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Monday, September 30, 2019

ABSENCE OF CHOICE?






ABSENCE OF CHOICE?
 
An emergency may feel like the absence of choice.
The randomness of the world, the crazy chaos of life,
May seem like we’re being robbed of our safety,
 
But in those moments of darkness and fear, we call out,
To the light up ahead, to the people we love.
We steal back that choice, and we choose each other.
 
We choose friendship and family. We choose hope.
We choose joy. We choose to live.
So when the ground shifts beneath our feet,
And the storms rage around us,
It’s all these people that provide relief. And offer shelter.
 
This is how we save ourselves, by saving each other.
Because nobody, not anybody, has ever been saved alone.
 
- Unknown -
 

Saturday, September 28, 2019

100+ Things that (I Believe) Won’t Exist in Heaven

 
 

100+ Things that (I Believe) Won’t Exist in Heaven

Abandoned buildings                       Abortion                                     Abuse
Accidents                                         Addiction                                   Ailments
Air conditioners                                Airplanes                                    Alcohol
Amnesia                                           Anger                                         Annoyance
Argument                                         Assault                                       Atheism
Bad dreams                                     Bankruptcy                                 Bragging
Brutality                                           Bullets                                        Bullies
Cars                                                 Chaos                                        Cleaning supplies
Clocks                                              Coincidences                            Competition
Conflict                                            Corruption                                 Corruption  
Crime                                               Crisis                                        Criticism
Cruelty                                             Danger                                      Dangerous animals
Darkness                                         Debt                                          Decay
Deception                                        Deodorant                                  Deodorizer/air freshener
Depression                                      Discrimination                            Destruction
Deterioration                                   Devastation                                Disappointment
Discord                                           Discouragement                         Disease
Disorder                                          Disparagement                           Disrespect
Division                                          Divorce                                        Doubt
Drought                                          Drugs                                           Dust storms
Entropy                                           Envy                                            Extinction
Eyeglasses                                     Fear                                            Fraud
Frustration                                       Funeral homes                           Graffiti
Greed                                              Grief                                            Grudges
Guns                                               Harassment                                Hate
Hearing aids                                    Hoarding                                     Homelessness
Hospitals                                         Hunger                                        Ignorance
Illness                                             Immorality                                    Impatience
Inequality                                       Insect repellant                             Insincerity
Insurance                                       Isolation                                       Jealousy
Lawsuits                                        Lies                                               Light bulbs
Loneliness                                     Lost things                                    Luck
Malnutrition                                   Medical bills                                    Medical supplies
Misery                                           Mouthwash                                    Offensiveness
Oppressive governments              Outcasts                                        Overindulgence
Payroll                                           Payroll                                            Persecution
Pesticides                                      Pettiness                                       Poison
Politics                                          Pollution                                         Potholes
Poverty                                         Pride                                               Prisons
Protests                                         Racial division                               Regret
Restrooms                                     Riots                                              Sadness
Satan or his followers                   Selfishness                                     Shame
Showmanship                               Sin                                                 Social economic differences
Sorrow                                          Stress                                             Suffering
Suicide                                          Swearing                                       Tears of sadness
Telephones                                   The bad side of town                     Tobacco
Toothpaste                                    Ugliness in any form                     Uncertainty
Uncleanliness                                Unethicalness                               Unfairness
Unhappiness                                  Unrighteous dominion                  Unused scripture
Violations                                       Violence                                        Vitamins
War                                                Waste                                            Water purifiers
Weariness                                      Welfare                                          Worry

C.S. Lewis once said, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you’ll get neither.” Pondering the divine characteristics of heaven, as well as understanding the characteristics that won’t be attributes of God’s kingdom, can help us incorporate heavenly qualities and eliminate non-heavenly attributes in this life. It’s a wonderful thing to know that we can start preparing to live in heaven now by recognizing what heaven’s like, and what it’s not like – and then become proactive in building our homes and lives, families and communities accordingly.

The Savior and His prophets and apostles gave several glimpses of what His followers could look forward to when qualifying to live in heaven. One of my favorites came from Paul’s epistle to the saints in Corinth, found in 1 Cor. 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (also see Isa 64:4).


Wm. Calvin Hughes | September 21, 2019 | Lake Elsinore, California