Patient One

The more theology I read, the more patient God seems to me. Fewer women than men have entered the speculative ring of writing about knowing God. Women tend toward the mystical and experiential when they write, while historically men go on and on about dry points of potential and random possibilities.

Deuteronomy 29:29 is one of my favorite verses: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may follow all the words of this law." After Moses has reviewed the Hebrew journey through the desert, he tells them there are things they can't and won't figure out. They are to faithfully DO what they KNOW, not what someone may guess at in the future.

My husband reads that verse to introduce Christian Thought, a basic college course in Christian dogma and doctrine. "We are responsible to obey what we know, not to run rings around the mysteries of the faith."

I'm using the verse as I have so many times before--to ground and center me, especially as I read the facts and fictions of what people wrote about God in the early twentieth century. My oh my, there are some weird and wacky ideas out there, deeply valued and closely held as the basis for salvation and right living.

Scripture says it is good to explore the hidden things, but we don't base our life and salvation on them. Through the centuries, God patiently lets us work our way toward him, turning the Church again and again toward himself with revivals, renewals, and right thinking. The family of God has a family tree that includes the strangest, most diverse groups of believers one can imagine. And each one thinks, "I'm right. This is how God wants to be known, followed, and served."

We can only imagine our shock and surprise when we meet the Patient One face to face, when we know as we are known. 

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*For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. Colossians 1:13-18 NIV

Laugh and carry on

"To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!" ~ Charlie Chaplin

Today was a day when I could have laughed for 12 hours straight. W wakes at 3am and sets off downstairs not to disturb my sleep. I am still awake when he comes back at 4, showers, and leaves for the airport. I fall asleep just before my alarm goes off at 5.30.

"Off switch! Quick" Swipe across the IPhone. Sweet silence. "No way am I going to exercise class. I'll walk the dogs later."


I fall asleep for a half hour just before 7, when our son Jono takes a shower in the bathroom next door. "Might as well get up!" Let the dogs out, except...

"What's the matter with your eye, pup?" Spike's eye is swollen shut, light sensitive, and leaking puss. He sticks right by my side as we walk to the office. He lies down and doesn't move when I leave the room. I call my husband, who okays a vet visit. Our vet can't take us until 4.30pm, and the eye is scabbing over. I call the vet at the bottom of the hill. She can see us at 10.30. Withe 3/4 hour to go, I quickly trace and sew two little dog fleece coats, patterned on one that's a good fit. It's 33oF here this morning.

Time to strap them into the car. My keys are gone. I call W, who tells me where the spare key is, but it takes 10 minutes to find it. We're a minute late to the vet. Spike's scratched his cornea. While we're there, they vaccinate Bella for rabies, distemper, and kennel cough. I haul out the checkbook. Ouch.

We do a couple of walking loops around a nearby park. A nice 88-year-old woman is taking her pug for a walk, so we stop and chat. "Honey, I'm trying to stay on my feet. That's why I am out here." Good for her!

When we get back to the car, I check email. A Craigslist post-er has gotten back to me: she has the dryer model (with enough poodle power!) that I sold last week. Hers is $20 less than I sold it. Since my "human" blow-dryer overheated and shut down several times while drying Bella last night, I might as well drive 20 miles to Marysville to get it. At the counter, ready to pay, it's apparent that I have used my last check at the vet's. 

"The bank is just down the street, love," says the German lady who runs the pet recycle store. Off we go, then it's back to the store with cash.

It's a 25-minute drive home, by which time the dogs and I are ready for a 2pm breakfast. I put them in their crates with food. I heat the 16-bean soup left from yesterday's supper for myself and head upstairs with a big pot of tea.

All we can do is laugh, shrug, and carry on during wacky days like this one. It's time to crawl under a warm blanket to read another theology book. (So much for my plans of studying the whole day.)

"Days like this happen because you're getting older," says my wise friend. 

"Thanks for that :-)," I think. "Maybe."

Read more: 

*I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. Psalm 138:1-3 NIV

*Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. Ecclesiastes 1:8 NEV

*Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

Saved and sinning less

"You can be completely, totally sin-free! Accept God's second act of grace. You'll lose your sin nature and have all sins forgiven! You'll never want to sin again." 

Wow, if that were only true. Reading historical theology, I've run across holiness movements that believed in a post-conversion second act of grace or "sanctification." Many preachers of the day promised God would free the believer from wanting to sin, restore their unfallen (Adamic) nature, and make him or her completely holy. For the long term. For good. For the rest of life on earth.

Wow! Sadly, I can't say I've experienced that sanctification. My desire to do wrong is mostly tempered by experiencing God's love and marveling at Christ's death on my behalf. I don't want to hurt others because I remember how good God is to me. But I sin and am tempted, though I've been a Christ-follower since I was a child.

One of my friends indignantly turned to me one day after I'd made a rude remark. "You're not perfect, you know!" he exclaimed. 

It's true. "Not a surprise to me or you," I affirmed. "Of course I'm not perfect. Why would I need a Savior if I were perfect?" He's not a Christian, and once in a while he brings up how awful or difficult I can be. Yeah, I know. I'm being transformed into Christ's likeness, but whew - what a long way I have to go! Scripture says we're liars if we say we never sin, but warns against a habitual life of sinning, when we should be a work in progress under the tender hand of God.

One mystery of the Christian faith is that God wipes the slate clean when we confess our sins. Knowing that we'll fall down in the future, he completely forgives and sets us on the right path again and again. We, uniquely among all religions, never have to carry the burden of past failures and excesses. What a generous God!

Today, I'm going to try to be good. Not because I think I'll be completely successful, but because I want to please the One who is SOOO kind and loving to those he has made.

Read more:

*Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs 10:12 NLT

*He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Happy is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:13-14 NKJV

*Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:3 NLT

Just the right time

"Don't leave things until the last minute." I know, I know. But I'm pretty happy about mailing off a grant proposal with 10 minutes to spare on the dated postal stamp. I've been waiting for one official, sealed transcript from a college, and it hadn't come. 

I called Mom and asked her to pray. She did. Right then and there. I printed an excuse note for not having the transcript and slipped an unofficial copy into the envelope. I didn't seal it. God's done miracles before, I figured.

I called the post office to make sure they could put the date stamp on the envelope. "Sorry, ma'am. We've just sent the 2 o'clock mail out, and though we're open until 3, the rest of the day will be stamped "Monday." Great. I tried to call another post office, but their phone was constantly busy. I got through to a fax machine and checked the time. Oh oh. No minutes left. Take my chances.

I wasn't tense or upset by the time I got in the car. Whatever will be, will be... I had tried my best. 

As I backed out of the driveway, I looked over my shoulder to see if the UPS delivery had left it on the back porch. There was "a white envelope! I wonder..." I exclaimed, jumping out of the car. Sure enough. They had left it in the wet at a door no one uses ($32 overnight delivery last week) but at least it had arrived.

I got into a long line at the post office, but they gave me a confirmation slip that it went out the correct day. I made it home about the time they were closing. Whew. Life can be funny but things often work out in the nick of time.


Read more:

*Have you given the horse its strength or clothed its neck with a flowing mane? Did you give it the ability to leap like a locust? Its majestic snorting is terrifying! It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength when it charges out to battle. It laughs at fear and is unafraid. It does not run from the sword. The arrows rattle against it, and the spear and javelin flash. It paws the ground fiercely and rushes forward into battle when the ram's horn blows. It snorts at the sound of the horn. It senses the battle in the distance. It quivers at the captain's commands and the noise of battle. Job 39:19–25 NLT

*For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT

105, almost 106!

W's Aunt Erna lived to within a few days of her 106th birthday. Yesterday I drove up to Canada to attend her graveside service. Eleven of us, three children, already in their 60s and 70s, a nephew and niece, spouses, a great-granddaughter, my mother-in-law and I. Standing at a little patch of earth to commit the ashes of a retired saint to the ground.

When her children moved her to Ontario 30 years ago, she agreed to go on one condition - she would be buried beside her husband in Chilliwack, BC. Her children honored her wishes. "Mom wanted to go home for a long time. She was looking forward to seeing Dad and her friends in heaven. She wondered why God would leave her and take younger ones with more living and ministry to do."

"She never had a bad thing to say about anyone, in all her years of ministry," said someone. "She was always positive, and that's probably one of the reasons she lived so long."

"She was interested in people and loved to stay in touch," said another. She wrote me letters until she could no longer hold a pen, into her 100s. She rarely forgot a name or person, and her mind was clear and sharp even as her body failed. Auntie Erna kept reading and learning until the end.

"She kept your Christmas cards on the dresser all year," her daughter told me. "You missed one year, and she made us call your mother-in-law to make sure you were ok. She worried that something had happened to you!" (I'd lost her new address when she moved into assisted living.)

I'll miss this lady a lot. She partnered with her husband to plant over a dozen churches for German immigrants to Canada, and was an amazing pastor's wife and mentor to many women in ministry. She also was the last placeholder of her generation in my husband's family, a constant prayer warrior, and faithful Christian. 

From across the miles and through family legend, she set a standard of faith and obedience that calls me into a closer walk with Christ. "Thanks, Auntie Erna. We're happy you got your wish to go home, but we'll miss you!" 

Read more:

*"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!" Job 19:25–27 NEV

*For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Psalm 94:14-15 NEV

*May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 NIV

Tendency-itis

Tendonitis happens when an injured tendon does not receive enough blood and therefore, not enough oxygen, to heal. Repeated abuse of the tendon without complete healing creates a joint that is swollen, sore, and weak. Pianists and typists get it. So do tennis players who hurt their elbows. Time, ice, and rest help overcome the injury.

I seem to be in a "word warp" with synonyms, homonyms, and adjectives tumbling around my head. Take tendency-itis, which is not a real word but bears some of the symptoms of tendonitis, which is real. Tendency-itis: repeated patterns of behavior in small and large decisions determines the warp of a character and personality. "She tends to look on the bright side." "He tends to think only in accounting terms." Tendencies.

Some tendancy-itis is brought on by physical, mental, or soul defects. For instance, syndromes of attention deficit disorders include loss of focus, impulsive behavior, widespread interests (with ambitious projects rarely brought to completion), and misplacing things.

"You always lose things," grumps my husband when I'm looking for keys, books, or other items.

Well, that's true. I've always lost things and getting older hasn't helped. Over the years, I've put organizational systems in place. It still depends on scatter-brained me to make the organizing tweaks work. Too bad. Usually I drop my keys in the same place. But sometimes I don't. Usually I bring library books into the bedroom and put them down where they belong. But sometimes I don't. And that's where any perfect system breaks down into chaos.

"AAAAh, I've got to find my keys (or books, or...whatever)!" I wail as I dash around from kitchen counter to rummaging through purses and pockets of jackets I've worn in the last week.

Here's another tendency. Impulsiveness is promoted in society rather than corrected. For those with ADD or ADHD, we'll never wish it away or completely overcome our impulses so we learn to live with them and try not to act them out. "Oh, looks good. Let's try that!"

No, no, no. "Stop right now and think it through."

However, American capitalism advertises to seduce even the most careful consumers to buy things they don't need, want, or have storage for. Giving in creates a monster that "needs" to buy, acquire, and squirrel away. Undoing the flawed worldview of depending on stuff to bring happiness is a long process because it bucks every trend and promotion that our economy is built on.

Christ calls us to form tendencies that heal, not hurt. To bless, not curse. To be wise stewards of time, talent, and money. We are to ask him for things that benefit others, not just ourselves. Like with tendonitis, we need rest, to put things away or "on ice," and give ourselves time as we heal from unsound habits.

Our warped tendency-itis needs sound input into the value system and continual replacement of bad ideas with good. Only then can we leave behind sinful reflexes that war against the soul. Thinking on things that are good, pure, noble, or good report, and thanking God for his loving kindness? Now those are tendencies we could happily live with.

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*My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,

and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. Proverbs 2:1-9 NIV

Be careful little tweet...

35% of employers keep tabs on their employees via social media. So says Pink Lady's blog today. It's not what we meant to say, but what our employer hears when he/she reads what we wrote that is important.

So "be careful little mouth" - via keyboard - "what we say," just like in the Sunday School song. 

10 things to keep in mind for tweets, blogs, and FB:

1. If our mom would get upset at the morality or wording, it's probably not for public consumption.
2. Compliment others and post those replies for everyone to see. Sharing kudos is easy and gives others a boost.
3. Be nice in public. Complain or object in person, preferably in private. The exception is if it's a systemic problem and we're willing to go on a limb to point it out in public. There are always repercussions for courageous candor, so evaluate if it's a hill we are willing to die on.
4. Share great ideas and links, not just fluff and stuff. What helps us may also be interesting to another person.
5. That said, it doesn't matter what great idea we share if a coworker feels attacked or undermined. If the boss delineates turf rather than team or enforces a strict hierarchy, remember there are lots of other ideas out there. Don't swim in a coworker's wading pool.
6. Don't slam the door on our own foot. Rather, put our "best foot forward" especially when we're smack in the middle of a "situation." If we can't say anything nice... best to be quiet until we can say it nicely.
7. Remember the words anonymous and names and details have been changed to protect the innocent. The innocent include other persons who can't rebut with their POV. Keeping tabs on a process via words may be fine, but naming names and giving exact details hurts rather than helps. 
8. Memory is fickle. Keep a print-out file of our highs and lows posted online or important replies we make to others' posts. This is a great way to pattern what we like or loathe, especially after a situation is over. Avoid future pain by learning from (not reinventing) the past.
9. Track the progress of a relationship with a boss or coworker by keeping a print-out file of out-of-the-ordinary praise and criticism. Notice details in others' emails or tweets that suggest we might be in danger. Keep compliments that evaluate our strengths. Those provide excellent perspective, emotional distance, and future direction when leaving behind a friendship, church, job, or town.
10. Even when the past is forgiven by God, it's never forgotten online. Someone else may be keeping track or checking on us, too. (See #8, #9.)

Nope, sadly I haven't kept the 10 rules perfectly in the past.  I hope to in the future.  I've offered apologies or explanations where appropriate, too. Maybe that should be #11.

Got any wisdom to add? We'd love to read it!

Total thieves

I dropped my IPhone between the car and the restaurant at noon. An eyewitness 2 tables over described it - black IPhone with white protective surround. She saw a young woman in med. brown long hair picked it up, show it to her male companion, and walk toward the bar entry. The couple must have changed their minds about a lunchtime drink: the security camera doesn't show them entering the bar.

They took my phone! "The gal looked right at me, which is how I remember her face. I would remember her," said Nadine, who saw the couple.

Of course I closed down my phone account, changed as many passwords as I could remember being on it, and filed a police report. AT&T didn't charge us for the immediate 2 hour call to Romania, either.

Not long ago, our daughter worked her last day before beginning a few months of disability. None of her coworkers remarked that they'd miss her, wished her well, or paid any attention to the extra hours she put in the final week. Her body wracked with pain, she ramped up her output, knowing she'd be out of the office to rest and recover. She could have just taken the week off, according to her docs, but didn't want to leave the company hanging. No one seemed to care, either about her or her efforts.


These two incidents reminded me of the times several public school moms would grill me about how our home-schooled children could be properly socialized, without constant interaction with peers. "I think they'll be fine," I said, watching their own kids growing up. Those "well-socialized" peers look through people they pass on the sidewalk, would never stoop to say hello to a stranger, and have no time left over to care for others. Big generalization, I know. But hopefully our kids notice the hurting. I know they'd turn in a lost IPhone without hesitation.

It's the conscience -less effrontery in American society that makes me catch my breath. The core value of "It's all about me, all of the time, unless I get some benefit from helping you" upsets me. My parents, my husband, our children, and I did not grow up hearing we were "the prettiest, the strongest, the smartest, and you're better than other kids." I hope we have a realistic view of our capabilities and healthy self-esteem, but we know our limits. There's always someone more needy and many people more proficient than we are - so we enjoy input from others and serving others.

Jesus told us to care for our neighbors. But "positive affirmations" without substance have produced a selfish culture that cultivates its own interests, ignorant of the implications for a healthy society. It's made us total thieves of others' time, resources, and energy in pursuit of our own happiness. And made us (and sister UK) among the most selfish, unhappiest nations in the world, according to recent studies.

Yeah, I'm ticked with the thieves, but I'm also angry at my generation, who taught them "Do your own thing. It's all about you, baby!" (BTW: I look for websites of "free photos" for illustrations.)

Read more:
*Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. Proverbs 21:17 NLT

*Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 1 John 2:4-6 NLT

God with us

"95% of those who have come through counseling are back in ministry," says Jack. "This is necessary work."

A group of us listens intently, sitting around the table after our sandwiches are consumed, chips crunched, and crudites swallowed. We think about Immanuel. God with us, always. When we cannot help ourselves, our God visits us through the caring words and hands of those willing to weep and laugh with us.

Many of us feel abandoned by God if we're in moral failure, ministry collapse, or family chaos. "How could he love me, stay with me, care about me, since I..."

I admit that I marvel each time I read how Jesus came to save sinners, rather than affirm the self-righteous. The Apostle Paul claimed to be chief among sinners. He had murdered, persecuted, and hunted down people because of a difference in belief. Yet God forgave him and gave him an honored, influential place in Church history because he was willing to let go of the past.

I thank God for the explicit picture in Scripture of King David - charismatic leader, adulterer, soldier, and the power behind a wrongful death. David kept repenting and growing in his understanding of God's ways. He realized that God never gives up. Never abandons. Instead, God walks us through pain and sin to wholeness and abundant life. God called David a "man after my heart" because David desired to please God, admitting his failures and turning repeatedly from his human frailty to God's strength.

When life circumstances, ministry pressures, or poor personal choices bring ruin and devastation, missionaries and ministers turn to Missionary Renewal International (MRI), birthed along with Missionary Renewal Asia Pacific (MRAP).

The dream of MRI/MRAP's founder Dr. Jack Rozell, former pastor and missionary to Asia, is to provide a safe haven to heal the hearts of God's servants. To return the wounded to God, to family, and back into ministry. MRI and MRAP allow the broken to be real and transparent, so they can be restored. Every week, trained counselors and psychiatrists walk alongside hurting servants of God, drawing out their grief and balancing their suffering by extending God's forgiveness and love.

MRI and MRAP need your help, too. Their impact in missions and local churches is unique and substantial. Most counselees return to ministry in harvest fields where they are desperately needed. As the need for Missionary Renewal's services continues to grow, they'd appreciate your generosity on behalf of the very human adventurers who have bridged cultures between the world and the Church.

Don't put it off, please! Any amount you give will be put to great use! The donation link is a bit slow, but your patience may mean the difference between life or loss for another. Thanks.

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"Comfort, comfort my people," says your God. "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.

"Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  Isaiah 40:1-5 NIV 

*As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15:9-14 NIV

*After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
 
  “ Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
      Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
      Be to our God forever and ever.
      Amen.”
Revelation 7:9-12 NKJV

Fish frenzy

There are three fish tanks in the house. Two are reef tanks. One's doing well. The other constantly battles for chemistry balance and against algae. The simplest is a little freshwater tank, sitting beside me as I write. 

After raising four children, fish are relatively maintenance free. Every two days, I swish a cube of brine shrimp or other frozen food through the saltwater. Nearly every day, I pull back the tab on the fish flake jar to sprinkle a meal into the freshwater tank. Besides water changes and occasional glass cleaning, fishkeeping is pure enjoyment. 

Though I care for them each day, the fish don't know me. They have no idea that I am a student, a wife, a mother, a friend, a writer. Actually they could care less. They feed in a frenzy in their safe environment. They swim unaware of dangers of a broken glass or being out of water. I take care of the threats so they can live in peace.

Some of us are like my fish, living in a bubble of blissful ignorance. When life is easy, it's all about us and our comforts. We have little interest in the Creator and Sustainer who protects and guards life. We scarcely notice others who move and breath and suffer around us. We just want our share of food and resources, playing around without a care. 

When food runs short or disease threatens, we swim in panicked circles. When a big fish is added to the tank, we become cautious. We are fearful when we get sick. When our kids rebel. When life brings difficulties. Strangely, many of us blame God for our misery, though we have scarcely thanked him for plenteous provisions. Still wrapped in ourselves, we flail about as though he were unaware of us and our needs.

Let's take time today to "count our many blessings, naming them one by one." Then, "it will surprise us what the Lord has done." And how carefully he watches over us, whether we are grateful for or oblivious to his tender love. 

Read more:

*Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word. Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.

Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.  Psalm 119:105-112 NIV

*In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:2-3 NIV 

*Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor's] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 (Amplified Bible)