A moment in time



I had a conversation recently with a very good friend regarding life and our time that God has given us to live here.  He sparked an idea I had been carrying for some time about the time we will spend in Heaven after this life.  When I think of it I am reminded of the song “Bless The Lord” where we sing:



And on that day
When my strength is failing
The end draws near
And my time has come
Still my soul will
Sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years
And then forevermore
Forevermore



Again, in Amazing Grace we sing:



When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.





I find it hard to grasp but I expect that one day I will have been in heaven 10,000 years.  Wow, isn’t that amazing.  That sounds like such a long time but to God it is just a flicker in time.  My point is that we are here on earth a few decades, maybe 70 or 80 or even maybe 90 years which to us with our perspective is a long time.  But when this life is compared to 10,000 years in heaven this time is such a short existence.   I would guess that after 10,000 years we will remember hardly anything of this life.  It will be just a very distant memory.



For whatever reason God has chosen to put us here, in this place in this time.  He has also given us the gift of people who can help us through this life and also the gift of people who need our help in getting through life.



Eternity has started for all of us. One of these days God is going to call us home.  When that happens I expect our spirits will soar.  Jesus said he will wipe away our tears; there will be no sadness or anxiety, only love and joy.

VOID

Nothing

Nil

Zip

Nada

No sound, All is as silent as the ocean floor

No aroma, not even the scent of a single rose.

No up or down.

No people, as vacant as a small town main street at 3am.

No wind, as calm as the midnight darkness

No heat.  It is so cold, as cold as the ice buried deep in the South Pole.

No love nor hate, nor fear nor courage

No hope or expectations.

Nothing to touch, no liquid or solid.

Nothing to see and no light to see it by.  All is as dark as the blackest of India inks.

           

A huge, overwhelming void of nothingness with only a memory of what once was:

The laughter of a child. 

The aroma of freshly baked bread.

The sound of the wind in the leaves. 

The love of a woman.

            Rain drops on the face.

It scares me that I am capable of such thinking.

THE FINISH LINE

Have you ever had a goal that was so very important to you and you almost achieved it but at the last moment it slipped from your grasp?  Have you ever wanted something so badly that you were willing to work and work to bring it about but somehow it escaped you?

My story begins a good number of years ago in my junior year in high school.  I had just completed a somewhat successful season in track as an 880 yard runner. This was before the distances were converted to metric and it became the 800 meter run. I had worked hard all season at the after school practice sessions and I had gotten up many mornings to run a couple of miles before school.   I won some of the meets and set a school record in my favorite event.  Having come in second in the SEK regional meet I qualified for the Kansas state meet in Wichita.  At the state meet I was somewhat pleased with my performance in the half mile having placed 4^th, just out of the medals which were awarded for the first 3 places.  I really wanted to take a medal home but I still had my senior year to compete.

I have to admit that I was somewhat cocky going into the track season in my senior year.    I won most of the meets including the regional meet which qualified me for the state meet for the second time.  One day, one of my teachers asked how I anticipated I would place in the state meet.  As I said, I was somewhat cocky and replied that I should be able to do better than 4^th place allowing me to bring home a medal. 

The day of the meet in Wichita, the day of my final race of my high school career, was bright and sunny, very pleasant.  I was on the field in my sweats preparing to get warmed up when I heard the call over the PA system for the half mile.  What?  How can that be?  Is it really time already?  I haven’t even begun to warm up yet!  How can it be time for the race already?  I quickly made my way to the starting area; all the other participants were ready.  I was not.  I took off my sweats and got into position on the track, did a few quick jumping jacks trying to loosen up and get warmed up.  It wasn’t enough but it was all the time I had.

The starter fired his gun and I ran with the leaders around the first curve.  I was still running with the leaders as we made our way down the back stretch.  As we approached the second curve I ceased up, my legs cramped.  I moved to the left of the track and onto the grass.  My running career was over in an inglorious tumble on the infield.  I would never see that final finish line.  I had been cocky, proud, and boastful, and God had humbled me.

Now, in my eighth decade of life, I approach life’s finish line.  This time I will not falter.  I am prepared.  Through many other people and many events God has primed me for this race.  I am far past the starting line.  I don’t know when the finish line will cross my path; I only know that it will.

Paul wrote in Hebrews 12:1  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

When I read that passage I am grateful for the church family that not only exhibits the Godly life but encourages me to do so as well.  They are an amazing group of believers who have given their lives over to God and truly exhibit the love and compassion of our Savior. 

It is time to rid myself of all the baggage of life that holds me back on my spiritual journey to the final prize.  It is time for perseverance to take hold and endure. 

Again, Paul wrote in Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  The time for preparation is here.  Our race to the finish line of life has begun.  It is in front of us, we know not where, only that it is there.  One day we will cross that finish line and I perceive that the finish line to life will be supernaturally transformed into a new starting line.  It will be the beginning of a new life in and with Jesus.  He is waiting for each of us there on the other side of this life.  What a wonderful experience it will be to look into his eyes, to touch his garment and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

TREES AND POLITICS



I’m a little slow.  Its taken me a while to come up with a theory that explains what is currently wrong and contentious in our society.  We all know that we are divided politically and socially on many issues.  At any time anyone may be offended by anything.  We seem angry.  We simply don’t like people who disagree with us and we don’t necessarily like those who agree with us.



We seem to be having some sort of nationwide corporate melt-down that no one has yet to put a label on.  We willingly verbally abuse and in extreme cases physically batter others for seemingly trivial issues.  Some of these issues are not so trivial but we are willing to abuse others none the less.  If some of the statements put out by our politicians were made between spouses the person would be arrested for spousal mental abuse. 



I theorize that many of the above ills are because our brains are suffering from a lack of oxygen and an over abundance of carbon dioxide.  How is this possible, how do we possibly have an oxygen dearth? 



For years we have been removing large swaths of trees to make room for commercial and residential development.  Almost every day we see large areas of old forest being removed by the big machines like a piranha in a gold fish bowl.    The forests are replaced by stores, condos, houses, lawns, concrete and asphalt.  Hundreds of trees are eliminated for every acre of land cleared thus the very items that God created to rid our environment of carbon dioxide and replenish our air with oxygen are being removed every day. 



This travesty has been going on for years, ever since Christopher Columbus set foot on our shores.  Slowly as our population has grown the pace of destruction has increased.  We are now deforesting our land at a break-neck speed and I theorize that we have reached critical mass, we are now consuming more oxygen than the remaining trees can produce and we are spewing more carbon dioxide into our air than these same trees can remove.  Hence we are running an oxygen deficit which is causing our brains to function at less than optimum performance.  In other words we are all running on empty air.



A prime example of my theory is this, there are approximately 3750 cherry trees around the tidal basin of our nations capitol in Washington DC, most are Yoshino trees.  These trees, a gift from Japan, are so small they produce little oxygen.  Could that explain the mental deficiency in our government on both sides of the aisle?  



George Washington had it right when he cut down a cherry tree to make room for a much more efficient oak or maple tree.  



The mass media are no better.  They work out of high rise office buildings which are already in oxygen deficient areas due to their altitude.  Their oxygen-deficient brains spew out erroneous data and opinions thinly disguised as news expecting an unsuspecting, oxygen deficient, readership to accept their printed material at face value. 



We of the general populace are no better off, we too are oxygen deficient and our brains are operating at less than optimum efficiency. We look at a newspaper and think, “Well, this is in print, it must be true.”  We see talking heads on TV spewing opinions and think, “Well, it was on the tube, it must be accurate.”  Worse yet, we see something on the Internet repeated like fleas on Bubbas hound dogs back and we think, “Well, it was on the Internet it must be true.”



So, what is the solution?  How do we replenish the oxygen in our atmosphere?  How do we get our nations leaders and the media to start using their brains properly? 



Simple, quit cutting trees and stripping our world of the oxygen producers.  If a tree must be removed, let’s require the contractor, builder, individual who is removing the tree to plant two replacement trees.  If the trees cannot be planted near the construction site they should be planted in a federally provided nature preserve.  These preserves, these plots of land, can be anywhere from a few acres to a few square miles in size designated specifically for the restoration of our oxygen rich environment. By planting two replacement trees for each one that is cut we will not only discourage the cutting of trees but also over a period of years we will regain the oxygen that God intended us to breathe and maybe our thought process will get back to where God intended it to be. 



Keep in mind that all the above is theory, I could be mistaken.  Keep in mind also that I too am using an oxygen-deficient brain.  But how else can we explain the current state of our American society? 

In God We Trust

We are all familiar with the logo on our United States currency “In God We Trust.”  Do we believe it?  Do we really trust in God?  The real question is, do we trust in God in our personal lives?

In Exodus 24:3 when Moses told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”

Again in verse 7 Moses wrote, “Then he took the Book of the covenant and read it to the people.  They responded, ‘We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.’”

So many times the Israelis committed themselves to obey God then turned away from Him.  Then when life fell short of their expectations they came complaining to Moses and Aaron.  They griped about no water and no food.  They accused Moses of leading them out to the desert to die, they wanted to go back into bondage in Egypt rather than obey the Lord.

We are so like the Israelis, we hear encouraging words, we hear the promises of God and we want to be loyal followers.  We profess that God is our creator, our provider, and our savior.  We confess that we too will listen and obey the words of God.  Yet when life isn’t going exactly as we think it should we don’t always have the courage to trust God.  We turn away to go our separate ways.  Then when we get into trouble, when sin overtakes us, we gripe and complain about the circumstances in our lives that fail to meet our desires.  

I’m old enough to know that there are many times, many occasions, many circumstances in life that God will allow us to believe we can live independently of Him.  He allows us to go our own ways to do as we please.  Sometimes it works out, often it does not. 

The ideal situation would be to have the courage to adopt into our lives a true and lasting dependence on God as David had. David wrote in Psalm 91, verse 2  “I will say of the Lord, he is my rock and my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust.

David enjoyed a unique and special relationship with God.  God loved David and called him to lead His nation of Israel.  We too can enjoy a unique and special relationship with God, one built on trust and understanding.  God loves us and each of us has been called by God to accomplish God’s will in our lives.  He has equipped each of us for a unique position in His creation.  Like His provision for the nation of Israel we can trust that God will provide for our needs in order to accomplish His will for our good and His glory.

In his wisdom, King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”  C. H. Spurgeon wrote, “To take up a general truth and make it our own by personal faith is the highest wisdom. Where there is every reason and warrant for faith, we ought to place our confidence without hesitancy or wavering.  Dear reader, pray for grace to say, ‘In Him will I trust.’”   (The Treasury of David,  Vol. 2   Page 89.)

It is possible for us to enjoy a close, trusting, constant relationship with God.  Through prayer, Bible reading and through listening for the words of the Holy Spirit during meditation we can develop an awareness of God in our lives and a dependence on Him to lead us through this life according to His will.  He is always there through His Spirit and with courage on our part we can develop the awareness of His presence. 

Ps 131: verse 2,  David said, “ But I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child is my soul within me.  O Israel put your hope in the lord both now and forevermore.

C. H. Spurgeon wrote, “See how lovingly a man who is weaned from self thinks of others!  David thinks of his people, and loses himself in his care for Israel.  How he prizes the grace of hope!  He has given up the things which are seen, and therefore he values the treasures which are not seen except by the eyes of hope.”   (The Treasury of David, Vol. 2, page 138)

We must cast off the lines that anchor us to the world and take up the assurances, the promises of God for our security.  There are times in our lives that we are experiencing trials and we pray to God for deliverance.  It is often through hind sight that we see that God has been involved and has resolved the situation.  It is then that we should pause to give Him thanks and praise.  Understand this, God will care for us, look out for us, and provide for us all to our benefit AND to His glory.  So many of His actions are to our benefit and always to His glory.  He is an amazing God that we serve.

When you consider just a few of the things that God has accomplished beginning with the creation, He not only spoke the earth into existence but the entire universe as well.  Consider how many planets, how many stars God has created.  God divided the sea.  He turned water into wine.  He raised the dead and healed the sick, the blind and the lame.  He loved us enough to send his son to be crucified on the cross for our redemption 

Psalm 62: 2  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Matthew Henry wrote, “There are a good number of references of God as our rock, our fortress, our protector.  All of these are reassuring to the believer.  But, we must keep in mind that God is our rock, our protector, our redeemer not necessarily for our good but for His glory.  In all things God will be glorified.  If he is our redeemer, and he is, he is glorified.  If he is our rock, and he is, he is glorified.”  (The NIV Matthew Henry Commentary, Page 746)

Ps 27: 14  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Be patient.  It is amazing when we look back to see how God has worked His will in our lives when we turn lives over to Him.

In God we trust.  Sounds simple enough.  But is it?   To trust in God is to put all we are, all we have into his hands of God for safekeeping.  As it is written in Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Amen.

I first met Vera in Kankakee, IL. It was in 1968.  Vera and my bride to be, Mary, met me at the railroad station meeting my train from Chicago.  This was my first trip to Danforth and the Lubben farm.  I had caught a train in North Chicago which is just outside the Great Lakes Navel Training Center.  This commuter train deposited me in the main terminal in downtown Chicago where I caught the Illinois Central train to Kankakee.

Vera met me with a smile and friendly hello.  She always had a smile and friendly hello for me.  She was just that kind of person.

She had a wonderful laugh, very distinctive.  I loved to hear Vera laugh.  And what a wonderful smile.

Vera was always busy.  She raised a family of three kids on the farm so she always had something to do.   Whenever I visited the farm she was always busy gathering eggs, fixing meals or something to help out.  I guess that is where Mary got her energy. 

If anyone ever walked with the Holy Spirit, Vera did.  She had a genuine love for all people.  Very forgiving, always concerned about others.  She was the kind of person  we all should be.

I used to have a black suit.  I say used to have.  I left the suit at the Lubben house when I went to Guam in 1969.   When I came home I looked for the suit but it was gone. When I asked about the whereabouts of the suit Vera confessed she had given it away.  Thinking it belonged to their son, John, she knew he would never wear it again so she gave it to one of the organizations that would provide for the needy.  I never would have worn it either, it was out of style by this time.  It became quit a joke as every time I saw her from then on I always made it a point to ask her about that suit.  Once in a while she would beat me to mentioning it.  It became quite a game between the two of us.

Grandpa Lubben, Vera’s father-in-law was living in Danforth at the time.  He was frequently at the house when I visited.  He was quite aged then and Vera had the responsibility of looking out for him.  She was patient. 

She loved children, teaching and reading to them.  She would always take time for our children.  She would let them help gather eggs all the while carrying on a lively conversation.  Frequently she would come out with that wonderful laugh. 

The last time I ever saw Vera cancer had taken it’s toll,  she was bent over in a wheel chair.  She was still very much aware, but just a shell of the woman we all loved.  We miss her still.