In Memory of Paul

"I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by your side. I can only imagine what my eyes will see when your face is before me. Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall. Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine... When that day comes and I find myself standing in the Son. I can only imagine when all I will do is forever, forever worship you." - Mercy Me
Paul, my brother passed away this June. When I hear the song "I Can Only Imagine" I can see Paul in the presence of Jesus, dancing and worshiping. His pain gone, a broad smile across his face. I've pondered many times why God took Him? I wondered if God took him because of the pain he was undeniably in? The pain the had wrecked thru his body since the motorcycle accident that should have taken his life. I've always believed that things happen because "gravity works" and while we are in this world we are subject to physics. However I know that God can intervene. Roger, my husband believes that God's timing is so that our souls are prepared. To spare us from an entaglement of sin or a worse situation in the future. I think those last months of Paul's life were times in which God spoke to Paul. We are so busy living this life that sometimes we don't think about eternity. Paul's life was stopped in it's tracks. Because of his accident he recognized his need for God in his life again. As he wrote in a letter to me "Lorie, Remember when I was 15 or 16 and I felt like God wanted me to be a preacher? Well anyway, I felt so good inside. I wish I could feel that way again."
My peace is from knowing that he was prepared and his pain is gone. He also feels good inside again!

Relativism v/s Absolute Truth

"Relativism- a theory that knowledge is relative to the limited nature of the mind and condition of knowing; a view that ethnical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them." Merrium-Websters Collegiate Dictionary 10th edition. As in the poem "The Blind Men and The Elephant" -A Hindoo Fable by John Godfrey Saxe, three blind men approached an elephant, one his trunk, one his tusk and one his leg, each believing "this is a snake" "a spear", "a tree". When in truth only the story teller knew the truth. I believe God is the story teller in the story of life. The Bible is the guidebook of life. If we chose to believe it we must weigh its truths. Acts 17:11"...and they searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so." I think God has given us a guide to what will give us the best possible life. If we don't lie we don't jeopardize our character and people trust us. If we don't steal or covet we won't become greedy and will earn what we have. If we don't commit adultery or murder we won't hurt others and ourselves. Treating our bodies as a temple of God we won't subject ourselves to STDs, lung cancer, addictions. These and others are Biblical guidelines. These are not just there to shock people into moral conduct. Relativism is the opposite of absolute truth. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." John 8:32 Truth is that which is real, complete and unchanging. We can't trust in science since it is always changing. Society is always changing. What is normal is always changing. But we can trust in Jesus Christ. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Hebrew 13:8