Do You Have Your Two Suitcases Packed?

Part of being older is that many friends are dying.

I could name fifteen close friends right now who are dying or have a disease that will probably cause their death. Last Saturday a memorial was held for a former classmate. This Saturday another is scheduled. This afternoon I’m visiting a friend in rehab who has congenital heart failure.

Since Ben Franklin reminded us that the two certainties of life are death and taxes, we better prepare for both–and especially the latter which lasts forever.

Today I am reprinting a story about preparing to die. My question:

Do you have your two suitcases packed?

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Two Mortal Dangers Amid God’s Rays of Hope

For years I shared the message of Jeremiah around the United States and in other nations of the world. 

The prophet spent four decades warning the Hebrew people that four sins were hastening their demise as a nation: 1) Idolatry–putting other things before God, 2) Religious perversion–compromising true worship and practice, 3) Seared Consciences–the blurring of right and wrong, and 4) Human Injustice–hurting people due to the first three.

Judah sinned and fell in 586 B.C.  It didn’t recover as a nation for 2500 years until Israel’s rebirth in 1948. 

America faces some mortal dangers in this generation–amid some rays of hope.

Be forewarned–and incited to pray.

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Memorial Day 2023: The Bravest Boehme

Today is Memorial Day in the U.S. Over one million men and women gave their lives defending the our country in twelve major wars. Another four million died due to complications after battle. 

Earlier today, I accompanied my wife and mother to a powerful “Remembrance” time at our local cemetery and placed flowers on the headstones of loved ones. The solemn, prayerful,  tearful ceremony showcased the “best” of America. Freedom is not free–it’s very costly.

The person I think about most on Memorial Day is my Uncle Dick whom I’ll have the privilege of meeting in heaven. He died near the end of WWII in 1945.

He was the bravest Boehme.

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