Reflections at the Beach: A Sunset Ending

 

Picture Credit: My beloved wife Tiffanie.  This is taken as 

drove over the Bay Bridge.  She would tragically pass away

from cancer one month after this picture was taken.

Each sunset matters, even the glorious final one when 

we go home to heaven.

Reflections at the Beach

Week sixteen

A Sunset Ending 

Psalm 113:3

      I can't think of a better way to close out a day at the beach than simply walking hand in hand with those that you love as the sun sets near you. It might sound overly romantic or somewhat cliche, but nothing can disturb the perfection of a sunset. Nothing can compare with a sunset near the shore.  The typically blue sky is radiated with Hues of orange, pink, and purple. The Master Artist chooses to change the palette of His colors He uses. Each brushstroke reminds us to magnify His name. The final few rays stretch the heavens to remind us of someone far greater than us. It's incredible that the most important star in our solar system which resides over 93 million miles away can have such an effect on us. Humanity since its creation has been in awe of it. Sunsets also remind us of the beauty in endings. Endings don't always seem beautiful though. I'm sure we've all watched movies or read books where the ending wasn't quite what we expected. Possibly it was anti-climatic or disappointing. But the glory of a sunset reminds us that endings can be beautiful, but can be difficult. 

      Most of us have adopted the picturesque image of every story ending with the words 'they lived happily ever after.' The idea that happy endings are etched in stone is nothing more than wishful thinking. Every story has an ending, but maybe not the happy one that we had planned. What do we do when the relationship that we planned falls apart? What do we do when the dream job closes? What do we do when a doctor's visit changes our entire outlook? Or when our spouse gets cancer? Or loved ones endure dementia where they don't even know who they are ? Or what do we do when the college we wanted to go to says no? None of that was in 'the cards. ' We didnt plan for that to be the ending. We would have never wrote the story in that fashion. What do we do when our happy ending forces a new beginning?  The psalmist wrote "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised (Psalm 113:3)." How can we praise God when disappointment and discouragement strike our hearts deeply? How do we thank God when we are mired in the fog of confusion? How do we praise God when an ending tragically causes us to say goodbye to those we love the most? We're able to praise God because He holds every tomorrow, the expected and the unexpected. We're able to praise God because the ultimate ending is to be with Him forever through Jesus Christ. Each of our temporal endings on planet Earth fluctuates, but our Eternal ending is a glorious promise to live with Jesus forever. Maybe you are stuck right now living in the disappointment of what could have been. Maybe you are carrying feelings of bitterness because the ending is not what you expected. But don't allow the bitterness to take your eyes off of the Lord and to praise Him. To give Him thanks for each ending, happy or not. And give Him the ultimate Glory that the ending of your story is His story. 

It's a Colorful World: June 25th Devotional

It's a Colorful World

Revelation 21:18-21

June 25th Devotional

      On this day in 1951, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) showcased the first-ever color tv program. The irony was that it went unnoticed since most people did not have color television at that time. The program was called "Premiere" and featured multiple stars in the entertainment industry. It aired in only five major cities, starting at 4:35 PM, and ran until 5:34 PM. In the year 1950, there was a mad rush between CBS and RCA to create the first-ever color tv. Both sides worked tirelessly to claim the crown of being the first. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) tested both versions and found that CBS's television was superior but multiple problems quickly arose. The first problem was that manufacturers did not want to produce the tv because of the cost to make. The profit margin was minimal and most companies felt that the average person would not spend such an exorbitant price. A color tv was considered an unnecessary luxury. Despite the superior design the tv still would flicker and the final straw was that it was not compatible with black and white tv's. Despite all of this CBS pressed forward with what they called "Operation Rainbow" where they blanketed department stores and storefronts all across the United States. RCA studied CBS's struggle and started to recreate a new design, one that would work with a black and white tv and would be cheaper. By the end of 1953, RCA won the color tv war, far outpacing CBS's model.

      Color television changed the entertainment industry. Each of you reading this probably have multiple different televisions in your home that you spend countless hours in front of each week. People were dazzled to see bright vibrant colors coming through instead of the plain gray, black, and white tones. The human eye can see millions of distinguishable colors but even then we cannot process all colors on the spectrum. The Bible speaks about a place filled with the most amazing colors. Revelation 21:18-21 says " The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. These beautiful colored stones are inlaid into the walls and as the glory of God shines through the walls it will create the most perfect scene, a huge stained glass effect. The city is called New Jerusalem and it is a gorgeous city for God's people. Unlike the color tv show "Premiere" which was only available to a scant few people the offer to abide in this city is for all people who believe in Jesus Christ.  Have you trusted in Christ as your own personal Savior?

Out of the Heavens: May 5th devotional

Out of the Heavens

John 6:38-40

May 5th Devotional

      The space race of the 1950s was dominated by the Soviets. In 1957 the Soviet government launched the satellite Sputnik into space and in 1961 the Soviets successfully launched Yuri Gagarin into space, making him the first person in space. The Americans quickly found themselves woefully behind the Soviets and felt pressed to respond. The Americans created a team of Astronauts called the Mercury Seven. These seven men were dedicated to going to places where man had not gone before. Two men stood out, John Glenn and Alan Shepard. Shepard performed excellently after over 120 simulated flights and was chosen to lead Project Mercury to go into space. Sadly though the flight endured 5 cancellations and postponements. If the cancellations did not happen Shepard would have been the first man in space. On this day of May 5th, 1961 Shepard sat in his Freedom Seven space capsule. This space capsule was only about twelve feet tall and about six feet wide. This tiny capsule sat atop the Redstone rocket for the countdown. The rocket came to life and shot through the sky. His top altitude was 115 miles above the earth. He didn't manage to get into orbit and his flight was only for fifteen minutes (Gagarin's was over 108 minutes) but it was a success and the first American entered the heavens.

      An earthman entering the heavens was historic, but even more historic was when someone came from heaven to earth. Jesus spoke these iconic words in John 6:38-40 "38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jesus said that He came down from heaven. Jesus tells us that His existence did not begin in Bethlehem nor was His birth His start. Jesus makes it clear that He came from heaven. That means before His incarnation Jesus Christ dwelt in perfect union with His Father in heaven. But He left heaven, why? He left heaven because it was the will of God that Jesus came to earth, wear flesh, live among us, and lay down His life as a sacrifice for us (you). The magnitude of His love is seen in His departure from the perfections of heaven to come into a sin-cursed world. He suffered, agonized, and died for you and me. A man going into the heavens is amazing, but Jesus leaving the heavens to come to Earth changes everything