What will Heaven be Like?

I’ve been contemplating Heaven and what it will be like.

“Heaven” by John Pitre

This week I’ve got two pairs of friends in town–two married couples and their kids. Each of these friends have been some of the closest friends I’ve ever had. There have been times in my life that each of them were privy to every single thing going on in my life and vice versa. And each of these friendships were built on the foundation of our love of Christ.

There are various reasons why there is distance between us at this point in our lives and the primary one is literal distance. They all live elsewhere now. And, while we’ve kept in touch, it’s still not the same as sharing our literal physical lives together–going to the same church, getting together for holidays, etc. Nevertheless the places they hold in my heart are still the same places of high esteem, honor, and love; and, I’m pretty sure the same is true of me in theirs. 

Last night we were all sitting around a kitchen table, one we used to sit around years ago, back when our adult lives were just beginning. Their kids were running around playing together, and all I could think was…this…this is it. This is what Heaven will be like.

Then I realized…not quite…there are still so many people missing. People who have passed away already. Friends who aren’t really friends anymore, separated by disagreement or the steady fading of connections through time. Family who just physically weren’t there at the moment. 

I began to imagine what it would be like to have everyone I love and have loved and will love together. To hear the ruckus of multiple enthusiastic conversations, the layers of laughter, the reminiscing of our memories together. To see all of their joyful smiles, to watch their silly gestures as they tell stories. To know they are all safe and with me right now and forever more. That is Heaven. That is what Heaven will be like.

I long for that day, when I will be reunited with my brothers and sisters in Christ, together in paradise. 

As C.S. Lewis said in his book “The Weight of Glory, “Apparently, then, our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation. And to be at last summoned inside would be both glory and honour beyond all our merits and also the healing of that old ache.”

That is what we have to look forward to, what we will gain if we’ve accepted Christ’s sacrifice as our own, and what others who are still planning on earning their own way into Heaven, have to lose. That is why it is so vitally important that we tell our loved ones about God’s love for them and about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (John 3:16-18).

Click these options for more information about how to get to Heaven: 

I desperately pray for the salvation of everyone I care about who hasn’t yet accepted Christ as their Savior. 

Please remember to tell everyone you can about Jesus. I promise to do my best to reach the circle of people around me, the one’s God brings into my life. Please join me in reaching the ones He brings into yours. Together we can build a wonderful family.

As C.S. Lewis described at the end of “The Chronicles of Narnia” in the book, “The Last Battle”, “...and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have glorious joy to look forward to.

This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

Click here for more things written or transcribed by Amanda Hovseth.

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library? Christian Suspense in Orange

The Mermaid in the Basement - It’s 1857, and everything is a stake for Serafina Trent. A woman of means…but not the typical Victorian lady who feels her place is to be seen and not heard. When her brother’s most recent female dalliance, a beautiful actress, is found murdered, all evidence points to him. Especially since the actress had just rejected him in a most public manner. Now everyone believes Clive is headed for the gallows. Everyone, that is, but Serafina. Determined to prove her brother’s innocence, Serafina finds herself working with unlikely allies—including Dylan Tremayne, a passionate storyteller and actor with a criminal past. This novel will hold fans of mystery and history spellbound until the very last page. 

Betrayed - Deadlier fires seethe beneath the tenuous calm of a nation recovering from brutal civil war. Anthropologist Vicki Andrews is researching Guatemala’s “garbage people” when she stumbles across a human body. Curiosity turns to horror as she uncovers no stranger, but an American environmentalist—Vicki’s only sister, Holly. With authorities dismissing the death as another street crime, Vicki begins tracing Holly’s last steps. A pilgrimage leading from slum squalor to the breathtaking and endangered cloud forests of the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere. But every unraveled thread raises more questions. What betrayal connects Holly’s murder, the recent massacre of a Mayan village, and the long-ago deaths of Vicki’s own parents? Nor is Vicki the only one demanding answers. Before her search reaches its startling end, the conflagration has spilled across international borders where powerful sectors have far too much at stake to allow Vicki Andrews to expose long-buried truth. With no one turning out to be who they’d seemed, who can Vicki trust and who should she fear? A politically relevant tale of international intrigue and God’s redemptive beauty and hope. 

When the Lion Roars - When a sixteen-year-old girl is abducted into slavery in southern Sudan, her future depends on the unlikely partnership of three individuals who are distrustful of each other. Dr. Larson Kerr, American physician; Paul Farid, an Arab-born Christian; and Colonel Ben Alier, a commander in the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, have little in common except their individual hopes for the people of Sudan. But when slave traders take Ben’s sister, these three must find a way to overcome their fears and prejudices if there’s to be any hope of rescue. Award-winning author DiAnn Mills weaves a moving and unforgettable novel about the redemptive power of sacrifice.

Hearing and Doing the Word

James 1: 22-25 (ESV) “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

I have always said that we need to read and devour the Scriptures. The more we read the better our lives will be. But I was impressed by something that happened in church yesterday. We can’t just read, we must do! Reading alone is not enough; it must come with action. Let me give you an example:

Last summer I came upon Revelation 2: 1-7, more specifically verse 4.:

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”

As soon as I finished that verse, the Holy Spirit flat out accused me of not loving Christ the way I did as a teenager. Conviction came down on me like a heavy stone, and instantaneously I knew He was right! I called out, “We have to fix this. I must get that love back!”

But I could not just wave a magic wand and get the love back. Verse 5 gave me His instructions, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. I had to yield to the Spirit and follow His will. He started with my arrogance. It was in the way and must go first. Once the arrogance began to break up judgment was uncovered. So, we began to work on that. Then I saw that I had a critical spirit in me. I needed to stop throwing stones at fellow believers and the lost. I started to soften as these issues began to disappear. By mid-fall I could sense my love for Christ returning in both strength and joy. If I had only read those verses and continued on in my life without making a concerted effort, there would have been no change. By doing the word I found freedom and a restoration of my love for Christ.

Yesterday, our pastor preached on those same verses. I already had an intimate understanding of what they truly meant. But it was so refreshing to hear them again. I believe that when we read the Scriptures or listen to our pastors preach on difficult subjects, we should always be ready to allow the Spirit to convict or correct us. Most people do not like change, but as followers of Christ we must welcome these corrections and changes. We should hear, repent, and do!

Isn’t that what the Christian walk is all about?

This series of blog posts titled, “Pondering Hope”, are written by Craig Stevens. If you are interested in reading more from him you can find his blog at ponderinghope.com.


What’s New in the Cross Reference Library? Hope in Dark Places

The Gathering Storm - As Nazi forces tighten the noose, American-born Loralei Kepler, daughter of a missionary family, flees Brussels ahead of the Blitzkrieg. But is anywhere safe from Adolf Hitler’s evil grasp? Loralei’s harrowing flight leads her into the arms of needy child refugees, who have sacrificed everything in exchange for their lives, and toward a mysterious figure, who closely guards an age-old secret. 

Born from the highly acclaimed and best-loved novels of three generations of readers—The Zion Covenant series and The Zion Chronicles—Zion Diaries ventures into the lives of the lives of the inspiring and intriguing characters who loved intensely, stood up for what was right, and fought boldly during Hitler’s rise to power and the dark days of World War II. 

A Bright Tomorrow - The days before you are full of great possibilities—and life’s great unknowns. But the good news is that God holds tomorrow in His hand, and in His unending faithfulness gives you not only strength for today, but bright hope for tomorrow. You can find tha hope in this collection of encouraging thoughts about direction and purpose, true success and leadership, keeping the faith, and more. Let the words of God speak to your soul, and let your heart be cheered by the insights of authors you know and trust, including John MacArthur, J.I. Packer, John Piper, Tony Evans, Adrien Rogers, and Sheila Cragg.

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library? A New Literary Classics Display

Let Me Explain - I was looking through our shelves the other day, and having just added a few new donated books, something had caught my eye. Amongst some of the Christian romance and Biblical fiction novels was a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. Now, I thought to myself, “what is this classic, known for its themes of betrayal & revenge, doing among these other novels?” But as I looked around some more, to my surprise, I found more than 10 literary classics in the midst of the many other novels in the library. There’s Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, My Antonia by Willa Cather, The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and so many others. Through this post, I’m going to share what a couple of these are about, and which ones I would recommend to our patrons.

The Basket of Flowers by Christoph von Schmid - James, the king's gardener, teaches his 15-year-old daughter Mary all the principles of godliness through his flowers. She is falsely accused of stealing, and the penalty is death. Mary remembers her father had taught her: that it is better to die for the truth than to live for a lie, and that the worst pillow to sleep on is the pillow of a guilty conscience! 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - A nineteenth-century boy from a Mississippi River town recounts his adventures as he travels down the river with a runaway slave, encountering a family involved in a feud, two scoundrels pretending to be royalty, and Tom Sawyer's aunt who mistakes him for Tom.

What I would recommend - I’ve always had a special place in my heart for stories that weren’t written during our time. There’s a certain comfort that can be found in the way they were written, and who they were written for. And they’re called classics because they have stood the test of time, and kept the love of thousands of readers worldwide. With that being said, I’m not sure if I can recommend any specific ones. They all deserve to be read and experienced. But if you wanted something in particular to start out with, I’d recommend The Trail Stopped Here. That one is special because it was written by our previous director, Glenn Hascal. It’s a sweet story about a family that stops in Nebraska after being on the Oregon Trail. But please, come take a look at the amazing books recently found in the crevices of The Cross Reference Library.

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library? Donita K. Paul Fantasy Novels

Dragonspell - Once a slave, Kale is given the unexpected opportunity to become a servant to Paladin. Yet this young girl has much to learn about the difference between slavery and service. . . And so the desperate search begins. A small band of Paladin’s servants rescue Kale from danger, but turn her from her destination: The Hall, where she was to be trained. Feeling afraid and unprepared, Kale embarks on a perilous quest to find the meech dragon egg stolen by the foul Wizard Risto. First, she and her comrades must find Wizard Fenworth. But their journey is threatened when a key member of the party is captured, leaving the remaining companions to find Fenworth, attempt an impossible rescue, and recover the egg whose true value they have not begun to suspect…Weaving together memorable characters, daring adventure, and a core of eternal truth, Dragonspell is a finely crafted and welcome addition to the corpus of fantasy fiction. 

Dragonlight - The fantastic land of Amara is recovering from years of war as well as from the spiritual apathy corroding the Amarans’ hearts. With Kale and her father serving as dragon keepers for Paladin, the dragon populace has exploded. It’s a peaceful, exciting time of rebuilding. And yet, an insidious, unseen evil lurks just beneath the surface of the idyllic countryside. As Kale and her father are busy hatching, bonding, and releasing the younger generation of dragons, the light wizard has little time to develop her skills. Her husband, Sir Bardon—despite physical limitations—has become a leader, serving under Paladin. When Kale and Bardon join the dragons on a quest to find a hidden colony, they encounter sinister forces. Their world is under attack by a secret enemy…can they overcome the ominous peril they can’t even see? Prepare to experience breathtaking adventure and mind-blowing fantasy as never before in this dazzling conclusion to Donita K. Paul’s DragonKeeper chronicles.  

About The Author & Her Five-Book Series - Donita K. Paul comes from a family of storytellers and teachers, so it is only natural that she loves spinning imaginative tales interwoven with lore. Her first seven books were Christian Romance, but then later discovered that she really enjoyed writing Christian Fantasy. A retired schoolteacher, Donita keeps herself busy by being one of the professional storytellers in the Sunday-school department of her church. And when she’s not writing, she enjoys reading all genres, from picture books to biographies.

In the year of 2010, book five of The Dragon Keeper Chronicles was put into The Cross Reference Library. A few people checked it out over the years, never knowing what happened before the events of Dragonlight. Well fifteen years later, book one has been donated and put into the library. So, if our patrons enjoy Dragonspell, we’ll maybe consider purchasing the other three books that come before Dragonlight. Fly into The Cross Reference Library and check out these fantastical gems.

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library? Behind the Stories by Diane Eble

What it’s about: Today’s Christian novelists entertain and inspire millions with their heart-warming and thought-provoking books. Yet few readers really ever get the chance to know these talented writers beyond the brief biographies included in their novels. Behind the Stories now offers a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the personal lives of dozens of your favorite storytellers, revealing their hopes and dreams, their successes and failures, and providing fascinating insights about what it means to craft stories from a Christian worldview. These honest discussions of fear and faith, of compromise and calling. Including never-before-published thoughts and insights that will enrich your life—and your future fiction-reading experiences. 

Author Quotes: 

  • Bill Myers, “My intent is to use a story the way Christ used parables: to find something eternal that needs to be said, then wrap it up in enough entertainment so the reader will continue turning the pages as he or she is drawn closer to the heart of God.” 

  • Judith Pella, “I am a storyteller. I have finally come to realize that stories can be savored just for the sake of the story. Pure escapism is a blessing to many, and I am happy to be used for this purpose.”

  • Catherine Palmer, “I see myself as a smuggler of God’s truth under the guise of fiction. I want readers to feel so caught up in the story that the truths sneak into their hearts…and then stay for a long, long time providing light as they face their own challenges and struggles in love and life.” 

  • T. Davis Bunn, “I am not a minister. I am an artist who deals with words. I am an artist who loves God, an entertainer who loves God, and my calling is to be the best artist and entertainer I can be.”

My Thoughts: When I was introduced to The Chronicles of Narnia at age 12, my whole perspective on stories was forever changed. I was enthralled by the world, the characters, and also the deeper message intertwined through each book. So you can bet that when I found a C.S. Lewis biography at the dollar story, I was begging my mom to buy it for me. I desperately wanted to know where Narnia came from. And believe me, I read that book cover-to-cover twice in one month. Now, while I did find out where Narnia came from, I also read about the wonderful history that contributed to Lewis becoming the Christian author that also gave readers Mere Christianity, Screwtape Letters, and so many other acclaimed works. 

 Through being a part of the Cross Reference Library over the last few years, I’ve become even more fascinated by the many Christian authors that fill the shelves. When Behind the Stories was donated, I was more than excited to put it into the library system. Diane Eble collected more than 10 stories from authors on how God led them to write stories for Him. One of my favorites is about author Robin Jones Gunn. She hadn’t planned on being a writer. Instead, she had hoped to be a missionary who traveled the world to share the gospel. But on one fateful weekend with her husband’s youth group, Robin had discovered that the novels that the teen girls were reading was not something they should have been filling their minds with. So she was given the challenge to write good, wholesome novels for teen girls to take in and be impacted by. And what followed was the creation of 5+ books series that have been read and enjoyed by countless teens. So, my dear patrons, I hope this book will encourage you to discover what inspired your favorite Christian author to bring forth a deeper message through their writing.

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library? The Tahn Fantasy Series

Tahn - Tahn Dorn is trapped in the middle of a looming conflict between two noble families. Trained in his youth to be a mercenary but troubled by the deeds of his past, Tahn must now choose between the commands of a master and the urgings of his own good conscience. When his latest orders instruct him to kidnap Lady Netta of the House of Trillet, Tahn realizes that following his conscience won’t be easy, especially with the lives of his young students at stake. As Tahn’s struggle continues, neither he nor Lady Netta can foretell the series of events that will unfold and change both their lives forever. Wrestling to understand Netta’s God, Tahn is filled with doubt, and Netta herself wonders how such a man is willing to risk his life for a ragtag band of little children. The bravery of an unlikely hero, the love of an honorable lady, and the innocence of each wayward child resonate throughout this gripping tale of courage, faith, forgiveness, and unconditional love. 

Return to Alastair - Once a feared mercenary, Tahn Dorn has abandoned his old ways and is building a new life. But his heart is still heavy. Though he has made peace with God, he is not fully at peace with himself. Haunted by confusing dreams and uncertain of his growing attraction to Netta Trilett, Tahn knows he must come to terms with his past before he can look to the future. And that means embarking on a journey he knows will not be easy—to Alastair, seat of his earliest memories, a place that represents to him only torture and pain. And so begins Tahn’s search for truth, where he must face not only deep-seated fears but also old adversaries, deadly threats, and the distrust of an entire town. As he tries to unlock Alastair’s secrets, tragedy is imminent. And without divine intervention, all hope of being free from the past could be lost forever. Return to Alastair is the continuing tale of an unlikely hero who must find the courage to forgive others—forgive himself—in order to accept the love of a good lady. 

The Scarlet Trefoil - Freed from a life of darkness, Tahn Dorn finds God’s grace toward him a comfort he has never known before. He has put away his painful past and is looking forward to a bright, peaceful future with his bride-to-be. But the past returns to haunt him, threatening to ruin all that he loves. On the eve of their blessed union, Lady Netta’s gilded carriage is attacked by a team of rogue bandits hired by the ruthless Baron Lionell Trent. Despite the baron’s noble talk and pretended peace, Tahn is lured into a trap that will secure Lionell’s hold on the House of Trent. Can Tahn free his true love? Or will his dream be forever lost?

About the Author - Leisha Kelly authored 11 books, including the best-selling historical fiction series centered around the Wortham and Hammond families—published by Revell/Baker Publishing Group. Her most recent book, The House on Malcolm Street, was published by Revell in September 2010. It was only for her Tahn Fantasy series that she penned herself as L.A. Kelly. Kelly, who home-schooled her two children, served as children's ministry director and youth minister at her family's church. On January 25, 2011, Leisha and her son, Justice, were killed in a traffic accident.

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library? How to deal with the anxieties of life

To Fly Again - Like a violent microburst that threatens to down an aircraft, an unexpected crisis may rock your world and leave you wondering whether the life  you’ve known is over. Gracia Burnham understands those feelings. Reflecting on the horrific year she and her husband, Martin, spent as hostages in the Philippine jungle and her experiences since returning home, Gracia shares how she is rebuilding her life by God’s grace alone. You may be one of the many thousands who know the Burnham’s story, or perhaps you are seeking direction and hope in the midst of your own pain. This book addresses the confusion, fear, anger, anxiety, and loss of control that all people in crisis experience. It also illustrates how God longs to pour his grace into people with broken dreams and fill their life with new meaning and joy. 

Tips From the Author: “How do you survive the tailspins of life? Continue to walk with Jesus.”

  • “While we fantasize about what life might have been like without our difficult junctures, the truth is that these intersections are not abnormal. Jesus told his disciples that they will have many trials. That much is guaranteed.”

  • “The more we center ourselves on our true definition in God’s sight, not the possessions we have been able to gather or the esteem that others have given us, the more stable we will be in good times and bad.”

Reclaiming Quiet - In a restless and distracted world, the cultivation of quiet often feels abstract and impossible. But quiet is, and always has been, essential to spiritual life, the only way we can turn from the frenzy toward the peace for which we were created. Reclaiming Quiet is an invitation to discover the profound, daily joy of resisting  patterns of anxiety and hurry and cultivating a life of holy attention instead. With practical strategies to address our use of screens or fear of silence and compassionate ideas to nourish stillness, listening, and rest, this book explores: 

  • What it means to become a person who listens each day for God’s voice before all others

  • How to reclaim wonder in prayer

  • How to cultivate an interior life

Quiet is not for specialists or the ultra-disciplined. It’s not limited to those who have great swathes of time. Quiet is our inner native land, the place to which we turn to find God already waiting, calling us beloved, and drawing us homeward into a life of holy and joyous attention. 

What’s New in the Cross Reference Library? New Historical Romance Novels

Calling on the Matchmaker - Haunted by the death of her sister, Finola Shanahan has resolved that she’s not worthy of a family of her own and commits to spending her days caring for immigrants in the slums. When Finola sabotages yet another unwanted relationship her parents arranged for her, her father calls upon the local Irish matchmaker, who pairs her with successful wagonmaker Riley Rafferty. Finola quickly realizes her usual tricks won’t work on him, however, as she cannot outsmart or outwit the dashing, determined, and daring man. A candidate in the St. Louis mayoral election, Riley is confident a union with the wealthy Shanahan family will help solidify his chances of winning—and even more assured he and Finola can make a difference together. When a cholera outbreak begins to take St. Louis by storm, they must navigate a burgeoning attraction and growing danger testing all they know about love and sacrifice. 

Washington’s Lady - Though still a young woman, Martha Custis is a widow. But she is not without means and has no desire to remarry. Not, that is, until a striking war hero steps into her life and she realizes she is ready to love again. Yet she wonders whether this man, accustomed to courageous military exploits, can settle down to a simple life of farming and being a father to her children. Even as she longs for domestic bliss, Martha soon realizes she will have to risk everything dear to her and find the courage to get behind a dream much larger than her own. Known for her moving first-person novels of Nannerl Mozart and Jane Austen, Nancy Moser now brings to life the loves and trials of the first First Lady of the United States. 

Fun Fact! - Author, Nancy Moser, dressed up as Martha Washington for Halloween in 1962. And as she found herself writing novels about other famous women in history, Moser remembered that old Halloween costume, did the research, and was inspired to write a novel about the first First Lady of The United States.