LIFE…

The epic Season for Detroit football has finally come to an end. The record is now etched in stone and the Franchise will now forever be remembered as the worst in NFL History.

It seems as though the team has lost more than just 16 games though. The very name of the Franchise is now meaningless.  The word “Lion” will no longer strike fear into the heart of any. People will visit petting Zoos to find Lions for their children to play with. A pack of Lions, once referred to as a “Pride,” will from here on out be referred to as a “Humiliation.” Gazelles in the wild, hearing of the fabled Detroit Lions, will flock to the city in order to find a safe haven. In essence, life as we know it will never be the same.

I will continue to be a fan and look forward to better times. I don’t know when they will come… but will hang on and rejoice when they do.

I live in the Philadelphia area now with my wife. I work about an hour outside the city, listen to the Philadelphia radio stations, hear about Philadelphia Sports, and Eat Philadelphia Pretzels and Cheese-steaks. Yet, when it comes right down to it, I am and always will be a “Michigan Guy.”

No matter where I am or what is happening, my heart is tied to the “‘Maze ‘n Blue,” Auto Industry, “Honolulu Blue and Silver,” Camouflage wearing, Snowmobile riding, Fun Loving, Hard Working State. I take pride in where I was raised and the people I am a part of… whether a “Yooper” or a “Troll.”

I say this because I am going back for Christmas during one of the Hardest times the State has hit. It seems like on a daily basis I read, see, or hear about the troubles of the State and am pained by the hardship the peoples face. I realize, like most, that things happened due to bad choices of the Auto Companies of all put into leadership and that they probably deserve what is coming… but what about the people. You have to have some Compassion.

I write this because of an article I read. It has to do with my Beloved Detroit Lions. In the whole scheme of things their loses don’t mean a thing to the city right now. But they do seem to symbolically represent the hardship of the State on the National Scene. The cannot seem to get ahead and stay ahead. Everytime it looks like something is going right, everything goes wrong.

Nonetheless, I cannot wait to get home! We will rise above this. We will continue to work. And maybe, if I love long enough, I will get to see a Detroit Lions Championship…

Espn Article

    I have been reading through a book and have come across a Chapter that is dedicated to the concept of “Joy.” While the Author of this chapter is focusing the topic on finding joy in the person of Christ, I was hit with the desire to do a quick search for the definition of “Joy.” Needless to say, I was slightly taken aback by the first definition I found. It seems like the first definition found at the Mirriam Webster Website is a different type of joy then I am use to. Who knew that “Joy” was an emotion that comes along as a result of “well-being” or “prosperity!”

   And yet, this unfamiliar definition does not seem to detract from the point that the Author was trying to make in this chapter. In fact, the later part of the first definition might actually make a good point for the Author. Mirriam Webster states that joy can not only be an emotion brought about by ”well-being” and “prosperity” but can also come from  ”…the prospect of possessing what one desires.” This adds an interesting twist to the Authors point.

   May our “Joy” founded in the person of Christ flow from “the prospect of possesing what one desires.” One day we will stand face-to-face with Jesus. We will finally posses the relationship that every human heart longs for. We will finally be able to “…know even as I have been fully known.” No longer will we see “dimly” but we will behold the full glory of our God and Savior.

  Desire that and Rejoice!

   When discussing the veracity of his claim for “Instant Heaven,” John MacArthur quotes R. A. Webb for some support. Well I always wonder about the strength of man’s logic when contemplating the Infinite Nature of God’s Mind, there appears to be some weight to his statements. I still have my questions (and the more I think, the more I have), but the quote is still worth considering.

“If a dead infant were sent to hell on no other account than that of original sin, there would be a good reason to the Divine Mind for the judgment, because sin is a reality. But the child’s mind would be a perfect blank as to the reason of its suffering. Under such circumstances, it would know suffering but it would have no understanding of the reason for its suffering. It could not tell itself why it was so awfully smitten, and consequently, the whole meaning and significance of its suffering, being to it a conscious enigma, the very essence of the penalty would be absent and justice would be disappointed, cheated of its validation.”

Given the present circumstances of my wife’s pregnancy and the situations that surrounded us finding out about our little gift from God, I finally got around to reading a book on my list. I started last night and finished last night. Throughout the entire book I had an ever increasing since of joy, wonder, and amazement as the Author expounded upon his answer to the old question – “Where do the little ones go when they die?”

Though I am no scholar (and probably never will be) I will have to “throw my hat in the ring” with MacArthur on this one. The passages and explanations he presented for his answer of “Instant Heaven” seem to have been cemented in Scripture, founded on Truth, and in line with the very Character of God. While my own logic runs headlong into a brick wall when I pursue my own leanings, my heart celebrates when I follow the paths that he exposed. Praise God for an answer to this question.

I was so taken with the book that after finishing the last page I laid in bed with my wife and talked with her a bit about it. toward the end of the conversation I found myself in tears as I thought of all the little “innocent” who are now befroe the Throne of God praising in purity and perfection fully aware of what Christ did for them and the Grace that God extended. How awesome it will be to Praise God together with those whom He “delivered!”