Tag Archives: heaven

Are There Horses In Heaven?

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(Revelation 19:14)  “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” 

Have you ever wondered if there were animals in Heaven? This is a question children often ask. As we grow up and become more familiar with this world, we often imagine Heaven to be an unfamiliar place. But we will not walk as foreigners in Heaven. Things we see here on this earth are shadows of the reality we will encounter in eternity. We will recognize the substance and surroundings of Heaven. We will not leave behind our memories of what is beautiful and majestic. We will not leave behind our knowledge of things and people.

The return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 19:11) and His armies proves to us there are horses in Heaven. Although we have yet to see the Lord and the heavenly host, we can picture this awesome event because we are familiar with horses. They will have four legs. They will have tails. They will transport riders. They will demonstrate loyalty and affection. They will be obedient and majestic. All the grace and freedom we appreciate in these animals here will also be there.

We will be more at home Heaven than we can ever be on this earth. One day we will stop our wandering and settle in – no longer strangers in a strange land. Maybe we’ll watch these horses galloping through a field. Can you picture it? Even right now, a loved one may be holding up a carrot stick to one of these heavenly stallions. Just as we are comforted knowing our loved ones are with the Lord, they are comforted in a perfect creation acquainted and at peace with God’s creatures. Yes, there are horses in Heaven!

Renewed Thought – Lord, help me to become less familiar with this world and more familiar with You.

Safe At Home With The Lord

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Dear Renewed Mind Family,

Thank you so much for your continued prayers the past week for Hannah Kelley and her family. On Saturday morning, Hannah went home to be with the Lord. Words cannot express the grief we share with her family and their church. The comfort we do have in this tragedy is Hannah’s personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that we will one day see her again.  Even as you read this post, she is safe at home with the Lord.  Please keep the Kelley family and Grace Connection Church in your prayers.

A few years ago, my friend John Baker put into video a devotional I wrote titled, “We’ll Meet Again.” I originally wrote it with the thought of comforting someone who lost a spouse. But we’ve had many comments since it was released from those who lost parents, children, grandparents and friends. With a heavy heart, I am posting this video once again and thank John for his great work on this most recent version.

Glen

Thanks Steve Jobs And I Hope All Is Well

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(I was on the road last week in Washington, DC when I heard the news that Steve Jobs had passed away. I know this is an unusual post but wanted to share some of my personal thoughts.)

(James 4:14)  ”Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

The world wasn’t stunned by the death of Steve Jobs last week. It was something we more or less expected. Recent pictures offered less and less hope that he would survive pancreatic cancer. But those of us who followed Steve Jobs’ career over the years were saddened by the loss. I didn’t know Steve personally. I don’t have any relationships with the people at Apple. But the sadness is still there. I now know what it must have felt like when Thomas Edison died. Steve Jobs was our generation’s Edison.

In the late 80’s I sat down in the University of South Florida computer lab and turned on an amazing piece of machinery: The Macintosh

My COBOL programming class couldn’t compete with the slick things I could produce with the Mac’s word processor. I didn’t even have to wait 30 minutes for the minicomputer to compile my code! This was paradise to a technology geek. After that first experience, I don’t believe I ever used a typewriter again – unless it was a dire emergency.

Apple went through tremendous ups and downs over the years after my experience at USF. So did Steve Jobs. But after being ousted from the company he founded, they eventually brought him back in to rescue it. Most of the younger generation has no idea that Apple was on the brink of economic collapse at one point before Steve turned it around. But turn it around he did and the rest is as we say…history. The way we listen to music and view media today are directly tied to the contributions of Steve Jobs. While he wasn’t necessarily the best engineer in the field, he was one of the great visionaries and certainly an unparalled marketer of those visions.

You may be reading this and wondering: What does all this have to do with The Renewed Mind? Well, two things.

First, the day Steve Jobs passed away I was sitting on the Metro in Washington, DC listening to Natalie Grant’s song Your Great Name. I suddenly realized that I would never be listening to that song on my iPod if it wasn’t for Steve Jobs. When I fly in an airplane or travel through strange cities, I am comforted and feel closer to home by hearing or viewing something familiar. I listen to many podcasts on my iPod. I watch great sermons on my iPod. I run with my iPod. Steve Jobs enabled the technology that supports my personal growth and encouragement.

Secondly, Steve Jobs was well aware of his own mortality. He expressed it in terms on par with some of the greatest sermons I’ve ever heard. Check out this video of his Stanford Commencement Address in 2005.

I can only hope that somewhere along the line Steve found salvation. I don’t know his personal situation but I really hope he was reached by the gospel. As one evangelist friend once said, “Jesus is for the up and comers and much as the down and outers.” I truly hope one day I’ll see him in heaven.

Steve Jobs is an example of how one person with a vision and a belief in what he is doing can change the world.

Until then, I can only say “Thanks Steve Jobs and I hope all is well…”