Going Home

By Gillis Killam –

 

Not long ago my youngest sister went home to be with the Lord. I thought about what it means for a Christian to die.

Dying to the Christian is like going home. If you had a home anything like mine, you would have always loved to go home, justas a child at the end of the day, and later as an adult if I had been somewhere far away. I looked forward to coming home to a warm house, a loving father and mother, brothers and sisters who cared for me. Our journey on earth is the same. Even our spiritual journey is spoken of as coming home to the Saviour.

When Jesus portrayed our straying from God the Father He told the parable of The Prodigal Son, which is a picture of our coming home to God, our Father.

It means to be accepted.

The Bible makes it very clear that our coming to Jesus Christ is coming home to our Father.(2 Corinthians 5:6-9) God is calling all of us home.

At home I didn’t need to knock; I didn’t have to try to be like someone else. I just belonged! I was accepted! How can we really be sure of acceptance into God’s home? John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” (NIV).

It means to have a place that is home (John 14:1-3).

When we personally receive Jesus as our Saviour, we take our place in the great family of God as described by the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:14).

Going home to heaven means never to leave. “And so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 NIV).

The Psalmist wrote, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6 NIV).

The bane of this life is that we fear the day when good things, good relationships, and good times will end. But for a Christian, life with God will never end (Psalm 16:11).

One day our journey on earth will be over. Are we ready to go home?

Prayer: Thank you Lord that you have gone to prepare a place for us and we will one day enter into our new home.

Heavenly Promenade

By Hally Franz –

 

My dress was a gunny sack – literally. Handmade by my professional seamstress aunt, the dress I wore to senior prom was a “Gunne Sax” pattern. Those dresses were extremely popular in the 1980’s. With a sweetheart neckline and lacy sleeves, my original was lovely and feminine. But, have you seen the prom dresses of thirty years later? Whoazah!

When I worked in education, one of the supervision “opportunities” for faculty was the spring prom. While that made for a longer evening than other dances, it was by far the most entertaining. I loved watching the girls enter with gorgeous gowns and their cleaned-up dates.

Prom season came and went a couple months ago, and it was again fun to see groups dining at restaurants and taking photos in local parks. I more than once asked glammed-up girls to do a little spin so I could check out their evening’s selections. Outside my wedding dress, I’ve never had dresses as fancy as those worn today. Fortunately, the young ladies are usually pleased to oblige this old lady, and I smile at their youth.

Now, in some local high schools, they do what is known as “promenade.” In my home district, the school is too large to accommodate such an event. But, wouldn’t that be fun? All the prom guests take a leisurely stroll through the gym or venue so they can publicly display their fancied-up selves for parents and school personnel. Let’s face it; today’s kids rarely dress up. I may have to crash that party next year for some Saturday night amusement.

Having said all this, do you imagine there is a promenade in heaven? A time for new guests to mosey through for introductions and greetings? We will have new, young bodies, right? And, surely our garments will be the finest if we are to present ourselves to the Almighty. Since time is unlimited, vast numbers should not be an issue.

That’s a thought that excites me. While we don’t really know what awaits us, I am confident it will be grand.

Here’s the part where the minister offers an invitation. I’m not a minister, but I encourage you to consider or share this. Have you made the choice to follow the gospel and become a believing, baptized and saved member of the body of Christ?

There’s something waiting you don’t want to miss.

PRAYER: Gracious and Glorious Father, please protect our young people as they participate in all the modern-day activities that accompany youth, and please help us all prepare and make ready for an eternal stroll in your courts.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1 NIV).

 

The Bucket List

By Hally Franz –

 

I suppose it was the 2007 movie, The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman that encouraged people to begin making lists of all the must-do activities they hope to accomplish before passing from this world. It is a neat idea. I haven’t spent a lot of time on mine, but I did add one particular goal to it just the other day.

It’s something that seems unachievable for me, but I know this CAN be done. I have tried several times without even one success, and I am now more determined than ever.

Here it is… I commit myself to at least once successfully executing and completing a purchase at the self-checkout line in the grocery store. I think I am a moderately intelligent person, but this process eludes me thus far.

Each time I attempt a transaction, which, admittedly, I’ve been cautiously reluctant to do, I fail to get it done without having to recruit help from a nearby cashier. My errors include: placing items in the wrong spot during scanning, bagging in an incorrect manner, failing to scan properly, and messing up the payment process. Basically, there have been issues at every step along the way.

Perhaps it is my fear that makes me fumble at the self-checkout. Or, maybe it is my hurried state when I get there. So, going forward I will boldly and calmly approach the do-it-yourself lane. And, I WILL do this undoable thing!

I’m so happy we don’t have to achieve self-service salvation. Thankfully, we have church leaders who counsel us along the way, Christian brothers and sisters who offer their support, the ultimate instruction guide in His holy word, and His listening ear when our challenges overwhelm us. There is no shame in seeking help; in fact, it is encouraged. Combine these with a fearless attitude and a patient heart, and success and salvation are there for those who seek Him.

What a blessing for those who may find this eternally important task half as challenging as self-checkout lines.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, help me to be an ally for those who seek the truth in Your word, and help me to regain my confidence when my Christian walk falters.

“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” (Psalm 27:4 KJV).

Man at the Top

By Cheri Cowell –

 

When implementing big policy changes or sweeping shifts in workflow it is important to have everyone on the same page. Buy-in is necessary from the top all the way down to the bottom. If someone feels threatened by the proposed changes, if they don’t agree to set aside their own views and go with the flow, the plans can be sabotaged before they even begin.

We might have great plans for our futures. But if we have not cleared those plans with the Man at the Top, we are sabotaging our own plans. It is not as if we need God’s buy-in on our plans, but our plans must be aligned with His ways. This is ‘committing’ our plans, when we align them with the will of God. Only plans that have been committed to God will succeed. Only plans that are aligned with the Man at the Top will bring us peace. Have you set about on your own path, or have you committed your plans to God?

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3 NIV).

Prayer: I’ve made plans and then sabotaged them by not bringing them before You. Help me to commit my ways to You so You will help me succeed.

 

Two Lame Quarters

By Anne Johnson –

 

There were two brothers, Ollie and Sphen, and they did everything together. These two brothers ate, slept, worked, played and went to the two-seater (outhouse) together. One day, Ollie accidentally dropped two quarters into the stool.

“Drat,” he muttered.

Seeing his brother’s distress, Sphen threw a handful of one dollar bills down into the hole.

“What are you doing?” Ollie exclaimed.

“Well you don’t think I’m going down there for two lame quarters do you?”

The people in the van I was traveling with erupted with laughter from the joke. A minute later a quiet voice from the back of the van stated, “I don’t get it.” Again laughter filled the air.

I turned to Molly, a young girl, whose crimson cheeks were glowing, and explained the meaning behind the joke.

“Oh, that was funny,” Molly replied.

My daughter and I had been traveling with her Bible Quiz team heading home from their regional competition in Minnesota. I had spent the last three days with this group of believers and marveled about the different personalities and gifting God had blessed each of them with.  At times, I found myself being jealous of the abilities of the people around me. Silently, I pondered the ways had God gifted me.

I remembered the verse from Romans 12:6, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (NIV). I reflected about the rainbow of talents of the people around me. Suddenly, a quiet voice interrupted my meditation.

“What are you thinking about, Miss Anne?” Molly asked.

“Oh, I was just wondering what my gifting from God might be.”

Not missing a beat, Molly replied, “The gift of laughter of course.”

Molly had seen in me something I hadn’t ever dared imagine could be a gift from my Heavenly Father. Laughter has always been important to me, a balm for pain and chasing the blues away. And now, God revealed through a child His precious gift He had bestowed on me.

I wanted to crawl over the seat to the back of the van and give Molly a hug. Her words were therapeutic. I find it hard at times to see God’s hand in my life, especially if I am busy comparing myself to others. Depression and self-doubt had begun to build up within me, but with Molly’s words, I felt special to God. Needed. Useful.

And to think it was all started with two lame quarters.

 

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