I wrote this and recorded the video about two weeks ago. I’ve just started doing some You Tube videos and I decided to try embedding one in today’s post. Yes, our life sounds like an action movie sometimes, but Jesus remains the same. His presence is a constant!

Life Like An Action Film!

This morning my wife called. Robbers were holding up the highway on her way to work. One came up with a gun and forced her to let him in the car. I share the rest of the story in the video below, and I also talk about some other trials and how I’m learning to have joy in Christ in the midst of everything.

Writing the Heaven Now series really helped me personally. It helped me to hold fast to the truths I already knew in the midst of trials, and to keep filling my mind with truth. Dan Moher, through his Youtube videos, has also been a big encouragement to me.

I’m giving you a look into my thoughts in the midst of many of these things. I start thinking and crying because of these truths, because I know (more than ever, by experience) that they are true, and because they are so glorious. I share some of them in the video but there were a few potent thoughts I wanted to write here. I talk about the theology behind them in some of my blog posts and in my Heaven Now series.

In the video, I mentioned a few things I wrote about before, including the word God gave me about my wife manifesting God’s Evergreen Life. For more of the story you can also check out I Will Sing Your Praise Before The “Gods,”  Experiencing God’s Goodness In The Midst Of Tragedy, and Jesus In Me Can Love People When I Can’t.

I often find myself singing these two songs. One says “heaven is in my heart.” Another says “There is joy in the Lord, there is love in His Spirit. There is hope in the knowledge of him.” These songs are so real to me. They are true. I’ve embedded them below in Youtube videos for your encouragement as well.  You can get the rest, including this story and a few more, in the Youtube video. While you’re at it, you may want to subscribe to my new Youtube channel!

Powerful Truths Strengthening Me In The Midst Of Trials

Here are a few powerful thoughts that I didn’t share in the Youtube video. As I think about these things I feel currents of God’s love going through me. It’s not that everything has been easy, but as I’ve focused on these truths they have become more and more my experience and not just a theory to me.

The life that’s inside of me is bigger than everything outside of me. Jesus lives in me, so heaven is within me. All of hell around me can’t change the heaven inside of me. The One who’s in me is greater than he who’s in the world, and He has overcome the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even my faith. I’m more than a conqueror through Him who loved me! Nothing is able to separate me from God’s love, and heaven is heaven because it’s where God’s love reigns. I’m in heaven, and if nothing can stop me from loving, nothing can take me out of heaven. 

Squeeze and orange, and you get orange juice. Squeeze an apple, and you get apple juice. If you squeeze a Christian, what do you get? Christ comes out! (Paraphrasing Dan Mohler)

Thank you, God, for the privilege of representing Jesus here! I will be in heaven forever but I want to make the best use of my time here on earth as possible! I don’t know how long I’ll live, but I want to make as big of an impact as I can while I’m alive. I want to show people what Jesus is like.

Whether I live or die, I belong to Jesus! (Romans 14:8)

Heavenly Joy Can’t Be Taken!

There Is Joy In The Lord!

My Life Is In You, Lord!