The Day We Catch Air

Friends,

Some of us will catch air, you know . . . on that Best of All Days, when we land in the Best of All Places.

Think of it! Creation restored. Beloveds healed and whole. Forever Love with our Maker.

But this letter isn’t about the destination. It’s about the sendoff. And the trip.

While none of us can predict the when, as I read the plan, it seems to me that the Rapture will unfold partly within chronological time. An hour, perhaps?

I love to imagine that day.

How Christ may first rally the clouds.

And how creation will reply.

How warm-on-my-skin wind—Ruah, Pneuma, holy Breath—will lift and blow my hair in a gale of love.

How, above the wind, we’ll hear music . . . from trumpets and stones, angels and swans.

From those of us He’s gathering.

I imagine my own hitched breath at the fanfare.

My awe at His lightning and Light.

I imagine how rainbows could merge around Him into a glorious circle— straight from the throne of God.

And how I’ll drop to my knees slack-mouthed.

Then . . .

What if we get to watch as the dead in Christ fly first—

their atoms rising as multi-colored auroras?

What if God reassembles them before our very eyes?

What if they wave hello as they ascend, their new bodies glowy?

What if we can hear them singing, singing?

And when our turn comes,

Will we leap toward Jesus, our legs pedaling air?

Will we paddle like swimmers through the clouds to reach Him?

Or will joy rocket us,

ushered by angels

to His shoulders

as He carries us home?

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“When everything is ready, I will come and get you . . .” —John 14:3

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“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. ” —1 Thess 4:16-17

***

“And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.” —Rev 4:3

***

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” — Cor 15:51-52

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“ . . . And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” —Matt 24: 30-31

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“The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace . . . .”—Rev 1:14-15

***

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” —Matt 24: 36

***

“He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” —Phil 3:20-21

***

“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” —Ro 8:18

***

Amen.

Bookish Stuff

LEANING, you wrote, and I dropped each of your names in my green hat. Now two of you have won!

CONGRATULATIONS, Karen Rochon and Kim Allen!

Reply with your snail mail addresses, and I’ll send Leaning on Air right off to you.

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This NEXT GIVEAWAY dovetails beautifully with thoughts of heaven. Reply with LOOKING UP by December 6, and I’ll enter you in a drawing for bestselling author Janet Holm McHenry’s new book. Looking Up: Finding Joy as You Read and Pray through the Bible.

Author Janet McHenry is warm-hearted, funny, and wise—and has led thousands of us through the entire Bible for years. Now she’s offering that same rich guidance in Looking Up—a collection of 365 short devotional essays to guide us through the God’s complete Word in as many days. Each entry’s a gift.

And this book will be a wonderful one for those you love.

Here’s the gist from the book’s cover:

Jump joyfully into your daily time with God!

Become more intentional with your time spent in God’s Word and dive deeper into your relationship with Him with overwhelming joy, boldness, and thanksgiving. Through 365 daily devotions that lead you from Genesis to Revelation, well-known author and speaker Janet Holm McHenry shares the truths she’s learned about God, His promises to those who love Him, and the joy you too can find in your salvation.

Having read through the entire Bible each year for more than 20 years, Janet’s wise insights invite you to step confidently in your faith as you dedicate a part of each day to studying the Word. Each devotion includes a focus verse, Scripture-based prayer, and an optional read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan to help you jumpstart your time with the Lord.

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With family coming for Thanksgiving, I won’t be writing you next week, so check my December 7 letter for the winner. If you don’t see something from me that day, please dig in your filter box. Mama Spam throws letters out with bathwater.

BTW, shopping for the holiday, I stopped at the bakery for some shortbread.

They told me they don’t make it any longer.