During worship tonight God gave me a gift of a very vivid vision. As I was singing my mind took me to a place where i was walking down a path, and I saw myself grow into an old man. I watched my transition from being an earthly old man to walking into eternity, there was no pain, no worry, just a very natural transition from this physical life to the continuation of eternal.
As I entered into eternity I saw Jesus in the distance, He was strikingly beautiful and I began to run to Him. I ran through a golden field ready for harvest, as I ran towards Jesus a remarkable thing happened. I began to see myself regenerate and my body began to get younger and younger. The closer I got to Jesus as I ran, the younger I got. Until I finally got to him, which I was about 3-5 years old. I can only try to put to words the amount of joy that streamed through my heart both in the vision and in my physical self as I got to Jesus. What happened next caused me to tear up and begin to cry while in worship. I (as a child) grabbed his hand and we began to walk, talk, laugh, I was consumed by His love, both in the vision and in my physical self as I watched this vision.
I was amazed that I had His full attention. This part of the vision though only lasting seconds in the physical world, felt as if was lasting for eternity. Again, no words can give accurate description of that feeling of being loved by Jesus. I will simply quote the disciple John who often called himself "the one Jesus loved".
As I composed myself during worship, I noticed that in that field where i was with Jesus, was hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of children who all were consumed by His love, and I was there as a child content with this eternal childhood.
The vision faded out naturally with that picture.
I have been reminded of two thoughts since the time of this vision. The first is the the story of Eli and Samuel in the Old Testament. God calls Samuel a few times, each time Samuel assumes the voice is Eli, but Eli did not call the boy. Finally Eli tells Samuel to say to the voice the next time it calls, "speak Lord your servant is listening." I wonder how often our adult minds get in the way of hearing God calling our name, like a loving Father calls his child. Instead we assume it is a man calling us, and we always turn to humans for council on things that God very clearly wants to speak on. What would our life on earth today look like, if an Eli stood up and said to us "son or daughter, next time you hear a voice, sit still, and say 'speak Father your servant is listening'."
The second thought is simply a reminder for a song that we sang allot in the past few years. The song is In Christ Alone, and towards the end of the song we find these lyrics "No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me, From a life?s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny." 1 Corinthians 15:55 says it this way "Where, o death is your victory? Where, o death is your sting?" I have spent much of my life fearing my physical death, even knowing of my eternal destiny. What a great gift to see the 'lack' of sting of this physical death and the great joy in this life and the life beyond being loved by Jesus.
John 10:10 "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come so they may have life, and have it to the full"
Friday, March 4, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Lady in Red
I was given a gift tonight while traveling home from Nashville today. God seems to do this to me once in a while to remind me how much detail he truly is aware of in my life.
As i walked up to the local train at the PHL airport i was already an hour + late, and i knew i had to wait for 20 minutes before the next train. As i entered the holding area, i was freezing, and i only had one other person in the room with me. I decided to make the best of it, and said hello. The lady with me was in her early 60’s and dressed in plain khakis and a red sweater, i noticed immediately her obvious missing coat. She was shivering and looked like she had been there for a minute.
I decided to offer her my coat, knowing that i had another in my bag, and even expressed so. She said no thank you. At this point she was standing almost as far away from me in the holding room as she could. Then she said in a kind voice, however if you had a cell phone, i would appreciate if i could use it. I of course pulled my cell phone out and asked her for the number. She came closer as i dialed, and then when she was finished with her call, she did not walk as faraway.
I decided to strike up conversation again, so where have you been that you don’t have a coat for this weather? I have been in Peru, she replied. I then asked her what she was doing in Peru, she explained that she is part of the Sisters of Mercy (A order of Catholic Nuns, typically missionaries). It is summer time in Peru, and she did not have the proper clothing for her travel. I was obviously moved by her story, so i pressed more. What do you do there? She explained that she works with a village there, helping families understand equality for women. As we talked she continued to seem more comfortable with our conversation. She then asked me what i did, i train Youth Pastors to work together, and work with a group of local youth outside of Newark, NJ, I replied.
Next thing you know we are in full conversation, i shared with her the story about my buddy Katie Davis (http://blogspot.kissesfromkatie.com), another Catholic sister that i knew that loved the Lord and was serving him faithfully. She was very moved by Katies’ story.
We continued to exchange stories and that 20 minutes in the holding room flew, God had given me a gift of a new friend, really a new sister in the Lord. As the train arrived, i went to shake her hand and thank her, i had not even learned her name yet. Her name was Sister Marie and then she grabbed me and gave me a hug, she thanked me for my time and my stories of hope. I asked her when her train was coming, she did not know, so i went to leave and then the lady on the train deck began to yell to her that this was the only train, and that she had called out her destination. Almost instinctively i stuck up for my new sister, and in nicer words told the train attendant to “chill it”.
So we got on the train, and had another few minutes to talk. I asked her why she was home. She explained that her 85 yr old father (Gerald) had fallen and broken his hip. She spoke to her sisters in Peru, and knew she needed to come home, as this likely is the beginning of the end for him. In the midst of this story, the attendant came to collect our cash for the tickets. Mine was $7 and hers $10, i explained to the attendant that i was to pay for both. In a moment you are going to find out why that was so significant for me.
As our time came to an end, i gave her my business card and asked her to email me, so that i could hear more about her 27 years serving the families in the village in Peru, and so i could send her the website about Katie that i mentioned earlier.
As i got off the train, the Lord began to speak to my heart. He rewound my last couple days, and showed me I was actually given about 20 gifts during my time since i hit the ground at PHL. Let me explain. On Monday during my meetings in Nashville we went out to lunch. After lunch i walked out but left my dishes. I was at a place where they clean up your table, but a tip is not necessary. However i felt the Lord say very quickly that i needed to leave a tip. All i have in cash is 2-$5 bills, so i left one of the two.
Today as i got off of the plane, i grabbed all my stuff and walked by the ATM in the terminal. As i got my bags, i went to check my cash. I only have $5, and i need $7 to get a ride on the train to central philly. Surely i had $2 somewhere in my bag. No such luck, man that is frustrating So I am in terminal E, outside of security, and there is no, ATM. The next 20 minutes i walked outside in the snow and cold from the last Terminal (E) to the first Terminal (A), stopping one by one trying to find an ATM. Each time getting more bothered by the fact that i am missing my scheduled train, and the ones after it. On top of that, each time the i found a Bank of America ATM it would not read my card. Finally, i am at the last terminal, and that ATM would not take my card or others who tried. Then an Asian man comes up, and his works. So i stood at that ATM and tried my card 40 times, determined that it WILL work. On the 41st time, it did. So i grabbed my cash (which was meant to pay for my ticket and hers), and headed to the closest SEPTA train. As i looked at the schedule, i had just missed that last train and had to wait 20+ minutes for the next. But God had a plan for that 20 minutes, just like he had for the tip i left on Monday, and for the fact that i needed to find cash, and for beging delayed as i searched for an ATM to work, and... you get the point.
Which bring us to where my story began, walking into the holding room at Terminal A, meeting Sister Marie in her red sweater.
What a lesson packaged in my gift tonight. “For i know the plans i have for you Steve, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to put people in your path, and interupt your life, so that you can be part of what i am doing. And if you will pay attention, you will find me. But if you won’t, be not afraid, daddy knows whats best, and I can altar your plans so that you will find mine.”
Tonight i was given the gift of interruption, so i could meet Sister Marie from Peru, and be reminded He has it all under control. I pray i continue to learn to pay more attention to the spirit so i can see Him at work. Amen.
As i walked up to the local train at the PHL airport i was already an hour + late, and i knew i had to wait for 20 minutes before the next train. As i entered the holding area, i was freezing, and i only had one other person in the room with me. I decided to make the best of it, and said hello. The lady with me was in her early 60’s and dressed in plain khakis and a red sweater, i noticed immediately her obvious missing coat. She was shivering and looked like she had been there for a minute.
I decided to offer her my coat, knowing that i had another in my bag, and even expressed so. She said no thank you. At this point she was standing almost as far away from me in the holding room as she could. Then she said in a kind voice, however if you had a cell phone, i would appreciate if i could use it. I of course pulled my cell phone out and asked her for the number. She came closer as i dialed, and then when she was finished with her call, she did not walk as faraway.
I decided to strike up conversation again, so where have you been that you don’t have a coat for this weather? I have been in Peru, she replied. I then asked her what she was doing in Peru, she explained that she is part of the Sisters of Mercy (A order of Catholic Nuns, typically missionaries). It is summer time in Peru, and she did not have the proper clothing for her travel. I was obviously moved by her story, so i pressed more. What do you do there? She explained that she works with a village there, helping families understand equality for women. As we talked she continued to seem more comfortable with our conversation. She then asked me what i did, i train Youth Pastors to work together, and work with a group of local youth outside of Newark, NJ, I replied.
Next thing you know we are in full conversation, i shared with her the story about my buddy Katie Davis (http://blogspot.kissesfromkatie.com), another Catholic sister that i knew that loved the Lord and was serving him faithfully. She was very moved by Katies’ story.
We continued to exchange stories and that 20 minutes in the holding room flew, God had given me a gift of a new friend, really a new sister in the Lord. As the train arrived, i went to shake her hand and thank her, i had not even learned her name yet. Her name was Sister Marie and then she grabbed me and gave me a hug, she thanked me for my time and my stories of hope. I asked her when her train was coming, she did not know, so i went to leave and then the lady on the train deck began to yell to her that this was the only train, and that she had called out her destination. Almost instinctively i stuck up for my new sister, and in nicer words told the train attendant to “chill it”.
So we got on the train, and had another few minutes to talk. I asked her why she was home. She explained that her 85 yr old father (Gerald) had fallen and broken his hip. She spoke to her sisters in Peru, and knew she needed to come home, as this likely is the beginning of the end for him. In the midst of this story, the attendant came to collect our cash for the tickets. Mine was $7 and hers $10, i explained to the attendant that i was to pay for both. In a moment you are going to find out why that was so significant for me.
As our time came to an end, i gave her my business card and asked her to email me, so that i could hear more about her 27 years serving the families in the village in Peru, and so i could send her the website about Katie that i mentioned earlier.
As i got off the train, the Lord began to speak to my heart. He rewound my last couple days, and showed me I was actually given about 20 gifts during my time since i hit the ground at PHL. Let me explain. On Monday during my meetings in Nashville we went out to lunch. After lunch i walked out but left my dishes. I was at a place where they clean up your table, but a tip is not necessary. However i felt the Lord say very quickly that i needed to leave a tip. All i have in cash is 2-$5 bills, so i left one of the two.
Today as i got off of the plane, i grabbed all my stuff and walked by the ATM in the terminal. As i got my bags, i went to check my cash. I only have $5, and i need $7 to get a ride on the train to central philly. Surely i had $2 somewhere in my bag. No such luck, man that is frustrating So I am in terminal E, outside of security, and there is no, ATM. The next 20 minutes i walked outside in the snow and cold from the last Terminal (E) to the first Terminal (A), stopping one by one trying to find an ATM. Each time getting more bothered by the fact that i am missing my scheduled train, and the ones after it. On top of that, each time the i found a Bank of America ATM it would not read my card. Finally, i am at the last terminal, and that ATM would not take my card or others who tried. Then an Asian man comes up, and his works. So i stood at that ATM and tried my card 40 times, determined that it WILL work. On the 41st time, it did. So i grabbed my cash (which was meant to pay for my ticket and hers), and headed to the closest SEPTA train. As i looked at the schedule, i had just missed that last train and had to wait 20+ minutes for the next. But God had a plan for that 20 minutes, just like he had for the tip i left on Monday, and for the fact that i needed to find cash, and for beging delayed as i searched for an ATM to work, and... you get the point.
Which bring us to where my story began, walking into the holding room at Terminal A, meeting Sister Marie in her red sweater.
What a lesson packaged in my gift tonight. “For i know the plans i have for you Steve, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to put people in your path, and interupt your life, so that you can be part of what i am doing. And if you will pay attention, you will find me. But if you won’t, be not afraid, daddy knows whats best, and I can altar your plans so that you will find mine.”
Tonight i was given the gift of interruption, so i could meet Sister Marie from Peru, and be reminded He has it all under control. I pray i continue to learn to pay more attention to the spirit so i can see Him at work. Amen.
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