DEN'S MEDIA ASSOCIATES
A FEW NIGHTS AGO I MUST HAVE BEEN GONE FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF...
...SUDDENLY I WAS WALKING ON A GOLDEN STREET. THERE WAS GLORY AND JOY EVERYWHERE! MY SISSY ASKED ME FOR A FAVOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, "IF YOU GO BEFORE I DO, WHEN I GET THERE, WILL YOU SHOW ME AROUND?" I SAID I WOULD, AND I DID.
I FIRST TOOK HER TO THE RIVER OF THE WATER OF LIFE. IT WAS THE MOST REFRESHING AND DELICIOUS WATER EVER! IT WAS RESPLENEDENTLY CLEAR, LIKE DIAMONDS! WE DIPPED OUR HANDS IN TIME AFTER TIME, AND TOOK MANY DRINKS, THEN WE WALKED AROUND IN THE RIVER. IT WAS SO REFRESHING AND EXHILARATING...
THEN I PICKED ONE OF THE TWELVE MANNERS OF FRUITS FROM THE TREE OF LIFE AND GAVE IT TO MY SISSY MERRILY. SHE SMILED AND TOOK A RELISHING BITE. "THAT'S THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER EATEN!" SHE EXCLAIMED...
WE WALKED UP THE STREET AND WE SAW MANY LOVED ONES SITTING ON OUR RIGHT ON THE GREENEST GRASS IMAGINABLE. THEN I CAUGHT SITE OF SISSY'S OLDER SISTER, MY FREQUENT SINGING PARTNER, SONDRA. SHE HAD HER BLACK BEAUTIFUL HAIR AGAIN AND THE SWEETEST SMILE IN ALL OF HEAVEN. SHE RAN TO ME AND TOOK ME IN HER ARMS SAYING, "OH, MY DEAREST BROTHER, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL TIMES YOU SANG AND MINISTERED WITH ME! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH..." I REPLIED, "THANK YOU, MY DEAREST GIRL. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, TOO!"
JESUS CAME TO US AND SAID, "COME WITH ME, BELOVED..." HE TOOK ME TO A MANSION COVERED IN PRECIOUS STONES, JEWELS, AND CRYSTALS. HE SAID, "THIS IS THE PLACE I PREPARED FOR YOU!" AND HE GESTURED LIKE I SHOULD WALK INSIDE, SO I DID. IT WAS INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL AND UTTERLY UNDESCRIBABLE! IT WAS JUST FOR ME.
NEXT DOOR WAS SISSY'S HOUSE. WHEN SHE WENT INSIDE, SHE EXCLAIMED, "OH, PRAISE YOU, LORD! THIS IS GORGEOUS. IT EVEN HAS ALL MY FAVORITE FLOWERS, BUT BROTHER, THESE FLOWERS ARE ETERNAL!"
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ME WAS MY DEAR SISTER AND FRIEND'S HOUSE. JESI WAS ECSTATICALLY SAYING, "IT WAS ALL TRUE, THANK YOU, MY LORD AND GOD! IT WAS AAAAAAAAAAAALL TRUE! HALLELUJAH!" BRAZILLIANS LIKE HER LOVE TO EXPOUND SOMETHING WITH MULTIPLE LETTERS, HANGING ON THEM. THEN JESILDA HEARD JESUS SAY, "YOU ARE WELCOME, CHILD. WELCOME HOME." THEN SHE DANCED AROUND AND AROUND WITH GREAT JOY! IT WAS LIKE SHE WAS AT PLAY!
I HAD IMAGINED YEARS BEFORE THAT I WOULD LIE DOWN ON THE FLOOR BY GOD'S THRONE, LAY MY FACE ON THE COOL STONE FLOOR, AND JUST THANK HIM FOR 10,000 YEARS. SISSY AND I WALKED UP NEAR THE THRONE AND WE LAY DOWN ON OUR FACES TO DO JUST THAT. THEN I HEARD OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SAY, "STAND UP, SON. I SAID IN MY WORD THAT YOU MAY COME BOLDLY BEFORE MY THRONE, SO COME ON!" WHEN I GOT THERE THE LORD ASKED BOTH OF US TO SIT ON HIS LAP. HE HELD US SO GENTLY AND SUDDENLY WE UNDERSTOOD HIS LOVE FOR US LIKE NEVER BEFORE. YOU TALK ABOUT COMPLETE REST, THAT WAS IT.
OFF IN THE DISTANCE I SAW GORGEOUS BLUE AND WHITE MOUNTAINS AND REMEMBERED THE BIBLE VERSE AND THE GOSPEL SONG THAT SAYS, "..IS MOUNTAIN ZION, IN THE SIDES OF THE NORTH, THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING..."
WE HEARD MUSIC, AND A HOLY VOICE TELLING US TO GO THERE. A HUGE CHOIR WAS ASSEMBLED, AND IN THE FRONT STOOD MY DEAREST LUCRETIA, HER HUSBAND LT. COL. PHIL, AND HIS THREE CHILDREN. WE LISTENED AWHILE, AND WHEN THEY STOPPED SINGING, SHE WELCOMED ME, AS GRACIOUS AS SHE HAD ALWAYS BEEN. EVERYONE OVER THERE IS GLORIFIED, SO THEY LOOK BETTER THAN YOU HAVE EVEN KNOWN THEM. LUCRETIA SAID, "I ONLY CAME HERE RECENTLY. THAT WAS ME YOU LAST SAW IN LAUGHLIN. PRAISE GOD WE ARE ALL HERE NOW."
PHIL HAD DIED AFTER THEIR BEECHCRAFT BONANZA HAD CRASHED IN BIG BEAR LAKE, BUT LUCRETIA HAD ESCAPED THE ACCIDENT. I TOLD HER THAT AS I LAY IN BED ONE NIGHT, I HAD HEARD HER HIGH VOICE WAY UP ABOVE MY HEAD, AND HOW MUCH IT HAD BLESSED ME. I EMBRACED HER AND TOLD HER HOW DEEPLY I LOVE HER AND I THANKED FOR ALL SHE TAUGHT ME. I THEN REVEALED TO HER THAT SHE WAS THE ONE WHO PLANTED UNDERSTANDING IN ME AS TO HOW TO TEACH CHRISTIANS TO SING WELL AND SING IN GOD'S EMPOWERMENT SO PEOPLE WOULD BE ENCOURAGED AND SAVED.
PROPHET KERRY HAD SEEN THAT YEARS BEFORE. HE SAW A MAN'S HAND REMOVE A PEACH FROM A TREE. THEN THE PEACH WAS CUT OPEN AND THE SEED WAS PLANTED. HE PROPHESIED THAT ONE DAY I WOULD SEE AN ORCHARD STRETCHING AS FAR AS I COULD SEE! WELL, I PLANTED A PEACH ORCHARD, BECAUSE OF LUCRETIA AND PHIL, ONE VOICE STUDENT AT A TIME. ONE DAY AT THE MALL IN VICTORVILLE, AFTER SEEING MY TINY CUTE LITTLE ROMAN CATHOLIC STUDENT BETHY, SHE TOLD ME SHE HAD THREE CHILDRENS' CHOIRS BECAUSE OF WHAT I SHARED WITH HER. WHEN I FIRST INTERVIEWED HER SHE SAID HER GOAL WAS TO HAVE A KIDS CHOIR, BUT SHE GOT THREE! I LOOKED ABOVE AND BEYOND THE BOOKSTORE TO MY RIGHT THAT HAD A STARBUCK'S® INSIDE AND IN THAT MOMENT I SAW THAT ORCHARD AS FAR AS MY EYES COULD SEE! LUCRETIA JUST GLORIOUSLY PRAISED THE LORD FOR GOOD FRUIT THAT REMAINS.
WE GREETED AND SHARED "I LOVE YOU!" WITH SO MANY. BUT WE NEVER SAID, "GOD BLESS YOU!" BECAUSE HE ALREADY HAD! WHEN I SAW MY MOTHER AND DAD, I SAID, "HALLELUJAH, BROTHER ART AND SISTER OLIVE!" DAD TOOK ME CLOSE AND SAID, "YOU CAN CALL ME 'DAD' HERE IF YOU WANT TO..." EVERYONE JUST KNOWS EVERYONE'S NAME THERE. WE TRULY DID KNOW AS WE WERE KNOWN, BY BOTH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER AND EACH OTHER. HE JUST SPOKE TO OUR INNER BEINGS TIME TO TIME. WE KNEW WHEN IT WAS FATHER, AND WHEN IT WAS JESUS, AND WHEN IT WAS THE HOLY SPIRIT.
BACK OVER BY HE GATES I SAW THE MOST LOVELY YOUNG LADY! I RECOGNIZED HER AS JESI'S 15 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, PAULINA LUIZA, WHO HAD PASSED AWAY FROM BRAIN CANCER SOME TIME BEFORE. AS I APPROACHED, SHE LOOKED IN MY DIRECTION AND GAVE ME THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SWEET SMILE. HER BRIGHT EYES JUST BEAMED! I EMBRACED PAULINA AND SAID, "OH, HONEY, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" AS SHE HELD ME SHE REPLIED, "I LOVE YOU, TOO, DADDY!"
MY DEAR UNCLE AND AUNT, VIRGINA AND ARTHUR, WERE THERE AND PRAISED GOD WHEN THEY SAW ME! MY UNCLE AND BROTHER ART ASKED ME TO COME AND TALK WITH THEM SOON AND I SAID I WOULD. I SAW PASTOR WILLARD, LESSIE, HER PARENTS, ARTHUR AND JUANITA, PASTOR JOE AND MY DEAR FELLOW MINISTER, LOU (WE TWO MINERAL SALESMEN WENT AND STUDIED THE 12 FOUNDATIONS AND HE JUST KEPT SAYING, "OH, MY THAT'S BEAUTIFUL, PRAISE THE LORD!")
BOTH OF MY FORMER WIVES, DONNA AND BARBIE, WERE THERE AND I KNEW THAT THE LORD HAD COMPLETED HIS GOOD WORK WITHIN THEM AND HAD BROUGHT THEM HOME. I HAD TOLD DONNA AND TED ONE DAY, "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER YOU ARE MARRIED TO TED OR TO ME, WHAT MATTERS IS THAT WE ALL MAKE HEAVEN", AND WE DID. WHAT A GLORIOUS REUNION WAS THAT!
A CALL CAME FROM THE SPIRIT TO GO BACK AND SING. I TOOK SISSY BY THE HAND AND WE WENT BACK. ON THE WAY, WE STOPPED AND WATCHED OUR BROTHERS, KING DAVID, APOSTLE MATTHEW, AND THE APOSTLE PAUL AS THEY TAUGHT. DAVID POINTED TO HIS WIFE BATHSHEEBA, HIS SON ABSALOM WHO DIED WHEN HIS HAIR WAS CAUGHT IN A TREE, AND THEIR BABY WHO DIED AFTER HE HAD UZZIAH KILLED AND LUSTFULLY TOOK BATHSHEEBA. THEN HE GAVE PRAISE TO GOD FOR BRINGING THEM ALL HERE, IN SPITE OF THEIR GREAT SINS. GOD'S FORGIVENESS IS IMMENSE.
WHEN WE GOT WHERE THE CHOIR WAS, LUCRETIA SAID, "ISN'T IT WONDERFUL, MY DEAR DENNIS, THAT WE CAN HEAR EVERY LOVELY SONG EVER WRITTEN AND PLAYED AND SUNG FOR THE LORD DOWN THROUGH THE AGES, ALL AT ONCE, AND ENJOY EACH OF THEM?" THEN SHE INTRODUCED SISSY AND ME AS 'TWO DEAR ONES WHO HADRECENTLY ARRIVED' AND ASKED US TO SING THAT SONG WE HAD SUNG SO MANY TIMES BEFORE. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO SING "GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN ME", I LOOKED IN FRONT OF US AND THERE SAT BILL AND GLORIA GAITHER. I WENT OVER TO THEM, SHOOK BILL'S HAND, AND TOLD THEM I LOVED THEM AND THANKED THEM FOR THEIR FAITHFULNESS IN GIVING ALL THE WORLD SUCH GLORIOUS MUSIC. THEY SMILED AND SAID THEY LOVED ME, TOO.
THEN I ASKED LUCRETIA, "MAY WE HAVE SOME MUSIC?" AND THE MOST EXQUISITE ORCHESTRA PLAYED AN INTRO FOR SISSY AND ME. WE JUST HELD HANDS AND SANG BETTER THAN WE EVER HAD IN THIS LIFE! EVERYONE JUST PRAISED AND THANKED THE LORD!
THEN BILL EXCITEDLY SAID, "COME ON TO THE GATES. JANET AND JOHN ARE COMING HOME!" I KNEW HE MEANT JANET PASCHAL AND HER AIRLINE PILOT HUSBAND, JOHN NEIL. SISSY AND I WENT WITH THEM.
JESUS MET US THERE AND HE FIRST TOOK DEAREST JANET IN HIS ARMS AND WELCOMED HER HOME. SHE TOLD THE LORD HOW MUCH SHE LOVES HIM. AND SHE WANTED TO CRY, FOR SHE WAS SO BLESSED. BUT JESUS TOLD HER, "THERE, THERE, THERE WILL BE NO TEARS HERE, DAUGHTER!" WE ALL HUGGED THEM AND WHEN I GOT TO JANET I THANKED HER FROM THE DEEPEST PARTS OF BY NEW GLORIFIED BEING FOR SHARING AND SINGING TO ME WHEN I NEEDED IT MOST. SHE SAID, "YOU'RE WELCOME, MY FRIEND AND BROTHER, AND PRAISE GOD. I LOVE, Y'ALL!" AND THEN SHE SMILED SO BEAUTIFULLY...
I OPENED MY EYES AND IT WAS STILL THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. ALL WAS QUIET AND DARK. FOR THE LONGEST TIME, I JUST PRAISED THE LORD FOR WHAT HE HAD JUST SHOWN ME. WHETHER IN THE BODY OR OUT I CANNOT SAY, BUT IT WAS THE REALEST OF THE REAL. I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME....
DR. DENNIS C. MILLER, D.D. (HON) & D.B.S.
