2nd October

I’ve enjoyed today. Quite relaxed, with good company and stimulating conversation. And I went to church his morning for the first time after being away on my travels. Due to continuing church growth we’re now starting to have two Sunday morning meetings, both pretty much identical in content except for kid’s work. I went to the 9.15am meeting and was pleasantly surprised to find around a hundred folk attending with a good age spread as well. It’s tempting to presume that only the older folk would turn out early but it really wasn’t like that and it felt almost normal. I love the vibrant buoyancy of a growing church!

My youngest daughter and soon to be son-in-law came for lunch and that was nice. They marry in a couple of weeks and seem so happy together, it’s great. They are so relaxed as well, having kept the guest list to a bare minimum for a very ‘different’ wedding venue.  So today they were very casually considering flowers and had not decided on whether they needed a cake or not. I love it! Complete chill, no stress, no nerves… I think. And it’ll be totally them with just very immediate family and a few friends for the civil wedding ceremony, followed by a meal.  Then they’ve hired a room for an evening celebration in Derby with a couple of bands they know well and that’ll be fun later in the day.

I wonder what Jane knows of this. How much can the citizens of heaven ‘see’ of the life they’ve left behind? I’ve no idea! But I like to imagine that she’s at least a little informed of how our lives are working out and certainly her memories are intact, she’s still basically the same person even if she is now far more like Jesus than I could ever imagine. And yes that means she has an understanding of all the big ‘whys’ that need answering, but also her love and compassion and prayers and petitions will have become far greater as well. Her concern and love for her family was massive whilst alive on earth so how much more now she’s been released from the personal trials that challenged her for so many years. Despite her physical discomfort, which is really impossible to describe, Jane spent the last week of her life blissfully happy because of our daughter’s engagement. She would be over the moon with excitement right now as the details are all coming into place. Maybe she actually is; excited, of course but ‘over the moon?’ I know we could never find it but who knows where God keeps heaven until he sends it back down to earth!

I know what Jane was doing sometime last week. A quite wonderful member of our church passed away, an amazing character; so I reckon that included in the heavenly welcome would have been all those he knew from his quite lengthy life on earth, including those from his home church. I couldn’t imagine being only welcomed by persons we do not know so that must be one of the special events that Jane is involved with. It must be exciting meeting a few angels though. And as for Jesus…

Matthew 5:12 ‘Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.’ (NLT)