Perry was sentenced to several years in jail.  During his first year, he noticed how some Christian inmates had comfort and peace which he did not have. Wanting this same comfort and peace for himself, he picked up a Bible. Thinking it was just another book, he decided to skip to the end and just read the conclusion. So, in his quest for peace, Perry began reading the book of Revelation. 

Sooner or later, in every discussion about eternal life, the question comes up: “Will we know each other in heaven?” The idea that God will turn us into angels or generic spiritual beings or something is an idea that just doesn’t seem to go away. Do we lose our identities when we get to heaven?

On one occasion, a group of Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. In reply, Jesus told them, “The Kingdom of God is not coming in a way you can observe, nor will people say, “Look, here it is!’ or ‘Look, there it is!’ because the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21 EHV). Jesus was teaching that the Kingdom of God is spiritual in nature and includes all of his believers of all time.

Funerals aren’t usually on our planning agendas, yet they are a blessing from God. In a very short time, we have said goodbye to four friends. Three of them had been Staff or Board members. All of them are dear to our hearts. Many people dread funerals. That’s because they haven’t experienced the wonderful comfort which God provides at funerals. This comfort is given on many levels.

Cora was a four-year old little girl I visited in the hospital who had questions about God. Her mom confessed that she knew hardly anything about God. When I talked to Cora about her questions: “Who is God, where does He live; what does He do?”

A little more than a week before his death and resurrection, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem for the last time. While on the way, Jesus told his disciples, once again, that he would be “handed over to the chief priests and experts in the law, and they will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, flog and crucify him. On the third day he will be raised.” Matthew 20:18-19 (EHV)