Of Stereos and Heaven

0:00I was talking with an older guy who said, you know, I'm so old, I never start a book that has a sequel. Thanks for joining us today. You're listening to Lafagan with Phil Calloway. My aging parents lived in our granny suite for five years. When they could no longer hear their stereo, we bought a brand new one. The old one was an attractive little unit, complete with ham radio and a track. Noah used it on the arc for weather reports. I was showing mom and dad how to set the digital clock when my son Jeffrey who had been admiring the flashing lights in 100 watt speakers said, um, grandpa, you should put this in your will. I'd like it. You're not going to live much longer. He said this. My dad was 78 in heart of hearing. He said, Bill, who's Bill? Mom almost fell off her rocking chair laughing. Then recovered enough to say, well, Jeffrey. The Bible says it's good to remember how short our lives are so that we may be wise.

1:02Surprise said dad. What's surprise? Well, parents can help us laugh and kids can too. When our Rachel was four, she forgot to put her Sunday school offering in the plate. Oh, she said on the way home, I forgot to pay the teacher. We were talking about heaven and Stephen was five. When you die, he asked, do they take you to the body shop? When Jeffrey found out how old grandpa was, his eyes grew wide. Wow, he said, you must be getting ready for heaven. Talk of heaven's surface is more often because for all of us, the time comes when our kids must decide whether to put us in the nursing home or a museum. I don't want to go to heaven, said Jeffrey one day as we sat around the dinner table. Oh, we're going to do a sit-around and talk. Where'd you hear that? Well, that's all you grown up to. I heard we're just going to worship God all the time with a worship band and stuff. And there won't be dogs in heaven, Rachel added, if Mojo won't be there, I don't want to go. The Bible doesn't say dogs won't be in heaven, I said.

2:04It just says there won't be cats. Rachel wrapped me on the knuckles with her spoon. Dad said Stephen, whose mind had wandered, how come the only time you use my middle name is when I'm in trouble? Don't change the topic, Stephen Andrew Callaway, I said. One thing I'm going to like is the fruit, said Rachel. There'll be fruit in heaven. She'd been reading the Chronicles of Narnia, so I asked her to get book seven and read the last paragraph, and this is what she read. And as Aslan spoke, he no longer looked to them like a lion. But the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And as for us, this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page. Now at last they were beginning chapter one of the great story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before.

3:11I love it when you ask about heaven, I said. It'll be anything but boring. God created the most amazing things, hummingbirds and taste buds and stars that are telescope still can't see. He's gone ahead to prepare a place for us and he's been working on heaven a very long time. He doesn't want us to miss it, and Jesus made a way for us to get there, just believing in him. Isn't that awesome? If you kids are there, it's going to be out of this world. Will there be stereos in heaven? Ask Jeffrey? Interrupting all of our thoughts? Oh, not the kind we have here, I answer. And this is what my child said, I kid you not. He said, good, then grandpa won't be needing his. Sometimes we don't need something new. We need to remember what we already know. That's why our friends at Back to the Bible Canada created what's so good about Jesus.

4:11A free six chapter booklet that walks through the gospel. Whether you follow Jesus for years or you're still exploring Christianity, this resource offers a chance to pause, remember and rediscover the good news. Request your free copy today at laughagain.ca. Laugh again, truth bringing laughter to life.