I've been marka-ed!

A gracious and grace-filled woman, Marka Bennett, invited my daughter, her new mother-in-law (to be) and me to her home for an afternoon to be showered with God's blessings and provision for Jesse and Nick's upcoming marriage.

Marka's dining table nearly groaned with chocolate in its many satisfying forms. Every nook and cranny of Marka's welcoming house was an Americana treat for the eyes--Country Living alive and well done in Memphis.
But my most significant memory is the warmth of relationship among mothers, daughters, friends and all of them beautiful sisters.

What touched me about Marka's friendly and generous hospitality is that she exemplifies what it means to be about the things of God so that God might provide the things.

In the Middle
describes so well the time warp I'm experiencing.

One day last week, as I slurped a bowl of cereal after missing lunch,
I set the TiVo in the kitchen (I am alarmed that we've ended up with two units!)
to fast forward. As the images zipped across the screen, I didn't even bother to pause
for any segment.

What happened to life in the slow lane?

A friend loaned me his copy of "90 minutes in Heaven" and I promised to return it in three days. This may be a new way for me to whittle down a stack of books--set a deadline!

Author Don Piper writes about his experiences before, during, and after a serious auto accident in Texas. His recovery is remarkable and is a source of strength for many who live with chronic pain and lengthy rehabilitation. Everybody reads the book, though, for Piper's description of heaven, where he claims he was embraced by familiar people, approached the pearlescent gate, and glimpsed the golden street.

His most indelible memory of heaven was its sounds, especially the whooshing of wings. Praise and chants and hymns, but no dirges, all blended into joyful melody resounding throughout heaven.
This made yesterday's sermon reference to Revelation 1:15 even more poignant: "his voice was like the sound of rushing waters."

As we sang songs to accompany the message,
I was humbled to consider that the sounds in heaven might also include daily worship throughout time rising up through the clouds to the ears of celestial citizens.