Is there a heaven? What will it be like? Will we meet relatives and friends there? Will there be food and wine? Will there be sex? Will we see our pets? How will we get around? Will we have bodies?
These questions are not new. We have all thought about them.
Join Lou as he travels from his hospital bed to his small hometown of Magnolia, New Jersey, where his journey to heaven begins as his guardian angel helps him answer those questions and more.
Open your mind, your spirit, your heart, and your soul.
There will be no more strangers in heaven. You will get to know everyone as much as you need to know. Everyone is related and everyone shares a profound love and kinship as they travel from experience to experience - all immersed in the light of truth, peace and joy.
When I was a child, I was there! Playing in my yard – climbing the Tarzan rope, laying on the backstop at the school, going to buy candy, riding my bike…Yes, I was totally myself - not conscious of other people’s reactions, expectations, or approval. This was and is the state that I believe Jesus is talking about when he says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” As in Buddhism, we are not driven to being childish – just Childlikeness. Childlikeness has to do with being rooted in what God wants us to be.
What do you think heaven will be like? Is there a heaven? What will it be like? Will we meet relatives and friends there? Will there be food and wine? Will there be sex? Will we see our pets? How will we get around? Will we have bodies? Considering such questions opens the reader’s mind to possibilities that he or she may have never considered. That in itself is motivating.
What is the single most important skill people need? Most people would not chose awareness, yet it is more important than any other skill a person can have. Awareness is an exploration of life itself. Without it we are lost to the world. There are few things we can control in life, awareness is one of those things we can control and it can help us to have better control over our hectic lives. Perhaps in heaven we may finally obtain ultimate awareness and with it, ultimate truth and beauty.
We all will face death someday, but is that the end?
God’s plans for you are better than any plans you have for yourself. So don’t be afraid of God’s will, even if it’s different from yours.
When I lived in Magnolia as a child, I experienced the Tarzan rope and cheap candy and fudgy brownies and ice cream trucks for the first time. Everything was fresh and new, stripped of the responsibilities of adulthood. I didn’t have to think twice about my life as it unfolded—I just lived it.
We often end up living an “unexpected” life. Yet through it, glimmers of hope, faith, love and peace find their way through.
After being married for forty years and serving the Catholic Church as a deacon for the last five years, leaving the diaconate was the last thing on my mind.
Never did I expect to be a suicide survivor. Grieving the loss of my wife was difficult enough, but with suicide, the grieving was much more intense. Being a deacon in the Catholic Church intensified that grieving even more.
Being alone was never a problem for me, but true loneliness was something new. It came with a realization that I didn’t have anyone to share my life with anymore, and, most dauntingly, because of being a deacon, it came with a sense of permanence - knowing that this was my life now.
The Catholic Church made it clear. I could not stay a deacon and pursue another loving relationship that could lead to marriage. I was aware of the rule, but after two years of discernment, I couldn’t seem to make a decision. This battle put me into the hospital for open-heart surgery. Finally, with God’s help, I made my decision.
Rick, a local reporter, wanted to interview me with regard to my diaconate experience and how I came to that decision. Rick turned out to be more than a reporter. This is my story. Through it, I hope glimmers of hope, faith, love and peace find their way through your clouds as well.
Proceeds go to Suicide Awareness
If you want to bring a conversation to a halt, mention the word ‘suicide’. No one wants to confront it, yet the suicide survivor needs just that.
Sometime, just listening and being there for someone is enough
No one seems to remember when John first started coming to the Wick. Who is he? Why the Warwick Tavern? His discussions on life and faith don’t seem appropriate for a neighborhood tavern.
Despite that—or perhaps because of it—people come to him and welcome his views, which always seem uncannily tailored to what they needed to hear. The crazy thing? They didn’t come to the Wick to have any such conversations; they came to have a few drinks and laugh with friends. At least, that’s what Wick’s regular Bob thought when he stopped in one night.
But there was something about John that drew people to him. When Bob sat down next to John that night, he didn’t yet realize the unexpected path John would set him on. Over a couple of months, John, Bob, and a handful of other regulars discuss and witness the power of prayer, God’s graces, hope, faith, and so much more.
So, pull up a stool at the bar, order a drink from Al, and remember - open your mind, your spirit, your heart and soul. John will lead you through a journey of faith, hope, joy, and light.
We have a mind, a body, and a spirit. Too often we look for God in our minds. He is not there. He is in our heart that resides in our spirit. We know the truth, not only by reason but also by the heart. When trying to make a difficult decision, choose the path with a heart.
Thinking back to growing up and playing outside, I remember experiencing things for the first time. The smell of the leaves, swinging on a Tarzan swing, walking on the railroad tracks, picking out my favorite candy bar. The experiences were fresh and new and were not clouded by thoughts about the past or future. They were truly absorbed in the moment.
Life is truly messy. No one is perfect. We need to acknowledge our imperfections and not hide them. Certaintly we can improve but our imperfections are a part of our story. They make us who we are.
Sometimes God can be seen in many things - things that we would not normally consider. Just look at a cinnamon bun. How could such an amazing combination of yeast, sugar, and cinnamon exist without divine intervention?
Is God real to me? If he is, than my prayers will be meaningful. If he is not real, than my prayers are just words. He not only created us but he created a link or channel that connects us to him.
When asked to pray for someone, do you? Do you think your prayer matters?
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