Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCLXXXI

I've heard the stories, and I've sung the songs. I've read the descriptions, and I've daydreamed. Yet, even with all of that, I just can't seem to get a clear mental picture of what Heaven is like. Practically all of us can say we know a little bit about it, but I dare say that none of us can say that we know even a fraction of all there is to know, except that it's a wonderful place. In fact, if I can slightly paraphrase here, "eyes haven't seen, ears haven't heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man all that God has prepared for those who love Him." But...we can speculate, and I'm sure we've all done that too. Can you think of some aspects of Heaven that, in your mind, would be required to make it perfect? Can you think of some things that, if they are missing, would disappoint you? God will be there, and that will make it perfect, but if I correctly understand what I've heard and read, we will also be reunited with our loved ones who have gone on before us, and we'll be able to fellowship with them at our leisure. The subject of that reunion is where I want to spend some time today. With all my heart I believe that I have parents and grandparents, plus a whole host of friends and relatives, too numerous to mention, who will be there to welcome me when my time comes to enter there. To be perfectly honest, when you think of Heaven, don't you, more times than not, spend time thinking of your loved ones whom you expect to see there? And aren't there some who are a little more special to you than others? Don't you believe that reuniting with them will make Heaven just a little bit better for you? I feel like the majority of you have been right with me up to this point in this discussion, but here's where I may be about to lose some of you. We've recently lost a member of our family, causing our hearts to be broken, and it would make us so happy if we could be reunited with her in Heaven, but here's the deal....she's a dog. Although I can't tell you that I've read anything that proves that there will be animals in Heaven, I HAVE read a prophecy that said (paraphrasing again) "the wolf and the lamb will live together, the leopard will lie down with the baby goat, the calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child shall lead them." That may take place during the thousand years of peace on earth...I'm not sure, but it gives me hope. We're looking with great anticipation toward that "great reunion day," and there are some dear loved ones we expect to see. It would sure be neat if Marlee would be one of them. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCLXXX

Okay, I admit that she was being a little over dramatic, but the words she was yelling had some truth to them and served as some great fodder for me in the opening paragraph in today's article. Here's what happened: We were at a 5K race in Farmerville, Louisiana. I had already finished and was standing with the other finishers and spectators near the finish line watching the remaining runners as they were approaching the line. A good friend was chatting with me and had my attention until we suddenly heard some high-pitched screaming and yelling coming from a young woman who was about to reach the finish line. At first her words were inaudible, but as she got closer, we were able to make out what she was saying, "MOVE OUTTA MY WAY!! I CAN'T STOP! I CAN'T STOP!" She ran through the finish area, past the table where she was supposed to sign her card, on for at least thirty more yards before she finally came to a halt. (I have a feeling that if there had been a pond full of alligators behind the finish line, she would've been able to stop a little sooner.) Her words and actions helped prove a scientific fact: "Objects in motion tend to stay in motion." And if she had hit that table that was set up behind the finish line, she would have learned the second part of that statement: "Objects at rest tend to stay at rest." A train is a good example. It's hard to get a train moving when it's stopped, but once it gets going, it's hard to stop. Now, since a person's body is an object, we could also say, "Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion, and bodies at rest tend to stay at rest." You can watch a small child and find evidence of that theory. At night, if he's running and playing hard, he will not want to shut down when it's bed time, but the next morning after he's been sleeping all night, he will not want to get up. I know some people who seem to be addicted to exercise, and I think it's because they are bodies in motion. I also know some people who appear to be lazy, and that's because they're bodies at rest. And neither group really understands the other. One of my good running friends recently told her husband, "It's hard to explain the passion of climbing a mountain to a person who rides an escalator." As a runner, I have discovered that one of the hardest things for me is taking a break from running when I have an injury, but, you see, I am a body in motion. In those situations, like most die-hard runners, or "bodies in motion," I have a tendency to start back before I'm completely recovered. Another scientific fact is "it is possible for a body in motion to become a body at rest, and a body at rest can become a body in motion." Although it's rare, a workaholic can become lazy, but the good news is a slothful individual can, with some effort, become a "body in motion." Several years ago I made that effort and became that body in motion, and I plan to remain that way until the day I become, not simply a body at rest, but a body at eternal rest. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCLXXIX

A few weeks ago I was honored to be a guest speaker in a class at a church across town. I spoke about some things that were very personal to me, and a couple times during my presentation, my voice broke. I know I shouldn't have been, but I was a little embarrassed by that. You see, I grew up in Nebo, Louisiana and now live in Duck Dynasty country, places where men are tough and act like men. It seems to me that there is a movement across our nation and even the world to try to, for lack of a better word, "feminize" men. I don't like that, and I don't think the majority of the population does either. At the same time, with the tremendous increase we now have of women holding public office, there is even pressure on them not to shed tears in public. As a general rule, however, it is much more acceptable in our society for a woman to cry than it is for a man. With all of that said, I do believe it is now becoming increasingly okay for men to show emotions in public, and I do like that. When John Boehner first became Speaker of the House in 2010, his voice broke several times during his first big speech, and for a while, he had to deal with being called a cry baby, but that was mostly coming from his political opponents. The same people who were calling him names would have defended a man from their own party if he had cried while speaking. I dare say that any man who is reading this article has had to fight back tears numerous times since becoming an adult, which means he understands when he sees another man choking up while trying to speak. Men will likely never be as prone to tears as women because we're wired differently, the way God designed us. However, I also believe that much of the pressure we face today as it relates to showing our emotions in public is "man-induced"...not "God-induced." In other words, my embarrassment for the tears during my speech was due to the fact that I was afraid it made me look weak. I've given it a lot of thought since then, though, and I think I'm beginning to gain a new perspective on that issue. It takes a man who is secure in his masculinity to cry in public without intimidation. There's no reason for me to feel any type of humiliation simply because I may have shed a tear or two, because I AM secure...and I'm tough. After all, I'm from Nebo. Preston

Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCLXXVIII

Polygamy is illegal. I just wanted to remind you of that fact in case you were thinking about adding another spouse. You just can't have more than one....at a time, at least. Hopefully you're like me and you're happy with the one you have, but honestly, are there ever times when you feel like throwing up your hands and saying "Life would be so much more simple if I was single?" Well, I don't want to be single, and my wife and I have a great relationship, but if I told you we aIways see eye to eye, I'd be lying, and the times when we don't are not happy times. Now, do you think if you had more than one, you'd be able to get both of them happy at the same time? The likelihood of that happening decreases with each additional spouse. Now let's switch to the topic of "Wisdom." Wisdom comes through the experiences of life and the ability to take what we've learned through those experiences and to apply them to the challenges we're facing today. I love to listen to the words of a man or woman who has accumulated wisdom down through the years as they instruct us on the best ways to navigate life. A sign of youthful wisdom is exhibited when a younger person will listen to and heed those words. Have you ever taken the time to sit down and read the book of Proverbs? It was written by the wisest man ever, King Solomon, who basically had the good fortune to be granted a wish by God, and he used that wish to ask for wisdom. As a result, he also ended up with great wealth because of that wisdom. Do you consider yourself a wise person, or do you sometimes feel that you must've gone to the restroom while God was handing out wisdom? If it's the latter, is it because of some foolish decisions you've made? Have you ever done something so stupid that you just felt like a total idiot? I have, but I've discovered something that gives me hope and makes me feel a little better about myself. To examine it will require going back to the first paragraph. We established the fact that taking more than one spouse to try to care for and please would not be a wise decision, but what if we tried to gain some perspective on that topic from King Solomon, the wisest man ever? If you know much Bible history at all, you will know that he tried more than one wife, but when that failed to make him happy, he tried adding another, and then another, until he ended up with not two, nor three, nor four, but seven hundred wives!! And then to top it off, in addition to all those wives, he added three hundred girlfriends on the side! Can you imagine?! I must tell you, though, that I can read his story and find some reassurance for myself: Sometimes even the wisest among us do some foolish things. Preston