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Posts Tagged ‘Is there life after death?’

THIS IS WHAT MATTERS

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 11, 2023| 2 Comments »

I read it often online and it goes like this: “Even if this Jesus guy existed, why should I care about him? What difference could he possibly make in my life?”

Those are fair questions – in fact, before I decided to follow Jesus (who many people believe is the Son of God), those were MY questions. I examined Jesus’s existence here: https://wp.me/p2wzRb-g3. As for the rest, let me do my very imperfect best to answer.

If you sometimes struggle to find meaning, welcome to the club. I had a satisfying career, good friendships and no giant tragedies to scar me. I owned a house and car and had a romantic relationship. And yet…there was still an emptiness inside.

It’s hard to explain if you haven’t experienced it, but if you have, then you’ll understand that a cruise-control existence is NOT the path to happiness or satisfaction. At that point, I hope you become like me and look at this Jesus guy again. Especially if you’ve met a few Jesus followers and they seem to have a glow that can’t be dismissed as ignorant delusion.

Jesus told anyone willing to listen that “I am the way, the truth and the life“. He based that on the firm belief that He was (and is) God’s gift to a world desperate to find an unchanging truth and a sense of purpose. If you’re where I was at, then look into His claim with an open mind.

If you struggle to find forgiveness, you’re not alone. Many of us have done wrong things (or failed to do right things) that pester us like a fly in our ear. We’re able to continue our lives, but that nagging mosquito never leaves. In fact, there are times – when we allow ourselves to think about it – that we feel awful.

Are you’re tired of stuffing that emotion down, yet again, so you can keep shopping, working on your career, buying the newest iPhone and planning your next vacation? If your answer is yes, then investigate this Jesus guy. Talk to mature, respectful Jesus followers – ask questions and learn how they put Jesus at the centre of their days. And how that’s made a tremendous difference in their lives.

If you struggle with death, I can tell you right now that even some Jesus followers are with you. None of us has rock-solid proof that there’s something beyond 70+ years of eating, sleeping, working and wondering how rap/hip-hop ever became popular. 😉

That said, trusting in Jesus can provide you with confidence that there is more to come. And by following Him, that “more” is eternity in His presence where (as an ancient prophet wrote) “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”

As you consider this broken, struggling world, doesn’t that seem like something you can believe with firm assurance? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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THIS LIFE AND THE LIFE TO COME

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 11, 2017| Leave a Comment »

When I read this meme, helpfully created by an atheist, I started thinking hard about my spiritual path and about what Twain (1835-1910), the great American author/humourist/entrepreneur, had to say.

What “great” things have I given up in this life? Just look at the depiction of Twain in this meme. Can anyone credibly tell me smoking is a great thing?

As for alcohol (see the drink in his hand?), there is nothing in the original source biographies of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is God’s Son) that forbids enjoying the occasional beer or glass of wine.

Casual sex? Um, hasn’t the spread of sexually transmitted diseases taught us this isn’t necessarily the great thing that our culture says it is?

Money? God doesn’t forbid providing a comfortable life for people and their families. What He does frown upon is loving money more than people, more than honesty, more than integrity and more than generosity. In fact, one of Jesus’s earliest followers wrote “Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble”.

Power? There are all kinds of Jesus followers in important positions who are not corrupted by power. Just one example is John Tyson, chairman of the U.S. food giant Tyson Foods. He has served with several significant non-profit organizations, including the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependance.

Now, about the “mediocre things of an imaginary (life)”. Twain believed there is nothing beyond the existence you are I are living now — in other words, when we die, all that we are becomes nothing more than rancid worm food (sorry to be this blunt, but it’s necessary). Give this some serious thought; do you have this hopeless belief?

Consider the brokenness of our world — wars, human trafficking, man-made famines and ethnic cleansing. As far as I’m concerned, all this happens because people have rejected their creator, rejected the idea of a life beyond this one, and therefore believe they should do anything and everything to grab all the power, money and prestige they can.

If you’re willing to contemplate this ugly reality, then you might start to realize there MUST be something better than our 70-plus years on planet Earth.

And if you do that, you might question Twain’s opinion that what comes after this life is “mediocre”.

So how can you get in on the promise of a glorious life to come? It’s simple: God offers you the gift of His Son — His life, sacrificial death (for all the wrong things you’ve done and all the right things you’ve failed to do) and glorious resurrection.

Accept the gift. Commit yourself to learning about Jesus and what it means to love Him and follow Him. When you do that, He’ll come into your life and start to prepare you for eternity by slowly making you the kind of person He knows you can be.

Interested? Yes or now, comment below and let’s have a conversation.

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GOING BEYOND SCIENTIFIC PROOF

Posted in Me & The World, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2014| 12 Comments »

13+-+1-5I love this challenging quote. At the same time, I’m mystified as to why atheists consider it so credible, given that it was spoken by a man (definitely a brilliant man) who died in 1931. It’s hardly a stretch to write that there’s been a whole lot of research done since then.

Without getting into boring details of studies and terminologies (anyone who needs that stuff can certainly find it online), I’ll toss out a few interesting tidbits.

On life after death: In 1991, Pam Reynolds had a near-death experience while undergoing surgery for a brain aneurysm.

Reynolds was kept literally brain-dead by the surgical team for 45 minutes. Despite being clinically dead, when Reynolds was resuscitated, she described some amazing things — like interacting with deceased relatives.

According to Time magazine, as many as 18 percent of people brought back from death after a heart attack said they’d had a near-death experience.

On the existence of Heaven: In 2008, neurosurgeon Eben Alexander III suffered an E coli meningitis infection which attacked his brain and plunged him deep into a week-long coma. Brain scans showed that his entire cortex was not functioning.

Against all odds, Mr. Alexander woke up a week later. And he claimed to have experienced something extraordinary: a journey to Heaven.

In his book Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, he asserts that there is an eternity of perfect splendor awaiting us beyond the grave, complete with angels, clouds, and departed relatives.

On a personal God: The Internet is overflowing with blogs and articles from people who have experienced God in an intimate, personal way. So I’ll contribute two quotes:

  • “God even knows how many hairs you have on your head” (from one of the original source documents on the life of Jesus of Nazareth – even my wife, who knows me better than anyone, can’t make that claim).
  • “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I knew you” (passed along by an ancient prophet).

Granted, none of this is the scientific proof that many people demand. But let’s be honest: the creator and master of time, space and universe, who’s responsible for the air you are breathing right now, will ALWAYS be beyond proving or disproving.

God will ALWAYS be past our ability to fully comprehend. Looking for a metaphor? It would be like asking a porcupine to understand the theory of relativity.

So let’s look beyond this to what we CAN understand:

1. God created YOU.

2. God wants to have a personal, eternal relationship with YOU, but there’s a barrier in the way: the wrong things you’ve done (including living your life as if He doesn’t exist) and the right things you haven’t done.

3. You can never do enough to make up for the wrong things you’ve done and the right things you haven’t done.

4. You don’t have to. Jesus, who many people believe is God’s son, did the heavy lifting for you when he died to make up for the moral crimes of everyone who accepts Him and believes in Him.

5. All you need to do is accept the gift of Jesus; make Him your lord and saviour, so you can see your life transformed NOW and have eternal life with Him.

Does this make sense? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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