What's on YOUR Bucket List?

“Heaven is a place where we will never sin, where our battle with the evil one will be over; there will be no tempter to ensnare our feet. There the wicked cause no trouble, and the weary are at rest. Heaven is the undefiled inheritance; it is the land of perfect holiness, and therefore of complete security.” – C.H. Spurgeon

We all have special places we consider to be “heaven on earth”. I remember as a young boy being mesmerized the first time I set foot in the original Yankee Stadium, seeing the emerald-green grass and the gleaming white façade rimming the upper deck as I gazed down on my childhood heroes like Bobby Murcer, Roy White, and Thurman Munson. Closing my eyes, I could even envision Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle patrolling the outfield while Lou Gehrig held down first base and Whitey Ford manned the mound.

I experienced the same euphoric feeling the first time I visited Disney World as a child and the Magic Kingdom came to life before my very eyes. Memories were made as I rode Space Mountain, visited the Haunted Mansion, and sailed through the Pirates of the Caribbean.

As an adult, the closest place to heaven on earth I have ever seen were the splendors of Banff, Canada. The turquoise waters of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake were absolutely breathtaking and the Banff Springs Hotel, a five-star resort nestled in the Canadian Rockies, was spectacular, too.

Someday, I hope to visit Scotland to see where some of my ancestors lived and to play some links-style golf whereas Deanna’s “bucket list” includes an Alaskan cruise. We’d also both like to visit the Grand Canyon and the American Southwest along with some other national parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite.

But all those natural wonders pale in comparison to what God has prepared for His children in heaven. The sights, sounds, and smells will defy our earthly senses let alone our human imaginations. But best of all, we will see Jesus face-to-face in all His glory and be like Him… freed forever from sin, pain, guilt, sorrow, and all other human frailties.

Now, THAT’S what I call a real bucket list!

“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’” I Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President