blind eyes open
-1 Corinthians 6:19~20-

It's the gaze.
I told a friend the other day that my future wife will have the most beautiful eyes in the world because it's the eyes that will win my heart and make me fall for her. People say that one gaze can mean a thousand words, and I want my gaze to be the gaze of love, hope, peace, and happiness.

"What did Jesus look like?" I said.
Abruptly, Colton put down his toys and looked up at me. "Jesus has markers."
"What?"
"Markers, Daddy...Jesus has markers. And he has brown hair and he has hair on his face," he said, running his tiny palm around on his chin. I guessed that he didn't yet know the word beard. "And his eyes...oh, Dad, his eyes are so pretty!"
As he said this, Colton's face grew more dreamy and far away, as if enjoying a particularly sweet memory.
"What about his clothes?"
Colton snapped back into the room and smiled at me. "He had purple on." As he said this, Colton put his hand on his left shoulder, moved it across his body down to his right hip then repeated the motion. "His clothes were white, but it was purple from here to here."
Another word he didn't know: sash.
"Jesus was the only one in heaven who had purple on, Dad. Did you know that?"... "And he had this gold thing on his head..."
"Like a crown?"
"Yeah, a crown, and it had this...this diamond thing in the middle of it and it was kind of pink. And he has markers, Dad."

"...You mean like markers that you color with?"
Colton nodded. "Yeah, like colors. He had colors on him."
"Like when you color a page?"
"Yeah."
"Well, what color are Jesus' markers?"
"Red. Daddy. Jesus has red markers on him."
At that moment my throat nearly closed with tears as I suddenly understood what Colton was trying to say. Quietly, carefully, I said, "Colton, where are Jesus' markers?"
Without hesitation, he stood to his feet. He held out his right hand, palm up and pointed to the center of it with his left. Then he held out his left palm and pointed with his right hand. Finally, Colton bent over and pointed to the tops of both his feet.
"That's where Jesus' markers are, Daddy," he said.
I drew in a sharp breath. He saw this. He had to have.

I'd once heard a spirit "riddle" that went like this: "What's the only thing in heaven that's the same as it was on earth?"
The answer: the wounds in Jesus' hands and feet.
Maybe it was true.

- Excerpts from Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo

Colton Burpo had a visit to heaven at the age of 4.
And that's all I'm going to give out.

THE gaze of Jesus got me. Tears blurred my view right after Colton described where Jesus' markers are. He is real and alive and will come back the SAME WAY he left the earth--with wounds in his hands and feet. God could've fixed the "red markers" but Jesus will come back and show the world LOVE like He showed, his doubting disciple, Thomas. I have never finished reading a book in two days, but I did with Heaven Is For Real because I was so fascinated by Colton's visit to heaven and what Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit has to say to us. I will share more in the next couple posts snippets that totally wrecked me.

Johnny

There are a lot of 3:16's in the Scripture that are amazing verse to chew on, and here are just some of them:

Joshua 3:16 -- Crossing the Jordan River
...the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

2 Chronicles 3:16 -- Pomegranates are Awesome
He made interwoven chains and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains.

Proverbs 3:16
Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

Ecclesiastes 3:16
And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

Jeremiah 3:16
In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the LORD, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.

Daniel 3:16
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.

Joel 3:16
The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.

Malachi 3:16
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name.

Matthew 3:16
When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.

Luke 3:16
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Acts 3:16
By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

1 Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

2 Corinthians 3:16
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Galatians 3:16
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

Ephesians 3:16 -- One of my favorites indeed. That's why I'm putting down v16-19.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Philippians 3:16
Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Colossians 3:16
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

2 Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

1 Timothy 3:16
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 John 3:16
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Revelation 3:!6 -- I laughed with conviction.
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Have a blessed 3:16 DAY!

Johnny

I still have race to run and faith to keep because I'm still struggling and fighting battles every day. I'm thankful for the goodness of God and His never-ending grace and mercy that I can still stand and proclaim over myself who I really am. I am loved. I am a Prince. I am a Son. I am blessed. I am highly favored. I am free. I am God's beloved one and nothing can separate that because Christ died on the cross in my place. And I am eternally grateful. I don't know when I'm going to my eternal home, but when I do, I will have to kiss the feet of Jesus.

But now I needa walk with Him, step by step.

May the words of my lips and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord my Rock and Redeemer.

Johnny