Opinions

I’m writing as a proud member of Keep Ennis Great to express my continued support for Mayor Kameron Raburn. I recently spoke at the Ennis City Commission meeting, and it’s clear that there are still ongoing efforts to discredit the mayor’s leadership. These attempts, rooted in personal agendas, do not reflect the reality of his dedicated service to our community.

I remember that first night in Mangodara in the southern part of Burkina Faso in West Africa. We had traveled 9 hours from the capital city, Ouagadougou. Much of the final few hours of the trip were navigated on “roads” that needed four wheel drive. Mangodara was a town of over 5,000 people, but there was no running water and no electricity. The “hotel” we were staying in was a cement building with metal doors (termites would eat anything wood). Our small group of 6 men was split into two groups and all I remember about that first night was how hot it was. I wanted to leave the door open to hopefully get a breeze going, but I was worried about snakes, spiders, mosquitos, and the fact that we were hours away from any hospital. If something strange bit us, help was a long way away!

Twenty years ago, when both children were enthusiastic about hunting Easter eggs, I dressed them in matching Kelly Kids outfits with their names embroidered above bunny motifs. I have to say, they were precious in blue-and-white seersucker with ribbon bedecked Easter baskets Of course, the daughter stayed precious longer, able to scour the hills and dales for eggs without looking like a chicken farmer. The son, however, managed to spill lemonade upon his outfit within the first 15 minutes of the church-sponsored egg hunt. Then he fell down a hill, face first, and enjoyed the slide immensely. Suddenly, his name was obscured by mud and silt which attached itself to his clothes, his shoes, his hair.

We will resume our discussion about heaven next week, but for now I want to focus on holy week. It’s the season when the followers of Christ are focused on how He suffered and died on the cross and after three days He arose from the grave. As the elements of the sacrament symbolize, this week is not really a jovial time, but rather calls for serious meditation on the price Jesus paid and being grateful for His gift of eternal salvation. It’s bittersweet since it’s never pleasant to imagine a person being brutally tortured (especially when they are innocent), but the fact that Jesus miraculously came back to life, is a demonstration of His infinite power and authority as the King of kings and why we should be filled with humility and joy. He did not just talk about love, He demonstrated His compassion by willingly surrendering His life so that we could live.

I remember making the statement.

Who does your thinking? What shapes our views and opinions? Those are pretty fair questions. We are all familiar with the elements that help influence our thoughts, our peers, and our family. Our experiences also contribute to the way we think and feel, as do our beliefs and values. Cultural background is a factor, and so are our personal dispositions. Never underestimate the media – as it gains entry through our eye-gate and our ear-gate – and we decide what we watch, read and hear. Then there is the cognitive processes. That relates to aging. How we saw life as teens and into our twenties, is the way our minds develop as the years go by. When adults reach mid-life, comes the feeling our best years and our health are getting away from our control. In fact, the 40s and 50s begin to illustrate those realities and fears. Our emphasis on appearance – and it’s usually reflected by dressing and acting younger. Staying up on popular music is more of a drag due to the fact we don’t like it.

When we were young we seldom thought about the afterlife since we were so focused on this one, but as we grow older, we become more curious. I believe in visions and dreams, but I do not know anyone personally who claims they have been to heaven, however, I’ve heard a few people say they have. Even though neardeath and out-of-body experiences about heaven are common, I’m not going to discredit those who really believe they have encountered a glimpse of the other side. May we realize that all we have to base our theology on is the Bible and it’s worth noting that Jesus makes a profound statement about this in John 3:13. Years ago I was studying about the end times as I was teaching some eschatology classes and began focusing on what the next life will be like. There are a few places in the Bible that give hints as to what we will see and do in heaven. Still, like other subjects much of it is controversial because of different interpretations and whether the text should be understood as literal or symbolical. We read in I Corinthians chapter two that, “Eye hath not seen, not ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him” but if we keep reading within the context of the passage we see that God does reveal spiritual truth through the Holy Spirit.