Mark Fowler and his wife Stephanie have been special friends to me and Tammy since college. The Lord is using them to lead a growing church in Elizabethton, TN. We had the privilege to be there again recently and were so blessed. His guest post and the available resource will be a help to many. Thanks for reading! Please share it with others…
Is it possible to live in two worlds at once? As a child of God we live each day in the reality of two worlds. We know the Bible teaches us that we are a citizen of heaven and that we are pilgrims in this world. The daily struggle we face is that this world is all that we have ever seen and all that we have known. It is the battle between the temporal and the eternal. As pastors we attempt to challenge people with the reality of the world that is to come. We are constantly ministering while we are surrounded by sickness and death, yet we cannot get most people to consider the day of their own death.
Even as a minister, the busyness of our personal lives can rob us of thinking and meditating on the eternal world. In my own life this became a reality to me through the life of my mother. In the latter years of her life she developed Parkinson’s disease. This is a disease which attacks the body and eventually the mind. I watched as her temporal, earthly body began to fade away. She lived with this disease for more than fifteen years. The last eight days of her life she lingered between this world and Heaven. It was difficult as a son to watch, but it was valuable to see as a believer. I will never forget those days. During those special moments God taught me some wonderful truths. My temporal world stopped for a few days and Heaven over shadowed earth. Heaven collided with my earthly world.
Recently in our part of the country people traveled to see a total lunar eclipse. For a few moments the moon covered the sun. This is a great physical illustration of a spiritual truth. The same is true for a child of God as they watch another child of God enter into eternity. For a few moments, maybe even a few days or weeks, eternity overshadows our earthly life. It is during these moments we gain an eternal viewpoint to our own lives. For a little while these two worlds collide. May we carry this truth with us each day.
Pastor Fowler wrote a most encouraging booklet during the home going of his mother. This resource has been a source of great comfort and blessing to many. I highly recommend it! To order your copy or to order in bulk for your church you may contact him directly at pastor@pleasantbeachbaptist.com or call 423-542-5462.
