There is great truth and hope in the statement, "Life is a dream and heaven is reality." Unfortunately, when we are facing our own mortality, we may have a hard time looking at it that way. We may be more likely to say, "Life is reality and heaven is a dream!"

This is understandable. As we journey through pain and suffering, our families and friends become a major focus.We think about leaving them behind and worry about who will take care of them.We may become so concerned about and f... (continued)

It's easy to ignore heaven when life is sailing along smoothly, but suffering has a way of focusing our attention on heaven and what is truly important in life. In her book, Heaven Your Real Home, Joni Eareckson Tada, who has been paralyzed for more than three decades, writes, "Broken homes and broken hearts crush our illusions that earth can keep its promises that it can really satisfy. Only the hope of heaven can truly move our passions off this ... (continued)

Imagine setting off on the trip of a lifetime with no knowledge of your destination, no map, and no compass. It would be unthinkable! When we’re anticipating an important trip,we research our destination. We want to know what to expect, what to pack, what preparations we need to make to ensure a safe arrival and a pleasant experience. We want to learn as much about it as we can.

Yet many of us spend more time planning our annual vacation than we do preparing for our ultimate destinati... (continued)

I'll never forget the day the doctors looked at Jan and me and said. "You have cancer!" I didn’t want cancer, I wanted to live for a long time! But as scary as it was to hear the word, cancer, I found peace in the promises in the Bible, promises I had embraced years before.

I first discovered those promises when my minor league roommate challenged me to read the Bible. I had tremendous respect for God and always thought if I could be go... (continued)

Heaven is our true home. It is where our hearts belong and where our dreams will find their ultimate fulfillment. It is where we will become whole, where we will be made perfect—totally free from the pain and limitations of our fallen, sinful nature (Hebrews 12:23). Just imagine…

A Perfect Body
Philippians 3:20-21 tells us that God will make us fit for heaven because He will "transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his (Jesus’) glorious body." That’s ... (continued)

An embroidered "Home Sweet Home" sign hangs near the front door of our home. As much as I love my home, there are days when I am tempted to take the sign down. In fact, there are days when life on earth is anything but sweet.

Just last week I listened as a 28-year-old cancer patient wrestled with his doctor’s recommendation that he get his affairs in order. The same day a family member and close friend were each diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. I looked forward to the sweet... (continued)

AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER. —Psalm 23:6

When I was a child, I could grasp the idea of God a little bit; I thought of Him like a big granddaddy in the sky. But the idea of heaven was more difficult; it was just way, way out there somewhere. It wasn’t something I knew much about, and for a long time I rarely thought about it.