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My dad passed away on May 19, 2023. It’s not the first time he died.
While still alive, Dad shared his story with my family, and others about going to Heaven. He also put it in words to my family in a letter. Now that he can no longer tell anyone about his experience, I’ll share it in his words from that letter (Love you, Dad!):
“On Nov. 19, 2015, Mom and I were walking across an intersection in Davenport, Iowa, when a big truck going 35 mph ran a stop sign and plowed into both of us sending us flying over 10 feet. Mom was unconscious for approximately one hour but I immediately upon impact died and went to Heaven I believe. All of the colors of the rainbow and more were very vivid, there was no feeling of anxiety or pain only peace. My mouth did not open but I asked if it was our time and was told by thought that it was NOT my time. At that moment I was in a world of pain on the cement of the road trying to call out to Mom who I could see was in a pool of blood 15 feet from me but she did not respond..Mom had 10 staples put in her head. I had broken my knee in 3 places, pulling all of the muscles over the knee and tore the cartilage from between my left knee leaving it bone on bone. All of my ribs, pelvis, etc on my left side were dislocated. After this incident I have PTSD with symptoms every day for the past 3 years.”
Mom made a full recovery, and though it’s been emotionally hard to deal with the loss of Dad, I’m happy for him that he can be with Jesus!
Here is another story about a trip to Heaven:
When my dad described heavenly colors, and the woman said she can’t convey what Heaven looks like since it’s so above what we could imagine, this verse comes to mind:
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Dad mentioned no pain, and the woman brought up a feeling of joy.
Revelation 21:4 says, 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[a] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
The woman seemed to have a longer experience in Heaven than my dad. She pretty much said that flowers, grass, and trees were swaying to music worshipping God. She also said she couldn’t look at the bright light. Here’s Scripture I found related to what she said:
Psalm 96:12
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Revelation 5:8-9
8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Revelation 14:2-3
2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
Revelation 15:2-4
2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.[a]
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”[b]
1 Timothy 6:14-16
14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
John 14:2-4
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
You never know what you’ll see on license plates. I got behind a car with a plate that read, “LAG”. Lag is bad, right?
Regarding that question, I’m a mom, and years ago, I saw Cars 3. One thing about that movie stuck with me. When one of the racers was faced with something that seemed negative, a motivational character named, “Cruz” would say, “Use that!”
When I think of lag, I think of computer lag which can be pretty frustrating. I’ve found though that if I “use that” and take deep breaths, pray, or think about memorized Scripture, the lag often clears up, and I’m left feeling more refreshed than frustrated.
If you face computer lag, and need some stat serene Scripture, Psalm 23 is a good one to promote peace:
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
We drove to Picnic Hill at Morgan Creek Park to celebrate Mother’s Day. We had an entire picnic area to ourselves! After we picked a picnic table, set out food, and John prayed, we were visited by a tiny bird in a nearby tree. Our daughter, Emily, said it was a blue-gray gnatcatcher. Our son, Ethan, got a video on his phone. We finished, left Picnic Hill, and came to the main part of the park. There was a packed parking lot, but we were able to find a space. While walking on the trail, we encountered a mom with a toddler, and a child in a stroller by a creek bridge. The mom looked a little weary, and I thought it was probably because she had young children. We walked on, and left the beaten path. We eventually got to Morgan Creek, and saw a turkey vulture soaring.
Turkey vulture wingspans are about six feet (wildbirdsunlimited.typepad.com), and bald eagle wingspans are about eight feet (fws.gov). God chose the example of a bald eagle in Isaiah 40:31, that says, “31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Maybe you know a weary mom, or maybe you are a weary mom. Moms can look to God for strength to soar like an eagle. Happy Mother’s Day!
My mom has been a Christian since she was a child. Then, she witnessed the moment I asked for Jesus to come into my heart when I was a child on top of our swing set. As I grew, she’d pray with me, which meant a lot. Now, I have witnessed the salvation of my kids and I pray with them. The wisdom in Proverbs about training children in the Christian way stands. My mom hasn’t departed from her Christian childhood training and I haven’t departed from my Christian childhood training. And I trust God will help my kids continue to follow the Christian way.
Genesis 37:3-4, 1 Samuel 2:18-21
In Genesis, Jacob showed that Joseph was his favorite son when he made him the “ornate robe.” Joseph’s brothers then became very jealous.
In 1 Samuel, Hannah made Samuel “a little robe” every year. Eventually, Hannah had three sons and two daughters. Samuel’s brothers and sisters probably saw their mom making his robe each year, but I doubt they were jealous.
We love gray catbirds in my home. Just now I heard one singing in our backyard. Our love for them has grown as they’ve shown their great curiosity about us. One day, we put a toad house in our flower garden. It wasn’t long before a catbird landed on a rock faced toward the toad house showing us that it noticed. Another day, my husband, John, was getting leaves out of a gutter. Later, the catbird flew right to that spot and looked down where he had been working. Several days ago I went grocery shopping, parked our car in the carport, opened the trunk, and started carrying in the groceries. Before I knew it, the catbird flew to our nearby lilac bush and watched me. Even when I was done and shut the trunk, it didn’t fly off. Soon after, I got an apple with grape jelly ready for it and put it out by the bird feeder. It didn’t take long before a catbird came and ate. Something that has been puzzling me, is that twice when we went on a walk in our neighborhood, a catbird would come and look at us. Could it be that the same ones in our yard are curious about where we’re going and following us?
The above verse mentions birds making nests. Recently, I noticed that a pair of catbirds must have made a nest in a bush by our back bedroom window. As I mowed, I saw them fly low into the bush repeatedly. Later, we saw their baby perched on another bush by our bay window. As we watched, a parent catbird fed the baby. According to Wikipedia, both parents help with feeding, and they protect the nest. I find it incredible that catbird dads are dependable in helping to care for their young, but some human “dads” leave all the care for a single mom. Happy Father’s Day to ALL of the dependable dads!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_catbird
Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 1:26-45, Luke 2:8-40
Jesus’ mom, Mary, had out-of-the-ordinary experiences before Jesus was born, but also after. When she found out from an angel of God about her cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy, she went to her house and greeted her. Elizabeth let her know that when Mary greeted her, the baby inside her leapt.
When Jesus was born, shepherds came the same day after the angel encounter to Bethlehem to see Him. I don’t think Mary or Joseph would have known any of the shepherds.
Eastern wise men came, worshiped the child Jesus in a house (Matt. 2:11), and gave gifts including gold. The Reformation Study Bible (Sproul) says, “Jesus was no longer in a stable (Luke 2:7). This visit was some time after the birth (v.1), perhaps a year or more (cf. v. 16),” and, “The “Magi” were not kings, but priests or court advisers…They were probably from Mesopotamia, the region of ancient Babylon, although other locations east of Palestine have been suggested.” Mary (and Joseph if he was there) were probably amazed to see the wise men with their gifts and hear their story of the star.
When Mary and Joseph brought their son to Jerusalem, a righteous man named Simeon blessed them. An elderly prophetess, Anna, gave thanks. Since Mary (and Joseph) were from Nazareth, they may have not known Simeon or Anna.
Of the people above that either knew of or saw Jesus as a baby or as a child, Mary probably only knew Elizabeth. It seems to me that Mary might have expected the unexpected.
Big Bible Fan 