• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Blue House Blog

believer | creating a home of peace, health, abundance and beauty | laughing a lot

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Truth
    • Contact Me
  • Recipes
    • Trim Healthy Mama
    • Nourishing Traditions
  • My Home
    • Remodeling
    • Before and After
  • The Fine Print
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy
    • Media
  • Shop

Heaven, Good Books, and Work (When it’s a Joy).

Melissa Beene Ford/ Uncategorized

I love Randy Alcorn. He’s one of my favorite authors. He’s written quite a few gripping, suspenseful novels and I’m pretty sure I’ve read them all but my favorite by far is Safely Home. If you haven’t read it, WOW.

Just wow.

It’s one of the all-time-greatest life-changing… novels.

I recommend very few books… well, ok, I recommend LOTS of books, but for realz on this one…

Believe me when I say its a MUST. READ.

Randy also wrote my favorite ‘money’ book ever, called The Treasure Principle. Its a tiny book and a super-quick read — you could knock it out in an afternoon — and pretty much sums up what I believe is the truth about money and our attitude toward it (not that I always act on my beliefs in this area. But it describes what I aspire to). If all believers would read this and most importantly, put it into action, the world would be a better place for sure, and there would be no unmet needs. But that’s the subject of another blog post.

Back to Safely Home. In it, he describes some scenes taking place in heaven. And I believe it was in writing this book (I could be wrong about this) that he decided to research everything the Bible says about heaven, which led him to write his book called….of all things… Heaven.

I’ve been listening to the Heaven book-on-CD on my daily drives to Gladewater lately, and though I’ve only gotten a few chapters in, what has struck me most of all is the contrast between what most people believe heaven will be like — BOOORRRRING… as if we’ll be sitting on a cloud all the live-long day strumming a harp in a neverending church service — and what the Bible describes.

There will be work to do… fulfulling, satisfying work that we were created to do.

Do you ever have those days at your job where you feel SO GOOD about the work that you do? Or not necessarily at your paying job, but whatever it is you do that makes you feel SO GOOD about how you spent your day… about what you accomplished…

For my dad, for example, its a day working on the farm, or for my mom, a day spent working in the flower beds. Its that deep satisfaction of a job WELL DONE that just makes your soul feel good where you find yourself thinking, “I love this work…” and you pour your very heart into it and ALL your sweat and tears, and don’t even mind at all because THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE BORN TO DO?

I’ve had a few of those days at work lately, where I poured my heart into it, worked so hard that the day flew by and I was so busy that I forgot to eat lunch, and I really enjoyed myself, and it made me think to myself how much I love what I do.

I think that’s what heaven will be like, per Randy Alcorn’s thoughts on the subject. We’ll have work to do… and it will be utterly satisfying and fulfilling; the work that God intended when he first put Adam and Eve in the garden.

And that’s only one great thing about heaven; I can’t wait to finish my book-on-CD to find out the rest.

But it sounds pretty great so far.

Recent Posts

  • Ask
  • Two Natural Ways to Cope with Grief
  • Covers Over
  • God vs Earthly Parents
  • For they are ever with me

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    May 30, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    I loved that book too. Makes it easier to deal with the junk on earth if heaven will be that fullfilling.<br />Melissa H.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    June 1, 2011 at 4:11 am

    One my ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS EVER! Only it makes me feel like I really suck…ha!<br />Rikki

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

Be sure to subscribe to emails so you don't miss a post!

Search for Something

ARCHIVES

I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 years of paint off of this door down to the wood and start over… but that person has no business starting new projects. 😅 My neighbors must have thought this project would never end. *I* thought this project would never end. 😰 If you’re thinking of doing this yourself? Just don’t, ok? Throw the whole door away and buy a new one. 😂🤣 Just kidding.  Old house weirdos like me… we can’t just do things the easy way. Anyhoo… after some trial and error, @sherwinwilliams Celestial is what I landed on, and I have to say… I like it. Periwinkle-ish blue looks great with the yellow house and will look even better when the azaleas are in bloom. Was it all worth it? That’s not important right now. 🤭 Will I do this all again in two years? The magic eight ball says… without a doubt. 👏🏻 I’ve already picked the next color. #gluttonforpunishment #somefoolsneverlearn #oldhouselove #oldhomelove #makinghome #southernliving #gardenandgun #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in an 80-year-old house completely worth it … what broken pipes, icy hardwood floors and drafty windows? 🤔 I forgot already. #comeonspring #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Happy Saturday ☀️ Happy Saturday ☀️
Salt Lake City is always magical ✨ Salt Lake City is always magical ✨
2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrollin 2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrolling through my pics from the last twelve months made me realize how blessed and content I am. Prosperity, love, and peace have been ours in abundance, in spite of the pain of losing my dad. The second picture is the last picture of him… the last time I saw him. 💔 But God has been good to my family this year and 2022 is ending far better than it began. 😄 #2022inreview #thanksforthememories
Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍ Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍♀️
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
That’s it. That’s the tour. (Slide two). 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s a new trend I’m starting: bare Christmas tree. Lowe’s tag still attached (so quirky and unexpected)! Christmas ornaments still in boxes. Coming soon to an Anthropologie window display near you. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Every year I think, “next year I’ll do better. Next year I’ll have it together.” And then, here we are on the SIXTH Christmas that we’ve been in this house, the sixth Christmas I’ve dragged our chaotic bunch of Christmas mess out of a chaotic garage I still haven’t unpacked from our move six years ago. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Maybe this year is the year I’ll organize it all and put it back neatly so that by Christmas number 7, it will be smooth sailing. People will flock to my social media to see how I’ve pulled everything off SO PERFECTLY. Next year will be my year. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Seems every year there’s less and less bandwidth for all these things. There’s more grief and stress, less money. More demands, less grace. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I put this sign on the wall in my office so I could keep it in front of my eyes: Love. Joy. Peace. And all that. I am SO unlike Jesus most days. So lacking in all of these character qualities. And that’s WITH waking up most mornings and spending my first 30 minutes with God Himself. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
How lost would I be without that? Geez. I can’t fathom. I REQUIRE being transformed by renewing my mind every single morning, and even then, responding to people and life with love, joy, peace and patience doesn’t come naturally. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s the goal, though. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This weary world needs that from us Believers during this season, more than ever… even more than an Anthropologie-window-display worthy Christmas home tour. 
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’m working on both.
Instagram post 18046618504353300 Instagram post 18046618504353300
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Ella Theme by Code + Coconut