Welcome Committee

Hello friends! Hope this finds you smiling and well......

I thought I would give a nice greeting seeing as though I am going to talk about being greeted and welcomed. But not when you visit someone's home, a retail store or a church service. The Ultimate Greeting.....when we enter Heaven.

I mentioned that we had the privilege of listening to Don Piper speak at our church last month. He spoke about his 90 minutes in Heaven following a horrific car crash. He describes "the celestial greeting committee, the swoosh of angels wings, and the myriads of sounds"

OK, so some say that this might be taken too literal from The Book of Revelations.....but I am happy believing that Heaven is nothing short of AMAZING! Remember, I am a children's bible reader....I believe the Bible literally.....and I am planning on dancing on those Streets of Gold!

But we can discuss that later, one of the things that really intrigued me was when he spoke about who was "at the gates" in that greeting committee......the people whom he knew personally that were ready to welcome him into The Kingdom.

He said that he saw the people in his family that he expected.....his grandparents, close friends and a pastor who had passed before him.....along with people he didn't expect to be greeted by such as a woman who lived in his neighborhood when he was growing up. This woman was the neighborhood woman who took in many foster children. Her station wagon was always packed every Sunday for church, but she still made her rounds in the neighborhood squeezing in any child who didn't have a way to get there. He said that the people who greet you in Heaven are people who have had an impact on getting you closer to God in your life, whether you realize it or not.

So I thought about that.....hmmmmmm, well I know there will be my bestest friend Lili who brought me to that first church service where I just knew this was the God/worship that I have been longing for. (hopefully not implying that she is going first!).....and I know Josh's grandmother, Ruth, will be there.....what a strong woman of faith. I remember an old friend of my parents whose home always had worship music playing and had constant reminders of God's love displayed. There are so many people that I love to surround myself with today who are positive influences and keep me held accountable with my walk of faith. There are people who have graciously given forgiveness for when I have wronged them.....or have reached out to help knowing I would never be able to "return" the favor. I also have listened to many testimonies of people/preachers who have catapulted my faith to the next level. Come to think about it......I am pretty darn sure that many of my blogging friends (that would be you!) will be there too. It might have just been that one post that hit me like a ton of bricks and inspired me......caused me to dig even deeper into The Word.

.....oh crud! This is hard to explain without placing a sentence of death right now on people.

OK, let me switch gears here......

Let me ask you this......if what Don Piper says is true......

(which I do believe.... Who am I to doubt a man who was pronounced dead by four EMTs? A man who was crushed and dismembered. And although he spent 100 days in the hospital and endured over 30 painful surgeries....had no internal or brain injuries and is walking with full use of every body part preaching The Good News of hope and faith. )

.....than who are you going to welcome into The Kingdom? Whose lives have you touched and/or are you touching that are bringing them closer to God? Whose life have you planted that "seed" in? Who have you shown the love of Jesus to? Have you changed someone's outlook for their own life? Who have you brought hope to in their time of darkness? Who have you truly prayed for, even if they didn't know it?

I, for one....want to be busy in Heaven with a list of people to greet. Again, keeping this as upbeat as you can when talking about dying.....but seriously. Wouldn't it be great to have your schedule full in Heaven because you are constantly needed at The Gates? I don't know about you, but I want to be on that committee, in fact....let me go so far as to say, I want to be one of the directors! HA!

But that can only happen when we make this a priority in our lives.....right now, while we are here on earth. So whether you believe in Piper's story is irrelevant. The fact is, as Believers we are called to be Disciples. We are called to pray for the sick, give hope to the hopeless and help find the lost. I cannot imagine that these people will not be revealed to us when we get to kick back and chill out with Jesus. (yes, that is my visual/idea on being up in Heaven....hanging out, and like my friend Jennifer's blog title says.....getting down with Jesus.)

So things to think about and please feel free to share. I'd love to hear about those special people in your life that you can be sure will be greeting you. What did they say or do that brought you closer to God?

And on the flip side.....Let's think about who we are impacting in our daily walk. How many people are you bringing/directing towards Heaven? Maybe today is the day that you have the opportunity to add to your Heaven Hospitality list.

Have a beautiful day......enjoy the SONshine!

~*Michelle*~

And that's my final answer.....

So this weekend we got the opportunity to listen to Don Piper speak at our church. He wrote about his amazing testimony of his death experience (not near death....death, as in white sheet over his dismembered body for 90 minutes) in his book, 90 Minutes in Heaven.

Here is a little recap from his website:

In 1989, Don was on his way back from a church conference when an 18-wheeler struck his Ford Escort head on. He was killed instantly - pronounced dead by four sets of EMTs. Shortly after the accident, a pastor from the same conference arrived on the scene and began praying for "the man in the red car." God worked a miracle and sent Don back to a broken body. To date, 34 surgical procedures have taken place. He walks only as a result of miraculous and in some cases medically unexplainable circumstances. During the time he was dead, Piper was granted the extreme privilege of glimpsing Heaven itself.


This book has sold over 2.7 million copies and he now travels all over the world sharing his message of hope and healing. It was totally awesome!

Don touched upon so many important things we really need to think and pray about. He believes that we all have that second chance right now to live the life that God has called us to live. To treat people the way they should be treated. To make the best choices.....and to show others The Way as well.

There was one thing that he spoke about that really stuck with me.

He was reminding us that God is still in the miracle business and said that God always answers our prayers. Period.

Sometimes the answer is "yes", sometimes it is "later".....sometimes it is "I've got even more than you are asking for".....

.....sometimes, that answer is just "no". Because "no" still is an answer, is it not?

*sinking feeling in stomach*

It is not because God wants to withhold anything from us.....He loves us very much. I am pretty sure the reason the answer is "no" is just for that reason. He knows what is best for us.....even when we don't understand. I've had a few no's in my life.......many I am thankful that God knew what he was doing in the "answering prayers" department! But if I am going to keep it real.....I have been told "no" a few times these past few years and it's left me wondering why.

So what do you do when God's answer is "no"?

As you ponder that thought........I'll leave you with this beautiful poem by Claudia Minden Weisz

And God Said No

I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said, "No."
He said it is not for Him to take away,
but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,
And God said, "No."
He said her spirit is whole,
Her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said, "No."
He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation,
it isn't granted, it's earned.

I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said, "No."
He said He gives blessings,
Happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said, "No."
He said, "Suffering draws you apart from worldly
cares and brings you closer to Me."

I asked God to make my spirit grow,
And God said, "No."
He said I must grow on my own,
but He will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God if He loved me,
And God said, "Yes."
He gave me His only Son who died for me,
and I will be in Heaven someday because I believe.

I asked God to help me love others,
as much as He loves me.
And God said,

"Ah, finally you have the idea."

I'd love to hear your thoughts on hearing "no".....

Have a great day......and remember to live today to it's fullest!

xox
*~Michelle~*