Pondering Heaven Tonight...

Pondering Heaven tonight...missing my dad more this week than I have in years, and wondering why that is suddenly so...thinking this weekend how much he would have loved our little church...the kids bringing a bargello pillow home from my mom's the other day...I remember sitting beside him reading a book and chatting intermittently while he made it almost 35 years ago...previewing Keyboards at Christmas music and thinking how much he would have loved singing in it (and listening to the keyboardists!)...thankful for the blessing of a Godly husband who is a Godly father to my children...remembering how much my daddy loved him!...reading my friend Kecia's blog through tears as she remembered her dad this week on what would have been his birthday...thinking about Mr. Tom and that big smile and those twinkly eyes and hearing him say, "Remember What You Know!"...thankful for the blessing we both had of Godly dads, even though we wish we'd had them around a little longer!...most of all thankful that we know they are in Heaven, worshiping at the feet of Jesus...what an awesome thought!...and that we will see them again someday and worship there with them!...realizing that Heaven is so far beyond what we can imagine...and imagining it's pretty amazing!...Pondering Heaven tonight...

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

 ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

And they sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased men for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation. 

 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
    and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

~  Revelation 5:9-13