God Has Won!

"The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God's trumpet blast! He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they'll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16 MSG

I was dreaming this morning of what it might be like when Jesus comes back for us. One of my favorite vision's is ... On the day of Rapture, Jack will be riding back with Christ. He will be upon His shoulders, with his hands in the air shouting "Mom,Dad, Macie and Maddie ... I have missed you so much...It's time to come home!!!" What a day that will be! When Christ returns for "the ones" left behind. I made a little video of what it might be like... enjoy

# 1 Reason Your My Best Friend.....

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies…he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus."
(2 Cor 4:8-11)



Now that's a BFF... Someone who finds you when your lost. I tend to get lost every now and then.. so it brings me peace to know I have a friend like Jesus. Over the past 5 years, He and I have become pretty close friends. He and I have shared the good, bad and the very ugly parts of life together. I have to say that it's been the ugly parts of life where I've gotten to know him best...

We are told that we will know Jesus better by sharing in His sufferings. What does it mean to share in His suffering and why is it so important to share? Bottom line- He is the only one who has the cure for the "ugly" parts of life. I truly believe, I never would have seen the importance of this great pearl of wisdom without suffering an UGLY that the world could not cure.


There is no "cure" for death. Think about it ... Have you ever attended a school fundraiser or benefit dinner or joined a cause on facebook that wanted to raise money to cure death. I am aware that we raise money to stop things that cause death.. but once it happens there is no turning back. We are forced to deal with the effect's, too many to name. I would rather get to the point....heap them all together and you get one big pile of "suffering".

Suffering is hard. Doctors have no magic pill to make it easier.. Oprah has not aired a show that reveals a way to avoid the effects of suffering.... The President has not issued a new stimulus package to help move us through it faster. My opinion, the worlds solutions for suffering only prolongs it and make it worse. They may offer short term relief, but rarely do they move you forward to find hope.

Hope is the "cure" for suffering. My hope is knowing Jack is in Heaven and this suffering is temporary. What has opened my eyes to this hope? The words spoken by my friend, Jesus Christ. A true friend that shared in my suffering. His love found me when I was alone and hurting. He waited patiently with me, at each stage of grief ,until I was ready to move forward. Not forcing His way on me led me to asking questions?

How did Jesus suffer? He suffered gracefully ... Why? because He himself is grace. His example to me of how I should suffer allowed me to see just how much He loves me. He gave his life so I could have hope to see Jack again! What else could I ever want? So,to share in His suffering is a no brainer... It is my honor!
As I join with Him by faith, He extends the grace I need to heal. This does two things ... It allows my suffering to be transformed by grace into something sweet that can be offered to another that is also suffering. My hope is to always be working out death so the sweetness of the son of God can be ushered in and offered out...

Jesus, thanks for sharing life with me....
your friend- Julie Peck

I must give thanks to "Ozzy" for the inspiration today...

"We have to form habits to express what God's grace has done in us. It is not a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved in order to manifest the life of the Son of God in our mortal flesh, and it is the disagreeable things which make us the exhibit whether or not we are manifesting His life.
Do I manifest the essential sweetness of the Son of God, or the essential irritation of myself apart from Him?"

"Lost"

"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." luke 19:10

Have you ever felt lost? I mean the kind of lost that makes you feel like you've been stranded out at sea. After we lost Jack, I found myself on a ship setting sail for the island of "Lost"!
Grief has the ability to take you to that place called "Lost". The battle required to defeat grief's grip on "the ones left behind" is the most deadly part of death. Returning to life after the loss of a loved one is still uncharted territory.
"You know there is a 90% divorce rate for couples who lose a child." This is one of the first statements a couple hears from a counselor after their loss. Which by the way is uncalled for! I say, let's let the couple pull themselves together from the first major blow life just delt them. However, the reality is most families are torn apart because they lose hope. Living with hope deferred makes the heart sick. It also leaves you feeling lost.
Have you ever thought that "lost" may be the very place you need to be? In "Pirates of the Caribbean at worlds end", The captain of the ship is trying to pump his crew up for the next part of their journey. One that they need to take to find something of great value. The journey requires that they go through a storm to a place they have never been before. They question him about the necessity of the path. His reply to them.."Sometimes you have to be lost to find the places that can't be found." Which brings me to why I love the scripture above... "Lost" is the very place we can find a savior. Jesus came to save the lost! The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came that we may be found to live our lives more abundantly!
Finding your way out of "Lost" will look much like a Hollywood pirate film. It will be filled with adventure, suspense, bloody battles, and will end with a love story. The love story will be how God's love saves and rebuilds your family from His word... Always remember His promise to us...
"I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt." Jer 31:4

Headed twords hope!
Julie Peck