Category Archives: Short Stories with great meaning

Get away with a short story with precious gems of truth that will usher you into the prescence of a dazzling God

The Scenic Route home: pt 4

Posted on by
Reply

They came to a point in the universe were it seemed all thegalaxies ended and an enormous bright star existed all by itself away from the rest. But as they got closer, Joe came to realize that it was not a giant star, but giant planet. The angel did a flyby of the giant star-like planet, circling 180 degrees so Joe could actually see the entire universe, 200 billion spun galaxies, behind the planet of light. The place where his Jesus dwelled was far beyond words to try and describe. It’s brilliance was brighter than all stars and galaxies put together–it was a polished diamond that looked like a sphere with a trillion different colors reflecting everywhere, not clashing but in complete symmetry, beauty and order.

As they landed at the beautiful gates of glory in Heaven, Joe noticed that paradise was more glorious than he could have ever dreamed or hoped back on the earth.  He extolled the LORD, praising him over and over again, then saying, “I made it, I made it, I made it!” There were angels everywhere, but he somehow knew that the ones before him on marbled stairs were personally assigned to him.  If God be for you, who can be against you, reigned in his heart as he stared at the ministering spirits. As he smiled at each and thanked them for their devotion in watching over him, he saw glorious light way at the top of those stairs. It was Jesus. As he began to run up to his LORD like a kid whose dad had come home from war overseas, the angels begun to shout and praise God while also cheering him on.

When he finally hugged the King of Kings, no experience in human existence could compare. The embrace lasted for what seemed like years but Joe remembered that a 1000 years is but a day to the LORD­­­–time was nonexistent in eternity, especially in his presence. Joe saw loving eyes of fire, eyes that saw the first being, Lucifer, as he created him perfectly, eyes omniprescent, eyes that saw the total sum of all the evil of mankind placed on him. Joe saw the holes in Jesus’ hands, tears erupting out like a volcano.

The LORD was touched dearly at the love of his servant, saying, “You served me well, Son. You have made the LORD proud because you have abided in me and my perfect plan I had for you–you accomplished it.” The LORD had a dazzling robe of light and pure gold that surely cost more than the gross national product of the world.

“Thank you, LORD. I don’t deserve any of it,” Joe said in tears of joy.
“Of course you didn’t deserve it, but you trusted your life in my hands. Your life was mostly about me and this is why you will be openly rewarded before my Father and have the highest spot in the front of the Throne Room with me. You overcame the world with the agape love you asked for everyday while on the earth. You kept wisdom and humility close to you at all times”

“Thank you for saving me and keeping me, LORD. Thank you and I love you with all my heart, soul and strength.”

“You are welcome, my beloved. Most saints come right here after that first breath on the other side of life. Few ask to see my creation or ask for the scenic route home like you did. It was bold and most saints on the earth would’ve shunned you for asking for this desire to be met. But that’s how I created you. Joe, you have always saved the best for last. I always said if you delight yourself in me, I will give you the desires of your heart, and for you that meant the scenic route home.”

Then the LORD moved to the side and there were about 75 family members who had passed long ago. They were all inside a beautiful solid pearl gate with every kind of precious jewel embedded in it, fourteen stories tall, tons of light emanating from it.

The LORD smiled, saying, “Enter into the joy of the LORD.” The Universe Maker started clapping and all of Heaven thundered. Joe knew that the party was just beginning, but that it would continue for all eternity, getting greater with every moment.

The Scenic route home: Pt 3

Posted on by
Reply

If there was a ground, Joe’s mouth surley would have hit it. The angel announced again, proudly, “Behold, the glory of God! The Eagle Nebula. The dust plumes in this Nebula rise 50 trillion miles high.” As the angel flew me past this breath taking site, Joe knew that one day he would come back to explore this awesome expanse of this nebula and all its wonders. He wondered how he could even began to comprehend this awesome site, but he realized he had a new body now that was capable of understanding volumes more than he ever could back on earth. It was such a breathtaking site that it caused him to well up inside. This is true eye candy, he thought to himself. The angel begun to explain the story behind the glorious site as they flew by. He told Joe that when he and the innumerable angel host saw Jesus create the universe, the LORD took special attention to making this nebula as grand as man’s mind could possibly grasp because he knew that it would be well studied and a favorite on earth.

They flew past so many magnificent galaxies, nebulas, stars and solar systems that it seemed that each one they passed seemed to outweigh the previous in glory, but all had untold beauty and order. Joe even got to see Haley’s comet up close, which also blew his socks off. It all just hurt his mind to even try and comprehend the power, majesty, glory and dominion behind the One who made it all, let alone the fact that this universe would be his play-ground. He would be able to explore these wonders throughout all eternity and still never be able to even begin to get to the end of God.

They flew past an elegant nebula that was hundreds of light years across. It reminded Joe of a Picasso painting, but of course though, Picasso didn’t have anything on the Artist of the Cosmos. The Cosmos Artist used colors that Picasso could’ve never even seen, let alone use or dream they existed.  The blues, reds, and oranges were off the charts in beauty.  The Cosmos Artist had a great paint brush that could scan millions of light years across a galaxy in one broad stroke of paint , showing off His glory. Joe knew his Father had the right to show off the billions of masterpieces he had made, for he had all power, all wisdom, and all dominion.

The angel explained to him, “The tour must come to an end, but just like you have always done, Joe, we have saved the best for you, for last. It’s time to meet the Universe Maker…..

The Scenic route home: Pt 2

Posted on by
Reply

What seemed like a 1000 kicks and punches to the face and body of the old man, finally ended. He writhed in agony as shockwaves of sharp pain shot from every pain sensor in his body causing him to convulse. His face was swollen and bruised beyond recognition. There were bruises and cuts everywhere on his body, blood trickled from his mouth, head and ears. His nose was broken,pupils dilating, his speech slurred as he had tried to beg for mercy-he had no strength to rise to his feet. One too many kicks to the head had caused his brain to rupture in anuerism- he knew the pain in his head was more than just a bad headache.

As the old man’s heart slowed to a standstill, he noticed the sounds of sirens. To him it was ironic that he was hearing the sounds of emergency vehichles, when by the time they actually got to him, his body would be no more than an empty vessel that use to house a man of God.

Traveling through a glorious tunnel of light and colors, Joe realized he had taken his first breath on the other side of life.  The tunnel was a parquet of dazzling-vivid colors of  green, blue, purple, mauve, yellow and a thousand other colors that no man on earth had ever seen before. There was even black. Yes, black, that was dark, yet filled with indescribable light. It had always been his favorite color, but he assumed it would be no more in Heaven because it was a color always associated with sin and death back on the earth.  The scene was  more beautiful than any he had ever seen on earth, blessing him immeasurably.

The most gorgious colored balls whizzed by him showing him his life in great detail, what was done, good and bad in the body. The balls were stunning, somehow he knew that no diamond on earth could even come close in value. Sixty-three years sped before his eyesight in a millisecond. In this new realm, time was non-existent, but yet he somehow understood on earth it would have taken hundreds of years for this same detailed and complex, unformal judgment to be completed. Every decision he had made for his heavenly Father, every decision that had motivated him to go against the norm and stand on the bible was all written in the books, seeing each detail like never before as the glorious balls raced past.  The light at the end of the tunnel was so brilliant that he knew he would have been annihilated with his old body. He was entering into the Shekinah glory of the King of kings.

As Joe continued upwards through the glorious tunnel and the last ball had past by, he noticed he was taking  a detour, as he went through the colorful folds of the tunnel wall. It was at this time that he noticed a mammoth angel who must have been at least twelve feet tall flying him through space. “Behold, the wonders of God’s universe, he promised to show you,” the angel exclaimed with a voice that thundered. Joe finally remembered: It was the scenic route home. He forgot, but his LORD had not. He remembered one day when he was six years old, that he had asked the LORD to see all his wonders of creation, the dazzling splendor, the awesome brilliance and vibrant color of his art work as Creator on the canvas of the universe.  They came upon a beautiful galaxy that looked like a colorful Sombrero Mexican hat, which he noticed was the sombrero galaxy he asked God to see up close when he was little.
The angel continued, “We are 50,000,000 light years from earth now. This galaxy is 82,000 lightyears wide and contains 779 billion suns like earth’s or bigger.” As the angel flew him past this galaxy, he couldn’t help but boggle at the mind how pictures of this galaxy on paper simply had not done this scene justice .
The scenic route was more wonderful than he could have ever dreamed–stars were not only  more alive in his new existence, but they were almost, yes–speaking to him of the magnificence and splendor and dominion of the One who brought them all into existence for the opportunity to declare His glory. The angel, knowing Joe’s thoughts, reminded him of Psalm 19:1-5 and he began to well up with the type of joy, peace and love that he knew was impossible back on earth and that would only highten in ecstasy each new breath he took.  Then,  moments later they were in a different part of the universe beholding a most glorious site….

The Scenic route home: Pt 1

Posted on by
Reply

The crowd from hell beat the old man senseless. As they looked upon his broken body, they saw him breathe his last, knowing not only that they had just killed one of the managers, but killed an innocent man who followed his God closely. Standing up for one of the workers at his job, Joseph Fencell –the old man, who was set to retire in a few years– spoke too often about the love of God.

Earlier that day in the picket line, Mark Dolton did not want to picket the company any longer because he had a new wife and family and the pressure was mounting for him with no income for weeks on end. Those on the picket line wondered why Mark had all of a sudden changed his mind when as a union they had all agreed never to cross the line.  They knew Mark had never been a man of his word and was one who stirred up dissention often, breaking company policies daring others to follow his lead.  He also admitted cheating on his wife several times.  As he crossed the line that day, tempers flared, threats of danger to him and his family were spewed out.

Now Joseph Fencell, a man of high integrity and character, loved God deeply and everyone at the plant knew it. He had made an oath to pray for the strike over his lunch hour since it had started 9 weeks prior. He was the only person that did this even though over half the staff claimed to be Christians.
That lunch hour Joe had looked out the window five floors below and noticed the strikers getting  belligerent and hostile about something. One of the workers had changed their mind, again, deciding to cross the line. It was Mark Dolton, the union worker that hated his guts for what he stood for.  He shot down the stairs as fast as he could.
As the crowd started gesturing, swinging signs and throwinganything they could pick up at Mark, Joe jumped in front of him like a human shield. As Joe shielded him from the crowd, Mark was amazed and shocked at his rescuer. This was the manager he openly hated because he was a black man with strong religious beliefs and Mark never shyed from using racist remarks while talking about him. Nevertheless, Joe walked him to safety to the front gates of the company while putting himself at  grave risk.

When the old man walked back outside the crowd had gotten even more visibly riled up. They started calling him the N-word and every foul curse word mixed with his precious LORD’s name, but he told them about the love of God one more time anyway.

Joe shouted out to the 80 or 90 angry union workers about God’s love, in how He so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believed in him would never die, but have eternal life.

The old black man was full of compassion as he continued, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners and mortal enemies of the gospel, Jesus Christ died for us. So please, I beg of you, cut Mark some slack, just as the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you and I.”
This put  blazing fire in their eyes– the already angry union workers dropped signs into piles and began charging the unarmed old man like a bunch of raging bulls after a helplessbaby . What happened next was unthinkable.

Love over rough seas

Posted on by
Reply

What is agape love from God all about?  This story will shed light on it.  The three men went out on the rowboat that evening to do some fishing.  Mr. Hansen, Jeff, his son and his friend Billy, set off in the rowboat, talking about the past week of their high school graduation ceremonies.  

Jeff was excited about going to seminary down in Texas where he would follow his hero, his dad, into the ministry. Mr. Hansen had always been there for him, providing, protecting, always loving him.  He shared the good news with his son at the age of four years old and Jeff had lived faithfully for God ever since.  His dad had taught him how to be a man- how to be responsible and live with character and integrity.  He had walked across the stage last week with academic honors, a man of god, because of his father.

On the other hand, Billy was raised by a single mother. His father abandoned them both while he was just a toddler.  His mother worked all day and night to pay the rent and mounting bills, leaving him to be raised by different baby sitters where he was abused frequently.  His grades suffered and he was an average student on a “good” day. Even though he graduated, it was at the bottom of his class and he couldn’t afford college.
He was full of anger, foul language and had a bad reputation with the ladies. 
 
 He knew nothing of the church or God, for his mother never had the time to bring him to church.  Jeff had tried several times to share Christ since they had met as sophomores on the basketball team, but Billy would have nothing to do with God always saying, “What kind of love does your God have? What, he lets an innocent child go through the type of life I’ve led–Abused, neglected, stricken with grief, abandoned and then he has the audacity to say that he loves me?  No thank you, he can keep his love.”
 
Mr. Hansen had felt led of the LORD to bring the boys out on Lake Erie for a fishing trip since they both loved it to do it.  It was a sunny morning that day and the conversation had switched from graduation to the deeper issues of life.
 
As the conversation became more engrossing, the rowboat drifted miles away from shore.  As Mr. Hansen sat back and listened to the boys discussion, he noticed the sky turning dark with storm clouds and that the land was no where in site.
 
Fear swept over the three men in the little rowboat, as lightning and big waves began to tussle back and forth. A big wave almost capsized the little boat and both Mr. Hansen’s son and Billy, were thrown overboard. Mr Hansen scrambled to look for the life jackets under the tarp, but only found one life preserver instead. The boys were quickly drifting away from the boat and apart from one another as the winds picked up in velocity.
Mr. Hansen had to make a quick decision, which boy to save. Both young men hollered for the life preserver. Mr Hansen thew it out….shocked, Billy grabbed the ring, as Mr. Hansen reeled him in.
 
Out of the corner of his eye he saw his own son’s gaze way off in the distance. With no hope or chance of reaching him by now, Mr. Hansen’s tears were streaming down his face, mixed with the rain pummeling him. He forced out words that broke him to his very core and yelled, “I love you, son–I’ll…see you soon, son, ….I’ll see you… soon.”
He saw terrible fear in his son’s eyes, but all of a sudden, he  saw a bright and strange flash of lightning or so he thought; an unearthly brilliance around his son in the treacherous waters.  He then noticed a peace that graced his son’s face, a love expressed in his eyes that was unexplainable.
 
Jeff waived his hand in the air, as if accepting the situation for what it was, bidding his father and good friend, farewell. He floated there for a few moments as if someone or something were holding him up. And then, as quickly as it all happened, he vanished under the tumultuous waters.
 
Billy stared at the space in the sea that had once occupied his best friend and then back at Mr. Hansen’s sobbing convulsions. What had just happened? Why would he save me over his own son, Billy thought.  He was unable to grasp the meaning of the situation, as he also began to weep uncontrollably, knowing he could never understand.
 
Five years later, Mr.Hansen had taken Billy in as his own, taking him down to Texas and paying for his seminary school.  During that five years, Mr Hansen saw a young man who simply fell in love with God and followed him wherever he called. 
 
Billy had joy, peace and the faith that he had always  sought after, but never could find. Mr.Hansen had been the father that Billy never had.  He had seen kindness andcompassion in Mr. Hansen the last five years that he knew was not normal for humans to have.  
 
He had seen the love of a father, who gave up his very own son for a wretch in sin like him which he still, five years later, had not grasped and knew he never would. Mr. Hansen had tried to explain it in the Word of God several times since the incident, but Billy just could not comprehend it.
 
But it was today, fifteen years later, the pastor of the three thousand person congregation sat down in his office to write out the last sentence of his message to end his series on the Unconditional Love ofGod.  
 
A watershed moment hit him and tears began to cascade down his face, as he remembered back to that day over rough seas, the love between a father and son–a father doing what he must in sacrificing his son because there were no other options to save his friends lost soul. Billy finally got a revelation of God’s relentless, unfailing, never-ending, agape love  from the gospel of the crossas the final sentence of his sermon rang outloudly, again and again in his heart, “No greater love has any man that he laydown his life for a friend.”
 
How does this short story help you grasp the scripture that, “no greater love is there than a man lay down his life for a friend”?

 

An Ant staring up at a Mountain

Posted on by
Reply
If, today, I could stand before the Creator of the universe, Jesus, what would it be like? Would I be scared, would I cry, would I be awe struck? To go from the busyness and worries of everyday life to that unbelievable day; the only way my mind would let me try and understand the gravity of it all would be to understand the following story.
 
The six-legged creature held the food high in the air, proud of his own strength as he lifted the caterpillar, five times bigger than himself, on to his back. The work of the colony always kept him busy gathering food, which was a regular part of his life. However, today was different. He seemed so tired of the norm, so tired of the same old home, the same old scenery; his life was in a rut. In his heart he longed for something more. When he looked up, he always could only see thick pine cone trees, leaves and branches inumerable that hid the sky.
 
 He and the millions of his comrades ruled this place, so they thought. Second in command, behind the Queen, he had lived a long and productive life, most of his peers looked up to him. He was a warrior ant that protected the colony and reported directly to the Queen. He knew he was coming near the end of his life for it had been a good seven weeks and not many had lived passed the eighth or ninth week, except for the Queen. He wanted that kind of life, a life that would go on forever or least not yet have to click out his lights.
 
There was just something in him, making him want to explore the whole land and forest. The Queen had told everyone before that there was much more inside the forest to explore but also something outside of it, full of grandeur. Feeling this deep within himself for a while, he set off from the colony to investigate his unbelief in what he was told. After walking for some time in an area he had never seen before, he felt alive in a different way. He saw fruits and berries that neither he nor any of the rest of the colony saw before. There were other creatures and plants he had never seen. He looked around with amazement: It was as if he was in an entirely different universe.
 
Then he noticed a different kind of light up ahead, a light that seemed uninterrupted by the dark shadows. The closer to the edge of the forest he got, the brighter it became, until finally he made it to the end of all the trees. When he lifted up his eyes, the ant beheld a great expanse of light and something no less than glorious in the middle of that beautiful light. When he beheld the behemoth of a rock, words were of no more use to him.
 
It was what the Queen had talked about but no one had believed her. It was what she had described as a glorious mountain, but he had also been an unbeliever that something bigger and better than himself and the colony really ever existed. The glory, the beauty, the majesty of the scene, made him want to well up because of the neglect in his own heart of such a wonderful truth. The peace that it brought him deep down surely could not be found anywhere else in his universe. This awesome entity was outside his little universe of the forest and far better, far greater.
 
Suddenly his smallness hit him, in that he was nothing, the mountain waseverything. It was full of some kind of grace and royal-omnipotence. It was high and lifted up, far above all other creation, where he was low and the smallest thing in the forest. How could he have missed it, he had lived so long, but at that moment realized he had not lived at all, but only existed in a land of shadows. It saddened him that only now he recognized the folly of his life. But now he had seen the light and was in the light and his heart recognized that it was good.
 
He would not waste another day; he would live as he had never lived before. Although he was nothing more than an ant staring up at a mountain range, he knew he would celebrate his new found discovery of this majestic mountain and all it represented in his life, for the rest of his life. And that is just on a small scale of what it must possibly be like to stand before our marvelous Creator. How does your problem, trial, or your own personal pride compare to The LORD God Almighty now? To help others, please share your thoughts and comments with the community.