Feb 10

Keep your spoon is an odd topic for a blog about Jesus Christ, don’t you think? Well, I was told a story many years ago and I’d like to recount it to you. I don’t know if the story is true, but I want it to be.  ;-)

An elderly woman went to speak to her pastor and told him that she wanted to set her affairs in order before she passed away. They went over many details and she was about to leave when she remembered one more thing that she wanted.

“Pastor,” she said. “I want to be buried with a spoon in my right hand.”

“A spoon? Why?” he replied.

“Whenever I go to dinner at someone’s house or we have the potluck here at church, invariably, someone tells me ‘Keep your spoon. The best is yet to come.’ Usually they mean peach crisp or another delicious treat, but my next treat will be spending my time with the Lord.”

“And I believe,” the lady continues, “that is how it is going to be when I pass on. I have had a good life here, but the best is yet to come.”

Of course the pastor agreed with what the lady said and he promised to tell everyone who attended the wake about the spoon and the reason for it being there.

At the wake, many people noticed the spoon and everyone was talking about it. Hearing this, the pastor stood up and spoke about the woman’s faith. And as he was concluding his speech, he told them about the spoon and assured them all that, ‘the best is yet to come’.

written by Tim \\ tags: ,

Dec 15

I just finished reading a great book, The Shack, for the second time and I have to say that it was better the second time around than the first. This book truly allows us to see how beautiful and complete God’s love for us is. I have never been an avid reader of fiction but this story is truly exceptional. The theme, the pain, the love, the redemption, the way it was written, they are all what make it so great.

I am sad to think that the events in this book never truly happened but the way that it was presented is so convincing and real that, in my heart, I have decided to make it real. I have decided to attempt to live with the realizations that I received from this book. I have decided to love the way The Shack showed me how. I have decided that I need to share this book because it is that great.

The Shack is a story about a man’s pain over the death of his young daughter and how spending a weekend in the wilderness with God changed his life. The majority of the story is spent in or around “the shack”. Mack, the main character, meets God the father, Jesus the son, and the holy spirit in the shack where his daughter was murdered. Through his time with each and all of them, Mack sees how they interact and how they love each other as well as him, how we are supposed to love God and what forgiveness means. If you love Jesus and don’t benefit from reading this book, my heart goes out to you.

The author, William Paul Young, must have a divinely inspired grasp of theology and how to put it into words because he was able to explain love, the trinity, pain and so many issues of the Christian faith so well that I have far fewer questions after reading it. I no longer question how the trinity works, how God can be three separate people, yet completely united. I no longer question God’s love for us. I love this book!

Paul, thank you for writing such a life-changing book. Please write another one, I already want to read it.

Tim Biden

written by Tim \\ tags: , ,