Do You Ever Wonder?

Is God trying to tell us something lately? I think of the books I've recently read: Don Piper's 90 Minutes in Heaven, Todd Burpo's Heaven is for Real, Rob Bell's Love Wins, and, though I haven't read them yet-they're on my list: Bill Wiese's 23 Minutes in Hell and Kevin Malarkey's The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven...All of them seem to be urging us to wake up and pay attention--something seems to be happening. I believe God is wanting us to recognize the end isn't all that far off.

Example after example, story after story, of visits to heaven, encounters with Jesus, portraits painted by aetheists' children...I don't know what that speaks to you, but I'm sitting up and taking notice.

Now, I'm not gonna go on about this being 2012 and the end of the world is supposed to be later this year--even though that does sit in the back of my head and make me think, hmmm....just what were the Mayans trying to tell us? But, more importantly to me is what is being said in these books: the kingdom is coming, are you ready? I don't think God revealed the end of the world to the Mayan civilization, or Nostradamus, or any other human being or culture...

Maybe it's not even 'The End' but rather the New Beginning...For certain, it's something. End of times prophecy scares the bejeebers out of me--the destruction of the earth, fire, earthquakes, floods and devastation, entire thirds of the world population being wiped out...Then, reading these books paints quite a different picture...of heaven and of peace, inconceivable beauty beyond imagination....the immeasurable love of God.

I think maybe it's high time we started really paying attention...and being sure we're prepared. The bridegroom comes....