Afterlife

Cool Scripture Cite

"If we have been united with him in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." --Paul (Romans 6:5)

Hot Internet Site

Email has reached new heights. Afterlife Telegrams is offering an online service for persons who wish to send a message to someone who has died. Messengers have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a prognosis of living less than a year. These folks promise to memorize your message and pass it on to your intended recipient. They don't guarantee delivery, however. Apparently there may be unexpected routing problems.

Additional services include online grief counseling and an online virtual cemetery. The cemetery is a graphic representation of a cemetery with clickable tombstones of various designs. Yes, I ventured to click on the tombstones, but they were all empty. For that I was grateful, since I wasn't quite sure what might pop up on my monitor by clicking on a virtual grave.

http://www.afterlifetelegrams.com

Renewing Your Life
Mark Sibley Jones

It is a bit warm and humid here in south Texas. At church last Sunday, rumor had it that folks were kinda glad to be done with Lenten soups and are ready for some barbecue.

The juncture of sacred symbol and mundane life has long fascinated me. It can be seen in the growing raft of manger scene baby Jesus burglaries, chocolate eggs at Eastertime, or teenage girls with the giggles at a funeral. It seems we all need a little comic relief from the profundities of life. Or, perhaps Hershey eggs are just easier to comprehend than theology.

Jesus himself was a juxtoposition of sacred and mundane. One aspect of the Jesus story--resurrection--transcends our earthly plights. Another aspect of the story, however, shows us the divine value of the human experience. The vignettes of Jesus that emerge in sacred text are of an eating, drinking, sleeping, angry, sad, delighted, tired, excited, and cryptic man.

So, where does this resurrection dynamic hit the pavement of the human path? Is it just a hoped-for surprise awaiting us after our brain waves flat line? Or, is renewal an interwoven thread of the fabric of life?

I've buried some dreams, only to see them come back to life in more creative forms. Such reflections give me a sense of awe in the Spirit's presence and re-creative powers. I'll give that some thought the next time I feel disillisioned. In the meatime, pass the barbecue sauce.