Holly Michael's Writing Straight

~ Connecting and Inspiring Along Life's Crooked Lines by Author Holly Michael

Holly Michael's Writing Straight

Tag Archives: death

You Will Die. What Next?

12 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by Holly Michael in Christianity

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Christianity, death, Jesus Christ, Robin William, Salvation. You will die What next

untitled (6)Robin Williams is trending today. Sadly not because of his amazing talents, but as we all know by now, his sad death by apparent suicide.

He had me at Mork. I loved Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting…the list goes on. Who didn’t love the funny man who was also a philanthropist, raising money for humanitarian causes.

Scanning Facebook and Twitter postings, I discovered two categories. Those saddened by the loss of the dear soul from this world and those wondering about his soul in the next world.

My husband and I often travel out west. Somewhere, I think on I-70, there’s a black billboard with white lettering that reads, “You Will Die. What Next?” I always say, “That’s the most profound faith statement that can ever be made.”

Ever wonder what’s next? Do you think about what happens to a soul of a person who takes their own life? Important topics to ponder. Can lead to questions that we all need to ask ourselves.

Some say, “God is mercy. Even though Robin took his life, he went to Heaven.” God is merciful, but the Bible also tell us that our salvation is our to work out, as Saint Paul says, “with fear and trembling.” Salvation isn’t an automatic given.

When my son was four years old, while in the back of the SUV, out of the blue he asked, “Mom, how do you get to Heaven.”

While I pondered how to answer this lofty question so a four year old would understand, he interrupted my thoughts and said, “Never mind, Mom. I know. Jesus comes and takes your hand.”
untitled (5)
I hope Robin Willams took Jesus’ hand and flew to Heaven. I hope he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior, even in the last moment, like the thief on the cross next to Jesus.

I am not the judge of Robin Williams soul. But, however, when we die we will have to face one question. What next?

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NYT Best Selling Author Don Piper is coming to speak to us! “90 Minutes in Heaven” is an Amazing Story!

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by Holly Michael in Books, Holy Catholic Church - Anglican Rite, Inspiration

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

90 Minutes in Heaven, Angels, Anglican Church, Author Don Piper, Best Selling Author Don Piper, Christianity, death, Don Piper, Eternal life, Eternity, Gates of Heaven, God, Heaven, Heaven and Hell, Heaven is Real, Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, Jesus Christ, Joy and Heaven, Life, Life and Death, Miracle, Miracles, Pastor Don Piper, Saint James Anglican Church - Kansas City, Speaker Don Piper, St James Anglican Church Kansas City

On his way home from a church conference in 1989, Don Piper’s Ford Escort was struck head-on by an 18-wheeler. He was killed instantly — pronounced dead by four sets of paramedics.

90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper crushed Car on Bridge insetBut God worked a miracle and sent Don back to a broken body. To date, 34 surgical procedures have taken place. He walks only as a result of miraculous and in some cases medically unexplainable circumstances. During the time he was dead, Piper was granted the extreme privilege of glimpsing Heaven itself.

Ninety minutes after dying, Don Piper came back to life where he faced a long and grueling recovery. Don travels across the country and around the world sharing his amazing story of hope and healing. His message is simple … We can have a better life now and an eternal life someday through faith in Jesus Christ! Don has appeared and shared his miraculous story in numerous national media outlets, including Fox News, CBN, “The Today Show” on NBC and Newsweek.

Here’s a video about his experience: 

And guest what? !!! DON PIPER has agreed to come to our little church in Kansas City!

St. James Anglican Church  (Holy Catholic Anglican Church-Anglican Rite) is pleased to announce best selling author and speaker, Don Piper, as its special guest on June 13, 2013 @ 12:00 noon or 7:00 pm.  

DPTo purchase 90 Minutes in Heaven, click here

To Purchase Heaven is Real, click here

To come and hear Don Piper’s talk, come to St. James Anglican church on June 13th. Yay!!!

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Stations of the Cross: Lenten Reflections by…

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by Holly Michael in Christianity

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Anglican, Anglican Stations of the Cross, Anglo-Catholic, Anglo-Catholicism, Bishop Leo Michael, Branson, death, Divine Love, Eternal life, Father Don Holley, Father Donald Holley, Fr. Don Holley, God, grace, Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Kansas City Missouri, Lent, Lenten Reflections, Mercy, Passion, redemption, resurrection, Saint James Anglican Church, St James Anglican Church Kansas City, St. James Anglican Church, St. Paul's HCCAR Mission, St. Pauls, Stations of the Cross

…Bishop Leo Michael, Father Don Holley and the congregation of St. Paul’s Anglican Church (HCCAR) Branson, MO. Singing by Jim Daniels and Steven White, cantors at St. James Anglican Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Images from St. James.

Though we’re not professionals, this is a wonderful reflection to follow during the Lenten season.

 

 

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Christmas Challenge: Romans, Day 7

15 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in 16 Chapters to Christmas, Books, Christianity, Inspiration

≈ 3 Comments

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Blog, Chapter 7, Christianity, commandment, commentary, death, God, Gospel, help, Holly Michael, Hope, Jesus Christ, Law, law and sin, lessons along the journey, Paul, Paul's letter to the Romans, Peace, reflection, rescue, rescuer, Rich Maffeo, Savior, Sin, Sin and Law, St. Paul, www.writingstraight.com

Deacon Alfred Sturges’ Christmas Challenge: Romans 7

Released From the Law, Bound to Christ

Thanks for stopping by. Hope this challenge is drawing your nearer to Our Lord, Jesus Christ. And if you’re just coming by today, that’s fine, too. Here’s Romans 7 and a special guest post reflection below, from an author whom I deeply admire.

Romans 7: Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 3 So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

The Law and Sin

7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

***

It’s pretty clear what Paul is writing about in Romans 7. We all have sins that make us a prisoner of the law of sin. Just as I was wondering what to write, I opened my email and found a reflection from a friend. It really fits well with what Paul is saying about Sin and the Law and the Gospel being the power of God to rescue us. Below is Author Rich Maffeo’s reflection from one of his books and a link to the book as well. I’ve been a friend and a fan of Rich Maffeo for many years. Enjoy the read and feel free to offer your thoughts on Romans 7.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

lessonsFrom Rich Maffeo’s Book, Lessons Along the Journey.

When I was four, my family lived near the Atlantic Ocean. “Close enough to enjoy the water,” my mother used to say, “but far enough that we don’t have sand in the house.”

One afternoon my father brought me to the beach to escape the blistering summer heat of our apartment. I still remember splashing in the water, squealing as the gentle waves surged and ebbed around me.

I suppose he was only a short distance away when he turned his back for a moment. But during that moment, a wave knocked me off balance and plunged my face beneath the water. Frantic, I fought to regain my footing as each successive swell threw me under again and again. Panic grew into terror as the current swept me deeper beneath the waves.

Then, from nowhere, strong arms suddenly pulled me free. Within moments, I found myself safely on the warm sand. The lifeguard had come to my rescue.

“Hey! What are you doing?” My father ran toward us, shouting angrily at the man who saved me. “I was watching him. He was okay.” Then he looked at me. “You were okay, weren’t you?”

I remember it was more a command than a question. Embarrassed and confused, what could I say? I stared at my feet and whispered, “Uh‑huh.”

Vindicated, my father led me back to our beach blanket. I didn’t feel like going into the water any more that day.

Years passed, and I discovered different waters in which to revel. Swept along by swells of ideas and temptations, I drifted from one immoral or rebellious pleasure to another. Life ebbed and flowed gently around me.

Then a wave knocked me off balance.

I fought to regain my footing, but each attempt met powerful and successive waves that pulled me deeper toward sin, desperation, and finally, despondency. I knew intuitively that my future promised little more than ever-increasing bondage to those very things I once thought gave me freedom. I knew I could no more stop doing what I knew to be wrong than I could prevent the ocean’s currents. But oh, how I longed for forgiveness, cleansing — and rescue. In despair, I cried out to the One I had for so long ignored, and begged Him to deliver me from myself.

I still remember His rescue. The Holy Spirit led me to friends who told me of God’s promise of salvation and the power to change direction. All I needed to do was ask God for mercy.

Suddenly, from nowhere, strong arms pulled me free from sin’s grip. Overwhelming guilt and fear gave way to assurance and peace. I’d been rescued. Lifted onto the Rock. Oh, how glorious was the sense of freedom, to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

But within days, friends and family rushed to my side. “You were okay, weren’t you? You weren’t really in trouble . . . .”

What could I say? What would I say?

It’s not surprising when pressure from friends or parents prevent a child from choosing right over wrong. But how should an adult react in the face of truth? Despite my self-assured façade, I desperately needed help, and the Lord Jesus so graciously reached down to rescue me.

What could I say? The choice could not have been clearer. It was time to put away childish things. It was time to shoulder my responsibility and admit that the gospel is the power of God to rescue from sin’s bondage everyone who turns to Christ (Romans 1:16).

Could I — could anyone — say less?

rich maffeoThanks Rich! And what do you think? What sins do you need to be delivered from? There is a rescuer.

If you’d like to purchase Rich Maffeo’s book, Lessons along the Journey, click here. Or if you’d like further info about Rich Maffeo’s inspirational books, click here. I have read all of his books and have thoroughly enjoyed each one.

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Christmas Challenge: Romans, Day 6 – Horrific Loss, Grief, and Comfort

14 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in 16 Chapters to Christmas, Christianity, Inspiration, Prayers Needed

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Alfred Sturges, Bible, Blog, Ch. 6, Children, Christianity, Christmas, comfort, commentary, Connecticut school shootings, Deacon Alfred Sturges, death, Death of a child, Faith, God, grace, Grief, Heaven, Hell, help, Holly Michael, Hope, horrific death, horrific loss, Jesus, Jesus and Children, Jesus Christ, Lord, Loss, Love, Peace, Prayer, Romans, Romans 6 Bible Commentary, Romans Chapter 6, school shooting, Sin, Suffering, www.writingstraight.com

Christmas Challenge: Romans, Chapter 6

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Thanks for joining me on Day 6 of Deacon Alfred’s Challenge to read Romans: A chapter a day, each day, to Christmas. I’ll post the Chapter, then a short reflection at the end. Whether you are following every chapter, stopping by occasionally, or just reading this one time, I pray that God will bless you through His Word. Today, while considering what Paul is saying in Chapter 6, I’m reflecting on the horrific school shootings. I pray for the families of the victims and hope that somehow God’s word can ease the pain we all feel in our hearts at this unthinkable crime.

Here’s Romans: Chapter 6

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My thoughts: It’s very difficult to offer encouraging words, given the news about the school shooting in Connecticut. But, perhaps sin, death, hell, and the gift of eternal life are helpful topics to consider today.

Paul basically says that believers must die to sin and live to God. Because we are baptized in Christ, we have a union with Christ. We are alive to God and free from the dominion of sin. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Regarding the school shootings, my first thought is a visual image of that man who shot those kids being grabbed by demons and dragged into hell like how it was done in the scene from Patrick Swayze’s movie, Ghost. But God is that young man’s judge, not me. On the other hand, maybe it’s better that we replace that image, with an image of the children who were killed, all together in Heaven, celebrating this Christmas with Jesus. Like this:

Jesus and Childfen

Or this:

jm_600_GIA.pd-P9.tiff

Maybe they get a real life look at the stable scene…

vintage_religious_christmas_nativity_baby_jesus_placemat-rf42a23c68a89449686a5c3c3b89843a0_2cfku_8byvr_512

white-jesus-001

For sure, Jesus will love them. Jesus will care for them. So, in my heart, I have comfort that Our Lord, Jesus will take care of those babies. The pain and suffering remains here on earth, in the hearts of their loved ones.

When I was fifteen, I lost my beloved six-year-old sister to a horrible death. Knowing I was losing it, a friend took me to church to talk to the pastor. I asked him questions about death and where my sister was.

I’ll never forget his words, “She’s with God, our Loving Father, and He’s the best caretaker there is.” Those words really helped me at a time when I thought I couldn’t go on. I had been her caretaker. I found comfort knowing she was okay, more than okay. I needed to hear that. So, I determined that if she was okay, then I would be okay, too. God helped me through those days, continued to be with me, and has never left me. I look forward to the day I see our Lord and my sweet sister Amy again.

Bringing Romans 6 back into this topic. Paul says, “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

We have been brought from death to life, everlasting life. Sin, whatever sin we struggle with, can not be our master. But it’s not a sin to grieve. Grieving is a God-given emotion. We should grieve and I pray that all those grieving the horrific loss of their child or loved one, will find comfort during their moments of grief. I pray God will soften the pain, give them strength to go on, and guide them closer to His heart.

Considering what Paul says to the Romans, even though we may struggle and suffer from the consequences of the horrible sins of others, we can’t let the sin of hate, guilt, anger, or whatever enter our hearts or turn us from God. These kinds of sins or any other sin, should not dominate our thoughts or lives. God didn’t make this happen. He gives humans free will. But God will deal with that shooter and all others who harm the innocent. The Bible assures us of that. As for us: We have been united with Christ in a death (He died for our sins) we shall be united with Him in resurrection (new life in Heaven).

On a final note: One day, while driving to the grocery store, my youngest son, Nick (four at the time), out of the blue asked me this question: “Mom, what happens when we die.” While I pondered, wondering about this profound question and how best to answer it to a preschooler, he said, “Never mind, Mom. I know. Jesus comes and takes our hand.” Bingo! That is an image I want to keep in my mind.

Jesus holds our hands now, during our difficult times and He will take all of our hands one day and lead us to verdant pastures. Let His Peace comfort us all now. Dear Father, in the Name of Jesus, please embrace the victims of this shooting into your loving arms. And, be with and bless each person who grieves the loss of a loved one during this Christmas season. Amen.

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The Destination

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in Christianity, Prayers Needed

≈ 55 Comments

Tags

death, God, life support, prayers, Vicky Sclafani

Our friend, Vicky, tells my husband and I she’s on a bus, traveling. She wants to get to her final destination, only she’s not sure where the bus is headed.

On Wednesday, Vicky went on life support following a massive cardiac arrest incident and multiple organ failure. Vicky has no family, no living will. On Thursday, the medical staff made a decision to stop life support. The tube was removed and the doctors concurred that she could not survive. After several hours, extremely dehydrated but alive, Vicky opened her eyes and said, “I want to live!”

With those words, the atmosphere in the ICU changed. Bright lights. Busy staff. Medical procedures.

Vicky needs a new heart, but she’s not a candidate, given her damaged and failing organs. No one can explain why she’s alive. But she is. Vicky has a brilliant mind, even now. She’s a deep thinker, even now. She’s an educated, vibrant, witty woman, who can crack a joke, even now.

But Vicky also cries often. She has a sensitive heart, maybe too sensitive. Her wounds, going back to her childhood, are deep and like open sores that she shows to us from her hospital bed in the ICU.

She’s the same Vicky we’ve known, but the ammonia build-up in her liver causes her confusion. She thinks she’s on a bus, or perhaps a train, she says. But she feels as if she’s traveling. “What’s happened to me?” She often asks, especially after waking. “Where am I?” Where are we going?”

When the tsunami hit South India, in 2004, Vicky was instrumental in our church’s major fundraising event. Vicky came along with my husband and I to India. Together, we walked through devastated remote villages and shed tears on beaches that had become cemeteries dotted with coconut sapling gravestones. Vicky hugged children, prayed for the wounded and was a trooper through horrendous conditions.

Now, Vicky hugs us and says she loves us. She jokes, smiles, chats, and contemplates on her past, and often cries, touching the sandalwood rosary around her neck that she purchased during our mission trip to India in 2004.

Please pray for Vicky. I’m not sure why shy can’t get off the bus she thinks she’s on and why she can’t reach her final destination. I wish and pray she could survive and be the full and complete person God meant her to be. I want her to live. The medical staff says she has zero chance of recovery. She has the will to live, but so do many others who still die. God is a factor in why she is surviving. We can’t get anywhere on our own. There is more going on, spiritually, in this situation than I can wrap my mind around.

I just don’t want Vicky to remain stuck on this bus going nowhere, sad and confused.

Tonight she told us she wants to go home, but she says she’s stuck in a bizarre situation, in a house with three girls who say they are nurses, but she knows it’s not so. She says her house needs to be cleaned and she’s really worried about that mess.

Please pray for Vicky. Pray to God that she can find peace and healing so that she can reach her final destination. Pray for God’s mercy for Vicky, for God’s Grace and for Jesus to take her where she needs to be.

I am human. I am frail. I am sad. I am not the driver of this bus.

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A to Z Challenge: R is for Rest in Peace Roxanne and Amber

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in A to Z Challenge, Christianity, Inspiration

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

90 Minutes in Heaven, A to Z challenge, Amber Kirkland, Blog, cancer, Christianity, death, Don Piper, Eternal life, everlasting life, family, Heaven, Holly Michael, Leukemia, Love, Peace, Prayer, resurrection, Roxanne Clement, www.writngstraight.com

For the letter P, in the A to Z challenge, I posted a blog asking for prayers for my friend Roxanne Clemen, diagnosed with leukemia. Last night she entered into Heaven. Roxanne was a loving, kind, and faithful soul and will be greatly missed by many. Thank you for your prayers. She was and is in God’s loving hands. My condolences to her husband Roger and to her lovely children, Travis, Bobby, and Tiffany and all those she loved like her own.

The following is from her Facebook information page, and contains much wisdom: If only we could properly comprehend how precious life really is, we’d certainly treasure and enjoy every minute rather than being bitter or complaining about the silly little things that just don’t matter. Forgive love laugh & never hold a grudge!

I love God with all my heart. I am married to a wonderful man named Roger. When I married him I became an instant grandma! Between us we have 5 children and 7 beautiful grandchildren. I love being a grandma. My family is my life!

This is has been a sad week. We also lost our dear friend and church member Amber Kirkland to cancer.

Losing loved ones is never easy, but as Christians, we have peace, knowing that this is only a temporary separation. We will rejoice with them someday in Heaven.

It’s a comforting and interesting concept that all those whom we meet and love on Earth, we will also love and hang around with in Heaven. There are books written by people who die, go to Heaven, and meet loved ones, then miraculously return. 90 minutes in Heaven: A true story of life and death by Don Piper is an excellent book that tells the story of a man who did that.

Given the thought, I’d like to meet, befriend, and love as many people on earth as possible, like Roxanne and Amber did. That way, once in Heaven, I’ll have a large crowd to party with! Roxanne and Amber will have a magnificent gathering around them. They have both loved well on earth and are loved by many.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

The Hope of the Resurrection

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died[a] so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.[b]16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died[c]will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

1 Corinthians 15:51ff What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. 51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[c] this Scripture will be fulfilled:  “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?[e]”

Eternal rest grant unto Roxanne and Amber, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

I will miss you both, but will see you again, dear friends, Roxanne and Amber.

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Holly Michael

Holly Michael

Done this: Regular freelance ghostwriter and online editor for Guideposts for Teens/Sweet 16 Magazine, creator/editor of a magazine for Wal-Mart Corp., journalist, newspaper features writer, published in a variety of national magazines and local newspapers, script writing/editing for corporations. Doing this now: author of fiction and nonfiction, blogger, and editor of Koinonia Magazine. I’m the wife of Rt. Rev. Leo Michael, an Anglican Bishop in the Holy Catholic Church-Anglican Rite. Mom to three great kids: Nick (#81 Rajin Cajuns), Betsy (Super cute professor) and Jake (T1D & NFL player) Also, enjoy my travels extensively across the United States and internationally.

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Blogs I Follow

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To conspire... act in harmony toward a common or agreed upon end. God wants to conspire with us [and] this means that God calls us to give our lives to God, to surrender completely, so we may live more fully. Dallas Willard

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