![]() (Alcorn, Heaven: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything the Bible Says About Our Eternal Home emphasis added)Ĭ. To properly envision Heaven, we must remove from our eyes the distorted lenses of death and the Curse. Because that level of happiness is not possible here on the fallen Earth, we assume it won’t be possible on the New Earth. Just as creatures who live in a flat land can’t conceive of three-dimensional space, we can’t conceive of unending happiness. A hundred or a million years of happiness is inconceivable to us. We think of life under the Curse as normal because that’s all we’ve ever known. But a year of complete and sustained happiness? Impossible, we think, because we’ve never experienced it. ![]() Most of us can envision ourselves being happy for a few days or a week, if that. The real question is this: How could God not be bored with us? We’ll never begin to exhaust God’s sense of humor and his love for adventure. Did we invent wit, humor, and laughter? No. We think of ourselves as fun-loving, and of God as a humorless killjoy. To be in his presence will be the very opposite of boredom. People who love God crave his companionship. If we’re experiencing the invigorating stirrings of God’s Spirit, trusting him to fill our lives with divine appointments, experiencing the childlike delights of his gracious daily kindnesses, then we’ll know that God is exciting and Heaven is exhilarating. He’s infinite in creativity, goodness, beauty, and power. God calls us to follow him in an adventure that should put us on life’s edge. In Heaven we’ll be filled-as Psalm 16:11 describes it-with joy and eternal pleasures.Īnother reason people assume Heaven is boring is that their Christian lives are boring. Are we so arrogant as to imagine that human beings came up with the idea of having fun?įreedom from sin will mean freedom to be what God intended, freedom to find far greater joy in everything. Likewise, our imaginations and our capacity for joy and exhilaration were made by the very God we accuse of being boring. He made our taste buds, adrenaline, sex drives, and the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our brains. Our desire for pleasure and the experience of joy come directly from God’s hand. In one section of the book, he explains that not only will Heaven not be “boring” but it will also be the place where we for the first time experience “fullness of joy.” ![]() I (Bill Street) am reading one of the best books I have ever read, Heaven by Randy Alcorn. Sophia’s Way Community Resources page– Provides information on other shelters, housing, food banks, and organizations that support those experiencing homelessness.“You will make known to me the path of life In Your presence is fullness of joy In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalm 16:11 (emphasis added).Eastside Shelter for Families – Supported year-round by community partners in Redmond and Bellevue, this shelter welcomes families with minor children.Helen’s Place Shelter– Located in Kirkland providing shelter, meals, and supportive services to women.Sophia’s Place Shelter– Located in Bellevue providing shelter, 24/7 support and services, 3 meals a day, showers, and laundry to women for up to six months.Congregations for the Homeless Emergency Men’s Shelter – Located in Bellevue, providing safe sleeping accommodations, 3 meals a day, showers and laundry, haircuts, and more for men experiencing homelessness.Case managers and shelter staff help guests find resources and provide guests with breakfasts, dinners, showers, laundry service, and clothing. The Landing – Located in Redmond as the only emergency young adult (ages 18-24) shelter on the Eastside.Other local organizations offering assistance to the homeless:
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