More On Jobs

07 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in death, heaven, Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs commencement address at Stanford is everywhere. He said some really good things, some really motivating things and something that made me stop in my reading tracks and go back to what it said. I suggest reading the whole speech but read the following excerpt with me.var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Did you catch the first two sentences? No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. WOW! The sad part to me is that I think he is right on based on many conversations I’ve had. I have heard several sermons and many class discussions and plenty of conversations about how wonderful heaven will be but so many people don’t want to go. What will happen to this? Who will take care of that? What about the kids? These conversations go on like we have all the control over all these factors and we have the best plan and it sure makes it seem that when some talk about the almighty power of God they must not believe it.

Jobs missed the mark on me. I want to go to heaven and I’m ready to go NOW. I trust that God will take care of my kids in ways I never will. I trust that God will make a path for things to work how he, the creator and author of life, knows is best. That path might be that I don’t get to go to heaven anytime soon, that he has plans for me here in this dark place. So be it. I simply ask that he open my eyes, my mind and my heart to what he has in store for me. If that’s to claim my reward, let’s get rolling. If it’s to stay here and be the hands and feet of Jesus for another day, I will trust him.

Grace and peace to you.

Steve Jobs

06 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in heaven, iHeaven, Steve Jobs

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Steve Jobs passed away earlier today. He’s one of those people I wish I knew. He saw things differently than most people. He was willing to follow his heart and take risks. He changed lives in many ways, lives of people he never knew and his innovations will likely touch generations. I was a Mac-hater for many years because I didn’t understand them. Once I got a taste, I became a Mac devotee and it’s all I want to use these days.

I hope when I’m gone someone can say similar things about me except that it will be in the context of people’s souls instead of things of this world. I respect Jobs’ for what he did for the computing world and it seemed something he poured passion into at all times. I hope I can do the same in this world but even more so in things that are not of this world. I hope God will use me to change lives, to affect generations and to make people’s lives, both here and in eternity, better.

I have no idea of what Jobs’ relationship with God was but I hope he is strolling heaven and enjoying what life “on the cloud” is really like.

Grace and peace to you.

The Babbling Brook

19 Tuesday Apr 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in fire, heaven, hell, Las Vegas, Possum Kingdom

≈ 2 Comments

That’s kind of how I feel about this post today. Just babbling. I’m on my way to Las Vegas. Woohoo. I’ve got $5,000 in cash and I’m ready to win big. Truth is I’m on my way to Vegas and I have $40 in my pocket because I don’t see myself gambling too much. One the last trip I wagered $3 and won $6 I think. I am OVER THE TOP. Ha-ha. I’m ready to take care of business (the real reason for the trip) and get home.

I saw the lead-in to Entertainment Tonight Monday night and wanted to throw the remote at the TV. The Royal Wedding? Seriously, is that the most important thing people have on their plate? Contrast that with a Facebook post by a friend on Saturday that he was with his church youth group in downtown Dallas trying to serve the homeless.

I’m glad I’ve attained perfection so I can criticize others.

That’s a BIG joke folks. Still, how much press can 2 people getting married receive as well as Charlie Sheen and whether Susan Lucci is going to join Desperate Housewives? Do these people not know the Rangers game is on TV?

I don’t know what to say after watching the news and watching the homes burning near Possum Kingdom lake except, “Lord, send rain and protect the firefighters and others who are putting their lives on the line and those who are volunteering their time.”

I’ve been keeping up with some Facebook posts by several who are debating the existence of a literal hell. It’s another argument that does draw some interest from me but one that, in the end, matters little to me. Maybe it will be a bigger issue to know these answers one day but for now, I just want to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength and serve others as I believe he has called me to do and prepare for an eternity in heaven. Now, I’m not going to start telling everyone to enjoy life on earth and live it up because they have a free pass to heaven because I don’t believe that is what the Bible says but if I get to heaven and it’s filled up with people who claimed to be non-believers, murderers, drug users, liars, and whoever else God decides is worthy to be there, I’ll say HALLELUJAH and ask to be pointed to the fly fishing area. (I also want to know where the golf course is so I can go say hi to Rick.)

To that end, if and when I have all the facts about everything God knows, I’ll share it here. Until then, I’ll post what I believe, be willing to listen to other ideas and try to know more about my incredible father and Lord.

Grace and peace to you.

Helen Waite

23 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in heaven, hell, love, Rob Bell

≈ 2 Comments

I always get a kick out of the sign I see in some businesses that say something like “our credit manager, Helen Waite, handles all requests for credit. If you want credit, please go straight to Helen Waite.”

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I’ve spent some time reading more and more of the fallout surrounding Rob Bell’s new book, “Love Wins” and the question of what Bell thinks about hell. I’ve found a blog from a pastor who lost his job because he no longer believes in a literal hell full of fire and eternal torment. I’ve found a blog written by someone who thinks he’s on the fringe of religion and think the discussion of hell is a complete non-issue. I’ve found a blog that defends Bell and I’ve found a blog that shares how people have labeled Bell a universalist and heretic.

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Sadly, I don’t know enough about the titles people are given (I’m still trying to ascertain exactly what liberal and progressive means in the churches of Christ) so I can’t speak to what Bell is or isn’t and, I would guess, that applies to the people who have taken to name-calling. However, it has made me stop for at least a brief moment and think about what I believe about the concept of hell and has made me realize it’s another one of the many things I need to go deeper in studying. It has also reinforced the idea of God’s love and the importance of living in the knowledge of that, more important than anything I can be doing right now.

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It has also opened the door on thinking how I feel about the wars we are engaging in and the justification our country has made for getting involved. If love conquers all, why are we dropping bombs. If heaven is the place we really want to go, why are we killing people we fear? In Ephesians, we are given the tools we need for battle and I can’t remember where we get the bullets, grenades and bombs in the deal. Does it mean I’m a pacifist? It very well could. I’m already past agreeing with the death penalty in any form or fashion. Does it make me weak? Maybe in some eyes but it is where I’ll have to live on faith.

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Grace and peace to you.
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Kids and Hell

22 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in heaven, hell, love, Rob Bell

≈ 1 Comment

A compelling title? Two different subjects today.

Rob Bell has come out with a new book titled “Love Wins” and it seems he touches on the topic of hell and whether it is a literal place and the book seems to have started a firestorm of it’s own. I’ve heard from friends things being said online and read some stuff on Facebook and can’t help but wonder what difference it all makes.

I’ve heard people in the past rationalize their faith by saying something to this affect, “I rather follow God and find out there is no God than not follow God and find out hell is real.” I guess my thoughts today revolve around the knowledge that God is love (says so in the good book!) and I have become compelled to follow God and love him back because he LOVES me and gave his son for me. I can’t imagine loving my children simply because they are afraid of me and I can’t imagine God loving me if I was “loving” him just so I wouldn’t have to go to hell. I understand the consequences of bad actions because I got my fair share of spankings when I was a kid but I love my parents because they loved me, not because they had me cowering in fear.

All that to say, it’s sad to me when Satan wins a skirmish by getting Christ-followers up in arms about a book someone wrote debating something that isn’t completely spelled out in God’s word, at least not to my level of understanding. On the other hand, I do believe heaven is real, it’s the place where God exists and heaven is the place he has prepared for me and that’s where I want my focus (but it doesn’t mean I know what heaven is all about either).

I hope the arguments soon cease, that God is praised and glorified and that people who don’t know God will know that he loves them so much, he sent his only son to die that whoever believes in him will be saved.

Grace and peace to you.

The Fork

14 Tuesday Dec 2010

Posted by Seeking Peace in heaven, The Fork

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There are hundreds of variations to this story but they always ring true…

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There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her Pastor to discuss aspects of her final wishes.
She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral and what scriptures she wanted read and the clothes she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and as the Pastor was preparing to leave, the young woman said “There’s one more thing, one important thing. I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
The Pastor looked at the young lady not knowing what to say. Finally, he said “To be honest, I’m a little puzzled by the request.” The young woman explained, “I have always remembered being at the table for big meals, as the main course was cleared away, someone would lean over and remind me to ‘keep your fork’. It was my favorite part because I always knew something better was coming whether it was a chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie, something better was coming. So, when people see me in the casket I want them to wonder ‘what’s the fork for?’ and then I want you to tell them, ‘Keep your fork, the best is yet to come’.”
The Pastor’s eyes were full of tears as he hugged the young lady and said goodbye, knowing it might be the last time he saw her alive. He also knew she might well have a better grasp of heaven than he did at that moment.
At the funeral, the Pastor smiled as he saw many people look quizzically at the fork or ask someone next to them about it. During the service, he was able to share the story the young lady told him and saw the knowing look on each face that the young lady had reminded everyone there that the best was yet to come.

New Day, New Tune

01 Wednesday Dec 2010

Posted by Seeking Peace in heaven, jeremy camp, there will be a day

≈ 2 Comments

I read the 3rd chapter of 2 Peter with anticipation. I look forward to the Lord’s return and would prefer it be now rather than later. I am tired of this world. I’m tired of it’s hurting. I’m tired of it’s suffering. It’s not that I can’t find joy here but I like to imagine what waits for me there.

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we’ll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel your walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing….

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we’ll see Jesus face to face

There will be a day, He’ll wipe away the stains, He’ll wipe away the tears, He’ll wipe away the tears…..there will be a day.

The past few weeks have brought new challenges to my life, challenges that make me long for what is ahead. I am challenged to figure out who I am and it has brought some hard, hard moments for me and for people near me. I may write about some of those in the next 30 days, I may not. I have a journal where I keep my most raw, most vulnerable comments. I have a decision to make and I’m not sure where to go with it. Today, my plan is to shut the blog down at the end of this month and go a different direction and I’m not sure if I want to go out with feel-good theme or with some tough stuff. There are some who have told me this blog helped them and I am thankful for God giving me the words to do it. Others may have stopped by just to see the freak show unfold. I don’t know what the next 30 days will bring…or the days after that. But I do believe there will be a day and I long for it.

Grace and peace to you.