In the Zone

Death is not the end. What a wonderful thought and phrase. For a Christian, we know that separation at death is only a temporary parting until we see one another in heaven again. More than that, we know that at death, the soul departs the body and enters heaven and the very presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. That became very real to me this week. My Grandpa died. He had been fighting cancer and dementia for many years. The battle took it's toll. He couldn't get out of bed. He hallucinated about people and objects there were not there. His personality changed. As other diseases progressed, he lost his sight. He was a shell of the vibrant person he once was. So when I got the call early Monday morning that he had passed during the night, I wasn't sad. I was relieved. I knew he was in a better place with a new body and a perfect mind in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. He could walk and run and see clearly. He was no longer limited by a body of death. Paul knew...

As a minister, I keep two mental lists. In one list, I think of all the people I have let down. These are people who didn't follow Christ or who walked away from the faith. These are people, when I see their social media posts or get a communication from them, and I see their life heading in a negative direction, I just shake my head. I wonder what I could have done better. Where did I fail? The other list, though, is much brighter. These are the people who are strong in their faith. Despite cultural oppositions and finacial struggles and illness and life itself, they have maintained a strong faith in Christ. I see it in the way they live life and how they speak of others. I still speak fondly of them and eagerly consume their social media feeds. It does my heart good to see them serve Christ as adults and parents. When I remember them, I remember them with joy. In Philippians 1:3-11, Paul communicates the same thing about the church of Philippi. He remembers the church mem...