Is Hell Real?

Judgement Day

Are we talking about The Terminator?  Not really but not everyone believes in life after death.  I was listening to the radio this morning and it was talking about how a doctor witnessed near death experiences of some of his patients.  They kept saying how they felt hot and saw a lake of fire before they died.  You have two choices:  Heaven or hell and the decisions you make in this lifetime will determine where you go in the hereafter.  Where will you go?

Movie Night

If you had your choice...

Would you choose 90 Minutes in Heaven or 23 Minutes in Hell?  Personally I know what I would choose.  What will you choose?  Are heaven and hell real?  Do you believe in God?  Do you believe in the devil?
 Good and evil reside in this world together.  If there is good there is bad.  But the opposite of good is not bad.  The opposite of good is evil. 

Nosmo...

King...

Nosmo...  King...  What exactly does this stand for?

Have you guessed?

No Smoking...  NO SMOKING...

Good health has become very much valued in our present day society.  In fact, you can tell by the laws that have been passed and the push to get rid of this unhealthy habit.  Sometimes when you smell a smoker, you wonder if that is what hell, fire, and brimstone smell like...  I want to live in a land where there is no smoking because when all is said and done, I'd rather be in heaven then in hell but you decide...

Rich Man

Poor Man

Ever hear the story about Lazarus?  Lazarus was a very poor man that went to heaven.  A rich man during the same time frame went to hell.  Ironically having money in this world in your lifetime doesn't guarantee you a spot in heaven.  More likely it will guarantee you a spot in hell because the love of money is the root of all evil.  Don't value money more than people.  You will live to regret it someday.

True or False

Is there really a "well to hell?"

Snopes is claiming that it's false but there are numerous news articles that say that the Soviets were drilling a hole so deep into the center of the earth that the tortured voices from hell could be heard.  Don't ever fall down the rabbit hole if you know what I mean...

Is Hell Real?

Dante's Inferno

Dante painted a depiction of hell that is actually accurate in that it consists of varying levels of pain and torture depending on how good or bad you've been.  There is only one way to heaven and it has nothing to do with works.  Works are for rewards but most who end up in heaven will have the satisfaction of a race well run for the good that they've done here on earth.

Life is Complicated...

Always & Forever

Sometimes in life we don't always get to go out with the one we want to or to marry the one you love...  Why?  Because other people and things get in the way...  Everyone has a secret agenda and if you are not privy to it you may never understand why things happen the way they do.  Sometimes they say not making a decision is actually a decision in itself.  I think if something is truly meant to happen then it will because ultimately God is bigger than us all however we still have free will.  God gave us free will for a reason...  because he wanted us to choose where we really want to be...  Whether it be heaven or hell it is your choice to go where you want.  Sometimes it's hard to see loved ones go where you won't go but it was their choice to be there and that is a decision everyone must choose for themselves.  You can't make that choice for them.  I hope you choose wisely... 

There is a book called The Shack with a segment involving a dialogue between Wisdom and Mack.  Wisdom asks Mack to choose which of his children go to heaven or hell.  He tells Wisdom that he can't make a decision like that.  Well neither can God Wisdom replies.  It's true...  God loves us all whether we are good or bad but he can't choose which of us goes where.  So he gave us free will to choose...  wisely...  I hope...  I know the ones that choose what I choose I will see again in the afterlife however the ones that don't I know I will never see again once we pass.  It's difficult knowing this as there are people I care about that won't choose to go to heaven but it's something I can't force someone else to do. 

Once Upon A Time

A Moment...

In the past year I have met a number of couples that have been married for longer than I have been alive or close to.  Each couple has their own unique story of how they met and fell in love:  Kind of like the mini segments embedded in the movie When Harry Met Sally.

Usually it was a meeting purely by chance:  For instance, if they had not done this then that would not have happened.  Some couples met because they each traveled halfway around the world.  Pondering this, the odds of you ever meeting the right person sounds almost impossible except that these couples did find each other and have actually stayed together.

Sometimes finding the right person is not a straight line from one point to another.  Sometimes you meet people who point you in the right direction of the one you are meant to be with.  We all meet people all the time but until you spend time getting to know someone you really don't know if you are meant to be together or not.  Sometimes you date someone and realize that this person would be perfect for someone else.

I remember a friend telling me that she knows all these nice people and how it would be nice to have them meet each other.  Sometimes what happens is a nice person meets a not so nice person and marries them only to end up living a hell on earth.  Some decisions require a lot of wisdom, don't you think?.

I have met a lot of super nice people throughout my life but I have come to the realization that just because someone is nice doesn't guarantee you will fall in love with them.  You know?  And then there is a vast difference between love and lust.  And some people fall into the lust trap too easily.  Personally I think love trumps lust all the time however you can actually find both in the same person sometimes.

It's something to think about...  but having listened to all these stories from all these couples makes you believe in love again:  The lasting kind...  Happy St. P Day!  :)

Bad Seed

A Heart for Evil

Why is it that in this life we every so often come across a person that has evil in their heart?  Exactly what defines evil?  Evil is a person that cares about money more than other people...  As they say, "the love of money is the root of all evil."  Evil is wanting to control others, lying, manipulates, has no boundaries...  What do you do when you come across an evil person?  You simply let go...  You don't react...  You stop engaging...  And by the way, don't marry an evil person unless you want to live in a four-walled hell... 

9/11

Remembering

Tragedy doesn't often strike so close to home but fifteen years ago it did.  Do you remember what you were doing that day or who you were with?  I think it's one of those memories that few people will ever forget:  The survivors and people all over the world that mourned with us.  Remember the opposite of good is evil not bad.  And love overcomes fear.  You can only know this if you've been to hell and back and lived to tell the tale. 

Why?

Bold Malibu...

So I was listening to the radio a while ago:  A mother had called in about her daughter who was having an affair with a married man and having his child to boot.  The daughter was also married and had previous children with her present husband.  This woman who I will call Bold Malibu did not see anything wrong with her behavior whatsoever...

I have to admit that I was appalled.  I am a woman but I don't think that her attitude was correct.  What was wrong with her?  I think most women would rather be the cherished wife rather than the other woman.  Think about it...  One man thinks you are special enough to marry whereas the other man thinks you are easy pickings.  I mean no brainer, right?  What was she thinking that she was doing the right thing in any way, shape, or form?  If I were this woman's husband then I would have just kicked her to the curb because even God allows divorce for this reason.

However God also chooses some people to be like Hosea.  Hosea married a prostitute.  Need I say more?  Each and every person who is in this situation has to choose how they would react in this situation.

Remember the story of the prodigal?  In each situation we are either the Father, the Runaway Son, or the Elder brother.  Which are you?  In some cases, Bold Malibu repents but in others she simply doesn't care...  The non-repentant Bold Malibu goes to hell...  And don't you think otherwise.  Unfortunately a good man can be ruined by a wicked woman and vice versa...  which is why we have so many broken people walking around looking for love or no strings...

Tale of Yore

Cinderella

The tale of Cinderella is timeless and has a hidden message...  "You can't judge a book by it's cover."  How many romances are out there that portray the nice, good hearted girl with the shallow, greedy, selfish girl?  And yet why is it that the guys go for the shallow one time and time again?

Really think about the person you are dating...  Are they worth it?  If not then you still have time however if you are already married to the vain one well...  Hopefully they don't make your life hell...  Follow your heart!  It will lead you...

Love?

Thoughts...

So you think about the divorce rate and how people simply are not staying together any longer.  But then you think about the people that manipulated their way into a relationship.  Do you know of someone that had to give an ultimatum to be in a marriage?  Or the person that had to play dirty?  If you had to play dirty to get the person you wanted then that person probably didn't really want to be in the relationship with you anyway.  That's the thing about free will.  God gives us free will to live our lives but you can imagine the resentment you feel towards someone that forced you against your will into a relationship.  That's called being selfish.  It's better to let someone go and let them come to you if it's meant to be.  It's sad to be so desperate that you have to force someone to love you.

I heard or read somewhere that relationships fall under these three categories:

Soulmates...
Playmates...
Inmates...

You can either be living in a "slice of heaven on earth" or you can live in a "4-walled hell."  There is also the "status quo" which there are many of. Find someone that you have a shared passion with and that you enjoy being around.  Make sure the feeling is mutual!  One thing, don't ever settle!

ProPublica

Are you a whistleblower?

Remember the movie The Insider?  It was an expose of the nicotine industry.  Because Jeffrey Wigand came forward in the interest of the public consumer he basically went through hell.  It's ironic that some companies are so good at "talking the talk" but they don't seem to want to "walk the walk."  If you want to check out a forum that makes sure that you know what you need to know then check out ProPublica.  

Worker's Comp

A Real Pain in the Butt

I heard this story about a woman who broke her leg due to a worker's comp injury.  Do you know that they would not treat her medically until her worker's comp was approved?  During that time her leg set the way it had broken and they had to re-break her leg so that they could get her better.  Talk about unnecessary pain.

I know a number of employees at this one company on worker's comp who have all been put through hell.  Was it their fault that they got injured?  No... but it was their fault that they sought legal action.  So what did this company do?  Fire and lay them off.  What's a big bad company doing that for when they have billions of dollars in their pocket?  Shame on you!