Category: Salvation

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Where Dreams Come True…and More

Disney World—-it’s a magical place! As the sign at the entrance states, it’s “where dreams come true.” As a part-time Florida resident and annual pass holder, I had the opportunity to spend my fair share of time there during the winter months. The place has an uncanny ability to make everything right with the world. As amazing as Disney World is, it still doesn’t hold a candle to the place God has prepared for His children to inhabit one day.

Here’s a little snapshot of what it will be like according to Scripture:

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Revelation 21:4 NLT

“They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.”

Isaiah 65:23 NIV

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.”

Isaiah 35:5-6 NIV

Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? My dreams aren’t THAT good. Are yours? It’s better than anything we can wrap our minds around.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT

The best part—-God will be there! I look forward to spending eternity with Him in such a place. My reservation has been made. Has yours? If not, it’s not too late. There’s room for you. I hear you can contact the Front Desk 24/7!

These are some of Jesus’ words to His disciples the night before He was betrayed:

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:2-6 NIV

The only way to secure a room in our Father’s house is through Jesus. He is there right now at God’s right hand. As I sit here writing this on Good Friday, I am very mindful of what Jesus went through to get there. The sinless Son of God died a criminal’s death on a cross for you and for me to pay the penalty for our sins. He did this out of love to restore us to a right relationship with the Father. But death did NOT have the last word. As I’ve heard it said so many times, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’!”

“They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.”

Acts 10:39-40 NIV

The resurrected Christ walked the earth for 40 days before ascending to His heavenly home. Because He defeated death, we too have the opportunity to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father…if we just believe.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NIV

I got a chuckle at Disney World one day when I overheard a dad say to his young son, “Now, (insert child’s name here), we need to have fun.” God’s children won’t need such direction in our eternal home because, unlike Disney World, everything will be perfect. Our dreams and so much more will come true!

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Now THAT’S Love

Love is in the air, especially this week, right? I find it fitting that my first shift as a Bradenton Booster Club Spring Training Volunteer lands on Valentine’s Day. If you know me, you are aware that I LOVE the Pittsburgh Pirates…even when they don’t deserve it! In a twist of fate that only God could have orchestrated, I was able to connect with a Booster Club member from back home and he invited me to get involved. I am very excited to be an official member of the club and part of the Pirate family. As my daughter often says, “I’m living my best life!”

Another thing I’ve gotten involved with during my time in FL is the Women’s Bible Study at the church we’ve been attending down here. We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit. One of the characteristics of that fruit is LOVE. We learned about different types of love last week, one of which is agape. It is described well in a familiar passage often read at weddings—1 Corinthians 13.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”     

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT      

I can’t speak for you, but those four verses point out how terribly short I fall from demonstrating agape love. There’s a reason—only God is capable of that kind of love! The Holy Spirit working in me and through me is the only reason that I ever get it right. I guess that’s why it’s called the “Fruit of the Spirit”—the source of our “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” is God in the form of the Holy Spirit living inside each of his children.

Agape at its best is in another familiar Bible verse:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NLT

Now THAT’S love! God went to the greatest of lengths to give us the privilege and honor of being part of His family. I certainly don’t deserve such love. That’s called grace!

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.”

1 John 5:1 NLT

As excited as I am about the opportunity to be part of the Pittsburgh Pirates family, it pales in comparison to being a child of God and part of His family. The Pirates sacrificed next to nothing to invite me into their family; however, God made the ultimate sacrifice—His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. He doesn’t discriminate—the invitation is there for ALL of us. Have you accepted it? If you haven’t and you’re reading this, it’s not too late. Come, be part of the family. You won’t regret it!

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YOUR Room is Ready

I’ve been telling many of my friends and family, “YOUR Room is ready” for months now. Here I sit, writing in the car as my husband and I make our way south to FL to spend the winter with our daughter and escape the cold of Western PA. Hillary will be there for the next three years pursuing her doctorate degree in OT and needed housing so buying a townhouse was a win-win decision. There are three bedrooms in our townhouse. I affectionately refer to the third one as YOUR. You see, the hardest part of this whole snowbird thing is that we’re leaving a whole bunch of special people behind in PA. I miss them already! Though I’m looking forward to this new chapter, it’s somewhat bittersweet.

The passing of a loved one can also be a bittersweet experience, at least if that person is a follower of Jesus. While the heartache is real and painful, we rejoice that they are no longer in pain and suffering. It brings us comfort to know that they have reached their eternal home.

When my beloved 16-year-old nephew went to his heavenly home in 2007, the following scripture passage was read at his funeral & memorial service:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”                                                                                                                   John 14:1-4 NIV

In the midst of deep grief, these words were comforting. Unlike our townhouse in FL, there are many rooms in God’s house. There WILL be room at this inn for all who believe. Your reservation was made the day you turned your life over to Jesus. And guess what? YOUR room will be ready! He will come for you and take you there at just the right time. He said so!

You may be familiar with these words from the chorus of the popular hymn When We All Get to Heaven:            (Sing it if you wish!) 

When we all get to heaven

What a day of rejoicing that will be

When we all see Jesus

We’ll sing and shout the victory…

If you are mourning the loss of a loved one, I pray you will find peace and comfort in knowing that one day, in His perfect time, you will be reunited. It will indeed be a day of rejoicing!

Until then, YOUR room is ready in FL (reservations required)!

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No Trade

In modern day professional sports, it is rare that a player remains with the same team his entire career. Players often get traded or released by their team based on their performance, or lack thereof. One trade in particular really broke my heart this past winter. My favorite team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, traded away the face of the franchise, Andrew McCutchen, in a cost cutting move in late January. Coincidentally, it was the day after the Pittsburgh Steelers were eliminated from the NFL playoffs. Ouch—-a painful couple of days for Pittsburgh sports fans. It’s not like January isn’t already hard enough in Western PA!

I had grown quite fond of Cutch since he was called up in 2009. Not only did he put the team on his back and make baseball relevant again in Pittsburgh, but he also gave back to the community. His smile and enthusiasm for the game endeared him to the city of Pittsburgh. Trades can be hard…on everyone. I don’t think Cutch wanted to go any more than Pirate fans wanted to see him go. Management decided the time had come to part with Cutch. Why? I’m sure there were several factors—-a soon-to-be-expiring contract, age, recent decline in performance, cost of new contract, etc. Before ownership consulted with me, they just went ahead and traded Cutch. The nerve!! There is no professional athlete immune from the possibility of being traded away at a moment’s notice. Nothing like having the rug pulled out from under you!

While processing this over the past few months, I’ve found great comfort in knowing that I am on a team that will never ever trade me. And if you aren’t already on that same team, you certainly can be. The beauty of this team is that the choice to be on it is yours. You don’t have to stand around waiting to see if you are good enough to be chosen. Your name has already been called.

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,”

2 Timothy 1:9 NIV

The truth is, we can’t earn our way onto God’s Kingdom team with our performance. We have been saved purely by grace through Jesus. What an indescribable gift!

The Ultimate Gift, Jesus, made this gift of salvation possible. Our choice is simply to receive it and join the team. The Coach will take it from there! No worries—you’ll be on the team for eternity. And there’s not even a bench, so there’s no chance you’ll have to sit on the sidelines and watch!