Message summary: We urge each of our readers to consider how you have given attention to your eternal plan. Are you prepared to be more alive than ever?

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"The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17).

Yesterday we attended the Celebration of Life service for Sue Martin, a good friend of Brooksyne's. She and Sue met nearly nine years ago when Brooksyne joined our church choir and they often sat next to each other in the soprano section.

For over 2½ years Sue courageously battled a rare form of cancer, yet she remained positive through the long ordeal. Her giftings and skills were far more than we could list here, but she was truly an accomplished woman who was a tremendous blessing to her family, community, church, and workplace. Sue was instrumental in developing many good community services and programs to recruit high schoolers to the work force.       

She was an excellent planner. In fact she planned each detail of her Celebration of Life service which was so uplifting to all who attended. She had the faith and foresight to provide this message posted in the bulletin at her service yesterday:

Sue provides an excellent example of planning for what matters most. But tragically so many don't.

Years ago I greeted Joe, a colorful man we saw in the course of our chaplain work, and I asked him how he was doing. He told me "Excellent" and added with enthusiasm, "I have a five month plan!" I responded, "Wonderful! But do you have an eternal plan?" As I recall he hadn't given much thought to that.

Having a plan is a good thing and we all have them in various ways. In high school many begin to develop their college and career plans. When we are younger we have marriage and family plans. We make short term plans for vacations and many other areas of life. As we age we have finance and retirement plans. And of course there's funeral planning! But I suppose most leave that for someone else.

But do we have an eternal plan? That is, preparations for the life to come? Many only focus on their existence while living here on planet earth. But the wise realize that this life, as we now know it, is only a small, but vital part of our eternal existence. Yet the planning we make here has consequences for eternity.

D.L. Moody, a famous evangelist in the late 1800's, expressed this sentiment written before his death,

We urge each of our readers to consider how you have given attention to your eternal plan. Are you prepared to be more alive than ever?

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen and Brooksyne Weber