Don't You Dare

The phone rang. On the other end was a daughter's desperate plea. "Dad is dying. And he's backslidden."

His parents had been pastors. And they were gone. ("To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.") They had been praying for their son a long, long time. And can you just imagine their despair over his walking away from Jesus? (Selah~pause to reflect)

But now the doctors were giving him a week to live. And I was going to meet him.

"You know what you need to do," I said to him. "You need to get right with God and you need to do it now."

There was no hesitation. There was no pushing it away. The dad (the son!) who'd long since left the Lord and walked his own path ~ and whose faithful parents died while he was still in that state ~ he prayed the sinner's prayer with me and was reconciled with God.

I preached at his funeral a little over a week later.

Now somebody needs to hear what I'm about to say. And then you just may need to use my same words with somebody else. Here goes...

You don't dare die on your kids and leave them wondering if you made it to heaven or not. You don't dare die on your kids that way.

And don't you dare let your parents (and other loved ones) suffer over your unfaithfulness to Christ. Are you hearing me?

Don't you dare.

You might also be interested in:

• How to Receive Christ (in 30 seconds)
• I Was in the Room When She Died

Deaths in "Threes" and Other Frightening Thoughts

The death of Steve Jobs has rocked the computer world. And then while I was in the grocery store shopping with my wife I read on my iPod Touch (one of Jobs' inventions) about the death of Al Davis, owner/executive of NFL football's Oakland Raiders.

Some are expecting a third death who have the idea that they happen in "threes." Let me just come out and say it: People are dying at every moment of every day. (Duh.) That "threes" thing is an idol ~ believing that something apart from God is in control of the universe. It's hogwash (/demonic).

But back to Steve Jobs and Al Davis. I was thinking their destinies have been sealed. (Selah ~ pause to reflect) Contrary to some people's thinking, there is no Purgatory, neither is there reincarnation. (My hate email box just crashed.) Steve Jobs' and Al Davis' chance at making a decision to follow Jesus is ended. They either decided "yes" or they decided "no." (Genesis 18:25)

In contrast, each of our destinies (yours and mine), where we will spend eternity (whether in Heaven or Hell), we still have that choice who are living and breathing. We still have that choice to make.

It's really quite awesome when you think about it.

And frightening.

"'Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.'" (Hebrews 4:7c)

You might also be interested in:

• 10 People Who Won't Be In Heaven After They Die
• How to Receive Christ (in 30 seconds)

She's With Jesus

“‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise.’” (Matthew 21:16)

She was a member of our church. She loved the Lord with all her heart. And she suddenly died. I was speaking to her as the last one leaving our church on a Sunday morning and the next Monday afternoon she was discovered on the ground in her front yard. (I saw her there.)

It was a graveside funeral. It was a beautifully sunny day. And it was the kids I remember most. Some of them were her nieces and nephews. Some of them were in her Sunday School classes over the years. (She'd even taught a few of the adults there in the crowd, too, when they were little.)

I got down on my knee with them (the children) right before the service started. They were sitting on the grass in front. “I’m sorry, you guys,” I said, “but we know where she is. She’s with Jesus.” They shook their heads “yes.” (Oh, how kids have such great faith.) “She’s with Jesus,” I went on, “And we’ll see her again some day, you know.”

They knew. (Selah ~ pause to reflect)

And then they went on just being kids right there in front of the casket.

Thank you, Jesus, for the hope only You can give. We trust You with our life (and death).

“‘He who believes in Me will live even if he dies.’” (John 11:25b)

You might also be interested in:

• Deathbed
• When Death Calls

I Was in the Room When She Died

The voice on the phone said, "She's dying." I was out the door. The family was there. We had been through this before. There were tears. There were prayers. There were hugs, smiles at memories. The room got quiet. The breaths became less and less. (Was she still even breathing?) The doctor was clear, "Anytime now." Goodbyes were said. I was in the room when she died. (Selah~pause to reflect)

And there is a peace that surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7) You don't really know if you have it until death comes. It's coming. Don't put off receiving Christ one more day.

"To be absent from the body [is] to be (present) at home with the Lord" for all who believe. (2 Corinthians 5:8)

(To view: Straight Talk About Death, click here. Quick video blog gets you ready.)

You might also be interested in:

• Deathbed
• Demons Over The Balcony

Baby Bird

My 12-year old daughter busted in my room calling for help. Her brother was outside fending off two cats that had a baby bird surrounded. I dashed out, grabbed the shovel and actually konked (lightly) one of the cats on the head as it was about to pounce. There the bird was in the middle of the yard chirping quietly. It seemed in shock.

For the better part of the next hour and a half, we tried to figure out what to do. Finally, my oldest daughter (the pipecleaner expert) fashioned together a makeshift nest. I laid the baby in it. And there it would breath its last.

Sometimes in life we do what we can and it's not enough. (It not only happens with baby birds, but with human beings, too.)

We want to help. We even help a little. But the story doesn't turn out like we hoped. Our loved one dies of cancer (etc).

It is then that we need to remind ourselves of God's sovereignty. He alone is in charge. He alone is crafting life's events after the counsel of His will. He alone is causing all things to work for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. #peace

"'Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.'" (Matthew 12:29)

To listen to "That's The Way It Goes" ♫ by Phil Keaggy (w/Randy Stonehill), click here.

You might also be interested in:

• Help For When Your Ship’s (Life’s) Falling Apart
• Message From God (When You're Doubting His Love)

Living Like It's Your Last Day

On the Subject of Martyrs

"And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained." (Revelation 6:9)

A martyr is a witness. He is a person who chooses death rather than deny his faith. As the end of the world approaches, this murder of representatives of Christ will only intensify. (Matthew 10:21-22a) Jesus Himself spoke of the dynamic when He said, "'[B]ut an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.'" (John 16:2) It's how they treated Him. (Matthew 10:25) It's how the twelve apostles were treated.

According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down. (John 21:18-19) James was killed with a sword (beheaded). (Acts 12:2) John was boiled in oil, but survived. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Philip suffered crucifixion. Bartholomew (Nathanael) was flayed alive with knives. Matthew was killed with a sword in Ethiopia. Thomas was speared to death in India. James (the Less) had his brains smashed out in Syria. History is largely silent about Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Matthias (the replacement for Judas), but it's safe to assume they gave their lives for the cause of Christ, too.

Before the first apostle (James) was martyred, there came Stephen. (Acts 7:58-60) As Stephen was being stoned to death, a young man named Saul stood by applauding the event. (Acts 22:20) This same Saul would later convert and become Paul, who would write, "'For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'" (Romans 8:36) He was quoting Psalm 44:22 to a church that was about to undergo tremendous suffering. The psalmist couldn't understand why Israel had been defeated despite her faithfulness to God. The truth is Israel was suffering because of her faithfulness to God.

And if we are found to be "as sheep for the slaughter" ourselves (face martyrdom), it is not because Jesus has withdrawn His love from us. (Romans 8:35-39) Quite to the contrary. It is because we are His! (Job 1:8)

(Above picture of Peter's crucifixion in the public domain: HERE.)

You might also be interested in:

• Abomination of Desolation
• How a Super Power Disappears from the Final Act of History

Eyes On Jesus (An Ode)

When you're waking up in the morning, eyes on Jesus. When you're getting dressed, eyes on Jesus.

When you're eating breakfast, eyes on Jesus. When you're heading out the door, eyes on Jesus.

When you're driving in traffic, eyes on Jesus. When you're at the office (or school), eyes on Jesus.

When everything you're touching turns to gold, eyes on Jesus. (Selah) When you're receiving the applause and praise of men and they think you're really something for the great things you can do and your wonderful abilities (and you're really nothing), eyes on Jesus.

When you're distressed, discouraged, downcast, depressed, eyes on Jesus. When you're misunderstood, rejected, mocked, humiliated, eyes on Jesus. (Pause to reflect)

When you're lonely with no one to talk to, eyes on Jesus. When you just can't go on another day, eyes on Jesus. (He is with you!)

When you're breathing your final breath, eyes on Jesus. And when you're waking up in the next life, where are your eyes? On Jesus. \o/ (1 John 3:2)

When Death Calls

I'd just talked to her at church the day before. She was the last one to leave and she told me of a song on her heart. So when the phone rang and the caller said, "She's dead," I hung up in disbelief. "Huh? It can't be true."

I ran out the door and drove to her house mostly in a fog, but mixed with faith, too. My mind was spinning. This was one of my congregants. She was a believer in Jesus Christ. I knew where she was. No question. I knew. It would make all the difference as I pulled up to her house where her body still lay in the yard on the ground.

"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Deathbed

The following is a fictitious story. (Or is it?) I wasn't called to someone's deathbed. (You read it right: was not.) Here's what I could/would have said if I was: "You have three choices. #1: Receive Christ and be healed (and go on living to proclaim His excellencies). #2: Receive Christ and be healed (and be taken to heaven where there is no pain, disease, death, sorrow). Or #3: Refuse Christ and be left on your own."

Not all people are ready to go. Sometimes they call a preacher to be with them in their final moments. Sometimes they do not.

"To be absent from the body [is] to be (present) at home with the Lord" for all who believe. (2 Corinthians 5:8)

How to receive Christ into your heart and life (in 30 seconds) here: http://ht.ly/251Ys

Brush with Death (Following Jesus Series 1)

On the Subject of Cremation

As America's population ages and finances decline, the question can arise among Christians as to whether or not cremation is a reasonable alternative to what can sometimes be a very costly traditional approach to burial. I'd like to offer a quick answer to this question even though it may be controversial to some. First of all, there isn't anything explicitly said in the Scriptures about cremation per se and whether or not it's forbidden or not forbidden by God. And yet there are some evidences (both Biblical and historical) that point to the Lord frowning upon cremation as a practice. One such evidence is revealed in Leviticus 20:14 & 21:9 and Joshua 7:15, 25. (Click references to read.) In each of these places God commanded the Jews to deal with particular sins by burning the perpetrators. So burning a dead body, in the Jewish mind, was equated with heinous sins. And this could very well be the reason why the Jews as a nation were opposed to cremation while both the Greeks and the Romans were known to cremate corpses quite often. (Zondervan Pictorial Bible Encyclopedia, pg. 672) Now I couldn't help but be reminded of how Jesus said that in hell there is a fire that cannot be quenched. (Mark 9:44, 46, 48) So hell is literally a place where eternal cremation, if you will, takes place. Those sentenced to hell will have their bodies on fire forever. It's this picture (along with historical Jewish thinking on the matter) that moves me to believe that cremation is not the best approach when it comes to dealing with the dead. My verdict, therefore, is to frown on the practice of cremation. And I think there's good evidence to support it.

Living Like It's Your Last Day

Pastor Mike talks about priorities in life. And so what if today is your last day?