Cuy Pirates

From Design Aspirations

I Will Be Still, Know You Are God

Can A Halloween Photo Come Any Cuter Than This?

Joey Loves Keanae

We had a wonderful time this weekend at Keanae. We went there with K and C Kepler and their family. As usual, it was a very relaxing time, so rejuvenating for the mind, body and soul.

As I said posted before, Joey loves Keanae. That's one of his favorite places on earth. Keanae holds many wonderful memories of Joey - I wonder if Joe and Karen had visited there since Joey's passing. I think it would be healing. The Keanae journal has recorded many of Joey's thoughts and reflections. It was nice reading some of them again.

The photo below was taken at the lanai (porch for those who live on the mainland :). Everyone loves that swing. You sit there, looking at the ocean and ahh... it's a bliss. Joey even took it to the next level of bliss - joy as he plays ukulele while sitting on the swing. I can almost hear the Hawaiian version of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" being played.

* I posted a photo of Joey on my new blog A Maui Blog - I couldn't resist not sneaking one of it in there :) Check it out :)

Happy Birthday Papa!

I Can Only Imagine

Reading Karen's post on Heaven reminded me of this song...



* Story of this song is HERE and HERE.

Why doesn't the Bible tell us more about Heaven?

* Posted by Karen at Facebook

I've been wondering that a lot since Joey died. I've wondered what he's doing, what he's thinking, what he's seeing, what he's feeling. Does he miss us, does he see us, does he get status reports on us like we get on Facebook? Is he praying for us? Does he actually get to speak with Jesus, Abe Lincoln, Will Shakespeare, Johnny Cash? What does he do "all day long"?

Why so little concrete information about Heaven? We hear that it's good, and that it's far beyond anything we know here, but there's not much info actually describing the place--you know, "A Day in the Life" in Heaven.

Then I read this Bible verse this morning. Jesus is talking:
"I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe;
how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? " John 3:12

He's using the argument of the lesser to the greater. If I don't believe the things I can see, how can I believe the things I can't see. It stopped me in my mental tracks. I have to admit that I still don't consistently believe the things He has told me about earthly things: That He will provide, that He will never leave me or forsake me, that He works all things together for good. After all these years of hearing God's promises, I still have trouble with the basics, especially during hard times.

And apparently I am not alone. Not too many Bible characters have been given revelation about Heaven. Less than a handful. St. Paul had a vision of Heaven and mentioned the fact of it, but never wrote the details of what he saw. Too sacred, I think...or beyond description. Or perhaps God commanded that he keep silence.

So even though I don't get the particular answers I am looking for, still I am comforted by Jesus' words. It tells me He understands my curiosity. It tells me that the silence about Heaven is intentional and not an oversight. It tells me that there are things too big for me, and One greater than me is in control.

Just as there are profound things we don't tell children till they are mature enough to handle it, so perhaps the same is true with Heaven. We don't have the spiritual maturity to comprehend much about Heaven. Only that it's there.

Jesus said another comforting thing about Heaven, Jn. 14 1-4 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you that where I am, you may be also."

Basically, He is saying we are just going to have to trust Him on this one. He says He's told us the truth and would tell us if it weren't so. Just trust Him.

So that's what I'll do.