Category Archives: Religious

In The Garden

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I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
(Refrain)

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
(Refrain)

Words: Charles Austin Miles (1912)

This classic old hymn has always been a favorite of mine for a number of reasons, but recently it has taken on an even deeper meaning for me personally. My sister Paulette loved it and requested that it be sung at her funeral. More recently, it was presented by my cousin Sandra and her husband at my Aunt Carolyn’s funeral. In preparation for that message, I reviewed the lyrics to develop an introduction to my remarks and discovered the story behind the song.

When reflecting on those lyrics in the past, I have always envisioned someone like Paulette or Carolyn rising early in the morning and strolling through their garden in a time of quiet meditation and communion with the Lord. But what I discovered is that Charles Austin Miles actually wrote those lyrics with Mary Magdalene in mind.

John 20 describes how she came to the garden tomb on that first Easter morning and discovered that her Lord, who against all hope had been crucified on Friday, had gloriously and miraculously risen from the dead. Here is the account of the composing of that hymn in the words of the writer himself, Charles Austin Miles:

“One day in April, 1912, I was seated in the dark room, where I kept my photographic equipment and organ. I drew my Bible toward me; it opened at my favorite chapter, John 20 – whether by chance or inspiration let each reader decide. That meeting of Jesus and Mary had lost none of its power and charm. As I read it that day, I seemed to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary’s life, when she knelt before her Lord, and cried, Rabboni!

My hands were resting on the Bible while I stared at the light blue wall. As the light faded, I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white, with head bowed, hand clasping her throat, as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. it was Mary. As she came to the tomb, upon which she placed her hand, she bent over to look in, and hurried away.

John, in flowing robe, appeared, looking at the tomb; then came Peter, who entered the tomb, followed slowly by John. As they departed, Mary reappeared; leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb, she wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing, so did I.  I knew it was He. She knelt before Him, with arms outstretched and looking into His face cried, Rabboni!

I awakened in sunlight, gripping the Bible, with muscles tense and nerves vibrating. Under the inspiration of this vision I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed the poem exactly as it has since appeared. That same evening I wrote the music.”

While I have always loved this song, knowing its background has given me a whole new perspective and has caused its words to take on an even deeper meaning. How fitting that it was sung at Paulette and Carolyn’s funeral, as we celebrated the living hope that they had in the resurrected Christ and the new birth that they are now experiencing.

Whenever I hear it in the future, my mind will now take me to that first Easter morning when Mary Magdalene discovered the risen Lord! In that brief moment, Mary’s profound grief was turned into unbridled joy. I’m sure she wanted nothing more than to stay at her Master’s side. But Jesus had other plans, telling her, “Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17)  And so in obedience, “Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’” (John 20:18)

This Easter, as you reflect on that first Easter morning, take that imaginary journey to the empty tomb, be filled with the joy that Mary surely felt, think of loved ones who are basking in the presence of our Lord, and then go and tell everyone you meet that we serve a living Savior!

Until next time, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21)

Note: All Scripture verses taken from the New International Version (NIV)

 

Glimpses Of Heaven

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“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9)

Recently I have found myself reflecting on the realities of heaven as I have prepared messages for my brother Ronnie’s funeral in January, followed by my Aunt Carolyn in February. One of the most encouraging aspect of such messages is reflecting on the present reality of a loved one whose destiny is heaven. And yet, while God’s Word is very clear about the certainty of death and the reality of heaven, there is much that remains a mystery.

And so that leaves us with a natural curiosity about what heaven will be like – what will it look like, what will we do there, will we know our loved ones who have gone there before us? As I sat at my brother’s bedside on the night before he passed, I browsed through his iPad and noted the books that he had downloaded. As best I could tell, there was only one that he had actually completed – Randy Alcorn’s book titled “Heaven”.

God’s Word gives us glimpses of heaven, but it leaves us thirsting for more. But I don’t believe there is any experience or sight here on earth that would give anyone the ability to adequately describe heaven. As Paul said in the verse above, our eyes have not seen, our ears have not heard, nor has our mind even conceived what it will be like. In 2 Cor. 12:4, Paul talks about being “caught up to paradise” and hearing “inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell”. The apostle John makes his best effort to describe his visions of heaven in Revelation, but I believe we’ll discover one day that his words fall woefully short when we experience it for ourselves.

It’s like those photos we take that never truly capture the wondrous beauty of God’s creation here on earth. Traveling around the country, I have had the privilege of seeing some of the most beautiful sites imaginable. I have had my breath taken away standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon, gazing on fresh fallen snow at the top of the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park against the backdrop of a crystal imageclear blue sky, spending a day on a perimeter island just outside Nassau with the whitest sand and bluest water I’ve ever laid eyes on, and taking in a sunset at Oregon Inlet on the Outer Banks here in North Carolina, surrounded by a flood of lavender and pink hues. These also serve as glimpses of heaven here on earth. But as awe-inspiring as those scenes were, I know they are poor reflections of the reality of heaven.

In recent years there has been a flood of books written by people who have had near-death experiences, claiming to have gone to heaven and returned. One of those books, “Heaven Is For Real” was even made into a movie. I have read a number of them and enjoyed the movie. But while I am intrigued by the experiences they attempt to describe and encouraged by the similarities between their accounts, I must confess to a certain skepticism over their claims. We’re drawn to them because we want more detail about what heaven will be like. For many of us, perhaps we want eyewitness assurance that heaven truly is “for real”. But the only truth we can count on concerning heaven is the truth found in the pages of God’s Word. And that reality as described by God’s appointed eyewitnesses is indescribable, inexpressible, and even unimaginable.

A very common concern people express about heaven is whether or not we will recognize each other there. There is Biblical evidence to support my belief that we will know each other, in spite of the fact that Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:44 that our bodies will be “raised a spiritual body”. Many people recognized Jesus after His resurrection. At the Transfiguration, Christ’s disciples recognized Moses and Elijah, even though they could not possibly have known what they looked like in their earthly bodies. A great source of comfort when we are grieving over the death of a loved one is the assumption that we will join them there one day in a great family reunion. And I firmly believe the glimpse of an afterlife reunion as described by Paul in 1 Thess. 4:14-18 justifies that assumption.

Shortly before my mother died, several of us were sitting with her in her hospital room before she was moved to hospice. She kept pointing at invisible people she claimed to see there in the room with us and calling them out by name, seemingly incredulous that we couldn’t see them as well. This went on for a couple of days. I’ve since learned that this is a more common experience than I realized at the time. Many believe these experiences are nothing more than hallucinations caused by certain medications. But I couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t “hallucinate” seeing anyone who was still living!  I believe loved ones were already starting to welcome her home.

From our perspective here on earth, the thoughts of being reunited one day with our loved ones is surely our greatest source of comfort in our grief. But I believe when the Lord calls us home, that perspective will change immediately. Some may debate whether we will know each other in heaven, but there should be no debate that we will know our Savior. To comfort His disciples on the night before His death, Jesus told them that He was going to His Father’s house to prepare a place for them, that where He would be, there they may be also. (John 14:1-3)

While John no doubt struggled with words to adequately convey the beauty of heaven and the exhilaration of being there, he was very clear about the overwhelming presence of our Lord in Rev. 22:1-5, saying that we will see His face, His name will be on our foreheads, and the Lord Himself will be our light. Paul says in 2 Cor. 5:8 that he “would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” In his letter to the Philippians, Paul proclaimed that “to die is gain” because to depart and be with Christ is “better by far”. (Phil. 1:21,23)

I’ll close with one last illustration involving my mother. A few years after her death, I dreamed of her one night. It remains the only time I’ve dreamed about her since she went home to be with the Lord ten years ago. In that dream she was in her spiritual body – she looked nothing liked she had looked in life. And yet I knew her instantly. I often have trouble remembering the details of dreams, but that one was very short and her words to me were very clear and memorable. She said “Wait till you see Jesus! You won’t believe His eyes!”

As I’ve pondered that experience through the years, I’m increasingly convinced that it was no dream at all. I believe the Lord allowed her to visit me briefly and deliver that poignant message- a message that I have often shared with others who are grieving. It was not lost on me that she said nothing about how beautiful heaven was or who else was with her there. Being with Jesus overshadowed everything else. It is perhaps the most memorable glimpse of heaven I have ever experienced. What a blessing it is to know that because of her faith in Christ, she is basking in the presence of our Lord. The comfort of His grace she now knows face to face.

Until next time, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Cor. 4:17)

Note: All Scripture references are taken from the New International Version (NIV)

What My Grandchildren Have Taught Me About Life, Love, and Faith

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“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3)

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One of the greatest blessings of having lived as long as I have is experiencing the joy of having grandchildren. As a Christian father and grandfather, I have always understood and accepted my biblical responsibility to pass on my faith and valuable life lessons to the generations that follow. But one of the unexpected benefits of being a grandfather has been the lessons my grandchildren have taught me through the years!

As I have pondered what it means to change and become like little children, I have usually interpreted Christ’s words as referring to having a child-like faith. And that certainly is what I believe was first on our Lord’s mind. Little children have a faith that trusts completely, without hesitation, and without conditions. God places a high value on that kind of faith. In fact, the author of Hebrews tells us that “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Heb. 11:6)

That kind of God-pleasing faith seems to come more naturally for children than for adults. But I believe Jesus had more than just faith in mind when He encouraged us to “become as little children”. As I have watched my grandchildren grow, God has revealed some of those deeper truths that are embodied in that simple little teaching.

The more malleable we are, the better God can mold us

As parents, it has been very gratifying to watch our children pass on their faith to the next generation, being DSC00763obedient to God in training our grandchildren in the way they should go. (Prov. 22:6) But the molding process in our lives should not stop when we pass from childhood to adulthood. Isaiah and Jeremiah both spoke of our relationship to God as one of a potter and clay.

But the older we get and the more set in our ways we become, the harder it is for God to mold us into the person He wants us to be. We can become so fixated on certain doctrines of men or the interpretations of certain teachers and preachers that we fail to follow the example of the Bereans whom the apostle Paul commended in Acts 17:11 for examining “the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” By failing in this, we deny the Holy Spirit the opportunity to fulfill one of His primary roles of teaching us all things. (John 14:26)

We are all unique in the eyes of God

imagePs 139:14 says “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. In 2004, our daughter gave birth to triplet boys. From the day they were born, it was clear that each one had been endowed with unique personality traits, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. As you can see from this photo, they each even support different college teams. It is also clear that the one in the middle is the smart one! (Sorry, Dawg fans – I just couldn’t resist!)

God made each one of us unique. The world tries to make us all alike, and it can stifle our creativity and interfere with God’s personal plan for our lives. But I believe one of the keys to living the “abundant life” (John 10:10) that Jesus desires us to have is to recognize our unique God-given design, and employ those unique gifts to serve others.

Growth requires persistence

When children are learning to walk, they fall down. Then they get up, and they fall down again, and again, and again … until they get it right. They don’t fall down and say “Well I’m never going to try that again!” It’s how they grow. It’s also how we grow. James 1:4 says “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”.

Little children are not afraid of failure, but how often do we let the fear of failure keep us from exploring new and exciting adventures. Or perhaps it keeps us from serving the Lord in the way He has in mind for us. A healthy, Spirit-led sense of risk can be beneficial. It helps us grow. It makes life more exciting and it keeps us young.

The antidote for worry is trust

My grandchildren don’t worry about anything. They take life’s ups and downs much better than the grownups in their lives. They know innately that their earthly mother and father are going to take care of their every need. And so will our Heavenly Father.

Phil. 4:6-7 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Jesus said in Matt. 6:27, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

The truth is that worry takes years off our lives. Studies of those who live to the age of 100 reveal that they tend to be relaxed, optimistic, and even-tempered. As adults we need to develop that same level of trust in our Heavenly Father that my grandchildren have in their parents. After all, our Heavenly Father is perfect in his love, infinite in his wisdom, and sovereign in his control. How can we not trust a Father like that?

Don’t hold on to anger and bitterness

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” (Eph. 4:26)  Kids can have the worst argument and swear to never speak to one another ever again. Then a half hour later they act like nothing ever happened. They release their anger and move on without holding grudges. And when they are wronged, they quickly forgive, without keeping a record. 1 Cor. 13:5 says that love “is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”  Kids just seem to get that better than adults do!

Never lose your sense of wonder

Gen 1:31 says “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”  I love to watch my grandchildren discover the miracles of nature that we tend to overlook or take for granted. The triplets saw mountains for the first time when they visited in 2013. One of my grandsons is fascinated with bugs, reptiles, and rocks. He’s old enough now that when he encounters something new, he will spend hours looking up information on the internet about his discovery.

Last February, three of our grandchildren visiting from Florida experienced snow for theIMG_1149 first time. They had their first snowball fight. And our long downhill driveway that is such a pain to shovel this time of year turned into an exciting sled run. Needless to say, it was the most fun in snow I’ve had in years as I was able to experience it through their eyes. As an added benefit, I had help shoveling afterward!

Sometimes we adults tend to get so preoccupied with the cares and anxieties of our lives that we ignore the simple miracles taking place all around us. Several years ago on a visit to Colorado with friends, we came to a beautiful spot between Leadville and Copper Mountain just at the moment the sun was setting between a couple of peaks in the distance. As we stood there and took in that scene, God reminded me that a very similar experience occurs right outside my back door every night and I often just ignore it.

These are just a few of the things my grandchildren have taught me. I’m sure you have more lessons you can add to the conversation. Feel free to post them in the comments below. I would love to hear them. Remember, I don’t want this blog to be a one way conversation.

Until next time, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. (Matt. 19:14)

*All Scripture references are from the New International Version (NIV)