Death. Death is coming. I probably just lost most of you in the first four words. Almost no one likes to think about dying, much less actually talk about it. So if you’re still reading, congrats and hang on for a little bit more. If I’m reading my bible correctly, one of two things will happen to me. Either the Lord will come back and get me and I’ll spend eternity with Him, or, I’ll die and get to spend eternity with Him. I’m pretty sure the same two endings apply to you as well. As Paul says in Philippians, to die is gain. In other words, when we die, if we are Christ followers, we gain everything.

We gain eternal life with Christ, a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1) , a new body (Philippians 3:21), and even the treasure we have laid up for ourselves (Matt 6:20). So why are we so hesitant to face death? Christ followers throughout the ages, and across the world even today, are ready and willing to face death for His kingdom. I am reminded of these words – earth has no sorrow, that heaven can’t heal. So one day, every tear will be dried, no more mourning, no more sorrow.

Until we are called home, we are called to live for His glory and His kingdom. This reminder on death is mainly due to a young man I met a few months ago. I met M.E. at dinner and a camp fire under the most amazing star filled sky you can imagine. M.E. is in law enforcement, is in his early 30’s, looks very fit, and has Stage 4 cancer. While I won’t even attempt to tell his story, suffice to say he stares death in the face every day, and has for the last several years as treatment after treatment has failed. He’s lost some friends, they simply don’t know what to say or how to act around him anymore, but he’s also gained a friend, actually he’ll tell you this friend is like another brother to him. M.E. will be the first to tell you that it’s not the quantity of friends you have at the end of the day, or the end of your life, but it’s the quality. He has good days, depressed days, and every emotion in between, as you can imagine. Through it all, he’s kept his eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of his faith. He wonders why this has happened to him. So do I. At times, he feels he got a bitterly unfair draw. So do I. Yet, there is a reason. One day we’ll see it. One day it will make sense. One day. But not so much today.

I pray for M.E. I pray for a miraculous healing. For God to receive the glory for the miracle. I pray for his faith, his endurance, his pain. I also pray a selfish prayer that I get to spend another evening around a fire with him, listening to him tell stories, amazed at the craziness he’s seen. I pray I get the opportunity to encourage him, to laugh with him, cry with him, and stare at the vastness of the Montana sky at night with him.

One day comes for all of us. M.E.’s day is coming soon. The crazy thing is, mine may be as well. So may yours. Or maybe we have years and years. May we spend every day remaining to us living life as God has called us to live. Unashamed of our God. Not knowing the answers, but knowing who does. One day I’ll get to hear all of M.E.’s story, he’ll have all of eternity to tell me. Until then, grace and peace my friend.

Some verses from the Bible hit me like a lighting bolt. From the first time I read them. Like, sudden flash of light, powerful explosion, never forgotten kind of hit me.

As an aside, I still remember growing up and reading the Guiness Book of World Records. I never forgot reading about the park ranger who had been hit by lightning 7 times and survived to get into Guiness. Tough way to make the record book in my opinion. Full disclosure, I’ve never been hit by lightning, but I imagine it’s pretty life changing. Hence the hit by lightning analogy, and yes, I’m thinking chances are pretty small that you’ve been hit either, but I’m sticking with it anyway.

Back to those verses that just lay you flat, start with the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10. First time I remember reading it, I thought, this seems really unfair. Here this young man is, clearly trying hard to be the right person, to follow all the rules and commandments he knew about, and then have Jesus say that while that’s nice, in order to have treasure in heaven, he needs to sell everything and give to the poor. Ouch.

The second “can this be right?” story that comes to mind is the narrow gate and wide gate in Matthew 7. Apparently the gate to destruction is wide, and many enter through it. At the same time, the gate that leads to life is narrow, and only a few find it. Seriously, with so many people striving to find it, only a few actually do? Pondering those verses has kept me up at night more than a few times over the years. I have to say, my pondering has not led to any epiphanies, other than perhaps to keep striving for the narrow gate.

Lastly, and closely related to the narrow gate, are the verses a little further down Matthew 7 where Christ says that not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. There will be some who have prophesied in His name, driven out demons, and performed miracles. And they will NOT enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I confess I don’t understand these words, but I’ve never forgotten them, and they cross my mind and keep me up at night more often than many other verses do. Admittedly, the fact that casting out demons is not a prerequisite to heaven is encouraging, but still….

So, while each of these stories / verses probably deserve their own deep dive, my point is actually that while some verses hit hard, other verses and thoughts take some time to come to a place of even partial understanding.

Start by thinking about the feeling you have when you look up to or down from a mountain. The sheer majesty of when you look out at a mountain range in the distance, maybe even with snow covered peaks. For some of you, gazing out at the endless ocean, or snorkeling and peering down into crystal clear deep blue water, or simply laying on a beach just breathing in the breeze coming in from the ocean brings on that feeling. Perhaps it’s standing at the base of a giant waterfall, hearing the water thunder down and feeling the spray on your face. That feeling of awe and pure wonder. I believe that feeling, regardless of what triggers it, is simply God giving us a glimpse of what we have in front of us. A small shadow of what heaven will be. That God in His infinite wisdom and love, has enabled us to get a taste, a brief touch, of what is coming. When the Bible talks about the hope we have (I’m thinking about Hebrews 6:18-19), I think the feeling of majesty and the recognition of the immense beauty before us in nature, is simply God reminding us that this world is merely a shadow of what is to come. While the world he has created us is infinitely amazing, it is simply a shadow of His glory.

My point in all this (I feel I am reminding myself of what I started out trying to say at this point) is that God has given us his Word, and it provides us with immediate and powerful messages, and then over time, it shows us great and wonderful messages that are not readily apparent.

My prayer is that you and I immerse ourselves in His Word. That we allow ourselves to feel the immediate power of lightning striking in our lives and the immediate need for grace and repentance, and also, over time, feel the wonder of the subtle revelations that other verses gradually reveal to us. Revelations that lead us to hope. We all need a little more hope.

Grace and Peace