Arrival in Heaven

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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.                   1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”

Holy Monday Housecleaning

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And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:17 ESV

Some of us get the idea that Jesus waltzed through His ministry smiling, blessing children, and holding lambs in His arms. But on Monday of Holy Week; the same Jesus who had forgiven the woman caught in adultery and sat down to dinner with sinners, became angry when He went to the temple to pray. Instead of a smiling Jesus, just meekly entering, an angry Messiah showed up who drove out the buyers and sellers shouting, “Is it not written My House shall be called a house of prayer?” Now the case could be made that Jesus was upset about the physical location where these vendors were set up. But when Jesus used the word “House” it didn’t mean just a building, it meant household (as in a family). In other words, the place where God’s family meets on earth should be primarily about coming together to pray.

Now, it is easy for us to criticize those temple vendors, but are we really any different? Do we sometimes maneuver our way into desirable positions in church in order to take an unfair advantage of others? While special events are great and fellowship and laughter in the church coffee area matters; can we really say with all honesty that prayer is the main thing that happens at our meetings? Also, notice that Jesus went on to say that His family was supposed to be for all the nations. Are all nations showing up at our place of worship? Jesus wants to clean His house today just as He did back then of anything that keeps us apart. Then when we all come together for prayer, together we can truly become the Household of God and His family indeed!

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AARP report: Family caregivers’ economic value reaches $1 trillion

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The latest caregiver report has been released by the AARP Public Policy Institute. Titled “Valuing the Invaluable 2026” the report, researchers found that the economic value of family caregiving in 2024 was worth a whopping $1 trillion. In comments on the report, AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan said, “When you look at caregiving at this […]

AARP report: Family caregivers’ economic value reaches $1 trillion

The Last Healing

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And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:47 NKJV

As Jesus began His final journey towards Jerusalem, a blind man named Bartimaeus hears the news and in desperation cries to Him for help. Breaking the decorum of his day, he started to shout as loudly as possible, trying to get Jesus’ attention, no matter what anyone else thought.

During His ministry on earth, Jesus had healed all kinds of people. In one of His earliest acts, he healed the mother of the Apostle Peter’s wife, later, the servant of a local government official and then woman who touched his robe in a crowd. Finally as He neared the end of His time on earth; He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. But in this last miraculous act recorded in the Bible, Jesus paused to heal a bind beggar named Bartimaeus. This blind man had no special credentials or connections except that Jesus was passing by. That amazing hope which He found is also for anyone who has no pedigree, political connections, or friends in high places. The mercy of Jesus comes only with the requirement that, like Bartimaeus, we ask with all our heart. Jesus is as willing to stop for a jailer as for a prisoner. He hears the prayer of the surgeon as well as the patient. He bends his ear as closely to hear orphans as he does to the father of a nation. Our hope in Jesus Christ is based on one thing alone. He died for our sins and rose again. He is walking down our street, and He is still inviting beggars to come to His side in His heavenly home!