heavenforbeginners.com

I Am The Way, The Truth And The Light!

No One Comes To The Father But By Me!

I have just attended the funeral service of Vic Harrison, and what a lovely service it was.
There is something about death that puts life into perspective.
Suddenly all those pressing problems don’t seem to matter that much anymore.
Vic was my “across the road” neighbour.
Truth be told my daughter Lesa knew him better than I
Perhaps that is one reason for my tears.
We’re so busy with life’s problems we don’t take the time to help those near us through theirs.
Be nicer than normal to everyone you meet.
Everyone has their own cross to carry.
On his deathbed Vic called for his dog Barny to be brought to him to say his goodbyes.
That speaks volumes of the man.
Pray for Vic whether you knew him or not.
Pray that God in his grace will grant him a place in heaven.
And that we shall see him again.
I don’t know if Vic believed
But this poem was read at the service and I reproduce it as a tribute to Vic.
I’m sorry I didn’t get to know you better my friend.
R.I.P.

AT REST
Think of me as one at rest,
for me you should not weep
I have no pain no troubled thoughts
for I am just asleep
The living thinking me that was,
is now forever still
And life goes on without me now,
as time forever will.

If your heart is heavy now
because I’ve gone away
Dwell not long upon it friend
For none of us can stay
Those of you who liked me,
I sincerely thank you all
And those of you who loved me,
I thank you most of all.

And in my fleeting lifespan,
as time went rushing by
I found some time to hesitate,
to laugh, to love, to cry
Matters it now if time began
If time will ever cease?
I was here, I used it all,
and now I am at peace

Amazing Love!!
How can it be
That Thou  my God
Should die for me!

Don’t be afraid if you don’t understand
Don’t fear you won’t do it right
Don’t worry about performing
Just talk to me

Don’t need no words you can’t define
Don’t need a special voice you keep reserved just for me
Don’t even have to close your eyes
Just talk to me

Don’t need to wait until you’re hopeless
Don’t need a particular reason to call
Don’t need to fake your holiness
Just talk to me

Don’t worry that you don’t love me enough
Don’t need to do anything special
Don’t pretend you’re someone or something that you’re not
Just talk to me

Don’t need some formal speech about all the social and theological issues of the day
Don’t be afraid I won’t listen
Don’t use lots of fancy phrases you heard some preacher say
Just talk to me

Don’t try to be impressive
Don’t think about your image
Don’t need to be self-conscious
Just talk to me

Don’t think it has make sense
Don’t feel the need to use complete sentences
Don’t feel the need to use words at all
Just talk to me

Don’t pretend to be happy if you are not
Don’t be overwhelmed if you feel hopeless
Don’t worry if I’ll do what you ask
Just talk to me

Don’t feel you have to take all day or all night
Don’t feel the need to be serious or sombre or stressed
Don’t even think about wearing your fancy clothes
Just talk to me

Don’t worry if you’re pleasing me
Don’t think you have to have all the answers
Don’t try to feel anything different at all
Just talk to me

Don’t worry about feeling terribly confident
Don’t try to change the world
Don’t think yourself too bad or too good to do this
Just talk to me

Don’t spend your emotional energy getting all worked up over this
Don’t think of me as a perfectionist
Don’t believe everything you hear down there
Just talk to me

Don’t keep a list or record of when we chat
Don’t need to make an appointment
Don’t stop to talk to the receptionist
Just talk to me

Don’t try to be your preacher
Don’t try to be your mother
Don’t pretend you’ve got it all together
Just talk to me

Don’t need no special glasses
Don’t need a microphone
Don’t worry if it isn’t good
Just talk to me

Don’t lie to me
Don’t question if I understand
Don’t think it doesn’t matter
Just talk to me

Don’t bother about the rules
Don’t bother about whether there are any
Don’t pursue anything by which to measure yourself
Just talk to me

Don’t confuse me with your father
Don’t put that kind of pressure on him or yourself
Don’t try get away from the point of who I am
Just talk to me

Don’t try to impress me
Don’t try to hide anything
Don’t concern yourself about whether you’re wasting my time with trivialities
Just talk to me

Don’t ask if I know about the latest hospital report
Don’t think I don’t know all the latest gossip
Don’t wonder if I know the best possible outcome
Just talk to me

Don’t think anything is too insignificant to bring up
Don’t worry if you cry
Don’t worry if you don’t
Just talk to me

Don’t be afraid
Don’t be unnatural
Don’t be anything you don’t want to be
Just talk to me

Don’t hesitate to shout if you feel like it
Don’t hesitate to rant
Don’t pretend
Just talk to me

Don’t forget to laugh with me
Don’t forget that I’m the one who started all this
Don’t forget I already know what you’re going to say
Just talk to me

Don’t worry about what I might say or think about you
Don’t be concerned if you lose your train of thought
Don’t be surprised if I talk back
Just talk to me

Don’t forget to listen
Don’t forget I care more than you can possibly imagine
Don’t worry about the silence
Just talk to me
Just talk to me
Just talk to me
Bill Colclough

If you’ve ever had a triple expresso you’ll understand the anology.
Christianity centres around Jesus Christ.
The fact that he was the only Son of GOD.
The fact that he was made man and dwelled amongst us.
The fact that he was betrayed by his own and crucified on the cross.
The fact that on the third day he rose from the dead.
The fact that he is coming again to judge both the quick and the dead.
The fact that he is with us every second of every day.
The fact that the gate to heaven is narrow and few will enter.
The fact….. well read the scriptures for yourself.
This is powerful stuff. This is triple expresso!

However many people have taken this doctrine and watered it down;
Re-engineered it to remove the caffeine…the very essence that makes coffee what it is.
They have reduced it to some vague spiritual ritual.
They have moulded it to suit their own ends.

But facts do not cease to be facts because they’re unpopular, outdated or uncomfortable.
Jesus said every word of scripture shall be fulfilled!
God said:
“I know you;
You are neither hot nor cold
I wish you were one or the other
But because you are lukewarm I will spit you from my mouth”

Put the caffeine back into your relationship with God!

Til next time
Steve

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them — work, family, health, friends and spirit … and you’re keeping all of these in the air.

You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls — family, health, friends, and spirit — are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

How?
•Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
•Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
•Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
•Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
•Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
•Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each together.
•Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
•Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find time. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
•Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.
•Don’t forget, a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
•Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
•Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.”
Brian Dyson

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog.. I really miss her.

Love,
Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed,
“To Meredith , ” in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, “When a Pet Dies.” Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.

Love,
God

2.8 million people out of work in the UK!
The economy in freefall!
Bankers getting rich on the misery of others!
Pretty depressing times!
Where do you draw inspiration?
Where do you find the will to go on?
Well. Like a ship in stormy seas you need an anchor.
Here’s some words from a famous hymn that I turn to often:
Will your anchor hold?
In the straits of fear
When the breakers roll
And the rocks are near
When the cold wind blows
And the cables strain
Will your anchor hold?
And firm remain

Who or what is your anchor?
And will it hold through the storms of life?
If not. Try mine.
Its plenty strong enough to hold us all secure

Til next time

Eureka! I have made a great decision today. I’m going to sell my house.
No; actually I’ll just demolish it as I don’t want anyone else to have it.
Why? Simple! It is built upon the sand!

Jesus says:
“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

I watched a video recently that asks whether the church is comprised of producers or consumers. I’m definitely a consumer. I keep myself to myself. I go to church to be in a quiet place and pray, to hear the wisdom of the sermon, to worship and then go home. Nothing wrong with that but God demands more.

God wants producers.
He wants action.
He demands involvement.
He wants us out of our comfort zone.
He wants us to spread the word.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

God says:
“I have heard my peoples cry; whom shall I send?”
He wants a living church.

In Revelation the Lord says to the church of Laodiceans:
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
I will therefore spew thee out of my mouth”

Time to go! I need to start building my new house upon the rock!
“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”

If you want to build your house upon the rock there’s plenty room on mine!
Til next time
God Bless