O.k I know that was a provocative lead in for a question. I could not resist. I have taken on the position of Chaplain at one of our nursing homes. Actually it is interesting how it all came about. My church St. Paul Community Church is five months old. And we have two mission projects. One is with Purity AME church in Katutura Namibia. They agreed to be our partner church. It is wonderful having a mentor church and I encourage all of you to have a partnership church with one on the continent of Africa. Our second mission project is outreach to a nursing home. One of our members took a job working there to help with mission, and we have four members including a youth on our team at the nursing home. We do two services a month. While doing my prayers for the nursing home, God told me to be the chaplain. I called and they said GREAT! One of the things I notice with my residences who are in their 80's, 90's and 100's they talk a lot about being eager to meet God. Their faith is strong and they feel prepared to go to heaven. It makes me think am I living my daily life in such a way that I am making preparations to be ready for God when the time comes? How about you? What are your thoughts?

-- Anonymous, April 28, 2001

Answers

Dear Rev. Rogers,

What a profound soul probing question!!! I tried to hold out and give others a chance to respond to this question but I just can't wait any longer. These questions are the kinds of questions that I like to hear in sermons. These questions challenge the believers and cause us to examine our lives. These questions encourage spiritual growth. I am confident that if I were to die today that I would live with Jesus for ever. However, your question asks if I am ready to meet God. If you asked me if I was ready to meet God in the next hour or next week, this question takes on a new meaning. I would have to say that I would like to meet God when I am 80 years old because I feel that there are a lot of things that I have not accomplished. I know that's not a direct answer to your question. Your question is a good question and I need to think it about it more.

JazzMan

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001

Jazzman tomorrow I have a funeral to do for one of the residence's at the Nursing home. She was 93. I met her for the first time last week on a thursday and I asked if I could come into her room she said I could only take 1 and a half steps into her room and then she laughed she had a great sense of humor. She told me she was ready to go home. The next day I went back to visit and found out she had died in the middle of the night. In visiting with the family they have shared how she was making preparations to meet God, she was telling the family she was ready to go, she spent her last week speaking about loving one another. Her actions are so reminenscence of what Christ did before he died. So for me when I think about preparation to meet God, I think of three words, LOVE, FORGIVENESS AND EVANGELISM!

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001

I can think of many times things were going well but none when everything was perfect. Our life here is a struggle because of Adams sin. Things go wrong. That is when I think that I am just passing thru on my way home and I quit worrying about things. In a few thousand years none of it will matter. No money problems, no oil changes, no computers, no friends moving away. Just Jesus, His family, and joy. And a great big supper :-)

I do not think your saved elderly friends will miss anything of this world once they reach that final goal.

In Christ, Nathan Paujo

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2001