Has all of Heaven Passed through Hell?

Perhaps I should reconsider the idea of purgatory or at least attribute the title of purgatory to this, and a few other, stages of my life…

Hell = Everlasting Fire : : : : Heaven = Streets of Pure Gold

I have long held that the descriptions are symbolic of the greatest horrors and desires man could then conceive in his efforts to comprehend

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The Beauty of Death

Fall is my favorite season of the year. NCAA football and basketball, bonfires with the youth group and hot coffee on cool morning are all among the things I love about fall, by my very favorite thing about my very favorite season is the changing of leaves. This year, I was blessed with good timing.

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Landmines in the Path of the Believer – Charles Stanley

First, this is not among my favorite of Stanley’s books. I found it to be somewhat dull and overly simplistic.

Second, I do not like the title. The issues dealt with in this book are not isolated to the lives of Christians. The book could have been more appropriately titled Landmines in the Path.

Next, I’ll say that the book is filled with truth. The truth seems common sense to me, but may be of value to extremely naive people.

Finally, I will admit that I am being overly critical. Perhaps that is because the book touched on a few sore spots in my history that I should have been smart enough to avoid.

Reconsidering Scars

Today, as I sit and watch my beautiful Savana’s comeback to volleyball, I am reminded of the painful journey the last few years have been for her. She has made it through and today marks one of the great personal milestones she had set for herself on the road to full recovery. My daughter understands pain and she has the scars to prove it. She has always tried to hide her scars feeling an insecure sense of privacy over her surgeries along with a clear disdain for their ever-remaining evidence. Just last night, however, she shared a story about swimming class and an inability to hide her scars. Instead of being upset, she was smiling. You see, the scars had invoked a great deal of attention and interest on the part of her peers allowing her to share the amazing story she has to tell.

Though Savana’s scars will fade with time, she has found new purpose in their presence and will here forward embrace them as part of her life story, an inspiring story of courage, endurance, strength and faith that is definitely worth telling.

Perhaps we should all reconsider our scars.

of War and Christianity – thoughts on love

War & Duty & Christianity & Love

My adult life has survived many wars from afar. The tribulation of the Middle Eastern countries has led to several battlefields some of which are still entrenched in showers of artillery today. Now, when I say I have “survived” these wars it actually means that I am living at the same time these battles are occurring. I have never been in the military, much less a war of weapons.

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