Ready ...or not, here I come!

When I was a little girl, we played a game called Hide and Go Seek! My brother, my sisters and I would take turns seeking while the others hid and the count down would begin, "Ten, nine, eight..." and you could hear excited giggles as we all scampered to our secret hiding places, hoping not to be discovered. Then the final call, "Ready or not, here I come!" And before long someone would look behind the couch or in the closet and we would be found!

Jesus is not playing a little game with us, but I can assure you that the count down has already begun. The time is ticking! As we hear that count down, we need to be preparing ourselves, not to hide, but to be found! Not to duck behind a closed door or big piece of furniture; we are to let our light shine! We are called out to sound the alarm! This is a warning for the lost and dying world, but it's an exciting time for the born-again believer who is letting Christ lead their life!

Matthew 24:3-14
And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

Just imagine for a moment, the opportunity these disciples had here. This is a BIG moment. They are alone with Jesus and they get to ask Him the same question that many people still ask today. When are You coming back Jesus? Tell us some signs to look for so we can know what to watch for!

And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ: and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

We can turn on the radio and hear about wars and rumors of wars right now. But Jesus said not to be troubled by that because these things have to happen. Then He says but that's not the end! We are to be careful that no one deceives us into saying they are Jesus. I know in my lifetime there have been several cases of hundreds of people believing a lie that a man was Jesus, and they died in that deception! Sound the alarm!!!

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Again, turn on the news channel, pick up a newspaper, or look online at social media; you will find these things are happening. There are earthquakes in different places, even places they have not had earthquakes at in years! Listen carefully! Can you hear the count down?

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

If the world cannot see this part of scripture being fulfilled every single day it is because Satan has blinded them! More and more rights are being taken away from Christians. If we serve Jesus and stand by the Word of God we are called haters, intolerant, and offensive! Nations of this world hate us not because we are American but because we are Christian! We are targeted but Jesus told His disciples and He is telling us that this is going to happen before He comes back. Well, if it is already happening, then don't you think the time is drawing to a close?

And many false prophets shall rise, and deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

This is already happening in our world today. Men and women stand up claiming to be a messenger of God and spew lies and half-truths from their platforms. Watered down messages and compromises will never change hearts and will never change lives. Only God's Holy infallible world can reach a dying, hurting world and turn them around! And because of all the sin that will be in abundance, the love of many will turn cold. This has happened, too. The compassion and love for one another, for humanity, has turned into pure hatred if you believe anything contrary to the world! You must blend in or be ripped to shreds! But there is good news!!!!!

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

I am not God. I do not know how far the good news of the Kingdom of God has spread. I know that technology continues to increase and communication is better now than it has ever been. In an instant, we can speak to millions of people through social media platforms, televised events, and satellite technology. I do know that the end is very near! That is not scary! That is great news for those of us who strive to make Heaven our Home! Jesus is coming back and the ones that make it until the end will be saved!

Don't give up! Don't give in! Don't compromise! Don't settle! Read the Word of God ever single day. Stay in prayer and keep Your heart in tune with God. Because before we realize it, we are going to hear the announcement, "Ready ...or not, here I come!" We don't want to be left waiting around, hearing about how masses of people have suddenly disappeared from the earth with no explanation!

If you are not a Christian, and you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart, you can do that right now. You don't have to be in a church, or even at an altar. Just believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on a cross to save you. Confess that you believe that and then ask Him to come into your heart. Ask Him to save you and set you free. He already paid the debt for your sin at Calvary. It is free! All you have to do is invite Him into your heart and trust Him to help you through. Ask Him to forgive you and tell Him that you recognize you are a sinner, lost and undone. If you call upon the Name of the Lord with faith, you will be saved! Jesus wants to take you Home with Him. He is coming back ready or not.... please get ready!

~Bridgett

It's in the journey, not in the destination...

I was supposed to meet my father-in-law at a specific time so I could pick up my children. He was kind enough to meet me in town so I didn't have to drive all the way to his house to get them. I made sure that I had plenty of time to get there and started towards town. As I was coming up the road, I noticed traffic was backed up pretty far. The road curved around and I was unable to see what was holding up the traffic. I was approaching the traffic, now at a stand-still, and decided I would just try to take a side road and hopefully I would come out on the other side of whatever was holding up the traffic. I felt like I was so smart for remembering the other way. I was not alone. Apparently others felt like it was a good idea and they started going that way, too. We all met a line of cars that were completely stopped as well and I saw that the line of cars was backed up a lot further than I thought! I called my mother-in-law to see if she knew of a reason the traffic was backed up and not moving. She didn't know, but it really had me thinking that this situation is really very similar to how I handle things in life.

Right now things are kind of at a stand still, you could say, in our hunt for a home of our own. I can imagine the road is similar to the path to home ownership. There are lots of people in the same boat that I am in, but instead of waiting it out and staying on course, I try to take these side roads. I want to call someone and see if they know of ways I can get things moving again. I am impatient and I do not like to wait. I want to hurry ahead and get the house and move in, not even waiting to see what God has in store for me. He threw me a curve that is blinding the road ahead so I cannot clearly see all the obstacles in my way. He wants me to trust Him, to ask Him, to wait for Him. I am just getting so anxious but He wants me to just pray and ask Him for the blessing of a home of our own, and then to patiently wait for Him to answer me. The asking is not the problem, I am okay with that. It is the waiting that is hard!

Philippians 4:6 says "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." This is such an interesting verse to me. First it says for us to not be careful for anything. Careful people drive slower in the rain, snow, or ice. Careful people act in certain ways because of what they think might happen or could happen. They want to figure things out first. They aren't walking by faith and not by sight. They are observing things around them and then letting the circumstances dictate what they do, instead of letting what God has said about their circumstances dictate what they do. Wow! That is a really great message, God! I am listening!!

Notice it says don't be careful, but instead... in EVERY thing, not some things, or the hard things, or the things you can't figure out, but in EVERY thing by PRAYER... that means we have to go to God and have a conversation. We are to talk to God, our Heavenly Father, and let Him speak to us through the Holy Spirit and His Holy Word! The verse says prayer, which is something that I really do not have an issue with. I want to pray to God. I enjoy my prayer time. But watch this, the verse says AND supplication. It is not enough to just pray. 

What is supplication? It is "the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly." So prayer is an action and supplication is an action. Both of these things are an effort on your part. Yes, the Lord knows what we have need of before we even ask, but He still wants us to ask. This is how we begin to rely on Him. So we are to ask or beg. Now it is getting serious. We have to really want something if we are going to beg for it. I think of people begging for their life, begging for another chance, begging for food... but that is the attitude we must have when we ask something from our Heavenly Father. How bad do we really want our loved ones saved? How bad do we really want our church to grow? How bad do we really want to change our community? How bad do I really want a home? We ask or beg for something earnestly and humbly. Earnestly means sincerely, intensely, or seriously. This is a big thing to God! He is not a spiritual Santa Claus ready to hand out gifts and things we have on our wish list at our beck and call. God desires a relationship! He wants to be your partner! He wants to work with you! Humbly means you are showing no signs of pride or self-assertion. This is really not about you!

We are created to love, serve, and worship God. He has sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and that really should be enough! He rose from the dead and now we have freedom from our sins and eternal life when we choose to follow Him. He sent the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, to us so we can learn more about who Jesus is. God freely gives us wisdom and knowledge of the scriptures when we ask Him. But the material things we pray about are not the most important things. Serving Him is important. Our attitude when we enter our prayer time is important. Our desire to love Him and follow Him even if we do not get the things we prayed for is important.

I am learning right now that getting a home of my own is not the most important thing for my family. Our salvation, our walk with God, our relationship with our King, is the most important thing and that matters here where we live right now, and it will matter wherever God chooses to allow us to live later. This life, our society, this country that I am so blessed to live in, can really throw some serious distractions at me and skew my world view. I need to look through the lens of scripture at the blessings around me and remember it doesn't matter what obstacles are blocking my progress in this moment. I do not need to know what is around the curve. I need to trust that my Lord and Savior will help me and He will get me to the exact place I need to be at the exact moment I am supposed to be there and the journey is so much more important than the destination!

I will choose to allow the Lord to bless me in the middle of turmoil. I will seek to find His face and not His hands as I stumble through these struggles. I will look for solace in Him and Him alone when I feel weak and grow impatient at the lack of progress I think I am making. I will choose to use the Word of God and not the distance on this journey to determine my progress. I am nothing without the Lord and I will THANK the Lord for the wonderful things He has already done for me. I will THANK the Lord for the wonderful things He is about to do for me! I will let Him know the desires of my heart and if He chooses to give me those things or keep them from me, I will know it is for my good and for His glory! He is so faithful! I love Him!

~Bridgett

The Power of One

Gideon had an army. These men were well versed in the art of battle. These were no amateurs. The army was strong and there were many men serving under Gideon. But, we Christians know, after reading God's Word, that God does not ever use big numbers to make a big impact. Remember the loaves and fishes? How about the widow's mites? So it really should be of no big surprise that God was not satisfied with the size of Gideon's army to fight against the Midianites.

Judges 7:2

And the LORD said unto Gideon, "The people that are with thee are too many

for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt (boast in)

themselves against Me saying, 'Mine own hand hath saved me.'"

God is a jealous God and He enjoys showing us how BIG and MIGHTY He really is. He wants to fight for us! Exodus 14:14 says, The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. God can take care of you and God can take care of me. We do not need to get caught up in the numbers of it all.

So, God starts putting Gideon's army through a series of tests and when He is done there will be NO POSSIBLE WAY Gideon and his men can defeat their enemy! It's going to take God to pull them through this battle to get the victory! That's what God wants...so we can trust Him and rely on Him. He was teaching Gideon and his army a very valuable lesson that would serve them well, and not only those men but all who read this passage of scripture.

The first test is God eliminates fear. He says tell anyone who is scared to go back home. God cannot work with fear, He operates in faith. Gideon tells those who are fearful and afraid they can leave and 22,000 men pack their bags and head home. The army is reduced to 10,000 soldiers and God said that was still too many men!

Next God eliminates the non-observant. God calls us to watch and be sober. He instructs Gideon to take the men to the water and have them take a drink. Some of the men put their hand to their mouth to take a drink, but the rest bowed down on their knees to drink. God picks the ones who brought their hand to their mouth and that was only 300 men! That's all, just 300 men stayed and 9,700 men were sent back home!

God kept His Word and delievered the Midianites into the hands of Gideon's army! It would be foolish for those men to claim the credit for this win. It was by the strength of God alone and His directions that the battle was won.

You see it was never a numbers game. God wanted to show the army what He could do. He wanted to help them see that when they serve Him and lean on Him, He will get them through the toughest battles.

Maybe you look at life as a popularity contest. You want as many "friends" as you can get on Facebook. You want a large following on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media sites. You want thumbs up, clicks, likes, shares, and you feel that if you don't have as many as the next person then you are not good enough. Maybe you are never picked to help with group projects or sports activities in P.E. at school. You may be the person who eats lunch alone, never feeling like you have anything to say that is worth hearing. Maybe you don't even feel like you matter. You feel invisible. I have some good news for you...you are worth more than diamonds!

God loves you with an everlasting love. He sent His only Son Jesus to die on a cruel, old rugged cross to pay for the sins you committed. He gave His life's blood to set you free. You may feel like you are up against an army that is as numerous as the sands of the sea, like Gideon (verse 12) but God is greater than your need. He has the answer to all of your problems. Trust Him. Let Him take you through this battle, helping you see your worth, and ask Him to use you to help those around you. You see, God picked Gideon to lead this army. He helped all of the men in the battle but He used Gideon, one man, to lead the way. Gideon followed God's orders and did as He was instructed. As a result, all of the 300 men were victorious. It wasn't Gideon's victory, it was the entire army's victory.

In verse 20 it says they all cried "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon." They knew who was going to help them through. They put God first. They proclaimed it loud! Maybe you need to proclaim The sword of the LORD and of (insert your name)! Read the end of the book of Revelations. God's people win! He wins! God will bring you the victory too. He is bringing me victory in so many different areas of my life and I am going to use today's message for strength to get me through another battle!

I Corinthians 15:57-58

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding

in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

~Bridgett

Power Over Fear

There is no doubt that we are living in the end of times. Everywhere we look we can see turmoil, trouble, destruction, and pain. Turning on the evening news to watch for even a short time can leave us feeling uncertain, depressed, even afraid. There are wars, rumors of wars, and talk of weapons of mass destruction that our enemies have threatened us with. It can seem bleak, but there is hope! We do not have to feel defeated and discouraged. God has given us His Word and His Word will stand! Jesus said in Matthew 24:15 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. That's good news! No matter what we are facing, no matter the battle, no matter how hopeless it feels, there is a way out my friend! God has not given us the spirit of fear, but instead He has empowered us to live by faith! Please watch this video and may God encourage you today as we read His Word together!

Christian Filling Station

I grew up in a little church that people often referred to as "The Filling Station." I was pretty young at the time and wasn't sure what they meant. How could our church be compared to a gas station? So I asked my grandmother what they meant by that and she explained it to me. She said those people who visited our church on Friday nights usually had their home church they attended on Sundays. Ministers and laymembers alike would come to our church and say the same thing. They always felt like they could get refueled at our church.

Now our church was nothing fancy. We didn't even have an indoor bathroom. That didn't make any difference to those who stopped in to fellowship with us. The real reason they came was to experience something that few other churches offered...a real encounter with God! Don't get me wrong, I am not saying our church was the only church who had it right, but many churches had their rituals and routines. So often formal churches schedule everything into the service except for God to have His way. Members know when to say amen, what hymns to sing, and can even follow along with the minister as he gives a sermon. I believe you have to have order and structure because you will create chaos and confusion if that is lacking and God will not be able to work in that situation. I Corinthians 14:33 says "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." But there's something wrong when you walk in the door of the church and right back out after service is over and you are not changed. There needs to be something more than a gathering of individuals with similar beliefs meeting at the same time each week and going through the same motions time after time and no change takes place.

Our church believes in the power of prayer. We know that prayers changes people and prayer changes things! God is in control of everything! If He allows us to go through a trial or set of circumstances it is for a purpose. He is trying to help us to grow and become the men and women of God He wants us to be. Sometimes when our brothers and sisters from other churches were weary from the spiritual warfare they were battling in their own lives, it was a source of refreshing to come to our church and lay their burdens down. The atmosphere was a little more casual and the focus was on God not each other.

I was at the gas station pumping gas when the Lord started speaking to me about how He wants His church to be a filling station for Christians and non-Christians alike. I want to share what He spoke into my spirit as I filled up my gas tank and I hope you will be able to take something away from this and maybe turn your place of worship into a filling station as well.

First of all, God reminded me of the times I had seen the gas stations so full that each pump had cars lined up waiting for their turn to fuel up. What caused the rush to that station? Generally it was because the cost of gasoline was dropped significantly lower than the competition. It was advertised on a big sign for all to see. What kind of advertisement does our church have? What signs are we holding up in our day to day lives? How are we living our life at work, with friends, at family functions, or even when we think no one is looking? We should live our lives in such a way that others would stop and take notice. They would see something unique and special about us, something they would want for themselves.

When those gas prices drop low, I will admit I quickly call/text my close family members and tell them where I got gasoline and how cheap it was. I encourage them to hurry on over and fill their tanks up, too. It's a great value and I don't want them to miss out on it. Do we as Christians ever do that? Do we ever call or text a friend or family member about the amazing life-changing things God is doing for us? Do we encourage them to walk with God and be saved? Are we telling them how wonderful our Lord is so that they don't miss out?

Next, God showed me how people were patient enough to wait in line for something they felt was worth waiting on. They weren't sure when they would be able to get gas for themselves, but they wanted it bad enough to wait for it. They could see the pump ahead of them and they could count the cars in front of them, yet they didn't move because they didn't want to lose their place.

It reminds me of the five foolish virgins in the Bible. Do you remember that? Matthew 25:1-13 where it says: 1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6. And at midnight there was a cry made, 'Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.' 7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8. And the foolish said unto the wise, 'Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.' 9. But the wise answered, saying, 'Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.' 10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' 12. But He answered and said, 'Verily I say unto you, I know you not.' 13. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. The wise virgins didn't want to lose their place in line for the bridegroom. They are like the people who want to get a good deal on the gasoline prices. They want to wait their turn.

Another thing God dealt with me about is that we are all at different levels. When we are the gas station some people just want to top off their tank. They are not even close to running out of gasoline but they want to make sure they have a full tank for whatever journey they are on. Some may not be able to afford a full tank of gasoline so they just get whatever they can to make it as long as they can before needing to refuel. Others are skimming by nearly on fumes. They just hope they don't run out before it's their turn at the pump.

Christians are a lot like that. You have some Christians in the church who just seem to have a full walk with God. They wake up reading the Word, praying, and asking God for direction for their day. They fill up first thing in the morning so they can be sure they won't run out of gas regardless of where their path leads them. They are wise.

Some Christians are struggling along. Maybe they haven't been saved long. They don't understand a lot of scriptures, but they want something from God. They aren't running on a full tank but they are trying. They are in line. They see the value of walking with God and they want to get to the point where they are filled to overflowing.

Then there are those in the church who are fair-weather Christians. Blowing by life without taking the time to properly fill up. They rarely look at the gas gauge to see if they need to fill up or not. Barely getting by on fumes, running until they are just about out of gas, and then start praying they can make it up to the pump to get more. They are the ones who constantly pray at the altar for deliverance under the conviction of God, but turn around and they live however they want through the rest of the week. God will not always strive with man. It will be the time to make a decision one day and they should hope they do not wait too long.

Our filling station should not just be a church. It shouldn't be a one time each week experience. Each day we should talk to God through prayer. We need to hear from Him and that is done by reading God's Word, the Holy Bible. Throughout the day we need to be monitoring the condition of our heart (looking at the gas gauge). Did we offend someone when we said something in anger? Were we rude to the person ahead of us in line? Were we salt and light to the world? Did we think to pray, or start our day in a hurry and left God out altogether? I remember a poem that really makes this point clear:

No Time To Pray

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

and heavier came each task,

"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.

He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

but the day toiled on gray and bleak;

I wondered why God didn't show me;

He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence;

I used all my keys at the lock;

God gently and lovingly chided,

"My child you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning,

and paused before entering the day;

I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.

Author Grace L. Naessens

In order to stay fueled up, we must read God's Word. We must study it every day and pray fervently. We will grow much closer to God if we will take the time for Him. I read a sign one time that said, "What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you were thankful for today?" What if God would give you the same amount of time that you give to Him. Would you find yourself being ignored? Would you ever cross His mind? Would you have any time together? God loves you so much that He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son to die on the cross at Calvary for our sins. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. Pray and get filled up. He will meet your needs. He is much greater than any need you will ever have.

~Bridgett

Before & After

For some reason I always enjoy watching shows or looking at pictures that show what something looked like to begin with and then later reveals what the person or thing looks like after. I am fascinated with this!

Once I saw a talk show where they had a special guest on their show. They showed a picture of this guy and he was really scruffy and dirty. His beard was long and bushy. His hair hadn't been cut in years. He looked as though he might be homeless. So they took this guy and did a transformation and what a difference they made! He did not look like the same man at all. He was clean shaven, hair washed and cut, and they had nice clothing on him. He looked years younger and like a completely new man!

I often watch those television programs where someone takes a house that is a complete wreck and flip it. One show I watched featured a house that was so gross I did not see how they could find the potential in it. There was broken windows, stained up walls and floors. The carpet was nasty. There was spray paint all over everything. Someone had taken cement and poured it down the toilet and bathtub drains. It was a disaster! But this young couple bought the home and saw the vision for it. They hired a team and they actually turned that house into a beautiful home. It was like a diamond in the ruff!

This morning as I was getting ready for the day, I was listening to the Bible on my cell phone. It kind of just came to me why I like those kinds of before and after stories. I am one of them! So are you if you are a born again believer! Look at this verse:

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

Therefore if any man be in Christ,

he is a new creature:

old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new.

That is a reason to rejoice! What did you used to look like? Did sin have a hold on your life? Were you that dirty and scruffy person who the world took one look at and gave up on? Were you the outcast? Were you overlooked because society said you weren't enough? We all have to face that person in the mirror and recognize we need a savior. We were all born into sin and have fallen short of God's glory.

Romans 3:23 (KJV)

For all have sinned,

and come short of the

glory of God;

You may be a wonderful person. Maybe you are a volunteer in your community. Perhaps you donate items to your local food bank and Goodwill store. You may do the very best you can but if you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior then you are lost and and you need a Savior. Jesus sees your worth. He sees your value. He knows He can take you and work on you and make you shine like gold! You have to accept Him.

John 3:16 (KJV)

For God so loved the world,

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in Him

should not perish, but have

everlasting life.

For the one who has been set free from sin but you are struggling because you do not feel like you quite measure up. Maybe someone has spoken negative things into your life and you have received it. Don't be discouraged. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:14 (KJV)

I will praise Thee;

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

marvelous are Thy works;

and that my soul knoweth right well.

Stop listening to the enemy. Walk in newness of life. Trust that Jesus will complete the work He has started in you. You are His masterpiece.

Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

Being confident of this very thing,

that He which hath begun a good work

in you will perform it until

the day of Jesus Christ:

Follow Him! You will love the results! The after is so much better than the before! God bless you!

~Bridgett

The Empty Chair

Have you ever noticed someone get up from their chair? Maybe it's their favorite chair and they just got up and went to another room in the house. It is no big deal, because maybe they have done this dozens of times before...maybe hundreds! It's just a seat, right? So, why does it become the empty chair when they are gone?

My dad had a favorite chair. He had a stroke in January 2012. He was given 10% chance to live through the night but we all prayed fervently for Dad and God answered our call. Dad survived that night to the amazement of the physicians but they did not hold out much hope for us. The doctor told us that he would be bedfast. My mother's faith was very strong and she said, "No he's not! These doctors don't have the final say!" He was in Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana for one week and then sent to IU Health Bloomington Hospital in Bloomington, Indiana for rehabilitation. The stroke had left Dad without use of his right side but he did well and God continued to answer prayers and perform miracles for my dad. God continued to keep the healthcare providers amazed and shaking their heads in confusion. Mother knew Dad would soon be able to come home from the hospital and she purchased my dad a very nice, comfortable recliner. This became Dad's favorite place to sit and when he could not rest in bed, he was able to find comfort in that chair.

Dad, Christmas 2012

I did not know when I took that picture of Dad at Christmas that year that the clock had already started to wind down quickly. Sure I knew he had colon cancer and that it had spread to his liver. We found out in July 2012 that he had stage 4 colon cancer with mets but God continued to do so many things for my dad. Doesn't he look so good here?

Do you know how many times my dad got up from this chair to go to the restroom or to go lie down on his bed? I cannot count the times I watched him do that. I saw the chair without him in it and it was never an empty chair, just maybe unoccupied, but I knew he would eventually walk back into the room and situate himself on the cushion and prop his legs up to rest. The chair was not ever "empty" to me. I knew he would be back.

Today my dad's chair sits empty. It is the empty chair. I know my dad will never walk back into the room and sit down to visit with his family. I know that if I stop by after school like I used to do that I will be gazing upon an empty chair. You see the chair is empty because my dad is gone. He has a new home and he doesn't need this chair anymore. He won't ever need it again.

The empty chair is a promise to me. The empty chair means that one day I can leave an empty chair behind, too. It means that no matter how much I miss my dad and how much I long to see him again, that the chair is empty because he is somewhere else waiting for me. I imagine him to look across the Jordan River that he used to tease me and say it was lapping at his feet, and I can imagine him looking at the horizon, waiting for me to cross that final river and lay my anchor down. I can imagine that he will be so happy to see me there and we can hug each other and tell each other how much we love one another and this time there will never be another empty chair to look at. We will never have to say goodbye and we will be together forever with our Lord and Savior who died for us. Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day so that we could have eternal life.

I Thessalonians 4:16-18

For the LORD Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD in the air: and so shall we ever be with the LORD.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

I do take comfort in these scriptures. I believe every single word of it. I know that one day Jesus is coming back for His people and no matter whether I go by way of the grave or the Lord catches me away in the clouds, I am going! I am going to see Jesus and I am going to thank Him for what He did for me. I am going to worship Him for all of eternity! I am going to see my many, many loved ones who have gone on before. The best part is that there will be no empty chairs. Jesus will be sitting on the throne as King of kings and Lord of lords and so shall we ever be with the LORD.

~Bridgett