And Then I Turned 50 – October 2014

Oh how quickly the body can change. Like a marble    rolling off the edge of a table, the direction of life can change so fast. Decades of consistency can, in a matter of a few months,   become inconsistent. Years of free movement and agility can dissolve into slow reactions and aches and pains.

The mind can play tricks on you. It tells you to ‘go for it’, to jump into action, to exercise and run like the wind. But the body quickly objects and lets you know it has more control over you than the mind.

I used to have consistent 20/20 eye sight… then I turned 50.

I used to have energy to climb mountains for fun… then I turned 50.

I used to be able to eat what I wanted then work it off… then I turned 50.

I used to concentrate on one thing for hours at a time… then I turned 50.

Turning a half century has been a bummer.

I know many of you have already crossed this threshold.

And Then I Turned 50

Why did you not warn me? Why did you let me walk through this alone? It seemed like I went to bed one night as the former Phil and woke up the next morning as this new guy, the slow sleepy guy. Thanks for the heads up!

Now, I’m mostly being facetious. But turning fifty last year has   really changed my life, and not for the better.

Many of you have experienced sudden changes in life that have nothing to do with birthdays.

Sudden loss; newly discovered ailments; or bad news from family or friends has rocked your world to its very core.  Needing glasses is nothing compared to needing surgery or having to plan a funeral. Needing to watch my diet more is nothing compared to needing chemo or radiation. Sudden changes are usually not enjoyable. These experiences are  normally chaotic and disruptive. Lord knows our whole world seems to be seeing one sudden change after another.

But let me remind us all of one sudden change that is splendidly positive; super exciting. It’s foretold about and detailed for us in the Bible.

Here are the basic points: a sudden sound, a sudden appearance, a sudden upheaval, a sudden rising, sudden glory and paradise.

I’m talking about when everything will be made whole again for us. Every limitation; every hurt, emotional and physical; every body part that has lost its steam; our eyesight, our muscular structure, our billions of cells will all be brought to 100% capacity and perfection.

The sudden sound… the trumpet call from heaven announcing an arrival.

The sudden appearance… the arrival of our Jesus on the clouds.

The sudden upheaval… the resurrection of dead Christians, taken to heaven.

The sudden rising… the living Christians being taken to heaven.

The glory and paradise… we will be ‘with the Lord forever’.

I guess not all sudden things are bad. This one in particular is very exciting.

So next time your body does not allow you to do something that it once did without any problem, just remember the coming rapture. In the twinkling of an eye we will all be changed, improved to the max. The next time you have aches and pains or are waiting for that next treatment, remember to look to the clouds and listen for the sweet sound of a trumpet call.

I love being your Pastor. See you on Sunday.

Pastor Phil