"Heaven" Excerpt I

I've mentioned in an earlier post that I'm reading Randy Alcorn's "Heaven" for the third time (the first time was about four years ago after a Christian friend and former Bible study member Alexandra Armstrong gifted it to me)
One of my favorite - if not THE favorite - lines in the book is: "He (God) fashions us to want exactly what he will give us, so what he gives us will be exactly what we want."
Think about that sentence a little bit. It's an amazing insight, one I fully embrace as being probable.
Often, I don't even know what I want. Even more often, I tend to want things that God knows I don't need.
To eventually get to heaven and to finally know what I want, but then to have it given to me from God will be indescribable. He has always provided me with what I need, even though I've never deserved it. But through Christ's death, I will be saved and my every want will be exactly what God gives me.
Awesome.

Guess Who and Where?

Our church, St. Luke's Methodist, occasionally organizes a fun event where couples are randomly placed with other couples, then sent to a secret destination for dinner. Kris and I took part in one about two years ago where the meals were held at private residences. Tonight, we were sent to restaurants.
The group we were in ended up at Tony Roma's and were paired with one other couple (a third couple was unable to make it). A second group of six also was sent to Tony Roma's and our two tables were close to each other. It was a great evening of fellowship and good food.
I like how our church thinks outside the box. Sometimes, I disagree with some of its viewpoints. But all in all, it's been a good fit.
I converted from Catholicism after I met Kris. Before that, I converted from Lutheranism for my first wife, Jane, who died of breast cancer 10 years ago. All three denominations have their pluses and minuses.
Ultimately, all three believe Jesus Christ is our savior.
And to me, that's all that matters.

From Envy to Bliss

For the most part, I've been aging with a pretty good attitude. I've already lived longer than many of my relatives and friends, and I'm looking forward to my retirement years (which could be as few as five years away or as many as 13). The only frustration has been my physical deterioration. I miss playing competitive basketball, running at a good pace, lifting heavy weights and even climbing trees or doing flips on the lawn.
So this morning as I drove to work, I felt a surge of envy when I saw a middle-aged man with no shirt and lots of muscles running quickly down Asbury Avenue. Almost immediately, however, God caught hold of this envy and I felt repentant.
He must have been pleased, as my eyes seemed to open and I had this feeling of bliss - as if I was given a small taste of heaven. Has this ever happened to you? It has for me, and each time is just as wonderful.
As I finished my drive, I was completely in the moment, not only noticing various people as they walked to school or to work, but yearning to get to know them, to share my blissful state of being.
That's how I believe part of heaven will be - getting to know and love every person who has ever lived and who has been saved by Christ. Every single one!
Now that makes eternity sound very intriguing to me.

Savoring the Sweets

My wife, Kris, is well-known in our family and at my office for her delicious desserts. Over the years, several people have asked for her recipes and suggested she open a bakery. Living under the same condo roof with her can be a challenge when it comes to keeping my dessert intake to a minimum.
Yet, as I savored a piece of her latest batch of brownies tonight following a crazy night of coaching young Little League ballplayers, I thanked God for his gift of taste, as well as his gift to me of Kris. I try not to take either for granted, though I know I often fall short.
I pray that God will help me to better appreciate everything on this earth for as long as I walk it.

Lasting Impact

About 12 years ago, I volunteered to coach a diverse group of preteen Boys Club kids who wanted to be on a team, but had nobody to coach them. It was a great experience for me, and I hope it was for them. We won some, lost some and I made sure they learned sportsmanship, discipline and accountability.
One of my black players, Marcus, and I have occasionally stayed in touch since then. I wrote him a letter when he was a freshman after I heard he was struggling with some of his coaches and team rules. He eventually went on to play four years of football and four years of basketball, where he really excelled. My son, Shawn, saw Marcus after he had graduated high school and he mentioned my letter.
Three weeks ago, Marcus emailed me to see if our newspaper could do a story on he and his brother's online urban clothing business. I told him I'd pass the request on to the business editor. The feature was published in Sunday's paper. I wanted to share the email exchange we had this morning:
"Hey Jim, I just wanna than you for allowing me the opportunity to voice my line. I work really hard and it's nice to get noticed and, honestly, it was a great way to get looked at. Hopefully it will bring new business and clientele. From my family to yours, we truly thank you and the editors at the entire Telegraph Herald." - Marcus
"I'm real glad I could get the ball rolling for the story, Marcus. It was so cool seeing my former Boys Club player becoming a success. You guys should be real proud of your business. I pray it continues to go well with God's blessing."
"Thanks Jim. It really means a lot, really it does. God bless you and your family." - Marcus

I hope we see more of each other as life moves on as well as some day in heaven.

Starting a Year of Sharing God's Wonders

As I start this second blog (I did one in 2011), I pray that God's blessing will be on it. I ask that He inspires me to witness to signs of His wonderment on Earth each day and that, if I don't, others might share theirs.
They could be subtle signs or knock-you-off-your feet occurrences; challenges that could enhance my faith; or weaknesses that test my devotion. My goal is to write something every day for the next 365 days - at least - so along with His blessing, I pray for strength and endurance.

Friday as I rode my bike along my favorite heaven-on-earth location - Heritage Trail in northeast Iowa - I glimpsed an eagle through the many tree branches flying parallel to me. It flew gracefully over a healthy late spring stream, wings spread wide. Perhaps it was looking for a fish; maybe it was just enjoying the perfect day as much as I was. We shared about 30 seconds of bliss, and it flew out of sight.
During a bike ride Sunday, I set my iPod on the Christian/Spiritual playlist, as I always do on a Sunday ride. About 20 minutes into the ride, as a song was nearing an end, I suddenly thought, "It seems about time for a Mercy Me song to pop in." Tears came to my eyes as "I Can Only Imagine" started up.
It was good to have God with me on those two bike rides.
Today, my grown sons, Jay and Shawn, left for their homes after a nice long weekend with my wife, Kris, and I. Both have good jobs and lead moral lives. I pray that God becomes a bigger part of their lives, but am also so thankful for their health and presence.
I wish peace on anyone who ever reads this.