Many, many moons ago a gentleman named Miller predicted the world would end on October 22. He and some of his followers dressed in white robes and waited atop a mountain for it to all happen. They were to be among the 144,000 carried off to heaven when the world bit the dust.

I remember a book titled "88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988." At the end of the year when no one was spirited away, over 4 million copies were recalled. The author then wrote, "The Final-Shout Rapture ‘89 Report." He explained that the wheat people (those who would be saved) were given another year to reach us chaff people. At first I resented being called a "chaff person" just because I didn’t believe such foolishness but then I realized it’s the chaff that keeps the wheat warm on cold nights.

We should not rupture our credibility speculating on when the "rapture" (the end-time ascension of the saints) will occur. Jesus was the master metaphysician and he said, "No man knows."

We are here. While we are here, we have unceasing opportunities to become better souls and to lend a helping hand to others. We can experience heaven on Earth. In the one prayer Jesus taught us to pray are the words "on Earth as it is in heaven."

The rapture of knowing and applying the truths we discover here in our Earth School should be adequate to keep us all from climbing mountains waiting on a flight out of here. If we take care of putting some heaven on Earth, everything else will work out just fine.

Precious Lifeblood

The poet John Milton said, "A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up."

I realized this anew recently when I was thinning out some books from my personal library to give away to special friends. I sat for hours leafing through some old books before putting them into the "recycle to friends" box. I only came up with two I could part with.

Why? It’s simple. The books we read and put on our shelves become a part of us. In the time we have spent with the authors, we come to now their "precious lifeblood." It is never easy to part with a master spirit.

I am not just speaking of religious books. Einstein was a physicist but I have often felt in contact with a powerful spirit as I read his words. Maybe he is better known as a powerful intellect but he had so many facets he cannot be categorized.

Columnist Dave Clark recently wrote something about the value of turning off the TV and enjoying a good book. I agree. A book is a portable person. You can carry these master spirits around as long as you need them. You can taste their thoughts and roll them around on the tip of your tongue. You can underline and highlight different things each time you read. You can write in the margins.

After experiencing authors in all these ways and over many days, it is not easy to box them up and give him away. In a way, they are "yours."

I remember well how I was simply unable to part with a book by Flannery O’Conner. She spent several weeks in my mind at a time when I needed to know how she lived with an awful level of physical and psychic pain. We became like two veterans who shared the same foxhole for a while. We’ll always be close.

Reviewing My Walls

In the years of my childhood, right above our old Philco radio was a tiny piece of wood with a poem that read, "Said the Robin to the Sparrow, friend I’d really like to know, why these anxious human beings rush about and hurry so; said the Sparrow to the Robin, friend I think that it must be, they have no heavenly Father such as cares for you and me."

Politicians and businesses pay big bucks to place their messages before the people. Parents have a dozen or more big billboard walls in their homes to give their children inspiration and guidance for life.

I never made a conscious effort to memorize that little poem. But once when I spoke to a parent conference, every word of it came to me instantly with no effort. In 18 years of being with it, it had gotten into me.

As I look back on the walls of our home, the less preachy things were what I best remembered. And those that got into my heart with an angel wing of inspiration, have remained.

I think I will review my walls today.