What is Heaven?

Barbara Walters asked the same question on Tuesday. Her answers were based on interviews with religious leaders from around the world. Religious topics, such as this, seem to be more and more prevalent in movies, books and our everyday conversations yet are starting to get pushed out of our schools and congressional sessions. Since blogs are still a place where we have free speech, I would like to give a quick answer to the question I posed in my title.

A few weeks ago at church the pastor talked about how Jesus makes all things new; healing the sick, restoring sight, bringing the dead to life and offering eternal life to a dead world. One day, He will make this world new, restoring it to the way it was before sin. I realized that if the new heaven and new earth were the perfection of what life in the garden, then heaven was not 24/7 playing harps and singing praise.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that we will glorify and praise God for eternity, but it won't be just by singing. Life in the garden of Eden was life with the added bonus of walking with God. Adam and Eve lived, named animals, played sports (I believe) and maybe wrote poems; all with God at their side. I think heaven will be no different. Just as we have gifts that glorify God while we are on earth, there will be things that we can do to glorify God other than singing. For starters, there are houses that need living in!

No, it will not be boring and full of singing. Things will be restored and we shall live fully, as we were intended to, in the complete presence of God.

What Middle Earth race am I?

Entish


To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
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Maybe this is why my laptop is named Treebeard...

"My" radio station

I really didn't know what to blog about today. Nothing but finishing up my co-op has been on my mind and nothing interesting had happened in my life. Well, until this morning. This may sound weird, but it's only because you didn't get to experience it.

There is a radio station in Toledo, Yes FM that I love and listen to all day, every day at work. Now, this radio station has three transmitters; Lima, Toledo and Wauseon and an online transmission. Due to the wonderful snow we got today, all three transmitters were down for an hour or two, meaning that those listening online were the only ones listening. Now, I don't know how many people were listening, but it all of a sudden felt like Yes FM was my own personal radio station. The DJ was talking to the online audience and singling out some of the ones that had e-mailed him, myself included.

While everything seemed normal, when you think that you are one of 50 (maybe) that is listening to this radio station, you feel special! The best part was that the online listeners could now compete in call-in contests. See, there is a delay when you listen online, so by the time you hear the contest, they may have a winner. Well, now, in effect, there was no delay; only online listeners were able to hear it. And that is how I won their "Mystery History Tune" contest!! What a fun day!

You know, now that I write it out, it doesn't seem that cool. Oh well, like I said, it's only because you didn't get to experience it!

The Worst Punishment

I had an interesting conversation yesterday that got me thinking (imagine that). Quick disclaimer: Dan speaks in hyperboles a lot and there was more to the conversation than what I mention.

I went out to lunch with some of the other co-ops at Marathon and we got to talking about New Orleans and the hurricanes. One of the co-ops, a LSU student from just west of New Orleans, made a comment that things in New Orleans are better off now after the hurricanes. Crime is down and there are fewer murders in the city. The conclusion was that the homeless and lower income people are generally the cause for the crime and with them out of the city, it is better off. This led Dan to comment that we ought to take care of crime by killing off all who don't contribute to society. The punishment for breaking the law: death. I was very shocked by this idea and said "I want to see you stand by that idea when you get pulled over for drunk driving." His response: "Hell, I wouldn't drive drunk!"

We ended up getting an explanation that made some sense out of Dan for his comment, but it wasn't until that evening that I was thinking about what Dan said: If the punishment was bad enough, the law won't be broken. I then thought of the ultimate punishment: eternity in hell as a punishment for sin. I wondered why more people aren't afraid to sin and avoid this punishment like Dan would avoid drinking and driving. Here is what I decided:

• Some people don't know about the punishment. If you don't know the law of the consequences, you can't follow the law.
• Some people don't believe the punishment. I think many non-Christians have heard of Heaven and Hell, but don't believe it is true or it doesn't include them. The sad thing is, just like our law in this country, you may not believe it, but it is the truth. If you sin, you will spend eternity in Hell. Along with this, some may not see Hell for what it really is: a place of burning sulfur, isolation from God and others, continuing on for eternity.
• Some people have avoided the punishment. The punishment for sin is death, but Jesus took our place; He died so we don't have to. Therefore we can sin all we want and not worry about death! WAIT!! While many Christians live this way, we are called to a higher standard: holiness. If we love God, we will obey His law, regardless of whether or not we receive the punishment.

Where are you? What do you think of the punishment? How are you living? I know for me, God used this conversation to make me think about the sins in my life and give those up, with His help, to live for Him.

My new favorite phone

This phone is a model 2 generations newer than my current phone, and I think it is very cool.
On Nokia's European site, it says this phone will be available in first quarter, 2006. Not that I would or could get a phone right after it is first released. But I COULD go into the store and play with one :-D

Interesting Features of the E70:

• A 2-megapixel camera. - This is the size of the digital camera I've been using the last 3 years, and I am delighted with the pictures. Unfortunately, my current camera is lost, and my current phone, whihc I adore, doesn't have a camera. I did find it interesting - they're marketing this phone to business people, then put a camera in it. Many workplaces are banning cameraphones for security reasons.


• A bigger screen - Of course, I'm delighted with my color screen as it is, but this one looks slick.


• A new operating system - it looks to have more applications and features, and perhaps an easier-to-use email interface. I could never get the receiving-email bit on my current phone to work, though I send it fine.


• Communications ports abound - You've got Bluetooth? So does the phone. How about infrared, USB, WiFi, or a Nokia data cable? You can talk to the phone. According to the site, it is possible to use WLAN, Bluetooth technology, USB and infrared at the same time, if you really wanted to. The surprise to me is that infrared hasn't been phased out. Laptops used to come with an infrared port, but I don't see it as much anymore.

I'm way too excited about this. It's silly, I won't get one, at least not for a very long while.

Last Thursday I was in Carmel.
Today I am in Upland.
Next Thursday I will be in Atlanta.
The following Thursday, I will start in Upland then go to Carmel (actually, I may go to Carmel Friday. I haven't decided yet.)

I can't wait till I have a place I can stay put at for more than a week or so at a time. Though I am definitely not complaining about the Atlanta trip :-) More on that next week.