opportunity knocked

no classes today

I was feeling useless

wasting time with nothing to do

though many were relishing free time

opportunity knocked

certainly not by circumstance

but design as we joined several others

riding via public transport

to the large city hospital

the wards were large

nothing close to privacy exists

I was almost embarrassed

to think of the richness

of our facilities at home

I gazed into eyes shining with pain

or fear, hollow above sunken cheeks

limbs stick like, lacking substance

we ministered side by side 

with the chaplains

encouraging new believers

praying for the sick

I helped one young man

who was sitting at his mother’s bedside

pray a prayer of surrender

to the Lord, releasing his old life

for new, reborn

angels were rejoicing today

we stopped for an ice cream cone

after the return trip home

the taste refreshing

but not nearly as sweet

as heaven’s salvation song

happy to be backed at Kelli's where the rhythms are all His

 

My Journey to Heaven by M. Besteman

I don't spend great amounts of time thinking about the specifics of heaven.  I know that I know that I cannot begin to imagine it.  When I was given the opportunity to read Marvin Besteman's story, I couldn't resist.  Besteman was in the hospital after surgery to remove a pancreatic tumor.  He was in horrific pain.  He wanted nothing more than to escape the misery for awhile.

The back cover promises:

In My Journey to Heaven What I Saw and How It Changed My Life, Marv Besteman shares the true story of his experience of heaven with astounding detail. You'll meet the angels who accompanied him to the gate, overhear his conversation with St. Peter, and feel the joy as he recognizes friends and family members who touched his life.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, I suppose I thought I would learn something extraordinary.  Nothing in Besteman's words surprised me or seemed to share anything new.  There wasn't anything in his story that convinced me that he had really experienced what he says he experienced, and I am left feeling bad for all my doubting.  Was he dreaming, imagining, drawing on what he had seen and heard in his years of life?

There is much talk of Peter who he met at the gate to heaven; a gate made of dark wood, not pearls; dressed like the fisherman we read of in the gospel, with shaggy hair, not flowing robes and white tresses.  Peter had always been Besteman's favorite Bible character and I myself wouldn't mind the opportunity to stand in his presence and chat over what life with Jesus felt like from his perspective.  I truly wish I could grab hold of what this story shares and accept it as some sort of truth, not just Besteman's personal experience.

Somehow I think God just wants me to wait and see for myself, whenever that time comes.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The opinions I have expressed are my own.


 

Weapons at hand

I was created to reside in heavenly places
yet dwell here for now
footfalls on this earth

I must remember
it is dangerous, almost impossible
to walk unprotected

We are warned to wear protective armor:

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Ephesians 6:13 The Message

truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace
faith, salvation and His Word

the tools of war
yet I am so often weak

I strengthen myself with praise
as David did
and reach for my secret weapon
my private arsenal
opening the pages of journals
to feast on words He has spoken directly to me

this, then, is how I fight
eyes fixed on Him
this, then, is how I stand.

Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Ephesians 6:13 Amplified

Joining Peter and the rest where we're talking about arsenal

 

Word Filled Wednesday - Little Child

Our granddaughter

  Whoever will humble himself therefore

and become like this little child

[trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving]

is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Matthew 18:4 Amplfied

 



Visit Internet Cafe Devotions for more Word Filled picture posts.







Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent

The publishers description of Heaven is for Real A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent reads:

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.

Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

I should not have been surprised at just how compelling I found this book. From the first page to the last, I was touched by the depth of the revelations revealed. The God we serve can indeed speak profound truths, even through a child as young as Colton.

It was exciting to watch how Todd and his wife reacted to and absorbed what Colton was telling them, and how they processed the view of heaven that indeed lines up with God’s Word. If you have ever wondered what heaven is like, you don’t want to miss reading Colton’s story.

Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson.  The opinions I have shared are my own.