Pastor Gene
Here is the Thanksgiving poem on food that I shared after todays message. After all the important things said about relationships, this is what people requested that I blog about....sigh.
Anyway, I don't know who the author is, but I pass it along to you...thanks for the large crowd today for our community Thanksgiving service and Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
I ate too much Turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie.
I'm stuffed up with muffins and too much stuffin'
I'm probably going to die.
I piled up my plate and I ate and I ate.
But I wish I had known when to stop,
For I'm so crammed with yams, sauces,
gravies, and jams
That my buttons are starting to pop!
I'm full of tomatoes and french fried potatoes.
My stomach is swollen and sore,
But there's still some dessert so I guess it won't hurt
if I eat just a little bit more!
The photo to the left is of my good friend Alan and his dog Biscuit. Biscuit has been attending Celebration church with Alan for at least six years. However Biscuit is 17 years old and has cancer and lives in constant pain. So, this week, Alan is having him put to sleep. Any pet owner can sympathize with what Alan is feeling. But, when times like this arise, there is always this question…”Do our pets go to heaven?” If you want the full, lengthy answer with all the scriptures, please order the message from March 2008 called “Do Pets Go To Heaven?” But the short answer is, I believe….YES!God likes animals….no, God loves animals. We see that all through scripture…
In the Old Testament…Genesis 24 relates how, when Eliezer went to Haran to find a wife for Isaac, he looked for a girl who would show kindness both to humans and to animals. After Rebecca had drawn water for Eliezer and his men she immediately watered their camels. In Proverbs 12:10 we can read "A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal"
It’s very interesting that Jesus seemed to be around animals often, and He frequently used animals in His parables. It would appear that Jesus had animals on His mind. Jesus was born in a manger, which is a feeding trough for livestock, and was surrounded by animals. Isn’t it interesting that of all the places that Jesus potentially could have been born, that it was in a stable with the animals? The Bible says that when Jesus returns He will ride a white horse.Will my dogs be waiting for me there? I firmly believe that God takes care of all his creation including the animals of this world. God included the animals in His covenant with Noah. In fact, each of the seven times He spoke of His covenant with Noah, He also included the animals. And the Apostle Paul wrote this…
Romans 8:19(KJV) … the lesser creatures await Christ's return to redeem the sons of God so they, too, will be released from physical death to eternal life.
GOD wouldn't allow pets to be banned from Heaven. After all, HE created them to be our companions in life, why would he separate us in death?"
