John 3:16, we all know it. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He doesn't make us believe. It's a choice just like everything else we do in life. So.....
....just another day hiding from the troops that he has been evading since 9/11/2001. BOOM!!! In an instant, in the time it takes to blink, it's dark. He has never seen anything this dark. He can't even see the end of his nose. The noise. It's deafening. Is it from the millions of other people screaming that are experiencing the same thing? Is it from the flames that just won't stop? It's hot, he feels as if he is on fire. It stinks like sulphur, burnt meat and rotting flesh. His eyes are burning from the heat. Closing them brings no relief because there are no tears to wet his eyes when he closes them. He can't catch his breath because of the dry, intense heat. The pain is intense and there's no getting away from it. His mouth is so dry. A drop of water to his lips would be such comfort but there is no water to be found. His lips feel chapped and cracked. His tongue is sticking to the roof of his mouth. His throat hurts so bad from the dryness. All this physical pain in such proportions never even imagined much less actually experienced. At the same instant that all this physical torment hit there was also the mental torment to deal with.
Instantly the realization that this is what he will experience for an eternity. This is it. It will never end. Never change for the better. No getting used to it. In the blink of an eye, he knew he was doomed and was now going to spend an eternity dealing with it. The depression that hits knowing that it will never change for the better. The depression may only deepen. He died but still he lives, but it's a life of death. There is no comfort in any of his thoughts. No laughter. No friends. No peace. No quiet. No comfort. Just heat, thirst, flames, darkness, pain, stench, fatigue, loneliness and deep, deep depression. It goes on forever, there is no eight hour shift or lunch break, no weekends or holidays. No one to cry to. He's with millions of people, yet he is alone. Who will listen to him? They are all experiencing the same thing. When he arrived, there was no leaving. At least in the song "Hotel California" you can check out but you can never leave. In Hell you don't check out or leave. You are there and there is no checking out, physically or mentally. No exit door.
Bin Laden was evil and is now paying for the things he did. It's Gods justice system and it's fair. I am not happy that Bin Laden is there because I do not wish this on anyone. On the other hand. He is reaping what he sowed. Jesus died for him just as He died for me. I've made my choice to accept the sacrifice of Jesus for my sins and I'm sure Bin Laden rejected it. It's a choice that we each have to make.
That said, may we all take advantage of every opportunity to show people what God has done for us and the choice that needs to be made before we leave this life. If we do not make the choice to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for us then we will suffer the same fate as Bin Laden, Hitler, Bundy... Sin is sin. Jesus made the sacrifice, we need to make the choice.
Be blessed and be a blessing.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Numbers
Mt Everest is 29,035 feet tall. The Mariana trench is 36,210 feet deep. The average distance to the moon is 238,857 miles. To the sun is 93,020,000 miles. The Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years across. It is believed to contain 200 to 400 billion stars. Who knows how many millions or billions of galaxies besides the Milky Way there are. There are approximately 6.8 billion people on earth. There is only one you.
In the beginning God created all of this. Galaxies, stars, suns, moons, mountains and valleys. He knows each star. He set the stars in their places. The sun is far enough from earth that it doesn't scorch us yet close enough that we get its warmth. Each mountain range and valley was designed by Him. The mountains catch the winter snows and store them to water the valleys in the summer.
Six point eight billion people on the planet earth and He knows each one of us and how many hairs we have on our head. He knows our thoughts, dreams, fears, likes and dislikes. Of all the things He has created you are the most important creation. More than galaxies, mountains, valleys, birds, whales, you name it. You are the most important thing to Him.
I started out by wanting to give a small perspective on just how big God is. He's created things that are thousands of light years across. Like we really can comprehend what a light year is. He put the sun 93 million miles away. Most of us will be lucky if we even come close to driving 500,000 to 1,000,000 miles in our lifetime so imagine 93,000,000 miles. Just drive around the earth 3,735,000 times and you'll get an idea. Maybe if we just think on a smaller scale. From the bottom of the deepest ocean to the top of the highest mountain it's 65,235 feet. Only 12 1/2 miles. That's easier to wrap your brain around. Hold on, when was the last time you dug a hole 6 1/2 miles deep and piled the dirt 6 miles high above it?
We can't even begin to understand the bigness of God. When it comes to Him we have to think outside the box because there isn't a box big enough to put Him in.
We can't know how big God is but we can and do know that He loves us more than anything. He died for us and then rose again so we could be with Him. That's right, we couldn't put Him in a box on earth either.
The one that made you wants to spend eternity with you.
Be a blessing and be blessed.
In the beginning God created all of this. Galaxies, stars, suns, moons, mountains and valleys. He knows each star. He set the stars in their places. The sun is far enough from earth that it doesn't scorch us yet close enough that we get its warmth. Each mountain range and valley was designed by Him. The mountains catch the winter snows and store them to water the valleys in the summer.
Six point eight billion people on the planet earth and He knows each one of us and how many hairs we have on our head. He knows our thoughts, dreams, fears, likes and dislikes. Of all the things He has created you are the most important creation. More than galaxies, mountains, valleys, birds, whales, you name it. You are the most important thing to Him.
I started out by wanting to give a small perspective on just how big God is. He's created things that are thousands of light years across. Like we really can comprehend what a light year is. He put the sun 93 million miles away. Most of us will be lucky if we even come close to driving 500,000 to 1,000,000 miles in our lifetime so imagine 93,000,000 miles. Just drive around the earth 3,735,000 times and you'll get an idea. Maybe if we just think on a smaller scale. From the bottom of the deepest ocean to the top of the highest mountain it's 65,235 feet. Only 12 1/2 miles. That's easier to wrap your brain around. Hold on, when was the last time you dug a hole 6 1/2 miles deep and piled the dirt 6 miles high above it?
We can't even begin to understand the bigness of God. When it comes to Him we have to think outside the box because there isn't a box big enough to put Him in.
We can't know how big God is but we can and do know that He loves us more than anything. He died for us and then rose again so we could be with Him. That's right, we couldn't put Him in a box on earth either.
The one that made you wants to spend eternity with you.
Be a blessing and be blessed.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Just another day?
Her alarm went off. Just another day. Lay in bed and hit the snooze button a time or two. Maybe she was a one alarm person and got up as soon as the alarm sounded. Time for a shower, maybe some breakfast or at least a snack then off to school.
She greets classmates in the hallway and heads to class as the first bell rings. Did she doodle while she listened to the teacher? Maybe she took notes or maybe she didn't need notes because she grasped what was going on and could just dive into her assignments.
Time for another class. She leaves her classroom says hi to more friends in the hallway on her way to her locker to get books for her next class. So it goes. A few classes, lunch, a few more classes and then school is out for the day. Then it's off to track practice. After practice she will go home for dinner, do some homework, text friends and maybe watch some t.v.
Just another day.
Not quite. She never made it home after practice. Calls were made, Posts were put on facebook. Prayers were said. Searches were organized. It seemed as if most of West Wendover was at City Hall Saturday morning. Classmates, teammates, friends, strangers, search dogs, people from half a state away. All came to help find the missing girl. The searchers met at seven Saturday morning and by 11:30 that morning the search was suspended.
What started as just another day on Thursday morning ended Saturday morning in hugs and tears. Hugs of comfort and tears of sadness. Not much was said. Everyone just filed out of the room and went their separate ways.
She was found in a shallow grave just a day and a half after being recorded on video camera leaving school. She won't be going to Junior Prom, playing basketball as a senior in her number 22 jersey. The same number one of her teachers wore when she was in high school. No graduation or college. No marriage or kids.
Micaela Costanza will be missed by many people.
I was given some advice by one of my teachers when I was in high school. It was to never leave the house without kissing my wife goodbye, It didn't matter if we were mad at each other or not. If something were to happen to one of us, the other person would have the memory of one last kiss.
Give a hug, give a kiss, because it may start out as just another day but it doesn't mean that it will end that way.
Be a blessing and be blessed.
She greets classmates in the hallway and heads to class as the first bell rings. Did she doodle while she listened to the teacher? Maybe she took notes or maybe she didn't need notes because she grasped what was going on and could just dive into her assignments.
Time for another class. She leaves her classroom says hi to more friends in the hallway on her way to her locker to get books for her next class. So it goes. A few classes, lunch, a few more classes and then school is out for the day. Then it's off to track practice. After practice she will go home for dinner, do some homework, text friends and maybe watch some t.v.
Just another day.
Not quite. She never made it home after practice. Calls were made, Posts were put on facebook. Prayers were said. Searches were organized. It seemed as if most of West Wendover was at City Hall Saturday morning. Classmates, teammates, friends, strangers, search dogs, people from half a state away. All came to help find the missing girl. The searchers met at seven Saturday morning and by 11:30 that morning the search was suspended.
What started as just another day on Thursday morning ended Saturday morning in hugs and tears. Hugs of comfort and tears of sadness. Not much was said. Everyone just filed out of the room and went their separate ways.
She was found in a shallow grave just a day and a half after being recorded on video camera leaving school. She won't be going to Junior Prom, playing basketball as a senior in her number 22 jersey. The same number one of her teachers wore when she was in high school. No graduation or college. No marriage or kids.
Micaela Costanza will be missed by many people.
I was given some advice by one of my teachers when I was in high school. It was to never leave the house without kissing my wife goodbye, It didn't matter if we were mad at each other or not. If something were to happen to one of us, the other person would have the memory of one last kiss.
Give a hug, give a kiss, because it may start out as just another day but it doesn't mean that it will end that way.
Be a blessing and be blessed.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Simpler Times
When I was in fourth grade my family lived in another part of Murray. We had a field next to us that we would ride our bikes in. Every once in a while dump trucks would come and dump loads of dirt that with the help of friends we would quickly turn into our own BMX track. In another corner of the field was a cement culvert with a metal grid over the top of it. We could go out there and occasionally get catfish out of it.
Next to the field were the train tracks. There were always a few railroad cars sitting there waiting to be played on. It was a time when they still had a caboose at the end of the train. Those were always fun to climb on and sit in the second level and look out over everything.
When we lived there skateboards became popular again. We rode them everywhere. To the store to get penny candy and 10 cent candy bars. To Gibsons to look at the newest toys and see mom at work. To McDonalds, Wendys or Arbys for some good food not the PB & J from home.
We would get together with the neighbor kids and play kickball, tag, hide and seek, cops and robbers, baseball and doorbell ditch a few houses after dark.
In high school our family moved to Kamas. I didn't drive yet and we lived 3 1/2 miles from town. What a drag, what a blessing. I would ride my bike a mile or so the Weber river and fish. I could get my shotgun and a box of shells and go look for rabbits. Yep, 16 years old and wandering down the road with a gun. I wonder how many police would have me in their gunsights if I were 16 and trying that today. Hiking on Hoyt's was a good past time. Learning to play basketball just so I could fit in and do things with all the other kids up there. Kamas was football, basketball, wrestling and what ever church activity they were involved in.
Those were simpler times. Now there are very few fields in the Salt Lake valley. The ones that are left won't have kids riding bikes in them. I'm not sure there are very many kids that even fish and they probably wouldn't know where to find a place to fish if they did. Empty railroad cars parked next to a subdivision doesn't happen around here anymore either. The caboose, they only exist at old train depots as tourist attractions.
Skateboards? I see more people carrying them than riding them now. Why someone would carry their transportation I'll never understand. Penny candy and 10 cent candy bars are long gone. So is Gibsons and Grand Central. McDonalds, Wenys and Arbys are all still around but even they're not the same. Too many choices and too much money for a hamburger. I see a few kids ride their bikes up and down the sidewalk but there is no kickball, no tag probably no cops and robbers.
Everything around Kamas is now posted. You can't just wonder out to a farmers field and look for rabbits anymore. You don't see kids walking down the highway with a gun cradled in their arms. Football, basketball and wrestling are still big though. That will stay the same until they do away with high school sports because they can't afford to fund it.
Those simpler times were 30 to 40 years ago. I'm sure back then our parents thought the same thing about the time they grew up in.
Be a blessing and be blessed.
Next to the field were the train tracks. There were always a few railroad cars sitting there waiting to be played on. It was a time when they still had a caboose at the end of the train. Those were always fun to climb on and sit in the second level and look out over everything.
When we lived there skateboards became popular again. We rode them everywhere. To the store to get penny candy and 10 cent candy bars. To Gibsons to look at the newest toys and see mom at work. To McDonalds, Wendys or Arbys for some good food not the PB & J from home.
We would get together with the neighbor kids and play kickball, tag, hide and seek, cops and robbers, baseball and doorbell ditch a few houses after dark.
In high school our family moved to Kamas. I didn't drive yet and we lived 3 1/2 miles from town. What a drag, what a blessing. I would ride my bike a mile or so the Weber river and fish. I could get my shotgun and a box of shells and go look for rabbits. Yep, 16 years old and wandering down the road with a gun. I wonder how many police would have me in their gunsights if I were 16 and trying that today. Hiking on Hoyt's was a good past time. Learning to play basketball just so I could fit in and do things with all the other kids up there. Kamas was football, basketball, wrestling and what ever church activity they were involved in.
Those were simpler times. Now there are very few fields in the Salt Lake valley. The ones that are left won't have kids riding bikes in them. I'm not sure there are very many kids that even fish and they probably wouldn't know where to find a place to fish if they did. Empty railroad cars parked next to a subdivision doesn't happen around here anymore either. The caboose, they only exist at old train depots as tourist attractions.
Skateboards? I see more people carrying them than riding them now. Why someone would carry their transportation I'll never understand. Penny candy and 10 cent candy bars are long gone. So is Gibsons and Grand Central. McDonalds, Wenys and Arbys are all still around but even they're not the same. Too many choices and too much money for a hamburger. I see a few kids ride their bikes up and down the sidewalk but there is no kickball, no tag probably no cops and robbers.
Everything around Kamas is now posted. You can't just wonder out to a farmers field and look for rabbits anymore. You don't see kids walking down the highway with a gun cradled in their arms. Football, basketball and wrestling are still big though. That will stay the same until they do away with high school sports because they can't afford to fund it.
Those simpler times were 30 to 40 years ago. I'm sure back then our parents thought the same thing about the time they grew up in.
Be a blessing and be blessed.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Praying for a Miracle, or two, or three....
A few weeks ago I posted a link on my facebook wall to kaylaaimee@typepad.com. I was hoping that there would be a lot of people that would see it and pray for little Scarlette. I saw a total of three people that checked out the link. I was bummed to say the least.
Kayla is a very talented and funny blogger. She and her husband Jeff were expecting a baby and things didn't go as planned. Their baby arrived a few months early on November 7th. They were planning on a February birthday. Scarlette only weighed 1 lb. 9 oz. at birth. Kayla has chronicled the good, the bad, the sad, and the funny in her daily blogs about Scarlette's struggle to survive.
The struggle that the baby and parents are going through hit close to home because of the problems I had when I was a baby. Thankfully it was not being a micro-premie that I had to deal with. I check the blog at least once a day to see how the family is doing and what I need to pray about.
Kayla has such a strong faith. She has touched the lives of so many people with her daily updates about Scarlette. Unfortunately there are days like today that she has nothing. She struggles with having hope, struggles with guilt. Did she make the right choice. She wasn't even able to think of a bible verse to put with her post.
If you read this I hope that you would check out her blog. Refer the site to friends. Maybe offer a word of encouragement even if it's just to let her know that you will be praying for her, Jeff and Scarlette.
How awesome would it be to be standing next to Jeff, Kayla and Scarlette in heaven someday and you would all know that you prayed for a miracle or two, or three and God provided. I really believe that when we get to heaven we'll all be telling each other stories of the things God did in our lives. We'll be so happy to hear the things He did and we will look at Him and just praise Him for all we're worth. Fall on our face, jump up and down, dance, sing, yell, who knows. Maybe all of the above.
If you can find the time please at least keep them in your prayers.
Be blessed and be a blessing.
Kayla is a very talented and funny blogger. She and her husband Jeff were expecting a baby and things didn't go as planned. Their baby arrived a few months early on November 7th. They were planning on a February birthday. Scarlette only weighed 1 lb. 9 oz. at birth. Kayla has chronicled the good, the bad, the sad, and the funny in her daily blogs about Scarlette's struggle to survive.
The struggle that the baby and parents are going through hit close to home because of the problems I had when I was a baby. Thankfully it was not being a micro-premie that I had to deal with. I check the blog at least once a day to see how the family is doing and what I need to pray about.
Kayla has such a strong faith. She has touched the lives of so many people with her daily updates about Scarlette. Unfortunately there are days like today that she has nothing. She struggles with having hope, struggles with guilt. Did she make the right choice. She wasn't even able to think of a bible verse to put with her post.
If you read this I hope that you would check out her blog. Refer the site to friends. Maybe offer a word of encouragement even if it's just to let her know that you will be praying for her, Jeff and Scarlette.
How awesome would it be to be standing next to Jeff, Kayla and Scarlette in heaven someday and you would all know that you prayed for a miracle or two, or three and God provided. I really believe that when we get to heaven we'll all be telling each other stories of the things God did in our lives. We'll be so happy to hear the things He did and we will look at Him and just praise Him for all we're worth. Fall on our face, jump up and down, dance, sing, yell, who knows. Maybe all of the above.
If you can find the time please at least keep them in your prayers.
Be blessed and be a blessing.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
I never knew...
About ten to fifteen years ago I was driving home from a morning of golf when I passed a bald headed guy walking down 90th south in a pair of pants and a hospital gown. I made it about a block past him and knew I was supposed to turn around and go pick him up. I went back and picked him up and found out where he had been and where he was going. He was leaving rehab and going for a job interview, wearing a hospital gown for a shirt.
I drove him to the 6400 south trax station, gave him some money to get a ticket and dropped him off and as I left I told him that God was waiting to hear from him. As I was driving to my house it dawned on me that I was supposed to give him a shirt and a hat. Not just any hat but my favorite hat. I hurried and unloaded my golf clubs, grabbed a shirt and another hat for me to wear. I got back to the trax station and gave Scott the shirt and hat and told him I would give him a ride downtown.
We got downtown and he used my cell phone to make a few phone calls. I gave him another ride to his final destination and dropped him off. Apparently at some time during our meeting I gave him my home phone number in case he needed something else.
I left and figured that was the end of that. A few years later, like three or four years later, my house phone rang. I answered and heard a voice on the other end tell me his story about how I gave him a ride a few years back. He had a place to live, had a job and had been alcohol free for some time. He just wanted to call and say thanks.
I never knew how a simple gesture would change someones life.
In early December or late November I posted Matthew West's video titled "One Last Christmas" about Dax Locke. Dax was a boy with a rare form of cancer. The whole town hung Christmas lights in the middle of summer so that Dax could have one last Christmas before he passed. Watch the video for the whole story.
My sister watched it and then passed it on to her pastors at church. Every year her church raises money for the "Make a wish" foundation. This year they had several thousand dollars left over and will be donating it to St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital in Dax's name. The day they will do this? January 16th, 2011. My birthday.
I never knew that sharing a video would raise money to help sick children.
I bought Kathy an "Open Heart" necklace for Christmas. It was the one in the shape of an angel because Kathy said whenever she sees an angel it reminds her of Nicole. I bought it from Kay Jewelers. To my surprise I noticed that part of the money I paid to purchase the necklace would be donated to.............wait for it............... wait for it.........................St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital.
I never knew and you never know what seemingly insignificant gesture you make today will be used by God to change someone else's life.
Be a blessing and be blessed,
I drove him to the 6400 south trax station, gave him some money to get a ticket and dropped him off and as I left I told him that God was waiting to hear from him. As I was driving to my house it dawned on me that I was supposed to give him a shirt and a hat. Not just any hat but my favorite hat. I hurried and unloaded my golf clubs, grabbed a shirt and another hat for me to wear. I got back to the trax station and gave Scott the shirt and hat and told him I would give him a ride downtown.
We got downtown and he used my cell phone to make a few phone calls. I gave him another ride to his final destination and dropped him off. Apparently at some time during our meeting I gave him my home phone number in case he needed something else.
I left and figured that was the end of that. A few years later, like three or four years later, my house phone rang. I answered and heard a voice on the other end tell me his story about how I gave him a ride a few years back. He had a place to live, had a job and had been alcohol free for some time. He just wanted to call and say thanks.
I never knew how a simple gesture would change someones life.
In early December or late November I posted Matthew West's video titled "One Last Christmas" about Dax Locke. Dax was a boy with a rare form of cancer. The whole town hung Christmas lights in the middle of summer so that Dax could have one last Christmas before he passed. Watch the video for the whole story.
My sister watched it and then passed it on to her pastors at church. Every year her church raises money for the "Make a wish" foundation. This year they had several thousand dollars left over and will be donating it to St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital in Dax's name. The day they will do this? January 16th, 2011. My birthday.
I never knew that sharing a video would raise money to help sick children.
I bought Kathy an "Open Heart" necklace for Christmas. It was the one in the shape of an angel because Kathy said whenever she sees an angel it reminds her of Nicole. I bought it from Kay Jewelers. To my surprise I noticed that part of the money I paid to purchase the necklace would be donated to.............wait for it............... wait for it.........................St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital.
I never knew and you never know what seemingly insignificant gesture you make today will be used by God to change someone else's life.
Be a blessing and be blessed,
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