I Ain't No Limey!

Okay, so I didn't do to well with my British slang. I think I should get points for at least getting the phrase correct, if not misuing it. Imagine the horror -- the horror -- had I written something like "the hamster's bollocks." Plus, if the implication is that the best part of a dog is his bollocks, then either you folks over there don't like dogs too much, or you like bollocks a little too much.

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"There are other parts of The Bible that suggest we maintain something of our earthly identities when in Heaven and that we will see long lost family and friends again."

I have heard a good many preachers go further still -- that heaven will be a recreated physical earth where we live in recreated and perfect bodies ... but that's not until after the second advent of Christ. What heaven is between now and that time is unclear to me.

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As for the general thread about what life in heaven is like, and whether after some very long period of time we might get bored with it ... I'm not sure how to respond to that. I could joke with you and say that it would take an eternity for me to figure out how to counter the Scandanvian Bollock's Gambit, or whatever. But I'll try to stay serious.

You have an interesting line in your post: "We're worshipping God. Ok we'll take a break from that and ..." From what I understand -- and what I weakly cling to -- the allure of heaven is not that we get to re-meet old friends, or play chess until we're perfect ... but that we'll get to be in the glory and presence of God. And that will be so overwhelmingly blissful that time will have no meaning, and the notion of not worshipping God or not wanting to be in his presence will not even occur to us. Or so I'm to understand.

And it occurs to me that if one doesn't savor the idea of being in the presence of God for eternity, then one probably doesn't begin to appreciate God in the first place.

Critical Disclaimer -- I am not being judgmental there. Goodness, if you could know the doubts and struggles in my heart, you'd know that I'm about the last person that would jump up on a ledge and thump my chest about the superiority of my faith over others.

Think about it ... if God's glory is limited such that we might get bored with it after some period of time, then either God himself is painfully limited (perish the thought) or our image of God is painfully limited (which is more likely the case). I know that's the case with me.

I recall someone once explaining his answer when kids ask if their dog or cat will be in heaven. He said that to the kids he answers, "If that's what you want, then they'll be there." But he said he felt that once in heaven the things we long for and desire here on earth will pale into utter insignificance. Our longing and fulfillment will instead be in standing before Christ, face to face, and experiencing that Glory. On the surface that answer might seem callous and harsh, but I think there's some merit in the answer, provided that God is as compellingly glorious as the Bible says he is. If, on the other hand, God is merely like the George Burns character in the movie "Oh, God!" then perhaps wishing for my dog back might be an option.

Again, I wouldn't want you or anyone else to think that I have this thing called "faith" figured out. I am extremely uncomfortable in the new clothes I have. I struggle with competing emotions: either a) I don't really believe it, or b) I can't possibly deserve it. But this I am certain of: something is changed in me. There is a something deep inside that flickers like a dim lamp, yet it keeps me seeking God more fully. I stumble each and every day, but not a day goes by that I don't at least think about God. Some days I more than just think; some days I almost start to yearn.

I think I agree with you on at least some level when you wrote, "I believe that FAITH is not something that lends itself to reason." I think it lends itself to reason up to a point. But not entirely. There comes a point in time -- and in many different places -- where one must stand there, as if on the edge of a dock arching over a cold lake, and say "I will step off." For instance, nobody will ever convince me that it can be "proven" the Bible is inerrant. I choose to believe that it is. There is no scientific proof that God exists, but there is ample evidence that suggests that he just might ... and it's simply a step beyond that to believe that he indeed does.