Eternity is a Long Time

  I just learned my internet friend Jackie , who I first knew on Gather back in 2006, passed away in July. She told me she had 3 near death experiences. It was not too long after the third one that she wrote what you see pictured here. I can't say with certainty, but it sure looks like the Lord kept Jackie here on earth so she could finally come to the realization of what He did for all of us on the cross and, most importantly, for Jackie to invite Him into her heart. You see, just knowing about God is NOT enough. Even acknowledging God as Creator is NOT enough. We must humble ourselves and give our hearts to Him. We must love Him to be saved from the justice we all deserve. If we love Him, then He will forgive our sins and we will be with Him for eternity. For Jesus loved all of us first - even when we did not love Him - and He showed that by dying on the cross for us. This is what Jackie ultimately did, but it took a while and she had the time. You may not. We do not know what to...

  One of the guys I mentor who is in prison is trying to reconcile to the memory of his Dad who did not treat him well. When I responded to him, I felt some others needed to read what I wrote so I am sharing the basic parts of my note with you. ----------------------------------------------------- I wanted to respond to your last note where you talked about reconciliation so eloquently. I'm sure you can appreciate why God takes on the persona of a father throughout the Bible as a way to relate to us. Just look at what you said the similarities are between you and God and you and your earthly Dad. Reconciliation is the key. God reconciled to us by Jesus's death on the cross. We reconcile to Him by dying to ourselves and receiving the free gift of salvation by faith. That's not as easy as it sounds, of course, but it's the essential truth. But what about your earthly Dad? Of course, God is perfect and your earthly Dad, like every earthly Dad, is far from perfect. Often, e...

  What about women who have had abortions? How does God deal with them and how do we deal with them? Every mother who is self-aware knows that something very traumatic has just occurred when she has an abortion. The procedure is very invasive and, sometimes, very dangerous. Additionally, there is an emotional-biological connection between mother and baby which is profound. Some women try to minimize this, but the amount of post-partum depression clearly shows how deep the connection is. There is also the sha m e and remorse associated with mothers who have had abortions. Given the deep connection between mother and baby, you can see how this would affect many women tremendously. This is not to say that some mothers seem to be unaffected by their actions of ending their baby’s life. Perhaps a few are not. Most of these mothers, however, are putting a big mask over their emotions. The good news, the great news, is that Jesus loves every woman who has had an abortion just like He love...