What is Heaven, Anyway?

I've been Reading a book, Things Unseen, which has got me thinking about what is heaven like. Because, if it is anything like a church service for eternity, it's not going to be good. Because, no matter how good the talk, I get a bit itchy towards the 45 minute mark. And, clouds, and what ever the old style thoughts of heaven, that isn't what I want. it sounds boring, unbelievable, and ultimately ridiculously pointless.

So, what am I aiming for? What am I living towards?

I always find it quite hard to believe in Heaven. Especially as my childish (mis) understanding of it is made up from ideas like living in clouds, being in a church, or not having fun. I find it hard to believe that God would create something like my view of heaven, just as much as I would believe that he created a place with fire and endless pain and torture for people that he loves.

What would it mean to walk with God? More to the point, walk with God with eternity?

From what I have learnt over the past few years about heaven, is that it is essentially going to be like Earth, but better. It's going to be better than anything I can think or imagine, and yet, we are going to have bodies, like our own, and I'm not going to be just spirit.

But what is Heaven going to be like? Because it's meant to be like Earth, but better. But Earth is a shadow of it's former self, so how am I meant to know what heaven is meant to be like. I can see the beauty and awesomeness in Earth, where Heaven has broken through, and yet, I still don't really know what it means to live with my eyes on Heaven, never mind what it's going to be like when I finally get there.

What am I living for? I want to know what it means to be living in the presence of God, in the way I'm designed to be.

(I'm guessing if anyone has read Mark Buchanan's book, you'd probably guess at how far I've got in the book. And why I got wondering about John the Baptiser.)

The Random Object Game

Twice fairly recently, two different people have brought random objects into a room, and asked a group of Christians to pray, think about any of the objects, and see whether God will talk to you through them. Whether it is about learning about God more, or giving insight into situations of people around you, I haven't seen something as effective for me personally as this for quite a while. Not everyone heard anything, of course, but the way God just worked in those rooms was impressive.

What was it about having random objects, which brought that out? Most of the ideas in the first time linked, none of the ideas coming from it obvious... Why did God decide to use this?

To be fair, we don't normally open ourselves up just to receive. and If we do, normally it is just asking God for stuff, without having an object or something to focus on. There must be an element of God using our imaginations, or something.

For me, It was a load easier to hear from God focussing on an object rather than having a mental stalemate in my head, constantly thinking, give me something God, and not giving him a chance to answer before I ask him again. I'm guessing it's easier for me to hear from god when I'm focussing on an object, because I let God have a chance of getting through.

People who normally wouldn't dare speak up when it came to saying prophecies, either because they con't hear or bottle it when about to stand up, said stuff quite freely in a small group. I really enjoyed it. If no-one has tried this before I'd give it a go to see what happens. if you do, and it works, tell me. And tell me why you think why. If not, the same.

Internalise

Reading about John the Baptist recently, has really confused me. John, who, lets face it, is a contender of someone with a really strong faith, (so much so that before in the womb he was happy that Jesus was around,) constantly builds Jesus up, baptises him, and lowers himself so Jesus can get higher. What worries me is his faltering faith, after all this, when he gets sent to prison and is treated bad. John asks Jesus whether he is the one, because John isn't seeing any miracles come his way, and gets a weird response from Jesus. And, after not receiving a miracle, John gets decapitated.

I'm having trouble about Jesus' response. John said something along the lines of 'Are you the Messiah? or is there someone else we are waiting for?' Which, although all of his life he's been a very strong believer, is saying "Why have you left me alone?"

Jesus shows John's messengers loads of miracles, and then he says in reply, 'Blessed is the man who doesn't fall away on the account of me."

Now, what does that mean? I genuinely don't know. I can kind of see his reasoning of making miracles happen in front of John's messengers, even though, if I'm in John's place, I wouldn't find any comfort in them. It would just rub in the fact that Jesus didn't help me, and it feels like he doesn't care for me. Unless, of course, John thought that Jesus wasn't doing any of this stuff at all, and he wasn't who he said he was. Then maybe, although John never saw any of this himself, this would have satisfied him.

What are other people's thoughts? Because I'll keep on thinking about this, and reading up on this more before I move onto something else.