Stairway to Heaven

This image immediately brought to mind stairway to heaven. Though I am certain that most people have heard this idiom used (Googling yielded over 15 million results), I would guess many do not know where it truly originated.

In the book of Genesis, while on a journey to find a wife, Jacob had a dream about a stairway that reached to heaven. In his dream, the Lord told Jacob that the land on which he slept would belong to him and his descendants. How awesome a dream to have! 

But not everyone has such vivid dreams. And that doesn't matter because God's word is filled with promises that God makes to people.

Read the bible and you will find a wealth of promises like blessings for wisdom or protection.

What's the catch? God wants us to believe in Him and truly seek Him out. He is all powerful. He wants to spend eternity with us. As the apostle John wrote "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life".

God made the ultimate promise with the ultimate sacrifice, His only Son, Jesus. Personally, I can imagine how hard it is to lose a son. BUT God didn't just lose His Son, He gave His Son so that people could live. AND, His Son complied with His wishes because He wants people to be in heaven for eternity as well.

Wow, I don't know about you, but, just like the hike that brought me to this place, this image helps me to stay focused on the hope for salvation that I have through our Lord Jesus. I hope it does the same for you.

Election 2012

How I admire the people who have this display in their yard. Their bold statement speaks volumes not only of the wonderful gift of salvation through Jesus but also of the wonderful blessing it is to live in a country where we have freedom of expression.

Though at times we may disagree with other viewpoints, this right is one of the characteristics that defines the excellence of the United States.
However,  the current trend seems that in the effort to establish social identity, some groups inadvertently limit their members to fitting into their box instead. Why do any of us have to be categorized in that manner. Though it human nature to make sense of the world around us, why can't a person be measured by merit alone?

This country was founded on the precept that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  Sadly, many people do not agree with our forefathers. The hegemony of American pop culture has led to the redefinition of core values that the founding fathers lived by. The result is that in an effort to establish that which is already an American right, other people are categorized and scrutinized.
Regardless of the results of tonight's 2012 elections, I pray for the continuance of freedom of expression.