John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

It doesn't seem possible that it has been three years since I put my pen to paper...  Like many of you, my life has taken many twists and turns during that time.  I said farewell to IL and ventured to live in the beautiful San Joaquin Valley of California with my son.   I learned that even in the warm California sunshine, money doesn't grow on trees and I recently came back home.  Now I write to you as a church member, rather than a staff member!

Not long after I arrived home, I was spending a quiet afternoon in the park in our small town of Bradford with my daughter and her two sons.  As I sat quietly with the sunshine enveloping my body, I couldn't help but look around me at the beauty of God's creation.  What a masterpiece!  To the north, (at least I think it was north!) as far as the eye could see, it looked like a beautiful patchwork quilt as farmers had prepared their fields for spring planting.  Children laughed and played...  The ants were already looking for a picnic.... The birds were chirping... and perched ever so quietly on a tree branch was the most beautiful butterfly.  It was ablaze with black and yellow and red.  I watched as it seemed to flutter with the wind.  I was in awe at the brilliance of color.  I eventually called to my grandson to come see the beautiful butterfly.  As he peered up into the tree, my daughter moved closer so that this small child, still learning about everything around him could see this amazing creature....  "It really is pretty," she said as the peeked up at it from directly under the tree branch grinning, "But its a child's mitten!"  We still laugh about the beautiful butterfly, but when I think back to that day, I can't help but think about our homecoming to Heaven with God.  If a little town of Bradford can display so much beauty on an average spring day, can you even imagine what Heaven will be like?  Heaven is so real, not like my butterfly!  I can barely imagine... streets of Gold, gates of pearl and walls of rare stones like jasper, sapphire, emerald and amethyst!  And all of it very, very real! John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. Meanwhile, we wait, we worship, we serve and we pray until that day comes.  I am constantly reminded of the lessons that I taught the small children in children's church years ago.   God always answers prayers... Sometimes he says yes, sometimes he says no and sometimes he says not yet....