Forever In Heaven

During our visit to Church #2 this past weekend, an elder got up to thank the congregation for all the prayers and support he received when his father recently passed away.

He said, "My father was 88 the day he died. But today in Heaven, he is forever."

First, what a great tribute from a son to his father.

Second, how cool will it be to one day be "forever" in Heaven?!


"O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?"

- I Corinthians 15:55

Adopt-An-Atheist Program

During my recent Tour de California, I passed a sign outside Sacramento that read:

"Adopt-A-Highway:

Atheist and other Freethinkers"

(not actual sign obviously)

In my daily pursuit of tolerance towards those who make me want to pull my hair out, I remind myself that we're all entitled to our own opinion.

That being said, it just makes me wonder how a group of people whose world view is defined by a list of absolutes (disbelief in a god, Big Bang Theory, Darwinism, etc.) could think of themselves as "freethinkers".

But hey, more power to them if they feel the need to clean up the streets, right?

A Difficult Decision

Kelly and I may have just made one of the most difficult decisions so far in our married lives.

After 8 wonderful years at Vista Ridge Church of Christ, we have decided that it is time to find a new church home.

We have made this decision based upon the fact that the 30-minute drive from Roanoke to Lewisville has taken its toll. Kelly and I didn't seem to notice it at all when it was just the two of us. But spending 2 hours (including our drive to Irving Sunday night for our small group) in the car every Sunday wipes Tate out - and us as well.

When we moved from Irving to Roanoke 4 years ago we never once considered leaving because of the relationships we had at VRCC. It may sound like a cliche, but they really are our extended family and have been there for us through so many ups and downs in the last 8 years.

But we've come to realize that to be as involved as we want to be will require finding a church home in our own area. This decision was not made because of a disagreement with leadership, a scriptural reservation or anything of that nature. It's simply a matter of needing to be near to those with whom we worship.

For those of you who don't know Vista Ridge, it's really a great place. Walk in the door and you'll soon feel at home. I've never known a more accepting and loving group of people. When Kelly and I were looking for our first church home soon after we married it didn't take long for us to realize that God had prepared a special place for us at VRCC - and I thank God He did.

Kelly and I do not know where we'll end up. We won't begin our search for a new church home for another couple weeks. But in the meantime, I'm praying that God will do just as he did before. Lead us directly to a church family that will lead us closer to Him.
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To Our Friends at Vista Ridge Church of Christ,

How on earth do we say good-bye? All I know to say is thank you.

Thank you for all your kind words yesterday. Thank you for accepting Kelly and I for who we are. Thank you giving us a place to worship our Lord. Thank you for allowing us to serve Him joyfully. Thank you for leading us into deeper waters in our relationships with Christ.

It is my hope and prayer that every Christian shall experience the love of a church family like the one found at Vista Ridge.

May The Lord bless and keep you,

W

In The Service of My Lord

I don't think I've ever mentioned here that I have been serving as a Deacon at my church for the last 2 years.

It has definitely been a lot of fun getting my hands dirty with church stuff like the building search, the website, mergers and non-mergers, VBS, the bulletin (who am I kidding, Kelly did the bulletin), ministry-this & ministry-that, prayer breakfasts, budgets, communion prep, communion thoughts ('Who's got communion thoughts?!?!), announcements, and . . . whew!

Add on top of that Tate, Kelly and my regular 9-5 that sends me all over this blessed state - I thought it was time for a break! So I resigned.

It's really because I only committed to serving for 2 years in the first place. So now is the perfect time to scratch a few obligations off my To-Do List.

I've had quite a bit of difficulty coming up with words to sum up my first stint in church leadership.

As always there are things I should have done differently. Things that I could have done better. And things that I could have just done more of. All in all, I enjoyed being a part of my church's leadership. It wasn't something I asked for but it also wasn't something I planned on turning down had I been asked to serve.

It's not that my attitude has changed - I will continue to serve this church with or without title.

But for now, I need to take a moment to 'be still and know that He is God.'

Kelly and I have very much appreciated all the kind words and understanding we have received from our church family.

It was aboslute joy serving you!

It wasn't meant to be . . . or was it?

By now, there was supposed to have been balloons and decorations. There was supposed to have been cake sticking to little fingers and covering a little face. There were supposed to have been grandparents with way too many presents. There were supposed to have been digital cameras and video cameras. There was supposed to have been a birthday party because, by now, Kelly and I were supposed to have had a 1-year old baby. But by God it was not meant to be.

So I guess it may sound strange when I say that although I remember the pain of our miscarriage it is actually joy that I feel in this moment. That joy comes from what I believe is God’s promise that one day in Heaven I will hold that very child in my arms.

Just one of the cool things about going to Heaven will be gaining God’s full understanding. To me, that means more than just learning all the answers to our petty little questions – it means we begin to see things as they were meant to be. So when that day for me comes I will see my child as he or she was meant to be – beautiful, strong and very much alive.

Here on Earth we recognize people by their faces and names. But God in Heaven recognizes people by their heart – and so will we when we get there. And it’s a good thing too because when we receive our new heavenly bodies we won’t look a thing like what we do here (because we will look like what we were always meant to be). So the only way we will know our friends and family in Heaven will be by recognizing their heart the way God does.

When you recognize someone by their heart then you know them through and through. No introductions are needed. No name tags are necessary. There’s no starring at each other asking, “Where do I know you from?” With God’s full understanding you see straight into the heart and suddenly you know exactly who that person is!

Therein lies my joy – looking forward to the reunion of a father and child long since separated. I will immediately recognize my child and my child will immediately recognize me. No awkward hugs. No weird handshakes. Just sweet embrace! . . . because by God it was always meant to be.

I miss you, little one – Can’t wait to see you!
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PS: I know that some may disagree with my perception of Heaven. Quite frankly, I’m fine with that. I realize that I may have it completely wrong. Even so, the true Heaven, whatever it is or will be, still won’t be a disappointment.

So before you correct me by explaining how we probably won’t remember anything or anyone from our time here, understand that my present perception of Heaven has led me to a peace about our loss that can only come from God Himself. I admit that it very well may be the wrong perception. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad perception.

And if we find, when we all get to Heaven, that you are right and I am wrong then you can be the first to tell me . . . assuming of course you’ll even remember what it was you were right about in the first place!

Taking Good from Evil

Of all the articles I read following 9/11, there is one I will never forget. It told the story about how the Port Authority created a department for the sole purpose of returning personal items found during the recovery effort at Ground Zero.

It’s hard to believe that anything recognizable could be recovered amidst the thousands of tons of debris. But they found employee badges, earrings, necklaces, driver’s licenses, brief cases, cell phones, pagers, watches (some of which were still ticking), keys, wedding bands, photographs and even sports memorabilia.

Some of the items would never be reclaimed – there were just too many gold wedding rings without initials or a date to link them to their appropriate couple. However many items were claimed. Employee badges that were warped by the heat of the fire are now all that many mothers and fathers have to show for a son or daughter who worked in the Twin Towers. Sometimes a serial number on a Palm Pilot could be linked to a husband or a wife. Photographs were placed on a website and claimed by surviving family members.

The article also told the story of a widow who received a phone call from the Port Authority telling her that they had found her husband’s car which had been parked in the WTC's garage at the time of the attacks. Now it was a twisted, mangled heap of rubble and they called to ask what she wanted to do with it.

Before sending it sent to the junkyard, the widow came to see it one last time. And as she inspected her husband’s car, she began to tell the recovery crew her husband's story – how he had saved up for the car; how he loved working in the WTC; where she was when she heard the news; how September 11th is her birthday and that she and her husband had plans to go out to dinner later that night.

Those around her said nothing. They just listened quietly because they knew there was nothing that could be said. When they opened the trunk of the car, she looked inside and immediately began to cry. Inside the trunk was her birthday gift from her husband – it was in perfect condition.

After I read this story, I was amazed by how so little survived the attacks yet this gift, wrapped in paper and a bow, sat undisturbed in the trunk of a car. And then I realized that I have heard this story before. Just like the mangled car, you would have thought that Jesus had nothing left to give when they pulled his body down from the cross.

The hands that had once restored health were now lifeless. The feet that had once walked on water were now pierced and broken. The eyes that had once searched a man's heart and soul were now dull and fixed. The body that children used to cling to was now placed in a stranger’s tomb.

Nobody at the cross saw any gift wrap or any bows – but through death the perfect gift had been given. God won us over from our own death by giving us his salvation through the death of his son, Jesus Christ.

None of the disciples could have ever imagined how the day Christ died on the cross would be a day of great victory. But if God could bring good out of the day his own son died then surely he can bring good out of a day like September 11th.

Just one of my beefs with Adam & Eve . . .

Whoever said that yard work is therapeutic obviously had never worked in a yard!

I don't mind working in my yard. I'm the typical guy who likes to pull out the power tools and cut, trim and edge a perfectly manicured yard (and then take credit for it as if I was the one who made the grass grow and the flowers bloom). However, my frustration comes to a boil when I feel that my yard seems to be working against me.

Case in point: Last year, I came to the conclusion that the reason I had brown grass was because the $10 sprinklers weren't getting the job done. So, I brought in the pro's and installed a sprinkler system - my neighbors were green with envy (sorry, I had to!). But now, instead of green grass I have perfectly watered, huge, green WEEDS!!

So as I spent this beautiful Saturday afternoon tugging and pulling at weeds, I suddenly remembered that there was a time when keeping a garden was a easy thing to do!! The Garden of Eden surely must have been a cool place to hang out! Adam and Eve got to sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of God without ever having to cut, trim or even edge.

I'm not trying to say that the worst thing about the fall of man was that it made it more difficult for me to work in my yard - I'm just saying I would have loved to have stood next to Adam the first time he had to pull a weed.

"You just had to eat the apple, didn't you Adam? Of all the things to eat in the garden - it had to be that apple! Nice play, big guy! . . . Oh by the way, Adam, if you don't pull up the entire root - the weed grows back!"

On that note, Happy Easter!