Great to see you this past Saturday, and to go through the concealed carry permit class together. The class reinforced for me that we are just one heartbeat (or one bullet) away from eternity. One shot and we are no longer here. Very sobering.
I wanted to tell you about an experience I had several years ago in Mexico. I was invited to speak at a meeting of the Gorman-Rupp company, a company that makes all kinds of pumps. I was working in irrigation at that time for the University of Missouri, and they found my work with pumps to be interesting. The evening after the meeting, several of us traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, just across the border, to have dinner and watch dog races.
We were enjoying the evening, when three tables away we heard a great commotion. A man was standing, coughing, and gasping for breath, as some of his Mexican food had lodged in his windpipe. He turned two or three colors as he was frantically trying to breathe. Finally another man in his party performed the Heimlich maneuver on him, dislodging the Mexican food from his windpipe. As we witnessed a man who was facing eternity, it raised the question as to whether we have planned for eternity. We may think we will live for another 20-30 years, but in reality, we are just one tamale from eternity. Are you ready?
I appreciate your insights, your intelligence, and your friendship. Have a great week.
Final note: I recently shared this story with a non-Christian, from whom we purchased a piece of furniture. When I saw him two weeks later, I asked him if he had given thought to the story I told him. His response was: “Yes, I have. I had some tamales in the refrigerator, and I threw them away. And I haven’t eaten any since.”
Life in the Spirit 