(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

This article will be a little different than normal but bear with me.

It’s a little personal, but I feel the need to share it with my readers.

I happen to be a proponent of hugs. I give them out to all my sisters and brothers almost every time we meet.

And I always hug my wife, my grandkids, and my stepkids.

Always.

Now I’ll tell you why.

In September of 1961, I was 9 years old, and my eldest brother, Tim, was working in a shoe factory in Nashua, N.H.

He worked there all summer to earn enough money to fly to California to spend time with an uncle who lived in Sun Valley.

The evening he departed, our family went to see him off from the airport in Boston.

Being a young, selfish, foolish adolescent as I was, I was “mad” at him because he wouldn’t take me with him, so I wouldn’t speak to him or hug him before he boarded the plane. How utterly foolish.

Later that night, the TWA Constellation crashed 9 miles from Midway airport near Hinsdale, Illinois, killing all 78 persons on board.

At that time, it was the worst air disaster in American history, and it was all because of a 5/16″ bolt.

Such a little thing.

At 7 am the next morning, as I looked out my bedroom window, my stepdad pulled into the yard from taking my mother to work, but she was with him, and she was crying.

None of that was normal.

It was obvious that something was wrong, and with a terrible certainty and that jolt of fear in my gut, I knew what it was.

But I had to wait an eternity for her to come inside and say to us, “the plane crashed.”

It was all she could do to even say it. She could barely speak.

Contrary to normal procedure, family members were supposed to be contacted by the airline prior to the release of this type of event on the news.

But instead, she heard it over the radio while on the way to work. Complete with flight number, there was no doubt about it, and no mercy was shown by the media in reporting that news.

I still clearly remember Tim walking up the portable ramp and waving goodbye as he entered the aircraft.

Indelibly etched in my mind, as they say.

So true.

In the ensuing years, I have regretted being so ignorant and stupid even as a youngster, but that didn’t change the facts on the ground. Tim was still gone, and I could no longer apologize.

I would never be able to talk to him, and I would never hug him again.

It was all on me, and the weight of it remains even after all these years. Sometimes it rises like a puff of campfire smoke and stings my eyes with sorrow and regret.

In the ensuing years, I received Jesus as my very personal Savior, and He has made me understand the value of considering others ahead of myself.

He also made me understand the value of forgiveness.

He caused me to see how the selfishness I displayed even as a youngster was a self-inflicted wound and how it can harm us when we refuse to let go of it.

He has also taught me that we can’t literally undo what has already occurred but that we can decide to learn from it and let it teach us something.

We must get out of our own way in order to do that, and, at least in my case, and probably yours, we can’t do it alone.

He also has shown me that letting others know that we love them is so very important, and those opportunities can end in a heartbeat.

So, my dear sisters, brothers, and perhaps others, Hugs really matter.

They have, for me, become a way of letting people know how important they are to me, and I give lots of them out.

The first time I always ask, “Are you OK with a hug?” If they say yes, they get one every time thereafter.

But they can’t be given to someone when they are no longer with you.

There is a certain, inescapable finality when there is just an empty space where someone you love or care for is no longer there and the reality of it settles in.

Many of you know this well, and I know it right along with you.

If they were saved, we who have Jesus Christ as our personal Savior do not have to grieve in hopelessness, but we still grieve.

Sadly, I do not know if my brother was saved. He was only 17 and so perhaps not yet accountable. But I don’t know.

But I do trust God with all my heart, and so I will wait upon Him.

So, why am I sharing this with you? After all, it did happen in 1961. That’s a long time ago, right?

It still pops up fresh on occasion. Selfishness is the gift that keeps on giving.

Just don’t let it be a burden that overwhelms you. Jesus can help with that.

Cast it aside. Let people know you love them. You would be surprised at how they will initiate the hugs right back to you once you have “broken the ice.”

It’s never too late to start if they are still with you.

Moms, Dads, hug your kids. Brothers, sisters, hug each other while you can.

If you can’t do it with hugs, tell them instead. “I love you” is such a brief little message with so much import.

Don’t miss out.

Christian sisters and brothers, share your love of Christ with those you care about.

Maybe hugging others is not for everyone, but it can be. It just takes a little practice, and it sends a wonderful and permanent message.

One of my prayers is that when I get Home, Jesus will hug me. I want that more than a mansion.

In the meantime, I will continue to make sure to hug everyone who is willing.

Are you hurting, grieving, regretting? Jesus put everything in perspective for me. It took some time because I always was one who had to do things my own way.

He can do the same for you.

There is a special message at the end of this article, and you may find it difficult in spots because it requires facing up to a difficult thing that is hard to admit to. But if you do, then He can help you. I speak from experience.

The truth is, we ALL want to do things our own way. We want to be the “master of our own destiny.” We reject God and His reminding us that we are sinners.

Worse than that, some don’t think God can forgive them. They were “too bad.”

Not the least bit true. God will forgive you if you ask Him, His way.

There is that “difficult thing to admit to” that I mentioned.

Sin. It is what it is.

So, if you have read this far, I hope you will invest a few more moments in yourself and, by extension, others of us who are making this journey through life with you.

There is a simple little song entitled “This Little Light of Mine.”

You can search it on the web. Give it a listen, if you will.

Give your life over to Jesus and ask Him to throw your switch.

You will not regret it.

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life:

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

• Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
• Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
• That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
• To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
• Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
• To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

• No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
• No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
• Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

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To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com

In 1960, as a young teenager, “The Twilight Zone” was one of the TV programs that I truly enjoyed. Sometimes the programs would have intense themes, but not nearly to the degree as some of the junk today. In season 1, episode 28, the theme was “The Other Place.” The main characters were played by Larry Blyden and Sebastian Cabot. Blyden played a small-time crook who was shot and killed by the police. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)

When Blyden wakes up, Sebastian Cabot is there, and he takes the newcomer on a short tour. One place is a gambling casino, and no matter what Blyden plays, he wins. There are beautiful women hanging all over him, and initially, Blyden is ecstatic. Cabot gives him a call box and tells him that whenever he needs anything, just dial “PIP.”

After a short time, the thrill of winning all the time and the female companionship become totally boring. In the words of a 1960’s B. B. King song, “The Thrill Is Gone.” Blyden dials “PIP,” and sure enough, Cabot appears. Blyden states that he is no longer interested in what was being offered and asked if he could try “The Other Place” for a while. He thought he was in heaven because of all the good luck. Cabot starts laughing a very sinister laugh and tells Blyden, “You Are In The Other Place!”

So many people today are being influenced by Satan and his demons, and I firmly believe they are under the illusion that hell will be an ongoing satanic party. The Bible has some very specific information about this, but the word of God is foolishness to those who have committed themselves to Satan (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Matthew 25:41 gives the specifics as to why the eternal fire was created. “Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!'”

Several verses about what the lake of fire will be like are Matthew 8:12; “while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 22:13; “Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” Matthew 25:30; “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Please note that when God mentions something, it is important. When He repeats anything, then particular attention needs to be paid. Peter tells us about the fallen angels, or demons, in 2 Peter 2:4; “For God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness until the judgment.” Going to 2 Peter 2:17, “These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.”

Satan and the fallen angels have no pathway to forgiveness as we do. Jesus died on the cross for all humans, and those who receive and accept His free gift will be saved. All who reject Him will spend eternity in the hellfires.

To contrast the New City of Jerusalem and the lake of fire, Revelation 21:22-25, “And I saw no Temple in the City, for the Temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. And the City has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never shut by day, and there will be no night there.”

Going to Revelation 16:10-11, “The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of Heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.”

The fifth bowl judgment is a prelude to what it will be like in the lake of fire with Satan and his demons. There will be no light whatsoever in that place – no parties, no visiting with others. Everyone will be in total darkness and won’t even be able to see anyone near them. Each person’s degree of punishment will last forever, and it stands to reason that Satan’s will be the most extreme of all.

For all those Satan worshipers today, they are buying into his lies “hook, line, and sinker.” Thing is, he knows what lies ahead for him but hates all humans so much that he wants to pull as many souls away from the Savior as possible. His destructive self-pride is his ruin.

Isaiah 14:12-14; “How you are fallen from Heaven, O day star, son of dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to Heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the Mount of Assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.”

Ezekiel 28:14-15; “You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the Holy Mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.” Then verse 17 gives a reason he developed such pride; “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings to feast their eyes on you.”

Please understand that Lucifer knows the Bible better than we do; he just chooses to use it to twist the words of the Father to lure souls into his snare. His question in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:1, “Did God really say?” resonates in false prophet teachings today.

None of this surprises our Heavenly Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s all there in God’s Holy word for anyone to see the true words, if they truly seek Jesus to be their Savior. In some previously evangelical Bible-based churches, the words are being twisted to “tickle ears” to give the people messages they want to hear, not what they need to hear. Heart-thumping music to emphasize all the false teachings only makes their messages stronger. No one is encouraged to read the Bible.

Just watching all the satanic worship on major television programs and then to have churches of Satan hold rallies in different communities only drives the demonic spirit further into some people. They will accept the lie rather than seek the truth. In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, we’re told, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Christians, actual true believers, are subjected to being called haters, and some business owners are sought out for persecution. Now is the time to get a closer relationship with the Savior with daily reading of God’s word, prayers for understanding and guidance and protection, and understanding that the abominations spoken of in the Bible are still abominations to the Father no matter what any false prophet may be saying.

Romans 10:9-13 is the simple pathway to Salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us it’s a gift that we cannot earn or buy. Today, more than ever, we need to have Jesus in our hearts because all the signs are here that tell us He will be coming for us soon. Never in the history of this world have all the signs been present at once, right down to the earthquakes, changing weather patterns, pestilences, and everything else we were told would be happening at the end of this age.

Your choice: Heaven and forever eternal life, or hell and forever darkness and anguish. God will not force anyone, but all who truly call on Jesus to save them will be saved (Romans 10:13).

Today would not be too early to decide to have Jesus in your heart. His return to call all believers up to meet Him in the air could be sooner than we could imagine. To have Him as your Savior before the Rapture is to take one more thing out of the stress category. God’s timing is perfect, even if delayed a bit longer; it will not matter, as our hearts and minds will be on His Son and our forever with Him.

Come, Lord Jesus!

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