Friday, May 20, 2011

It's the End of the World As We Know It...

....and I don't believe it for a minute!

With all this rapture stuff out there saying that supposedly tomorrow Jesus will rapture his church and the world will go into tribulation, I felt like I needed to put my 2 cents out there.

First of all, this Harold Camping person is an idiot.  If you follow him and like him, I apologize for that statement, but to me it's the truth.  He has claimed to figure out when the rapture is going to happen based on scripture interpretation and numerology.  Okay, so he did that.  What about the fact the Bible clearly says in Matthew 24:36 & 42:  “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father...Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."?  So since Harold Camping knows when the rapture will be, then I guess he's God?  We are warned in the Bible of false prophets.

As a Christian, this kind of stuff infuriates me.  When Sunday comes along and everything is just fine, then what?  He will look like an idiot and give Christianity a black eye.  CNN had a great blog post relating to this.  Read it here.

I read an article on MSNBC.com written back in January about this.  Of all the things and people interviewed in this article, what bothered me the most was this line:

"If May 21 passes and I'm still here, that means I wasn't saved. Does that mean God's word is inaccurate or untrue? Not at all," Warden said.

Once you ask Jesus into your heart and accept Him as your Savior, you are saved.  Forever.  And ever.  Until the end of time.  Basically, once saved always saved.  My heart breaks for this man if he truly believes what he said.  No where in the Bible does it say you have to keep getting saved again in order to be truly saved.

Okay, so what if the rapture does indeed happen tomorrow?  I know without a shadow of a doubt that myself, my girls, my husband, my friends and my family are all going to the same place – Heaven.  So if Jesus came Saturday to take us up to paradise, here is what I would do:

1.   Stand in line and have my judgment for what I did and didn’t do during my time on Earth.
2.   Find my grandpa and give him the biggest hug I’ve ever given him.
3.   Attend the family reunions that would be taking place and meeting relatives that went before my time.
4.   Help the girls find their friends, who would be there somewhere with their families.
5.   Get my comfy chair and my never-ending supply of Diet Coke (yes, I think Heaven would have it) and sit in the edge of Heaven and watch and pray for the people left behind.

In all seriousness, if Jesus did come back tomorrow, where would you be?  I know some people put no stock in religion.  It’s a MAJOR part of my life and I truly hurt for those who I know would not be joining me.  I hope with all the media going on about Harold Camping that people do start reading their Bible and going to church.  It will be an amazing day when we all go to Heaven and see the Father on His throne in all His glory.  I hope you’re with me J

Thursday, May 5, 2011

There Once Was A Man

There once was a man born on June 4, 1926 and was the second youngest in this family.
And married his sweetheart after dating six weeks and was married to for 61 years.

There once was a man who was a Army Veteran who proudly served in World War 2 recovering things from Hitler's hideout.

Hot Springs, Arkansas 1945

There once was a man who was the father of Richard, Linda, Pam and Albert.
And a pet or two.
And grandpa to Lee, Scot, Michael, Melissa, Brian, Mandy, Christi, Alvin, Maddie and Morgan.
And great-grandpa to Christopher, Jacob, Sam, Ansley, Parker, Joseph, Jacob, Sara, Claire and Allie (and after his death, Luke, Olivia, Rylan, Eliza, Mason, Ava, Addison and Anna Kate).

There once was a man who not only was an insurance man but a Southern Baptist Minister.

There once was a man who loved his family with all his heart.
Who took his grandkids fishing.
And to auctions.
And hunting.
And the lake.
And to church.

There once was a man who like to sing "Pretty Good".

There once was a man who suffered from Parkinson's Disease for over 20 years.
And refused to let it consume him.

There once was a man who loved the Lord with all his heart and opened his eyes to Heaven on May 5, 2005.


My grandpa was a remarkable man who I dearly loved and cherished.  I miss him everyday.  I still haven't gotten over his death.  I know without a doubt I will see him again one day.  Every time I hear an old hymn at church, I have to choke back tears.  The memories of spending weeks of the summer with him and my grandma (who celebrated her 88th birthday yesterday!) will stay with me forever - going to church, walking around the Mingo Wildlife reserve, eating at Taco Bell (LOL - inside joke), dinners at Hickory Log and so forth.

My grandparents and I on my wedding day, May 18, 2002


On our annual visit grandpa's grave - July 2010

Most people are celebrating Cinco de Mayo today, but for me, today I am wishing my grandpa a happy 6th Heaven birthday.

p.s.  Mom, I know you are reading this and I'm sorry for making you cry - I know you are :)