What is Heaven Like?

Most of our learning about life after death comes from a couple of sources. The most obvious is the Bible, and what we are taught at church. Then there is the great revelations last three generations on Earth have received most of our knowledge from… media. Yes, there are TV shows, movies, and TV ads that give us a boring look into heavens gates. Keep in mind the majority of media explanation is made for comedic interpretation. But since we have watched these funny views of God and heaven, our minds tend to drawl a vision of Him that cannot be erased.

God is not George Burns, Morgan Freeman, or whoever gets the role to play the Almighty. But to truly catch a vision of heaven, one must discover more about God’s character, why He created us, and why He has prepared a place for us to enjoy forever with Him. His foreknowledge graciously gave us little explanation in scripture. There is a reason for that, but I want to keep this short and if I gave my thoughts on the topic, this would be too long for people to read.

The bigger we imagine God, the greater heaven is viewed. It is like knowing all we can about creation, our minds, and physical bodies, our planet, and the universe with all of it’s mystery, these expand our understanding of His greatness. For me, I try never to limit His mindfulness of mankind, and what incredible plans He has for us in heaven.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things He has prepared for those who love Him. BUT, God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” 1Cor.2: 9-10.

Imagine arriving in heaven the way we think of heaven now. St. Peter at the gate, hands you a harp, assigns you a cloud, and lets you know where you float to throughout eternity. Wrong! That is the Charmin TP idea from a TV ad. Peter will be there, but I believe there will be a reception for you and I that our minds can conceive of.

The colors you see with your new eyes will be a thousand times more brilliant. The smells will be so aromatic you want to find out where they are coming from, but you are too busy seeing loved ones and angels, seraphim, and cherubim, all are making over you in welcome, you can wait to taste what you’re smelling later. You are alive like you have never felt before. Everyone you meet you already know by name, even your ancestors throughout history. You know you are home where you belong.

The music of heaven is nothing like earth. You see beautiful fields of grass and as you look down at it, you notice the grass is singing along with the trees and flowers. Everywhere around you there is activity. There is so much excitement and expectation of a major event about to happen, even if there is not an event, you are so alive you just sense something is happening. You know everyone by name, no one there is a stranger, and you are greeted by people of the past, the apostles, kings, inventors, and people you never dreamed you would see in heaven. (History isn’t always honest about the good and the bad).

Every part of you is alive to the point you feel like you could explode in laughter, in tears of joy, in adoration and praise to God simultaneously. And then, you see Jesus. His beautiful smile and his eyes looking deep into you in love like you have not dreamed. Without opening his mouth you hear Him saying, I love you so much I couldn’t hardly wait for you to arrive, come on, let’s go see Father!

There is so much more I want to say about heaven. Mainly I want to encourage those who are believers, and to cause the unbeliever to choose Jesus as Savior and Lord of their life. Jesus said, “Let no your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

I know many of my readers don’t believe in God. Just try this prayer; “God if you are real, show me, I really want to know. ”

To those who believe in Jesus’ sacrifice for sin of everyone, dying in their place on the cross, ask God to forgive your sins and believe God raised Jesus from the dead, then tell someone, I believe Jesus Christ is my Lord.” That is simple. You believe in Him, He will make the changes in you. And we’ll have a blast together in heaven.

I know this was a bit long but felt some people need encouragement due to the loss of so many of late from C19 and OD’s.

The Sickness of Indecision

Should I go now, or wait until later? If I go now, I may be the first one there. I don’t want to be first. Maybe I’ll wait a bit then go. I know, I will go and stop at the store and pick up a few items I need. No, if I do that I may get stuck in line and be super late. Besides, some of the stuff I need is frozen, it may be ruined before I get home. Hmmm, I can just drive around for a little while. No, gas prices have gone through the roof. Okay I will just read something. Gosh no, reading makes me sleepy. Geez, I am going to be late sitting here trying to figure out when to go. I hate being late. Skip it! I’m just gonna stay home and watch TV.

Does this sound like someone you know? I sounds like me. If you are in this dilemma at times you know the outcome of indecision well. The scenario above is describing a silly decision that would not effect anyone in a major way, or does it? I can’t decide. But seriously, even small decisions have a major effect on our ability to move forward in life. It is the compilation of not deciding on things, events, relationships, et., that keeps one frozen in time or remorseful thinking why we didn’t I attend, or take that course, or visit a departed friend, or say “I love you” more often.

We make thousands of decisions everyday without notice, like turning a door knob or looking in the mirror, just routinely. Making choices is paralyzing to some, avoided by many. Ten years pass, you develop a case of the “if only syndrome” and learn how to hate self in a new way. “If only I had signed up for college back then, ” we say to self and maybe add, “I probably wouldn’t have ended up a drunk or an addict.”

In my lifetime indecision has been both a bane and a blessing. Though I experienced the crushing pain of remorse, I also have had the wonderful blessing of using what indecision taught me to help others. In recovery from addictions, that is, those clean and sober in recovery but still fighting the impulse to use, decisions are seemingly impossible to make. Like the opening paragraph, it is like a committee meeting going on in your head that doesn’t want to adjourn. So how does one move past this?

We have one easy answer, prayer. Ask God to help you stay clean and sober everyday upon awakening. Be serious as though He was standing at the foot of your bed. Then ask Him to help you make decisions and take the right actions in every situation. Our problem has been trying to have the right outcomes when we are too confused or fearful to make the smallest decisions because we don’t believe in God, or we think He’s too busy to hear “poor me,” so we ask the bar tender, “pour me another one,” until we decide.

Make your life count. Ask God to help and be grateful before you close your eyes at night. This has worked for scores of people I know because they made the decision to no longer be indecisive. I don’t know who this message is for but it was for someone. Have a blessed day.

The News We Didn’t Hear

Here are a few news items that were not reported by our news sources, intentionally.

During the evacuation in Kabul, there were other groups attempting to get people out that were marked for death by the Taliban, (our new ally). These groups who were not related in their missions were related in purpose and the reports each gave were chilling as to whom was hindering their efforts…our own State Department! How and why is beyond belief. The Taliban, in Kabul were turning away people at checkpoints that had their paperwork in hand. That was taken from many of them and they were sent back to their homes. The why is quite simple. The Taliban wants hostages, and they also have some marked for beheading.

Rep. Michael McCaul -R Texas, along with a reported thousand others had arranged transportation by plane to extract 250 orphaned kids and a girls choir. They had buses do the pick-up successfully in place and even was given the okay at the checkpoint from the Taliban, surprise! But arriving at the destination to board the plane, were turned back by the State Department, bigger surprise! Thank God they found other exits. McCaul stated, “people are being butchered there.”

Joel Richardson, director of Global Catalytic Ministries stated the same problem with the State Dept. They were removed from their original plans but were still able to find other routes and saved 6000 from death. Their reports are gruesome, bodies are piling up.

There is a group of former GIs that have remained in contact with each other stateside as well as their Afghan guides and interpreters still in Afghanistan. “The group is called the Pineapple Express.” In spite of their problems with the State Department, finding other ways out and 1000 people were rescued.

All three of these groups can be viewed, at least for the moment on YouTube if you want their full report. They have to keep their locations disclosed fearing the State Department informing their new allies where they are. All three groups had the same question, “why is our government stopping our efforts knowing the ones we are extracting’s fate?”

This America is almost unrecognizable. It is heart breaking when you look back in our short history and realize how many lost their lives and served in the military, granting us freedoms no other nation has had, ever. Those freedoms are in jeopardy now. Don’t forget to pray for these groups mentioned, our military, that has to continually fight wars with one arm tied behind their back, and for the return of the America we once knew.

Ignorance Isn’t Bliss

Ignorance doesn’t mean stupid. It is lacking knowledge regarding a topic(s). Most of my ignorance has come from sloth or procrastination. Either I have been too lazy to read up on a topic or knowing that doing so can be tedious, having to read pros and cons about the subject.

I once believed everything the nightly news said. The networks competed to find the most convincing individuals as anchors, and they were successful. I discovered the more I watched and believed news morning, noon, and night, I became lazier and stopped reading, or quit stopping by the library to research, and to look up info about something I heard on the news about that did not sound right.

What I discovered was shocking. To think that my favorite anchors were not telling the truth? Though bliss I experienced from trusting the news kept me ignorant, I discovered TV talk shows, sitcoms, dramas, even kids shows were pressing an agenda! The agenda? “What could it be, I thought?” (That discovery was in the 1980’s).


The agenda is what we all see playing out today. It is a tragedy to watch socialism crawl into any nation, but I cannot believe the USA has over half of it’s citizen’s ignorantly falling prey to a system that has never worked and never will. How can we not see Venezuela’s march from being prosperous into total ruin over the past decade?

I won’t go on, but I will fight this out. God has the final say about the election, and I plan to return to posting if possible. I hope to continue posting about addictions, but I can see how this evil agenda has fueled drug and alcohol addiction, and what they hoped to gain from doing so. Stay tuned.

A Nation Divided

I get miffed watching politicians teamed with nightly news literally tearing our nation apart. The issues we think are causing the division are not at the root of what will end horribly bad. It has to be for every individual to take an honest look, a deeper look, at what drives this division. That means stop listening to who says what that you agree so much with, and listen to the other side without judgment. I know that is hard to do. And chances are extremely good you will feel the same as you do now.

I believe people today are easily led by their traditional trust in their party. One side insists they are the working man’s party, but you cannot prove it by looking at their history, certainly not the direction they are going. The other party can easily say they are for all people, but their methodology of proving their point is obscure to say the least. Lacking empathy in their tact-less speech in the past did that party harm winning converts to their cause. Today, both parties try to out smart-mouth the other. It really sounds like school kids fighting, “AM NOT! ARE TOO!” And the media stirs the pot of anger daily.

FYI, the media is losing the trust of the people, as many projected after the last election. They did, at first, following the Presidential election, admit they really needed to change their ways to re-gain trust. But they could not resist being able to report what their party, (yes there is bias), was attempting to do, or undo, the election results. The other side couldn’t stay out of the fight having to defend the winner. (My memory of the President’s party not standing behind him at first is vivid. That changed.

Finally, we had someone stood up to all of the politicians, that had given in to other governments, out of fear, or out losing payoffs under the table as many believe. Undoing the Iran non-deal, adding more sanctions for non-compliance to nations tyrannically led, holding money back from Palestinians for their violent outbursts against Israel, and last but not least, the Great Wall of Texico. The President has some blame, tweeting, fanning the flame. But his non presidential sounding speeches are fine by me. I’m tired of people trying to sound like they think people want them to sound, if that makes sense.

Keeping legitimate folks out is not the reason we are told. But it does, and the reasons don’t matter to those opposed to the wall. It should matter to the working man. All I have been hearing from the working man is “they are taking our jobs!” But they still vote for the party that is all for illegals entering the country and receiving benefits they cannot get without paying for. Strange. I am certainly not against immigration, but it has to follow the rule of law. If we are going to not have the rule of law, then it is time for the gun control advocates to hold their piece… literally.

I want Americans to stop fighting like Christian sects over small issues that don’t matter. I want Americans to stop listening to nightly news and daytime panels who are totally not qualified to campaign for any party, or be personal psychologists for families. I know, I can want for a lot of things but at the top of my “want” list is that we are united as a people and we learn to make our choices on who and what we believe by our own research and guided by values. We can stop telling our military thank you for your service if we are bent on letting politicians and media undo what so many fought and died for.

Get In, Get Out, or Take a Seat

So I sidelined myself for a bit. I had good reasons. After all I am a busy man and I don’t believe what I write has had much, if any effect on others. Am I whining? Yep, a regular cry baby. Seriously, I have felt this inward tug to get back at it on a regular basis in hope of winning some to the Kingdom of Christ, or helping some find sobriety, both through these simple writings.

It really comes down to this. I watched the movie Tombstone several times. I am a dialog guy and a guy that likes to see good win out over evil. Are you like that? The OK Corral scene, Wyatt Earp dodging bullets yells at the cowardly Ike Stanton and blares, “GET IN THE FIGHT OR GET OUT OF THE WAY! I remembered this scene and now see my own cowardice in not getting in this war we are fighting much sooner.  I hate to offend after all.  You may be unaware we are fighting, or there is even a war in the first place. Here’s the field of battle:

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places….Eph. 6:12

It’s brutal out there as some of you know from what is going on with the mud pie fights the dems and reps are having, while issues go ignored, i.e. healthcare, the infrastructure, addicts found dead daily. Don’t choose to hate either side, but pray for them with sincerity. Or refuse to pray for them from your intense hatred of them. I’d bet you probably didn’t vote anyway, now you can hate me too…have a seat please.

Others say, you’re nuts! You honestly believe there are forces controlling events? It’s that lying President, or it’s those liberal lefties. Whatever, take a seat next to the intense haters, I ‘ll get with you later. And keep your hands to yourself.

Now those ready to do battle, gird your loins. Don’t hold on to any grudges of any kind. Pray for opposition you face in life. 1 Tim 2:1-2 gives you an idea of who we should pray for, and we already know to pray for our personal needs and the innumerable requests on social media. Speaking of media, man, do they need prayer. They have more to do with our national division that any political branch. Anyhow lets fight this spiritual warfare boldly, in confidence and knowing the time is short. Thanks!

Letting Go

A woman’s son had taken her to the point of bankruptcy with his constant drug use, legal troubles from arrests, and not working. When he was jailed she made sure he had money on his book for food and necessities. She ignored what she was told about enabling her son’s bad behavior. “I love my son, I just can’t let him go hungry, be homeless, what kind of a parent would I be?”

She finally had to surrender and told her son he was not welcome back home until he had a job and was clean and sober. She made this hard decision knowing she may never see her son again, he may die alone, freeze to death, or even starve! But she would lose her home if he stayed and continued doing nothing other than sponging off of her. She feared finding him dead in their home.

For five years she never heard from Him. She was heart-broken, fearing the worst but continued to pray to God in hope for his safety and recovery.

Then one day her son walked in the door, clean and sober, had his own place to live and a job! He had also found Christ and was in the ministry!

She had finally let go and let God. There is hope when we make the decision to trust Him. Luther said, “I’ve held many things in my hands and lost them all. But those things I placed in God’s hands I still have.”

I hope this little true story helps parents who don’t know how to let go. I certainly know it is hard. Pray, give the care of your child into His hands, or as one man said, “Pray and let God worry.”

The Gateway

The mountain of hurts experienced from others throughout your lifetime has likely left you with some deep scars. Some are quick to say they not holding a grudge or resentments from abuse or being mistreated by others. Their words, however, are proof they are still nursing the wounds, even to the extreme, medicating the pain. Like one lady said regarding a friend who hurt her deeply;
  “Oh yes, I forgave her alright, but let me tell you what that old devil did to me!”

What about the mountain of hurt you may have inflicted on others? It is, to me, more painful knowing I hurt or let others down. Now I have to ask their forgiveness, but also I have to forgive myself. That is much more difficult to do. I mean, I have to forgive myself or live with regrets rueing over my bad behaviors until remorse sets up fortress inside my heart. And it can, and does. At one time I didn’t care, let em’ think what they think of me, it’s their problem. I was very sick back then.

  “To err is human, to forgive divine.”  Alexander Pope
“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Jesus

I believe the gateway to forgiveness is gratitude. I have discovered from my alcoholic past that being grateful for sobriety opened my spiritual eyes to see my fallen nature ruled me, thinking I was entitled to having everything, including my own way. When I didn’t get what I wanted, I became ungrateful for what I did have. I became envious of others success. I became angry at my job for not getting a promotion, and jealous even at my church for their blindness to my hard work for God… (oh what a baby). My solution, the bar stool and ears to agree with my whining.

 “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” G.K. Chesterton
“When I started counting my blessings my whole life turned around.” Willie Nelson

When grateful, color seems to enter the world, sounds are heard, handshakes and embraces are sincere, suddenly purpose comes into play, and empathy becomes the heart mate of hope and love. Seeing those who hurt me, including myself in the mirror, as broken by life, poor upbringing, etc., with an understanding that only God’s Spirit within could give me. I also feel pressed to ask forgiveness to those I hurt. I am truly thankful for my awakening to the gateway of gratitude.

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. I hope you can take the time to be grateful for what you have. A life of gratitude is the gateway to forgiveness, and the mother of all virtue.

Disregarded Help

I don’t know the number of times I made snap decisions over important matters in life. The number heavily outweighs how often I sought counsel from others, or more importantly, inquired of the Lord for direction. I am asked by some I work with in recovery, “what is your favorite verse in the Bible?” I have several verses that I may quote, but one stands out to me most often is Psalm 119:130:

The entrance of Your word gives light, it gives understanding to the simple.

This being a favorite causes me to ask myself, “why don’t you try referring to this verse when you make decisions?” This verse doesn’t help me make a right decision within itself. I makes me aware to seek the scriptures for counsel, where I find help and great advice for any situation in life, like:

Where there is no counsel the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Pr.11:14

Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates instruction is stupid. Pr.12:1

What I see from these verses and scores of others is, get instruction, take advice, don’t be wise in your own eyes, pray and wait on the answer! Do I like pain? I must because I do not ask advice often, people may think I’m spiritually stupid after all. Well, why don’t I pray? Because God will make me wait and I don’t want to wait, I want the answer now so I will make the choice and God will bless it because He loves me, I’m His child. Wrong!

You know the old hymn’s words:

Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. (What a friend we have in Jesus).

I want to do what I counsel others to do, inquire of the Lord on every decision, look to the scripture, get wisdom from others by asking for help. It is true God loves me, I’m His kid. His love allows me to face the consequences of bad decisions, even though He could fix my goof-ups. Pain from those bad choices causes me to not do that again, I can see to repent, go the other direction, toward His counsel.

God doesn’t enable my bad behaviors. He isn’t a celestial Santa either, giving me my wants. My needs, however, He supplies to His glory and my good. I need humility and patience.

Thanks, I hope you can identify. Blessings to you all.

Resolutions for the New Year

In the past I made, like so many do, annual resolutions. They would begin to come together right after the Thanksgiving Day feeding frenzy. My aims were always based on becoming someone other than… well, me. It was my annual self loathing and desires for others to see my value as a person, you know, be admired. Resolutions, as I reflect back, should have been named, “planned failures for the upcoming year.” I failed annually, which gave me the loser complex, helping me fail at other ambitions as well.

Today I have a clearer view as to why the many failures. No resolve, no plans on the how to, no book on Resolutions for Dummies. The understanding came to me slowly, but it did come as I came into recovery from alcoholism. “The best I could be is out of me,” I learned in AA meetings. Those past me-gotistical aims I once had each year were about me getting what I wanted. Today helping others get what they need and want is more satisfying, far above personal gain.

I still want to improve annually, but now to improve my serve, putting God, then others ahead of yours truly. I don’t want that to sound like I’m such a swell person, (that false humility garbage). Humiliation from my past taught me real humility which I must continue to work on. That opened my eyes to discover serving is far more valuable than being unique and being admired.

I do want to become better in 2019. I want to be a better husband, father, friend, worker, helper to those still suffering with addictions. That takes me to look for the know-how to hit those noble goals. Honesty, loyalty, kindness, courage, diligence, are virtues to strive for, under-girding me to accomplish those resolutions. But more importantly I must Trust God, continue to help others, and keep my side of the street clean. Prayer daily, even day-long prayer is key to the success and discovery of the above virtues.

God is faithful as you and I aim above all else to please Him. He then gives us a purpose and passion to improve ourselves and experience wonder, which is far greater than personal desires.

I’ll finish this post with thoughts we could seriously consider as resolutions for 2019:
Choose patriotism over political parties.
Choose friendship over isolation.
Choose to know for yourself about everything, not what someone told you.
Choose carefully who you admire, admire values above things.
Choose to be a part of something worthwhile, then you won’t fall apart.

Blessings to all for 2019… far beyond happiness that fades!