Going Up

Maliah and I are heading North!

No One Lives Forever

The Words to a popular song put it this way. "The Truth of the matter is still the same, we will not be here forever." (Bebo Norman) In the Bible, James chapter 4 verse 14 says:

Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

But in our concept of time we like to think that our lives are longer, and we see that even our concept of time will end one day. After that there will be eternity. And if we were to live 20 years past today's life expectancy to be 100 years old, compared to eternity, life is but a vapor.

Still we put much effort in to this life and all but ignore what is after it. We are all so busy working, playing, buying, and building. In hope to make our lives on this earth as comfortable as possible, as if these things will last forever. But II Corinthians 4:18 says:

For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Yes, all wee toil for will one day be no longer. And we ignore the everlasting. We all have experienced it. We work and work to buy a new house, car, or the newest thing that everyone wants, but in a few years it looks old or needs repairs and we are tired of it. Yes, in fact we see evidence that all mankind in every nation is in a race to have the most jobs, and be the most affluent society. We are even wearing out our planet.

From the time we are born we begin to die. In Genesis 2:17 adn 3:6 we see the process start when Adam disobeys God. But there is hope! We see in Romans 5:17

For if by the one man's offense (Adam's) death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One... JESUS CHRIST

~Written by Rick Petefish

If I Weep

'If I Stand' by Rich Mullins
I love the following words of that song...

If I weep let it be as a man who is longing for his home! -Rich

Tuesday, the day my dad went to be with Jesus, I had to run some errands for Mila. As I was driving home, there was a rainbow in the sky. It was a reminder of God, and that he is with us always.

Saturday, the day of the memorial service there again was a full, most brilliant rainbow and beautiful sunset. Man, God is good!

It was the first time in a month or so that I had driven my dad's Porsche. The last time I sat in it, he was beside me. Because of the nature of the car, it has to be driven ever so often, so I took it out yesterday to run errands. It was my dad's hobby. It was something my dad really enjoyed doing. On beautiful sunny weekends he and Mila would take a ride in the Porsche. I'm not sure how often he took the top down but yesterday I sure would have if I knew how!

As I was driving memories of my dad filled my mind. Many had to do with the car.

The first time I drove it my dad had only had the car for a few weeks. I was home from Florida on a summer break. My dad asked me if I wanted to drive it, but I said 'no', knowing the worth of the car and fearful that I would do something to mess it up. My dad insisted that I drove it so I climbed in the unfamiliar drivers seat and drove around Danville. All was fine and dandy until I tried to pull in a parking lot a little too quickly. The incline going into the lot was a little too steep for the low riding car and there was a scrape that echoed for what seemed like forever. Kinda looking at my dad through my peripheral vision, I squinted my eyes and mouth and said, 'I'm so sorry.' Through gritted teeth he let out a, 'That's ok.' LOL! Leave it to me to do something like that. Thankfully I have had no other incidents like that.

It was less than a month ago that my dad and I took the car out for a drive to run and errand or too. My dad's vision was getting a little poor and after some persuasion from me, he let me drive saying, 'Well, I could drive and all, but you know, you may have to drive this car sometime so you should practice.'

So as I was driving yesterday, these thoughts and memories permiated my mind. It's just a car. Nothing special, and of no eternal value, but the memories that it holds are dear, and I have to say that it is going to be hard to let go of.