52 Paths to Heaven

It must be tough for a toddler to distinguish one crowd from another.

I got a kick out my friend’s 2-year-old son who went to church in Cleveland Sunday. He figured it would be just like the last crowd he was around - inside a pro hockey arena in Detroit.

He was thrilled to see so many people. “Hockey! Hockey!” he yelled.

Maybe he didn’t realize the players wouldn’t be racing about. But he picked up on the joy. Everyone came out for a great occasion - to worship the King.

No ice, skates, or protective gear. He just needed wonderment and innocence - enough to make Jesus smile.

Matthew 19:14

Jesus, however, said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these.”

Jesus doesn’t require much from the rest of us - just hearts open enough to receive what He has for us … as we invite Him to transform our lives.

I had heard of this “Everything” drama based on the Lifehouse song. And then I saw it.

I know people who aren’t keen on drama. Yet, given the song, the story and the creative presentation, it’s not hard for me to be moved every time I see it.

The scene is simple - mankind was once at peace with God but fell into sin. And the scary thing is that sin blocks us from God, our Creator. We may seek Him in one fashion or another. But sin is so powerful; sin thwarts us as we search.

When Jesus throws steps in between us and sin - the intensity of the video is undeniable. Finally, He throws sin back, defeating it by His sacrifice. It’s an amazing video that you can easily personalize - whether you’re on the journey toward the Lord or struggling with sin like me even in the beauty of your relationship with Him.

Jesus is an interesting person, complex in many ways.

His character is powerfully reflected in a video and the poetry of the late Dr. S.M. Lockridge, a pastor you may never have come across.

The audio is a bit rough, but the message is clear: Jesus has many more attributes than you can fathom at any one time.

If you’re a fan of creativity, writing, oratory and spiritual insight, you may be touched by the way he captures the heart of Jesus (the video images help along with some modern background music).

Here’s an excerpt followed by the Christian video:

“My King”

He strengthens and sustains.
He guards and He guides.
He heals the sick.
He cleansed the lepers.
He forgives sinners.
He discharges debtors.
He delivers the captive.
He defends the feeble.
He blesses the young.
He serves the unfortunate.
He regards the aged.

You can’t see it, taste it or feel it. But it exists. Who cares what it looks like?

You”ll find out in the Soul chapter that we have a soul at birth. Whether it arrives at conception or a little after doesn’t matter either.

 I think the soul is our connection to God. It provides fuel, spiritual connections for our communication. God didn’t want to create  bunch of robots. But He didn’t see the point in letting us fend for ourselves. The soul was His gift to us to give us the capacity to respond to Him in a supernatural way.

It’s the soul that survives death. Is yours going to heaven or hell?

It’s OK to drink alcohol if you’re Christian and if you aren’t a believer in Christ.

I know many Christians disagree with this - that Jesus doesn’t want people getting drunk. And others say it’s better to avoid booze just because - kind of like you avoid the sin of being drunk just by not drinking in the first place. The same thinking comes from people who don’t think boys and girls should dance together because someone may get romantic. Or, they don’t want boys and girls to swim in the same lake because those bathing suits (or skin) may arouse someone.

Anyway, I drink now and then because I have a few drinks that I like. I don’t get drunk and drive home or kill people. In fact, plenty of references in the Bible (Old and New Testaments) talk about parties and drinking. In other words, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. But God clearly teaches against excess.

Here’s a twist: As Christians, we may want to consider not drinking if our behavior causes someone else to stumble. In other words, if your drinking makes someone else think drinking is OK for them (when it may not be for any number of reasons), maybe you shouldn’t drink either. Or, maybe you shouldn’t drink simply because someone else watching your Christian witness may be turned off because they see you with some hard liquor.

Stuff to think about, stuff that has little to do with whether you’re a friend of Jesus. Pride is a more serious issue.

“She rides pretty good for a black girl,” the teen-ager told me one day.

I was glad in a sense that my son heard the comment in 2007 about a young girl’s skateboarding ability. It demonstrated how he should never act and revealed a bad streak in his otherwise jovial friend.

Whether that was racisim or just an ignorant remark by a teen who hangs out with black friends, the truth is that pure-bred racism can lead to heaven.

The chapter explains that you need to live through your evil and essentially make a record of it before you can come to grips with it and have a fighting chance of reaching out to Jesus for His forgiveness.

Are you a racist? What about your friends?

As much as I fail to live up to what I know, the truth is, this is all about Him.

The Him is Jesus. He’s the ultimate path to heaven. You may go through a lot of things. You may meet a lot of people. In the end, it’s just you and Jesus or you without Jesus.

I made 52 Paths To Heaven to reflect my personal journey and touch on issues that may be foreign to me but not you (like abortion).

We like to think of prayers and preachers and the Bible as our guiding light. The truth is, the Holy Spirit is our light and He’s authorized to do whatever God wants to reach us - no matter how high we go with our pride or how low we go with our depravity.

You’ll be able to order to book soon. In the meantime, drop me a line if you’re interested in the book or the topic of what we do to get to heaven. I’m eager to know how you feel.

The book should be out December 10th or sooner.

–Mike