Heaven is Alive, Active and for Real

I've not spent much time thinking about heaven or what transpires there. I mostly focus on the here and now. But what happens in heaven is precisely why we do what we do here on earth. It is our hope of Jesus' power realized immediately, His will being done on earth as it is in heaven. Heaven is what makes today vital and important.

Sometimes I feel I have missed something by being so earthly minded that I have not a clue as to what God is doing from his throne room each day. I treat heaven as a far off distant place that I will get to go to, as if it were a vacation spot that I'm dreaming about and I'll get to eventually. But, heaven and being in the presence of Jesus face to face is the precise reason why I open my Bible, say a prayer or sing a song of praise to God - my hope for being there one day.

Heaven is alive and real and vital to me now, this moment. This is where Jesus is and where His plan unfolds first. It is where He dispatches His angels to do their work here on earth. It is where his will is given the breath of life and is carried on angel's wings directly into my path. He gives instructions and mediates on my behalf from the right hand of the Father.

I've recently read an account of a little boy who experienced heaven while he was undergoing surgery for a burst appendix. The story unfolds as he innocently brings up his experience over a year period of time. It is amazing to see heaven through the innocent eyes of a four year old. I felt as if I was allowed a peek into the pearly gates and caught a glimpse of not only what awaits us there, but also what transpires on a daily, moment by moment, need by need basis. It got my full attention and made me think about the super natural happenings that are taking place all around me without my awareness.

The Bible gives me plenty of reason to think on such things. Jesus mentions heaven over 400 times in the New Testament. In Matthew 18:10 referring to a child, Jesus says "Their angels are always in the presence my Heavenly Father."

Not only do His angles carry out his heavenly business Jesus also says in Matthew 16:19, "And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."

This amazes me! I can move heaven and earth with a mere breath of prayer and the belief that Jesus can do what He says He can do!

I know that "He makes ALL things work together for my good." It says so in Romans 8:28. And in Matthew 6:10 it says, "May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" His will, His good and perfect will gets delivered right to my doorstep each day at His command.

There are many, many more references to explore, but my main point is this; I've always thought of earth as the place where I live and heaven as my destiny. Although I may only see dimly now, the two places directly interact with each other and as a child of God I get to be a part of this amazing Kingdom that crosses the barrier between what we see and what we can't see.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Continue to give me a better understanding about how you operate in this universe. Help me to see more clearly the whole picture. You have set advanced directives in heaven that are too amazing for me to wrap my mind around. Your angels zoom around delivering your grace and mercy and not a thing happens here without your knowledge or direction or angels in full battle gear waging war on my behalf. All of these things originate in your throne room. Open my eyes, like you did with Elisha's servant and let me see angles sitting on chariots of fire. Let me abound in the mystery of your holiness at work all around me.

Servant Leadership

Mark 10:41-45

Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever want to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

This statement turns the role of leadership on its ear. In our day, as well as in the days of Jesus, those in authority hold it over those who have lesser rolls.
But look at what Jesus said, "Whoever wants to become great must be a servant."

What? Whoever has heard of such a thing, the master serving his servant, the employer serving his employee? Jesus, himself, the granddaddy leader of all times, came to save the world, but how interesting that He chose the role of servant to accomplish this task.

This is astounding! But not only did the CEO of all creation serve those who followed Him, He even stood in for them when it came to suffering the consequences of their failures.

This example of leadership is radical and amazing! It creates loyalty and devotion, is without animosity and devoid of stepping on others to get ahead, grants acceptance and affirmation, and trains the servant to be a servant leader as well.

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever
wants to be first must be slave of all." Jesus, Mark 10:43

I don't know if I lead well, but I know that I can serve and it appears that this is the requirement.

Christianity in the Trenches

Does the world only see my public Christianity? Do they only see a woman who looks like she has it all together, greeting and chatting like all is well with the world complete a Sunday smile pasted her my face? Do they only see the crisply pressed, buttoned up Bible toting image I portray on Sunday mornings?

What about the Christianity that goes into the trenches with me? The person I am when I'm on the floor pleading with Jesus for strength to put the cookie back in the jar, when I need to turn the television channel but am having a difficult time looking away. What about my Christianity in arguments and disagreements, disappointment and sorrow? Does the world ever see this side of my faith?

It is nothing to be ashamed of. It is the nuts and bolts of why Jesus came. When I hide the guts of Christianity I am hiding the most powerful testimony of all. I have joy because Christ navigates me and helps me out of the rough places. This is praise worthy and should be very public.

If I hide my struggles and the help that comes I'm not reflecting Jesus at all. I'm giving a false impression of who Christ is and why he had to go to the cross.

Let me open the book cover of my life and allow the world to see chapter after chapter the struggles of my humanity and how Christ has come along side and comforted, and admonished, and helped and pruned, and cleansed, and strengthened.

This is the light that shines brightest. This is the light that illuminates the way for the next weary traveler who doesn't feel they can go another step. Encouragement does not come from someone who has never fallen. True encouragement comes from the one who has fallen and has found Jesus at the bottom of the pit. Brokenness and the experience of Jesus' forgiveness is the ladder that enables me the freedom to climb out of the trench. This should not be kept a secret.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I've known you the most and the best when I've been in the trenches. This is when your sweet hand of strength and forgiveness greets me and lifts me up. May I never shy away from sharing the most powerful part of my faith.

This little light of mine, I'm going let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let shine, let it shine!

Let it shine til Jesus comes, I'm going to let it shine!

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness." II Corinthians 11:30

"…My power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9

"…a broken spirit and a contrite heart, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17

Do I have to be pre-qualified for this job?

In my quiet time this morning I read from a reading plan that started on January 1 and will take me through the Bible this year if I stick to it. (It is my intention to do so, but I also know that from past experience that when February rolls around I may be finding it hard to sick to my guns when it comes to the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy). As most plans do, it started in Genesis. Today I read the story of Noah and was particularly inspired by what I observed about him.

"Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." Gen 6:9

Noah was one man among many who walked on the earth at this time in history, yet we see that he was the only one who is recognized as being righteous. The Bible implies that he had an intimate relationship with the Father for it says that he walked with God. I can imagine that this walking also included some talking and praying.

We learn in this passage that God also confided in Noah, for God told Noah that he was going to destroy the earth and all the people in it for "the earth is filled with violence."

Then God gave specific instructions to Noah to build an ark to save his family and a remnant of God's creation from destruction.

Obviously, a trusting relationship existed between them for how else would Noah possibly believe and say yes to such preposterous plans? We don't know that he was a ship builder. We don't know that he was a veterinarian, or a rancher, or even a lover of animals, and here he is saying, "Okay Lord, I will do this thing that no one has ever done before to save my life and my family and all these critters from something that has never happened before."

Building the ark had to be a monumental task and what about collecting all those animals? That must have been harder still. Yet "Noah did everything just as God commanded him." Gen. 6:22

Before this assignment was given to him, Noah was just as obscure in the world as I am. The only thing that singled him out was that he knew the Father intimately. He did not have to be prequalified as a zoologist or a sea captain, or shipbuilder. The only attribute that we see that qualified him for this job was that he walked with God.

What assignment has God given you that you feel unqualified to do? If God is the same today, yesterday and forever, what he required from Noah is the same thing that he requires from you, which is to walk with Him, the other qualifications will follow.

Dear Jesus,

Continue to make this true in my life. I will walk with you daily and you will qualify me for the rest.

Resting in Faith

I'm sitting in my chair, my favorite place in the house, watching the rain pour down outside. It's the end of a beautiful Fall season and Chirstmas is quicky approaching. Anticipation is knocking on the door.

I've just finished reading John 18 where he records the story of Jesus' last hours on this earth. A big change was in store and a new season was about to begin. Proceeding this chapter Jesus almost seems in a rush to give his disciples final instruction and warning on what was about to happen.

He gives them so much information that I'm sure the disciples felt overwhelmed and maybe a little dismayed about what he was telling them.

Things have not changed much for the human condition. We always want to know what to expect, to have control and to understand the situation before it happens, but many times what Jesus said didn't make sense to the disciples until after the fact. Same with us, we don't really see His plan until after it unfolds sometimes.

This is where faith and trust become part of our lives. Faith fills the gap between believing and knowing, and trust is the bridge that gets us from one side to the other.

I don't always know where God is taking me next and I live in the gap between where I've been and where I'm going. Faith is the hammock where I rest.

Dear Lord,

The seasons of earth come and go at your command, so do the seasons of my life. Thank you for giving me faith to fill the gap between what I can see and know today and what I hope and believe for tomorrow.

Makeover Needed, Inside & Out

Honestly, sometimes I think I need Stacy and Clinton to help me pick out clothes. I say this to myself every time I stand in a dressing room trying on clothes. Maybe I need to nominate myself to appear on their show What Not to Wear. I can’t put together an outfit any better than a five year old. It’s quite obvious I need their help, but looking in their 360° mirror would be torturous! I can visualize it already, short and squatty legs that haven’t seen pants that fit in the rear as well as the waist – at the same time, in oh, so long.

Shoulder length hair that hasn’t been a salon in months, and lately I’ve noticed it’s starting to take on a dull brown/gray color. What would the hair stylist on the show think about it? He would probably want to cut it, color it, and highlight it. Basically, change its look entirely.

And, I would love for the make-up artist to teach me how to properly apply make-up to my middle-aged skin. I can’t get away with just blush and mascara anymore. How does one cover up these dark circles under the eyes? It would be nice to add a little life to this pale, dry skin while we’re at it. I’m not sure if it’s my imagination, but it seems that my chin is disappearing into my neck. I don’t think she has a trick for that.

If I turn around to see the view from the rear, then it’s very apparent that since I’m doing all this self-improving, maybe I should consider auditioning for the The Biggest Loser too! I could stand to lose a few pounds. Who am I kidding? I could lose a lot of extra pounds especially around the middle. That middle aged spread just doesn’t know where to stop. When was it that I moved from the Misses department to the Women’s sizes, anyway? I don’t know, but this dose of reality T.V. makeovers may be more than I can bear!

“Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” (1 Peter3:3-4 NLT)

All too often I let my perception of my outward appearance control who I think I am or who I will continue to become. But God’s gentle words from I Peter, remind me that it’s what’s on the inside that matters the most to him. While that is no excuse to give up on my outward appearance, I do want my husband to look forward to coming home to me every day, it does remind me that beauty is only partially dependent on my outward appearance. Spending time cultivating a gentle and quiet spirit creates a beauty on the inside that can’t help but overflow and adorn the countenance of a woman who loves God.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me to remember that true beauty comes from within. This body is only temporary, and while I need to take care of it, its appearance does not dictate who I am. Your Word is what transforms me to be beautiful in your eyes. May I be infused with the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in your sight.

Not for wimps and curiosity seekers

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.


Jesus said this when He and His disciples where in Bethany six days prior to the Passover Feast. They were having dinner at Lazarus' house, whom Jesus had just raised from the dead, and getting ready to enter Jerusalem the following day.

Now, a great crowd was following Christ because they had heard about Lazarus being raise from the dead and the Pharisees where fit to be tied because of all the attention that Jesus had attracted.


Some Greek men talked to Phillip and Andrew about meeting with Jesus. His reply was an explanation as to why He had to die. He also said "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me"


At first this seems like an odd response to a request for a meeting, but after further observation Jesus' indirect answer is a message to them. Getting to know Him isn't for curiosity seekers and wimps. If you want to get to know me it's through serving me and following me

He goes on to say that He is "the light" and says the the light will only be with them a little while longer. "Put your trust in the light, so that you may become sons of light."


He is inviting them into relationship with Him. We don't know what the Greek men did, if they believed or not, but Jesus, true to His character, never misrepresents the cost of following Him. He also promises that His Father will honor those who serve Him.


Sometimes it's just downright uncomfortable to serve Christ. Following Him sometimes means that our own interests are not being catered to. It means that we will serve in areas that are unattractive, scary, and beyond our natural abilities. Jesus often went into areas that were unattractive and scary by society's standards.


We should not expect our lives, as believers to be any less difficult. We must follow where our Savior leads, for where he is His servants will also be.


This statement is folowed by a promise; maybe not in this life, but Jesus promised that God, His Father will honor those who serve Him.



Prayer: Dear hevenly Father,
Serving where you lead is not always easy, but you are my Savior and where you are I want to follow. Service here on earth may be done in dark places, shadowed by the pomp and circumstance of this world, but obedience in following where you lead shines like the noon day sun in the presence of God our Father.