do things the right way. They have the game in perspective and they put character above winning. I would just love to see them rewarded. I feel the same way about all of our teams. Friday Night we will be facing a very strong opponent. Truth is we probably should get beat. But, i know our Coaches and kids will put their hearts into winning this game. If we do, I'll be excited for this great accomplishment. If we don't, I'll be disappointed that they won't realize the rewards for all of their hard work and dedication to values like honesty, caring, responsibility, and respect.

Life is the same way. It just seems like the strong Christian people end up having to fight the most to survive. It seems that we shouldn't have to fight cancer, we shouldn't have to fight untimely death, and needless suffering. People who are truly devoted to Christ suffer. I feel for them. I believe in a God who has the power to move mountains. I believe in a God that can flood the entire earth. I believe in a God who sends his own son to die on the cross so he can defeat death by raising him in three days. I don't have the answer to why God lets these things happen to his people. But, I do know one thing. The ultimate victory has already been won. No. I'm not talking about a Football victory, which in the grand scheme of things is so minor. I'm talking about our promised victory over death and suffering. I'm talking about the victory we get through Faith in our Heavenly father. I'm talking about the guarantee of eternal life. The Lamb has ripped off the seal and a victory garland has been placed around our neck. Victory is won!

Back to the Future!

Revelation 1 (The Message)

 ^1-2A revealing of Jesus, the Messiah. God gave it to make plain to his servants what is about to happen. He published and delivered it by Angel to his servant John. And John told everything he saw: God's Word— the witness of Jesus Christ!

How amazing would it be to know the future. Countless movies and books have been written about time travel and going forward in time. What would you do if you knew what was going to happen to you tomorrow? My first thoughts are I could really profit. I could find out the lottery ticket numbers and then go back and pick them. You could check out the stock prices and make some great investments. If you knew people who got in car accidents, you could go back and try to influence the events so it wouldn't happen. If you knew and then changed your actions, you would have to go back to the future and see what happened next. You would have to keep doing this to see the results of your changed actions. It's starting to sound pretty complicated. In reality, the only  one who can change the future is God. His plan is perfect. Regardless what we do, his plan will continue. The future isn't something we can influence. Even if we could somehow travel to the future, God would be one step ahead of us. His plans will not change. So, it doesn't help us to go Back to the Future!
The book of Revelation starts out with this verse. This book is the revealing of God's final plans. It's a warning and it's a promise. As Christians we've been trying to explain to the world what the future will hold. The problem is most people don't believe it. They aren't interested in the future. If the future meant they were going to win the lottery, they would be VERY interested. All we're trying to explain is the difference between eternal life and eternal death. I just can't understand why the world isn't more interested.
God hasn't kept the future a big secret. As a matter of fact he has revealed it very clearly. Guess what? HE wins! Jesus will return and the final victory has been decided. This should be very comforting to his followers. If it's so comforting,  why do we worry and fret so much about today? Can we change the future? NO. This is not some Hollywood movie. You can't change the future. God has already set the future. His plans have been revealed. As followers, we don't have to worry, we don't have to stress out about what is ahead of us. We just need to rest in the arms of God and accept his loving grace and his perfect plan.

Dear Lord, You are such an awesome and powerful God. We worry and fret about what will happen tomorrow, next week, next year, and the end of time. Why?  I know you already have decided the future. Your plans are complete. Please help me accept your plan. Help me to accept the perfect plan you have laid out before me. I am excited to be yours. i am excited to be included in your eternity. Thank you Lord for your Love. Amen!