How do you imagine Heaven?

How do you imagine Heaven? I hear about streets of gold, mansions, and pearly gates. 

I picture a white house with all my family in the yard. My mom is holding my infant grandchild, my brothers are playing with my dad, and my sister is walking around the rose-filled garden. There is a pathway leading to the house, where my dad greeted each of them as they arrived.

But mostly, I think of what it will be like to meet God and Jesus. In my thoughts, I am awestruck, just standing there with tears in my eyes, so grateful to be in the Lord’s presence. I don’t believe I will visit the white house or find my mansion. I will sit before the Lord quietly, thanking Him for leading me to this place. 

When I imagine Heaven, there is no greater thought than being with God. I am speechless, peaceful, and happy. 

Who is the holiest in God’s kingdom?

Who is the holiest in God’s Kingdom? Is holiness what we do, or is it where the heart lies?

Salvation is a free gift from God; all He requires is our belief and submission. It is as simple as walking through an open door and as difficult as trying to open a locked door. During the average lifetime, everyday living bruises us and causes us to lock down our hearts. 

Education introduces alternative thoughts on reality. Society promotes self-fulfillment and moral freedom. The truth is housed in shades of gray. My understanding of salvation is a level playing field.

We enter God’s Kingdom by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. God’s love was always with us and didn’t increase because we are now His children. The faith we have was already measured out by God, and now becomes active. In God’s eyes, when we are saved, we are as holy as we will ever be. 

I have been in the Kingdom for more than 30 years. I have observed many ‘movements’ within the body: the faith movements (name it and claim it), the prosperity movement (honoring those who are well off more than those who are not), and the judgment movement (those who have trouble and illness must be secretly sinning).

While faith is the substance of following Christ, prosperity or righteousness is the strength of Christ in us, and judgment exists within our personal relationship with Jesus. God is in control, and these movements have passed away because they were man-made. 

Yet some of these ideas still exist within the individual groups of believers. I met one woman who vehemently opposed Joyce Meyer, calling her a prosperity teacher. I tried to explain that the Word refers to prosperity as righteousness. And this left me wondering: Why is it so hard for people to believe that God wants us to prosper?

I have an illness called positional vertigo. I can get very sick at times, and have to limit my movements. Why am I sharing this? Because I met a woman in a denomination who walked up to me and asked me if I had aids because she heard I was ill. I had never really spoken with her and only briefly knew her.

Of all the illnesses a person can have, why did she leap to this one? I honestly can’t look her in the eye. Not because of her question, but because of the heart that sprang from it. Who thinks these things? How can a person go immediately to one of the worst conditions in America just because another person has an illness?

I have met believers who have many rules: don’t wear makeup, don’t go to movies, don’t play cards, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t fellowship with unbelievers (now that one blows me away, after all, are we only suppose to shine the light on each other?).

I conversed with a young woman who had accepted Jesus as Lord. She was thinking of turning back because she couldn’t conquer all the ‘don’ts’ she was being told to do. I shared with her my own salvation experience. I was told by a woman I couldn’t be saved because I was a hippie. I thought about the statement, but I knew in my innermost being that Jesus was honest and that I decided to follow Him. 

I didn’t change overnight; it was years of praying, listening, and being cooked in the silver pot, all the dross skimmed off, then cooked again.

Who is the holiest in heaven? God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. No matter what we do as Christians during our journey on earth, we cannot earn a higher place in heaven.

We can always draw closer to God by learning to let our nature, thoughts, judgment, and hearts give way to what God is doing in our lives. For me, that means deflecting my pride, keeping my tongue, being submissive to the rules at work, doing good wherever I see fit to do it, and handing my tendency for melancholy over to God every time I find it swimming in my soul.

It is remembering that we live in an imperfect world, shrouded in darkness, and it is my ‘job’ to shine a light in this darkness. My light is kindness (even when I don’t feel kind), consistency in my actions and reactions (even when I want to slap someone), smiling, and listening for the opportunity to encourage, provide, and perform a good deed for someone. 

And I do this for unbelievers. Imagine that?  

Do you Parent with strict discipline?

 If your parenting style is strict and unbending, you could be Authoritarian: Low Love and High Limits.

Authoritarian parents use limits as their primary style, considering limits more important than love and relationships. They use external control to teach right from wrong and act quickly when a discipline problem occurs.

The authoritarian style views love as obedience, requiring strict adherence to structures and rules to show that love. The parenting style is "old school" and operates on the premise of  "Spare the rod and spoil the child."

Traits of the Authoritarian Parenting Style:

• Hold the child to an absolute standard.
• Values obedience and is not prone to give and take.
• Emphasis is on strict family rules, often referred to as military-style parenting.
• They can be restrictive and rigid, demanding absolute obedience, often in a 'do as I say, not as I do' parenting style. Punishment is frequently harsh and punitive and can be perceived as abusive, both physically and emotionally.
• Exercise a high degree of psychological control over their children, harming their natural growth and maturation.
• Expect their children to accept their judgments, values, and opinions respectfully. Style - Defined:

Consequently, children are usually quick to react and rarely get their parents to negotiate. These children perform moderately well in school and do not usually display problem behavior, but they have poorer social skills, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of depression.

Authoritarian parents love their children. They want obedience and value this obedience over understanding children's impulsive nature. To them, it is more important that the kid be controlled and well-behaved. The fact that the parents care enough to constantly monitor and curtail a child's playful, "me"-centered nature proves their love. However, in the authoritative pursuit of good behavior, the creative and happy nature of the children is often ignored.

Are you a Permissive Parent?

Are you a Permissive Parent: High Love and Low Limits?

Permissive parents use love as their primary style and consider love more important than limits. These parents believe that if they love their child enough, the child will love them so much that things will go smoothly. They also think using attachment and their bond with their child will teach them right from wrong. They spend much time with the child, communicating, negotiating, and reasoning. 

The psychology of a child is primarily ME-centered. Children are not born evil or good, and they are not self-regulating. As they grow, kids learn limits from their parents. Early limitations include bedtimes, eating on a schedule, and playtime. The older the child, the more limits he is capable of. 

Permissive parents believe that love conquers all and sometimes do not consider the child's inability to understand its benefits. Kids are taken care of from birth and perceive this as their right of existence. Parents must teach that love is not a right but a benefit of acceptable social behavior. 

Permissive parents think their children will return their love with obedience and acceptable behavior. Kids believe that mom and dad love them so much that it will be okay no matter what they do. When children enter school, they are confused and saddened to learn that the world does not love them.

The traits of permissive parenting:

• Accepting and affirmative, but do not place demands on the child to enforce the child's responsibility for his conduct. 
• Be tolerant of the child's wants and impulses, including those of the aggressive ones.
• Usually, they have trouble saying "no" and setting boundaries and guidelines for their kids. 
• These parents tend to be lenient and avoid asserting authority or imposing controls or restrictions. They avoid confrontation when possible.
• Few demands exist for acceptable behavior, like table manners or home responsibilities—there are few rules for bedtimes, homework schedules, mealtimes, or TV watching.
• Allow the children to control their behavior and to make their own decisions. 
• Discipline is inconsistent, creating problems centering on a child's lack of responsibility, motivation, and self-control. 

Studies have shown that the permissive parenting style has a more negative than positive effect. Children are often impulsive and aggressive, and lack independence and personal responsibility. This style frequently leads to demanding and selfish behavior rather than the child being loving and supportive of others.

Children are often insecure because of the lack of defined boundaries. While the kids have high self-esteem and good social skills, there is often problem behavior and a lack of motivation in school and adult life because the children have not learned to be accountable for their actions. 

How did you meet the Lord?

 

God is ever-present, looking and longing for those who will come to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9) How did you catch God’s eye? Were there times of trouble and grief, or were you struck by the truth that God exists?

I met the Lord during the Jesus movement in the late 1970s. My friends were “saved,” and I thought they were stupid. I didn’t not believe in God; I just couldn’t see the need for it in my life. 

I am a poet, and I was working on a poem about the creation of the earth, some hippie notion of Father Moon and Mother Sun. I remembered the Bible talked about giants who walked the land, and, in curiosity, I asked a woman who was a preacher’s wife if I could come and speak with her husband.

I went to their home and discussed what the Bible says about the giants and other things. As I left, her husband said if I wanted to know more, I should read the first book of John. 

 A few days passed. While cooking dinner one evening, I remembered what the preacher said. I found the Bible my mom gave me when I got married. I looked for the first book of John and opened the Bible to John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.

The power and Spirit of God entered my heart and consumed my mind. It was an unseen bright light shining through me. I knew this was the truth. And that is how, 47 years ago, I met the Lord. I have never regretted one day of this life.