A Wise Woman Builds...: Eternity

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Eternity

I have been thinking a lot about what lies beyond our material world during this past year. In October, I travelled with friends to Billy Graham's Training Center at the Cove (http://www.thecove.org/) for a seminar on the Second Coming of Christ. I just re-read that last part of the sentence and realized how nonchalantly I had typed in those words...Second Coming of Christ. Ho Hum. Then I thought again, and remembered how deeply convicted and excited and challenged I was during and after that intense time of study, led by 4 different pastors!!! I wasn't sure when we left that we would even get home before Jesus called us up into the heavens in order to return with Him during that Second Coming! It was that real during our time together at the Cove.

I don't know if your theology and mine on that topic are in sync, but that's not really an issue. I have strong beliefs based on studies that I have done, and those reading this probably have too. It's not important to all be on the same page as to the how and the when, but it is vital that we believe that Jesus is coming back. The entire Bible refers to that event either specifically, or by implication throughout both the Old and New Testaments, and one huge thing that really irks me about Christiams is when I hear them say that it really isn't all that relevant in today's world...that what's really needed is to live each day to the fullest and make sure that our life here counts for the kingdom. Hello!!!! Have you ever stopped to think about how much of the Bible is prophetic and how many warnings there are about being ready for the return of the King to the planet?? And of how that knowledge should be motivating us to good works here and now? I, for one, had sort of forgotten all of that until I was jolted severely back to reality by the teachings that I heard at the Cove in October.

On top of that, several people that I have known have died in the Lord in the past few months, as well as some who weren't believers, and if that doesn't make you stop and evaluate whether you are spending any time planning for eternity, I don't know what will.

A couple of specific things have popped into my life recently to remind me of how thin the veil between this life and the next really is ~first, I picked up a little book, written in 1977, at a Travel Center on my way home from Naples a couple of weeks ago. Its title is: "My Glimpse of Eternity" by Betty Malz. Betty was a young wife and mother at the age of 27, who became seriously ill, and after several months of hospitalization, actually died and "stayed dead" for 28 minutes or so. Her story is amazing, and very biblical as well as Christ honoring, as so many of those life after death sagas are not. I read it without putting it down in a couple of hours, and as soon as I got home, I ordered several more to give away to friends. (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/). I highly encourage you to order a copy (or several) to help stir you to action in order to prepare for your eternal life as much as you are working to keep this present life on track.

A second item came as a recommendation from my friend Beth. Steven Curtis Chapman's new CD released in Nov. called "Beauty will Rise", chronicles the spiritual journey of Steven and his family following the tragic accidental death of their small daughter a couple of years ago. I downloaded it from itunes, and listened to it in one sitting. Warning: you will need a lot of Kleenex. Again, how thin the veil......

We have been invited as a couple to a small group beginning in a couple of weeks that will focus on studying a book "One Month to Live". I am really happy about the chance to do this together with friends, since I have heard that the point of the book is to put yourself in the frame of mind that you have been given one month to live, and what your course of action might be as a result of that knowledge.

I don't believe in coincidences, so I have to believe that there is a reason that God is jogging my consciousness in so many ways about the subject of eternity. I'm not afraid, or skittish, or even slightly nervous as to what that purpose might be. For all any of us know, our next trip out the door could be our last, so I won't allow myself to fret about when, where or how that might occur. And after reading Betty Malz's story, I'm actually eager (not in a hurry, but eager) for the moment when I step through that veil and into the true reality, of which my life here is a pale imitation, and I'll get to see Jesus face to face!!!

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known." 1 Cor. 13:12

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About Me...

I am a wife, a mom of 2 adult daughters, I have one son-in-law (and a soon to be son-in law!) as well as 2 beautiful grandchildren. I have held several part time jobs in the years since I first married, but thankfully learned early on that the Lord should come first in my heart and life, followed by my family, and then other areas of outreach and concern. The rewards and benefits of keeping those things in their proper order (most of the time :) have been rich, and my prayer is that young moms and wives who read this will be encouraged to do the same.

I would love to hear from you! I can be reached at mherhard@windstream.net.

Did You Know...? Great housekeeping tips

DID YOU KNOW? ~Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. ~Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! ~To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, Cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. ~For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting. ~Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. ~Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm! ~Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. ~Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up. ~Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. ~Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. ~Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers. ~No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. ~Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. ~Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. ~Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair. ~Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! ~Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! ~INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material . I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box . well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at l east e very six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share! Note: I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds Then when I rinsed it . the water ran right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!