Arise & Shine!

"Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you." Isaiah 60:1-2

The Hidden Dangers of Pride

I won’t steal the thunder from our pastor and his sermon this past Sunday. However, I was reminded in his talk by something that many of us often overlook in our daily lives. What is this hidden something you ask?

It is the danger posed by our own closely held opinions, beliefs, traditions, prejudices, and rules for living.

Hidden at the core of these things is what can at times be something good, but more often than not, it is a stumbling block to forward motion, personal growth, learning, maturing, and as followers of Christ, our becoming more Christ like. This hidden thing is none other, than this: PRIDE.

What our pastor said in passing was this, that often we even take pride in things that you might not ordinarily associate with pride. And, inherent in that, we may miss that these things are stumbling us and impeding us from becoming the persons we want to become. More than that, this strange form of pride can be the thing that keeps us from reaching the goals we long to reach.

You see, our pride can lead us to wear some things like a badge of honor. As if they marked us as walking wounded, worthy of both people’s pity and also of their admiration. Visible marks not of our longsuffering ability to rise up and conquer the world mind you, but instead as our reasons for doing exactly the opposite, to stay indoors and keep to ourselves and to accomplish virtually nothing with the lives God gifted us with.

Yes… we are to be pitied, but not for our suffering, but instead for our lack of faith to grasp ahold of the strength God offers to us for the taking. Strength by which we could be what scripture speaks of as “more than conquerors.”

So many of us lament and complain about the unfairness of life and our lack of breaks, our unfortunate position, and circumstances. And, I am not even going to debate that these things could be fact for any one of us. Many of us are sadly struggling and often with circumstances that are truly out of our control. This may seem callous of me but if you knew my life story, like you, I could tell you some hard and sad tales about my own life. Many of us do not live a charmed or fairytale like existence as much as we may desire it.

Where am I going with this, you may be asking yourself at this point.

Really, I am just going to point out that God hates pride. Not the pride that comes when you are rightly warmed and happy by a personal accomplishment, a victory over sin, or a new skill learned. No, if we proudly hang onto some weakness, some circumstance, some oppressive and difficult lacking in our lives and then we use this as an excuse for not trying, for giving up, for accepting defeat, then this is the pride that we must repent of.

This is the pride that comes before the fall. This is the pride that if we are in the midst of it, God cannot reward us or accomplish His purposes for our lives. If we are living in this, He has to shake us up. If we are living in this, we may have to get beat up and end up at the bottom. For here in the depths and in the reality created not by our circumstance, but by how we face them, is where our God can begin to teach us and lift us up. Whether we are on our faces or on our knees, we can finally hear His voice and begin to shed the heavy burdens that hold us back from the victory that God has for us. We must repent of our pride and place life’s burdens on Jesus’ shoulders where He has said He will gladly bear them.

After hearing our pastor speak of this, I was reminded that like many of you I must take an inventory of my attitudes and beliefs regarding my own life and circumstances. In order for me to continue to become the man God has envisioned for me to become, I have to see my old self crucified to my pride. Pride can only hold us back.

So, shed your pride. Shed the skin of your old self. Take up the cross we are all called to bear though yours is more than likely different than mine. Take it up and allow God to show you how you can be an overcomer. Take it up and one day you can look back on a life well lived. A life lived with no regrets.

Live well and seize the new day!

In Christ,

Mike

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Don’t Ignore the Message… and Don’t Kill the Messenger

We live in one of the most connected ages in all of history. When important or urgent news happens, within moments the rest of the world can be informed. It spreads like a shot heard around the world. We can reach out to each other individually or collectively through many different platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. And on a smaller scale in one on one communications we have the same options plus the much more sophisticated versions of an old standard, the phone.

Despite the things we have available to us though, this time in history is also one of the most disconnected times in history.

Some of you might relate: You can see someone through Facebook, see that they’re online. You can see when they’ve seen or looked at a private message for example. And yet, amazingly they don’t respond to you… not even to say that they are busy, or headed out the door, or will get back with you later.

You leave a text or a voicemail and it dies there… left in limbo… forever… ignored.

There was a time, not so long ago, where that would be considered… well, impolite to put it mildly.

Once in a while I’ve even heard the… umm, sorry can’t put this one mildly…, lame excuse, that your text or voicemail was: dropped, lost, or otherwise didn’t reach its destination. Sorry… don’t buy these anymore.

Can we just agree on something here?

 The reality is that for whatever reason, you chose to ignore it… to ignore the person who in good faith sent it to you.

Communication only works when it runs both ways.

If you want the communication to stop then you have to man or woman up and let the sender know that you’re being bothered.

If you think that this sounds like someone is being hurt by your lack of response, guess what Einstein: “Yah think?”

Being ignored… yeah it does hurt… it hurts both ways. Because, I can tell you, it’s definitely a lot less likely that the person who just sent you that ignored communication take that risk again with you.

Keep this in mind… if that communication was face to face, would you have actually been that rude in person? Think about it… if it’s not right to do face to face, then how could you think it’s ok to do in any other form of communication?

This generation needs to grow up in so many ways, but they definitely get a “D” on communication.

Just because the tools exist does not mean they are used properly.

I am a man of words. I am a writer and I hope an ok communicator. I wrote this piece because there are times I feel that very few of us are continuing to sharpen our communication skills. I am very far from perfect and I know that this piece will ruffle a few feathers but, well… so be it. Sometimes feathers ought to be ruffled. Comfort just like silence needs to be interrupted so that change and growth can happen. Maybe we all ought to wake up once in a while and understand that just as often as our actions can cause good or evil to happen, equally, our inaction and our ignoring of events around us can also cause unintended negative events to unravel.

Think about it…

That’s all this was about, at least if you had the patience to read this, to hopefully make you think the next time you ignore someone reaching out to you… yeah, maybe even me…

Peace…. Mike

Enemy Vanquished

Light leaks into these eyes

A new day dawned

Open the blinds to see

A breeze ruffling the trees

In the near distance

Storm clouds moving

Ever closer in darkening sky

My heart flutters in this chest

In fear, some lock the door

Some grow tired

And bury their heads

And accept the victim’s path

Some, despite their fear

Put on the whole armor

Slip their hand in His

Step from their door

And face into the wind

As for this soul

Though wounded and scarred

No longer do I close these eyes

My desire to thrive overrules

Though the enemy is real

And his weapons do sting

I will no longer be intimidated

His lies can’t wash away the truth

His fate already written

On his epitaph stone

His lies unable to wash away

My name from the Lamb’s book

Seeks to bind our dreams

And wound us into inaction

Turn our eyes from Savior’s

Rendering us ineffective

But we are not helpless

Don’t have to be alone

For we can be anchored

On the Rock of Christ

On this solid ground

A life formerly adrift

Can now be grounded

And stand against any storm

So this too I choose

To bury this anchor deep

Heart protected and grounded

Venturing forth in the new day

Unafraid I step out my door

The storm still rages

But my frown turns to a smile

Because I don’t travel alone

And the enemy is powerless

In the New World Order, I’ll Be a Criminal

So, I know the title was shocking right? Can’t see me in that light? Oh, but Mike’s such a nice guy…

You must think this out too. Where will you sit when the changes come. Oh, and they will. You say I’m overreacting or that I’m crazy or at least a little paranoid.

I might be a little of the latter. But, I came by my paranoia naturally. It happens when you live in a land increasingly full of entitled brats and socialists in denial.

Again, where will you stand on that day.

When our rights to free speech have ended.

When freedom of religion only means that you better keep it in the closet.

When the right to bear arms means that you can wear tank tops whenever you want.

Seriously, one day if the liberal majority gets its way, what will your life be like? How will you react when you see me? Will you be one of the turncoats who turns me in to the authorities?

You say it’s a fantasy. We live in a democratic republic Mike and we get a say in how things go, right?

Some small part of me hopes you are correct.

But, what if in your naïveté, it’s you that’s wrong. Are you going to turn a blind eye when they haul me away? Will you applaud the actions of the political elite when they imprison me? When they try to “rehabilitate” me? When they decide to execute me?

You see, I saw an article today by Franklin Graham that exposed some real hypocrisy.

Those of us who the liberals like to refer as those religious people, were pigeon-holed as being every color of foolish, dangerous, deluded, misguided, pitiable, etc. “How could we be so stupid as to believe that our Savior who was/is God, was born of a virgin, etc., etc., etc.”

These same liberals applaud a company (PayPal) that haughtily pulls out of a state that approves a law that upholds the right of “religious” people to “discriminate” against those who’s practices violate the practices and beliefs we hold as not only sacred, but true. This same company gladly does business with numerous countries that instead of legislating people’s right to do business with whom they choose, chooses to turn a blind eye to the fact that those countries regularly imprison, torture, and kill people for their sexual choices. Unlike PayPal, we Christians do not condone that sort of treatment, however we do believe we have the right to our ability to associate with those we choose to associate with.

Let me be clear, there is a world of difference between a Christian who has the right to choose who they do business with when the other individual’s practices violate our beliefs, who has the right to decide whether they are comfortable with a “transgender male’s” “right” to enter into a bathroom where my daughter or wife has legitimately entered in, or whether an LGBT person has the right to enter into my child’s “Christian” school and potentially teach them things that are contrary to our beliefs. No government has the right to make that choice for us and we have every right to make those distinctions. This is not discrimination, it is the right to choose who we associate with and what we will be/will not be indoctrinated with. The LGBT community has the right to choose not to associate with us and frankly if they so choose, then we will applaud it. It is not the right of the LGBT community to force their closely held beliefs or acceptance of their lifestyle on the rest of us any more than it would be for us to force ours on them. Ultimately that is their agenda though, that we call what we consider to be evil and sin, instead as being good and acceptable. If God does not, then we in turn do not.

Let me remind you that our constitution where it defended the right to religious freedoms, was structured to keep government out of religion, and not the other way around. If a government felt it was in the rights to force by legislation how we practice our religious beliefs, does that not smack of the government overstepping its constitutional decrees about the freedom of religion?

I may not be able to in any great manner, affect change or be a great influence on our society now or going forward, but I’ll not stand by and say nothing.

Jesus didn’t stand by and say nothing. He called it as he saw it. He is often quoted as saying that people should repent of their sin, and to “go and sin no more.”

I am not man’s eternal judge, but the scriptures explain what sin is and call out any number of specific sins that humanity often commits. And God is/and will be bringing judgement on us. So when people wag their fingers at me or any other Christian for calling sin…. Well, sin, guess what? They have four other fingers pointing back at them.

God does not change like shifting sand. It says he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has right as our creator. And, he is not the one who when given free will, chose sin over doing what’s right. Our ancestors chose that and we often still do. The result is well deserved eternal punishment. But being a merciful and just God, he did give us a way out through Jesus Christ. It is ultimately us that will individually choose to accept the free gift of salvation through Christ or reject that gift and be condemned by our choice to Hell.

So, as our world continues to spiral into degradation and debauchery, I for one won’t go quietly into the night. I will choose to call it as I see it. If the emperor in fact has no clothes on, then guess what, I’ll point it out.

If telling the truth, calling it as I see it, not suffering fools makes me a criminal, then well… so be it.

Slap me in irons.

Seize the day!

- Mike

Dear Jesus, Thank You (a Resurrection Day prayer)

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for this life. Thank you for each day that your Father gives me the breath to lift my head from my pillow.

Thank you for all that you have allowed me to experience and learn. Even though some of the lessons have been painful, I know that you love me because you have kept your promise to never leave my side.

Though the gifts you have given to me are freely given, I know they came at a tremendous price. And, I know that I have not always shown that I am grateful for what you’ve done. For this I am ashamed. Please accept my apologies Lord. I know that I need to continue to allow you to transform me at every level of who I am. Please cleanse me of all the sinful and wicked ways that I still harbor in my selfish heart.

Thank you Lord for taking on all of the punishment that was due for me (us) on the cross. Forgive me for so often not understanding that what you did was once for all and I have been set free. Forgive me for blindly taking the chains of my sin and bondage and putting them knowingly or unknowingly back on.

Lord, please help me (and us all) to be a person of prayer. Please act powerfully to empower me so that I might tread on the enemy’s head. May satan and all of his armies be defeated in every corner of my life and those that call you their Savior.

As we enter into a new day tomorrow, which is Easter, may we contemplate our lives in such a way that we set aside the things which hinder us. May the chains of our bondage be set aside forever and may we experience victories in every moment. May we glorify you Jesus in all that we do, all that we think, and all that we say.

There is none like you Jesus.

Religion is empty, but this relationship with you will carry me (us) into eternity.

Thank you Jesus for dying to pay the penalty for my sin, but above all dear Lord, thank you for finishing the work and rising from the dead to prove all of those who would deny you wrong. May our enemies in this world see and experience your mercy and grace the way I have. May they experience the joy of being accepted as adopted sons and daughters with their hope justified as they one day enter into heaven.

Happy Resurrection Day dear Jesus!

One of your adopted sons,

Mike

Our Voices Carry On

Here under billowing clouds

Sad thoughts an undertow

A new emptiness at my side

Eyes like pending thunderstorms

Walking these roads

Made easier by companions

Goodbyes come too often

Loneliness oh so frequent

Created for relationships

Islands we are not

Not created for singularity

Our gravity drawing others

Orbiting each other we share

In companionship’s strength

And warmed by friendship

In love’s bond made stronger

Weaving through our souls

The roots of friendship

Silently entwining two lives

And blossoming into love

Yoked together for a little

Combining strength and focus

Our entwined lives reach higher

Drawing us to the Son

But this life is tenuous

And ever so fragile

Our every breath and day

Written by our Creator

Our final chapter known

Only by Heavenly author

That day and hour calls

Shadowed in mystery

Our final breath comes

And for most a surprise

So we grasp for a chance

For one last embrace

Our parting leaving scars

Marks of bittersweet pain

We are parted but not separate

Living again in memories recalled

Your voices speaking on

In our hearts resurrected

The roots you placed there

Still flowering and bearing fruit

Parted from us and yet

Never really gone

When we honor you

And the seeds you planted

So faint not from friendship

Give yourself away always

Rooted deep in those you love

Flowering again in each new season

Long after you are gone      

Slumbering Heroes

Each day dawns

Rich with hope

Ripe with risk

And burdened with choice

Not for the faint of heart

This life given to us

And rest is not granted

Until the journey’s end

So lift your eyes

Face into the wind

Step onto the road

Leave the past at your back

No battles are won

And no victories given

When fear rules hearts

And our eyes are closed

No accidental heroes

No cowards find victory

It takes a decision

It takes a renewed mind

And we cannot obtain this

Never grasp it on our own

True strength found on bent knees

Heads bowed over hallowed ground

We, the adopted sons and daughters

Grafted into a new family tree

Draw from roots planted deep

A strength that leads to victory

So when the coming battle

Reaches our very own shores

We will not stumble or falter

For His light shows us the way

We have only to open our hearts

Listen even now with spiritual ears

Take a hammer in hand

Nail our fears to the cross

Be thankful for a new dawn

Another day of possibilities

Strap on the holy armor

And rush forward into the fray

For there are heroes

Living among us

Living within us

Just have to hear the call

So listen carefully

Today let’s pay attention

For the call is going out

And you are looked for

When today’s sun is setting

I pray your heart is content

Having fought the good fight

Your hero awakened from slumber

Dear Atheist, Pick a Side and Acknowledge Your Choice

I know, I get it. I frustrate you, tick you off, embarrass you, exasperate you, or at least concern you.

That about covers it right.

But, you have to admit it, at least this one time.

At least I have an opinion. At least I’ve taken up a side. At least I’ve made my camp and decided to defend it.

Some of you could take a lesson in this. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that most people either don’t really give life much thought, or at least they just let it happen to them, rather than being actively involved in making choices. Right or wrong, but a choice just the same.

I am a follower of Christ and though I know I am so very far from perfect and I know I often have made decisions that were less than perfect, at least I took a side. God says in the Bible (which, yes, I do believe that it is the one book we really need to be reading above all others and yes, we need to do what it says) that we are either for Him or against Him.

Folks, this is a no brainer… Stop trying to overthink it… If you follow Christ and call Him your Lord and Savior, then do what He says and you shall show through your obedience that you are His child.

If you otherwise choose to turn your back on Christ and will not do what He says, then you are in fact “an enemy of the cross of Jesus Christ.” An enemy. I did not say it; I am not the one who is your judge. You will stand or fall to Christ alone.

In other words, if you choose to take up a “neutral position,” let me be maybe the only one to tell you, there is no neutral ground when it comes to God. He already tells us that in the Bible. Whether you are an atheist, a humanist, or a “fill in the blank-ist,” I’m telling you, you have taken a side.

But, so many of you who won’t state your side clearly like the examples above, you have inadvertently chosen your side and now you stand on the enemy side of the line. I may be tolerant of you, I may be kind to you, I may even love you, but in God’s eyes you are an enemy. Not a good place to be.

And, I still don’t really get it nor do I actually buy it, when you see these atheist types throwing their weight around to enact laws or in so many ways to outlaw the outward demonstrations of those who do acknowledge their following God, that they don’t believe in God. On the contrary, I think by the very acts of trying to legislate that there is no God, they demonstrate that they actually must believe He exists because if you believe He does not exist, then exactly why are you always so angry at Him and at those who purport to believe in Him.

If God does not exist, then why not just be content to let us make (in your opinion) fools of ourselves?

When you say that you don’t believe in God and that in your opinion He does not exist, you have chosen to be God’s enemy.

I know that probably that does not scare you. And, I am not really trying to scare you per se. But, I hope you will one day reconsider your choice for in fact I do care what happens to you and so does God. I actually do pray in my heart that one day you will hear that still small voice of the Holy Spirit, whispering that God does not hate you, but in fact loves you. He does not want anyone to have to suffer an eternity in Hell (yes, it is a real place, and it will be no party) or have to live apart from Him and all those that we love.

There is no hope for us apart from the redemption offered by Christ’s death on that cross so long ago. None of us has upheld the laws of God and none of us can buy or way into heaven. We must be purified by Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. Without this, we would all suffer an eternal punishment.

My love is imperfect and so is my call for you to accept Christ and His message of hope. But, I know that Christ’s love is perfect and His call to your heart can penetrate your defenses. If you seek God out and truly go in search of answers that only He can give, then I know that one day He will lead you to the right conclusions. One day He will lead you home.

It is in this hope that I write this and ask that you at least consider that God exists, that He loves you, and that maybe those of us who keep imperfectly trying to tell you about Him, might actually be trying to lead you a truth that can lead to something beyond this short and challenging mortal life.

May God find you right where you are at. On life’s front lines, or in its margins.

Sincerely,

Mike Meehan

Sometimes Grief Just Comes All Unexpected

Ok, so this morning as I was reading and contemplating, I felt it. Maybe you sometimes have felt it as well? At first, just the tiniest tug. You know, at our heartstrings. We often just shove it down, but persistently it presses into those soft spots in our soul. A still small voice that calls us to fervently, urgently pray.

This morning was such a morning.

Before I knew or could comprehend it, I was weeping.

If you have not experienced this, I hope as my fellow brother or sister in Christ that you do.

You see, sometimes I believe that the Holy Spirit pricks our conscience and urgently asks us to pray. You know as well as I do that God already knows the things that lay heavy on our hearts. You know what I’m talking about. Often we are aware of so many deep needs around us. They may be of great concern to us but being human we often let our business distract us from these things.

Some things are just so much more important than our busyness, our distractions, our wasted time, our priorities. There are things of eternal importance right within reach, but so often we put them at arm’s length because they can be so heavy with emotion that it’s just easier (we think) to avoid dealing with them.

I won’t go into the details, but somewhere today a family that I know is facing the toughest decisions you can imagine. Somewhere, there is a family that though they were not prepared for it is having to let go of that which is precious beyond measure. Somewhere a family is having to say goodbye to one that they love and no matter what clichés we may know, no matter what platitudes may come to mind, the pain is unavoidable. Grief is real and it must be faced.

It’s never convenient.

And often it won’t wait.

I had priorities today. I had a game plan. But then, grief came knocking. And, my day changed.

So, I wept. And I poured my heart out to the only one who can not only hear our heart cries, but actually turn them to action, to purpose, to redemption and healing.

There is only one person who can hear our grief and make something of it. His name is Jesus.

I am not here to tell you that once I poured my heart out to Him, that all the grief is gone. Nor am I telling you that all is now right with the world. I am not telling you that He will fulfill my heart’s desire in this situation. (though I know that there are at least just a few others today that wish that same thing that I do) What I am telling you is this: God hears your prayers. He knows our grief intimately and He weeps with us.

When I prayed this morning, I was reminded of the day Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. I was reminded of Jesus’ weeping over His friend and the grief of those who loved Lazarus too. I am thankful that God understands and He does not mock our pain.

Some of you may question why I have written this piece and maybe you don’t understand it but I know some of you definitely do.  You simply cannot understand this unless you have had to let go of someone you love. All of us eventually will cross this bridge.

Life on this place, well, it’s terminal. And we have but one life, so we must live it to the fullest.

So what am I ultimately trying to do here?

I am letting you know several important things:

First is this: Never take life for granted. Again, we are only given one. If you are a sometimes procrastinator extraordinaire life me, there is one thing I ask you avoid. Never forget to ensure that those you love know just how much you love them. Every day!

Second: Take care of the most crucial things in your life to ensure your family will be okay tomorrow if God calls you home today. You know what I mean if you think about it a little. Plan ahead. None of us knows the day or the hour God will stop our race with His eternal stop watch.

Lastly: If you feel the tug at your heart by the Holy Spirit to act. Whether it is to pray, do an act of service, listen to a hurting friend, etc., don’t let the moment pass without acting on His leading. If we ignore these moments, I believe the one we hurt the most is ourselves. God can accomplish His perfect will without us, but what a tragedy when we are asked to join with Him and we choose to ignore His call. In so doing, we quench the Holy Spirit’s voice and may find it so much harder to hear Him in the future.

Grief visits all of us in our lifetimes. It is unavoidable and inevitable.

In time, we may find healing. In time God may fill the hole that has been left by our loss. We will find peace, joy, laughter, friendship, and love again, but the scars remain. It’s ok for us to mourn them. God hears our heart cries and if we let Him he can help us to remember the good times, the precious memories, the gifts given by those who have gone before us into eternity.

And, for those of us who have asked Jesus into our hearts, we have this joy, we have this anticipation, we have a day to long for. A day when we will joyfully see those we love again and fall into their arms in a warm embrace. What a fantastic, joyful reunion that will be!

I thank God that He not only sees our grief, but that He has compassion on us and will bear this burden for us if we’ll just place it on His strong shoulders.

Don’t let this day go by without going to the Lord in prayer over the things that are weighing your heart down. Look up into His loving eyes and share your tears with Him. He longs to comfort you and bring you joy once again.

Find a place and time today to be still and quiet. Listen carefully and I know you will hear that same quiet voice that called to my heart this morning.

Sincerely, in Christ,

Mike Meehan

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Psalm 62:5
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

Fragile Heart in a Mad World

Tissue paper heart

So easily torn

Fragile from the start

How would I survive?

Just when I thought

And knew I understood

The rug got pulled

Face planted for all to see

I lived to please

Sought to make my peace

Avoided rocking the boat

Would my messes never cease?

Some I met were cruel

And others’ kindness was never ending

Some devoured my hope and joy

Others gave strength from knees bending

Love’s emissaries walked beside

Gave my lost heart a hand up

I may never know their sacrifice

Courage gifted helps me stand up

And standing I face the future

All its uncertainty weighing heavy

Each step bearing me ever closer

Yet fear threatens to break heart’s levy

And a glance from my knees

Awakens again this strength

Unexplainable to the atheist heart

Forward motion on narrow path’s length

Rewards await the courageous few

Lonely souls by peace renewed

Grateful for loving Samaritan’s gifts

Grace and mercy in my heart imbued

With these gifts from hands received

This heart reborn and beating strong

With my gaze on eternal shores I set sail

A wind from heaven to bear me along

So this paper heart is fragile true

And hope is often hard to see

But if I’m led by Savior’s hand

Then my future lies in blessed eternity

Heaven, Are You Looking Forward to It?

I am currently reading a book by Randy Alcorn on the subject of Heaven (Title is simply: “Heaven”) and it has been the first book in some time to get my inner thoughts to a place where my imagination is being actively stimulated.

Now, if you know me at all, you might find the above statement to be a bit difficult to believe. I mean, what with me being a poet and a huge fiction fan (i.e. – my overwhelming (at times) obsession with all things Star Wars). I can tell you though, that the last few years have been some of the most challenging of my lifetime. They have been challenging for many reasons, and with that said my imagination has been lying dormant a great deal lately.

The sometimes ugly aspects of reality can have that effect on you.

The author of the book I mentioned earlier in simplest form has proposed that many of us (ok maybe the majority of us) have developed a false picture of what heaven is really like and thus we do not really look forward to it and at worst, we are afraid of an eternity in heaven!

Now, you must understand that I have no intention with this piece to even remotely try and create my own edition of a book on heaven to act as a companion piece to an already great book created by the aforementioned author. On the contrary, I am writing this piece as a hopeful stimulus to you my reader to maybe take up a long forgotten inner dialog regarding your own thoughts on heaven.

 Many of us have subscribed to the simple view of heaven where we simply exist as insubstantial ghostly beings that spend an eternity worshiping God. Now, before you begin to get riled up at me, please understand that I do believe that the scriptures do support that we will in fact worship God in person in heaven. What I am saying is that we simply won’t be doing that ad infinitum all through eternity. I agree with the author that this is simply not supported by scripture.

Think about how Jesus related to we humans in his life as a man on Earth. Did He treat us in a very distant manner where He behaved as if He was aloof to our existence? Just chew on that thought for a few minutes and when you are done, think on a few of the following scriptural examples of His interactions with we lowly human beings.

1)     His actions surrounding the death of His friend Lazarus.

2)     His treatment of Thomas’ doubt.

3)     His interactions with Peter in particular as an apostle and a man.

My list above is very small and I’m sure that if you have been through your Bible a few times on your own over the years, you can add many others to your list.

What I am getting at that maybe goes above what Randy Alcorn discusses, is simply this: If God has created us in His image, if He thought enough of us to walk with and interact with us physically both in the garden and as a man through the person of Jesus, if He cares enough for us to answer our individual needs through our daily walk, then how could we fall into thinking that our eternity would consist of our not interacting with Him in similar ways?

What Randy Alcorn asks of us to consider is that our visions of Heaven are incomplete and not aligned with scripture. What he proposes too is that many of our thoughts that have lead us to lose sight of heaven and to not truly look forward to it. He suggests that this has its roots in deceptions that come straight from Satan himself.

Think about it…

Satan once had privilege. He once had a place in Heaven and knows exactly how great it is. He also knows that he has lost that privilege forever and can never gain it back. He is the father of lies and they are his native language. With that in mind, wouldn’t it just make a load of sense for him to want to deceive us about heaven and to so mess up our image of heaven that we ultimately don’t look forward to it and maybe in fact secretly dread it?

Now, with all of that said, I am not going to beat you over the head and tell you that you must change your mind on how Heaven looks based on any loose arguments that I may propose. What I do ask you to do though is this: Reconsider your thoughts on Heaven if they don’t align with scripture. Examine your thoughts on Heaven to see if you truly long for the day when you can leave here to go to our true home and to live with Christ, yes, but also to experience His creation as it was meant to be experienced… in a physical way… surrounded by a revitalized creation and all of the beauty that He created (and is re-creating) for us to enjoy which includes all of the vital human relationships (with those that also follow Christ) that we have nurtured here on the fallen Earth.

Finally, I think that it follows that if we have a truly healthy view of Heaven and our relationship to God in it, then in our looking forward to our future in it, we will have a renewed sense of urgency to share the Gospel with those who are lost and in need of Christ. We cannot share the Gospel with those who are lost with any conviction or persuasion if we have no actual passion or enthusiasm for our future in eternity. It may be time to examine our beliefs on Heaven so that we can be better ambassadors for Christ going forward.

Time to get off the fence. Examine your heart. Get right with Christ and align your beliefs with scripture. Find your joy again and ask God to renew your longing for Heaven and an eternity spent with Him and the ones we love.

In Christ,

Mike Meehan

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There is Still Beauty

Saw it again today

Despite the darkness

In the distant views

Away from current tragedies

Looked out beyond

From immediate worries

And gazed quiet

Saw Your wonders

Proof of Your love

Beauty exists regardless

While we destroy each other

Creation’s song sings on

Your breath gives life

Alters dust into being

Sings over our fragile souls

And gives hope to the weary

Beyond the hatred

Distant from these killing fields

I can see a pastel sunrise

Feel sun’s warmth on my face

In the bird’s song at sunset

Hear the joy of the dependent

Are we any less than this?

His Word declares our value

And so I lay this head down

When day meets the ink of night

And my sleepless eyes look upward

And realize you own this too

For you did not let the darkness reign

Instead, you sprinkled it in diamonds

Each sparkle a distant light

And yet light just the same

And so are we

In the darkness of this age

Millions of diamonds

Reflecting the light of the Son

And this then is our calling

By Creator’s great commission

That we not remain so fearful

But shine to the lost instead

So when you find yourself weary

And lonesome just like me

Look just a little beyond yourself

And there in creations’ glow

Know that we’ve been set free

Hearts of Darkness

There you revel and rage

Hidden from our view

And often in plain sight

Camouflaged await your queue

And here we are

The remarkable and the mundane

Going about our routines

Both on the good and bad falls the rain

And though we don’t know you

You find hate for us still

Not satisfied oppressing your own

Our sense of safety you’d kill

And so you plot with your small minds

And you weave a web of lies

Ensnare outcasts, the rebels, and the cruel

Ignore your own countrymen’s cries

Arrogant and small-minded you smirk

And sell your eternity for worthless Jihad

Unknowing pawns of the great serpent

Abuse of power your lightning rod

Raise your bloodied fists in empty victory

You waste prayers on empty space

Under your jackboots we’re trampled

In fear we cower sheltered in place

Still there is something you don’t get

Your naïve belief in misguided cause

Can’t fathom that the joke’s on you

Can’t see you’re caught in great lion’s jaws

So hard to pity the bullies of this world

To feel care for those darkened souls

And yet you are the deceived and lost

It’s for you judgement’s bell tolls

Some will never forgive you

Most will never forget

You’ll not find many merciful

For some anger’s sun will never set

And yet there are those called

By the one and truly King

To rise above our earthly pains

And to pray despite the sting

For He has dealt a victory

By our great enemy’s defeat

Our eternity signed and sealed

Transgressions erased at His mercy seat

Though you are our enemy

And we’re right to feel our anger burn

We’re called to pray for you just the same

And pray one day your hearts will turn

That He’ll speak to you in dreams and visions

And God’s Son will meet you there

That the bitter chains of your slavery

One day you’ll no longer bear

So for now you rage and fight

Wage war over false prophet’s lies

And stumbling in your hypocrisy

From you goodness takes wing and flies

As for me and my house

We’ll continue to follow the Lord

But until you utter repentance  

God’s great wrath for you is stored 

Why I’ll Never Be P.C.

Ask for my opinion

Then say how do I dare

Ask me to state my beliefs

And dismiss me with haughty stare

Some have said of me

I suffer not fools

Can’t say I don’t disagree

I just blame their gene pools

I know one day I may regret

This unfiltered way of mine

And though I can be gentle too

A sharp pen strengthens my spine

Some ask me to hide this true face

And though I get it I cannot do it

In the face of intellectual idiocy

I must admit this fire is lit

So if I sometimes offend you

I hope you’ll meet me in the middle

And find it sometimes refreshing

That I’ll never feed you a riddle

So pardon me for saying it

Soon free speech will die

Those like me will be swept away

For being unable to accept a lie

And you’ll exist in false unity

In a fantasy world of glass

Transparent as a gravestone

With freedom six feet under the grass

From my grave I’ll not weep

For my soul’s not bound there

But if you without Christ fall asleep

You’ll wake beyond and find you care  

So if this spurs an angry thought

And you feel you’d like to talk

Let’s meet somewhere with open hearts

And take an impactful walk

Don’t dismiss what you don’t understand

Is something you always ask of me

But for once the tables are turned

I hope open minded you’ll be

For you see the One I follow

Says that for those who truly seek

He is not afraid of your doubt

Nor will He fail to speak

He’ll break through the ice

And melt your heart of stone

His truth will set you free

From this prison of flesh and bone

And the chains that have held you

Invisible and yet still so real

Like blindness will fall away

And your life they’ll no longer steal

So if you never listened to me

Never even once before

May you hear me just this one time

I pray you open up your heart’s door

Ignore my imperfect words for once

But hear the not so P.C. message this one time

The one who knocks on your heart’s door

Offers you eternal peace that’s sublime

One day I hope you’ll forgive me

My persistence you’ll understand

That if I’m convinced of the truth

I have to preach it throughout the land