Tag: church

Amongst the Willows

James HoganLeave a comment

More thoughts on more books.

21. Tales From the Perilous Realm by J.R.R. Tolkien. Of course this one was lovely. It’s Tolkien and his prose and wit is always a delight to enjoy. And enjoy I did! This is a slender volume of a few of Tolkien’s short stories – none of which I have ever read – along with some of his poetry, some of which is quoted (either partially or in full) in his other works. I will confess that I do not think Tolkien is a brilliant poet, but I still smiled to read his poems nonetheless. But his stories? They were full of creative whimsy, humorous & beautiful all. The last story – Leaf by Niggle – has so many pointers to higher things that I think it would take ages to unpack it all, yet it did leave me thinking about some of Tolkien’s theological beliefs. More than almost any other work of his did this work indicate his thoughts on one’s purpose on this earth in light of the eternal. I am always grateful to read more Tolkien and always impressed by the creative fire that burned within his soul.

22. The Work of the Pastor by William Still. A remarkable small book on the most important work a pastor can do for his flock. Namely – feed it. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs on this book, yet I think that sums it up well enough. This book is based off a series of addresses to ministers (or ministers-in-training) given by William Still in the last century. William Still is a former pastor – now gone to his rest – of Gilcomston South Church in Aberdeen, Scotland. And he spent over fifty years pastoring this one church. That may seem remarkable in this day and age, but this experience enables him to preach with conviction one of the themes of this book – focus on feeding the flock which is yours and avoid being distracted by other things, as shiny or diverting as they may appear. Preach the word! In season and out of season, and so William Still did. And so in reading his advice to other ministers, it helped to keep in mind that the advice he gave was coming from a man who believed so strongly in the power of the Word of God by the workings of the Holy Spirit. He states simply that he could in and of himself do nothing for people. Only God can change hearts. And one of the primary mechanisms for working in hearts is the Word of God which has been given to us. And so Still exhorts ministers to avoid spending time on frivolous side-ministries and to avoid spending time chasing after those who do not want to be chased. Instead, a pastor simply must be faithful to his congregation in providing them what has been given to him to preach. A pastor must have a strong relationship with Christ and love Him above all else, for this light shall not go unnoticed! A pastor must keep his focus narrow and allow the Spirit to work through his congregation and their giftings to accomplish the purposes of God throughout the community and the world. There are many nuggets in this book and far more I could discuss but I fear I have already been overly verbose. There are parts of this book where the author is very strong, almost too strong I could fear. But that is just my soft modern ethos speaking. I appreciate the author’s boldness and burden for the church. And he speaks strongly because he knows the ministers he is addressing need to be convinced of the truth which he shares. Grateful for this pastor and the work he did in Gilcomston South. Grateful for his frankness and passion in sharing with us all the “secrets” to pastoring a church. It really is quite simple in the end. A pastor of a church is an under-shepherd – one tasked with growing and maturing his flock to offer them as living sacrifices to the Good Shepherd. And so this shepherd – pastor – must know his flock intimately and feed them well. This is a hard task and not meant for many. But God shall richly reward his faithful servants.

Green Pastures

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Hello again, my friends! I have just returned from evening service. Spent a fantastic few hours, there – very worthwhile, very glad I went! Singing praises to God(Amazing grace – how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!) and then hearing Daniel share from 2 Chronicles. Firstly, 2 Chronicles needs to be studied more often, because there are so many rich truths about the nature of God contained therein. Secondly – hearing about the life of Manasseh tonight was simply magnificent. The most wicked king that e’er ruled the land of Judah. He worshiped false gods and sacrificed his children to demons and committed heinous blasphemies in the temple of God…and yet God did not give Manasseh what he deserved. He granted Manasseh the opportunity to cry out and repent to God. He gave Manasseh mercy. Thank God. So anyways – I could go on, but I will not. It was a truly encouraging message – reminding me of the greatness of the God I serve. So – after coming home, talked with Maryanne for a bit(hi Maryanne!! *waves*) – we always have fun conversations! Now, I’ve put my sheets in the wash(hm, might be a late bedtime tonight oops), made my lunch(roast beef and swiss and horseradish mustard on onion rolls, thank you very much) and now I’ve decided it’s time to write. I still need to eat dinner(leftover meatloaf and green bean casserole!), but that can wait. My fingers have not had proper exercise in far too long. It is time to write.

And you can see that’s clearly true, as I’ve written a very awkwardly long paragraph and haven’t really said anything of substance yet. My apologies.

Moving on – I haven’t written anything substantial in near on a month, I think. A lot has happened in this past month. Because I don’t quite think I have the stamina to write a book, you won’t get the details. But let me…summarize.

One of the best things about this past month(and really – this year!) was getting to go to Ligonier Conference with Dad!! I haven’t been in quite some time(I think last time was either ’08 or ’09 with Mom). So me and Dad decided to go this year – I flew in to Tampa on Wednesday night, then Thursday we drove up to Orlando. The theme of the conference was “Overcoming the World” – and it was simply fantastic. A lot of great preachers(Al Mohler, Sinclair Ferguson, Voddie Bauchum, Steve Lawson…et al) spoke the truth of God, and we were all deeply encouraged. This world is indeed deeply opposed to God, and the culture in which we live is rapidly becoming ever more entrenched in open war against the things of God. So being encouraged by these men of God, by hearing them preach from the Word and exhorting us to continue to keep up the good fight…just a pure joy. And being able to sing songs of praise to God and being surrounded by thousands of fellow followers of Christ – exhilarating! Sometimes we can think that there is no one yet faithful to God, no one who yet cares for the things of God. Yet God reserves His remnant, who have not bowed the knee to the blasphemous gods of this world. We are not alone – we have fellow brothers and sisters – the church of God – yet in this world. And we have the Spirit that God has given us, to encourage and strengthen us, each and every day. We are not alone. And then, probably the best part of the conference was just to hang out with Dad! Being able to talk with him and sit together listening to God’s Word and lie out on the banks of a pond in the sunshine, luxuriating in the goodness of God…wonderful. Truly. It was a most special few days. And of course, had to buy a few books when I was there! I tried to restrict myself to only buying a couple, but I ended up buying five. Oops. Every time I walked into the book room, found myself buying another! I already read one these past few weeks – The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield, by Steve Lawson. Utterly fantastic. One of his sermons was on George Whitefield – encouraging and convicting! To hear about a man who God so richly blessed – I ask that God would grant me only a tenth of the Spirit that He granted Whitefield! If you don’t know much about Whitefield, I would urge you to read about his life and be encouraged.

Following the Ligonier Conference, me and Dad came back to Tampa on Saturday – where I spent the night. Then Sunday, got to be at Hope Bible for church. It was a special service, since we had a baptism, and it was decided that we’d have a few testimonies of God’s grace beforehand. Gary spoke, and I as well. Gary spoke on what God had been teaching him in his morning quiet times – as always when Gary speaks, most encouraging and God-glorifying! Then, Dad had asked me to share as well, and thus I did. It did feel a bit strange, standing in the pulpit and sharing with the church. Especially since it’s a church I’ve been in since I was eleven! But, God gave grace and blessed my words, as I shared how God has blessed me these past few years. God is so good to me, how can I not proclaim to the great assembly(or maybe somewhat-smallish assembly) the great acts of God in my life?? I shall pay my vows to the LORD, oh may it be in the presence of all His people!! (Psalm 116)

So yes, those few days in the end of March – they were a great gift of God to me, indeed.

Now I come to the last section of this update. This is the part I’ve been putting off and not wanting to write. What I’m about to write is the reason I’ve not really updated in so long. But I shall not let my fingers falter now. I shan’t go into details, but the week following my visit to Tampa, Gary Galligan went home to be with Jesus. It was a sudden shocking thing. It’s been an extremely difficult and trying and emotional past few weeks – for Hope Bible, for everyone back in Tampa and for me. Yet some of the last words Gary said – as he spoke in front of church the Sunday I was there – no one knows the day that is to be His last. And truly – Precious in the slight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones. (Psalm 116) I won’t talk about Gary too much, but to say he was a man that served God. He was a man that loved God. And he was a man that longed to know Christ more. And now Gary is with Jesus, forever. Hallelujah!!! Gary is truly a man that there can be no doubt these words were said to him as he entered the presence of God, “Well done, my good and faithful servant – enter into the joy of your Master.” So I don’t often ask for much as I write, but if you read these words, pray for the church. Pray for my family and for Dad, who has labored alongside Gary for many years and will now sorely miss his co-pastor and friend. Pray for Janet, for her continuing comfort and joy. And truly, as much as we sorrow because we miss him – we also rejoice. Always. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord!!

And my words fail me. So let me just share the beauty of God’s Word(which never fails):

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly
and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God,
the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
and to Jesus,
the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood,
which speaks better than the blood of Abel…

Hallelujah. Glory be to God. Amen.

Hot Soup

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Monday, my friends! This entry shall be brief, but I thought I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to write a bit, since Monday afternoon updates are so rare! And for good reason, since I’m usually at work, correct? Well, this day is a most wonderful day off, for which I am exceedingly grateful. I’ve enjoyed a nice morning of coffee and reading and random internet errands. Soon I shall go and do some real errands and then back to my apartment for a productive afternoon. It is cold and drearily wet outside, but that is no matter.

Now my hot soup has arrived, mm!! It looks to a be a delightful amalgamation of chicken and rice and celery and carrots and onions and good broth. Delicious. So just took about ten minutes to dig into my soup, and I’ve made good progress! But really, I should finish writing this while I wait for it to continue to cool down…what shall I write about? Ah – yesterday! It was a long day, but a most wonderful one. Met Will at IHOP for breakfast before church – yes!! I haven’t seen Will since over a year ago, so the catch-up was truly deserved. And as always…great times were had. Sadly we’re not at the same church anymore, but we decided that doesn’t mean we can’t still hang out!

And church – to be with my brothers and sisters and worshiping God. That is where it’s at, my friends.

The afternoon was spent Christmas-decorating and cleaning(my living room is finally free of boxes!! Not my bedroom though. Shush) And then Sunday night – Christmas pageant at church! We sang heaps of Christmas carols and heard God’s Word read and it was delightful. But after that, did the night have to end? Certainly not! Zach had a great idea – we needed to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.” And so we did! A few of us went over to Sarah’s apartment and spent the rest of the evening watching that movie(which some had not seen!). I haven’t seen it in a while myself. So much enjoyed. I’m not certain where it ranks in my pantheon, but it’s certainly up there. Finally made my way home late at night…but joys – it didn’t matter because Monday is no work day! Sadly, I have done some work today(emailing and such), but that’s alright.

This is much longer than I anticipated, and I want to get back to my soup! Just know that God is good. I’ve had some rough times lately, but in midst of it all, God has reminded me of all He has done for me. Simply thanking Him for all the things He’s given me…it does wonders for the soul. So be thankful to our God. Let your hearts abound with joy and praise and thanksgiving, my friends. No matter the wilderness we walk in or the darkness that plagues our souls – give thanks to our God and Father. And He is with us. Always. Always always.

And now, I’m away. To finish my soup!!

Glorious

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And now I sit at work with my coffee, a few minutes before eight. Time to start work soon, but I wanted to write just a bit. I’ve been meaning to write more for a while now, but I simply have no time!! I’ve been spending all my free time with my dear friends. And this is not a bad thing at all.

And as I begin my final day here in Aberdeen, I do not know what to say. Other than I must and shall praise my God for all that He has given to me. Praise Him with great praise!!

I think on the past few days and all the glorious times contained therein. A most lovely dinner at Lairhillock with John and Ruth – friends eternal. Hanging out with John on Friday night, watching Batman(oh no, now Batman music is stuck in my head…) and just relaxing together. Glorious.

Sunday. Would take far too long to describe now, but being in my church. Being with my family. Saying farewell, but never forever. Praying and thanking our God and Father for his boundless blessings to us. Worshipping together and hearing the Word of God preached. Saying goodbye to far too many dear friends and being crushed by the kindnesses and encouraging words lavished upon me. Yesterday stopping by Chris and Jo’s for one last cuppa and chat. Oh how I’ll miss them. Then being with John and Andrew Wilson last night, enjoying some classic frozen pizzas(baked in our shiny oven – finally clean after what John aptly named the Great Calsayseat Oven Cleaning Debacle of 2013!).

And I’m just writing what I’ve been doing, not what I’m feeling. Because I don’t quite want to delve into my emotions at the moment, but suffice it to say that I feel my heart swirling in a maelstrom of love and longing and joy. So so happy to be going back to America – to see my family!! So so sad to leave so many friends back here. But what can I say? I am blessed. I am blessed.

And today, driving to work for the last time, listening to Classic FM and watching the blustery skies and the brilliant sea flash by as I pondered these last few beautiful years…

And now, it’s time to go and take cakes out to the guys in the shop, say my farewell to them!

Peace, my friends. Always.

Sleepytime

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Should I write anything in here now? Almost definitely not, since I am far too sleepy to write anything coherent. This much is true! I did want to write an epic essay in here, but alas. Not to be! Just know this – today, my last Sunday here in Aberdeen for…quite some time – has been most amazing and most awesome. And I have far too good of friends. Far far better than I deserve.

And hopefully I write more later about these past few days I’ve had…with my friends, with such dear brothers and sisters. But for now, I just praise God for what He has given me. He has blessed me with so much. Saying goodbye to so many people today was not easy. But as I think of the times I’ve had with my friends…my heart sighs in joy. Thinking of the chat and laughs, my times with John and Ruth and Alec and Pip and Caroline and Joel and Graham and Ben and…I won’t go on naming everyone else. But just thinking now, of how much I am blessed. My Father and my God – thank you. Always.

And now, I really need sleep! It is almost midnight. Oh dear.

Untitled

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Well, I can’t think of a title for this post yet, but John has given me instructions to just go ahead and write something(instead of stare at the glowing blank screen!) and worry about the title later. That is sound advice, so write I shall!

It’s Sunday evening, and I could ponder the upcoming work week. Or I could think on the awesomeness that has taken past this weekend. Yes. That sounds much better. And so I think of yesterday, waking up around 8AM and feeling exhausted(pretty much entirely due to playing Street Fighter II with John until far too late the night before. Yes, it stole our sleep. But WE WERE VICTORIOUS. Take that, M. Bison). Right, so waking up yesterday morning…walking down George St and grabbing a choc doughnut from Thain’s on the way to Books and Beans. Spending a delightful morning there, first reading and enjoying my mocha and eventually enjoying a good lunch with Rebecca!

And then the rest of the day – came back here and spent most of the afternoon making chocolate chip cookies! I was in a rare baking mood and could not let that go to waste. So watched National Treasure and made heaps of chocolate chip cookies. If I say so myself, they were pretty delicious. Of course, me and John tested the dough sufficiently beforehand.

Now, after spending hours baking – me and John made our way to Chris and Jo’s for…my leaving party!! Thankfully, while it was my leaving party, I was also very conscious that I’d see (pretty much) everyone again, so it wasn’t too sad. I loved walking up to their door and seeing a sign posted there, reading in Elven script, “No Admittance Except on Party Business”. Classic. (And sorry if you don’t get that – Lord of the Rings reference).

So yeah, party time!! Oh what a lovely time it was! There were plenty of delectable treats and some quite delicious Tokaji(thanks Chris and Jo and Aiysha!!) and there were friends aplenty and conversation flowed on and on into the night. No tears. Not yet. And I simply enjoyed being with my friends. A night of joy – a night of love. What have I done to deserve such dear friends and close companions? I know not – but I do know this – my God has blessed me exceedingly more than I could ever have hoped or dreamed. My God has been good to me. And as I think on this, on how my God has given me good things – this causes my spirit to rise and soar and my hopes for the future flare bright as I think that the God that has carried me thus far will not now let me slip through the cracks of time. My God will continue to be with me, even in that far-off land of Houston! I need fear not.

And seriously now! How much am I going to write this night!? I must rein in my fingers now. But let me spend a few moments on today. After church this morning, came back and enjoyed a bit of time in the garden. Sadly, the sun spent most of the time being a tease and hiding behind the clouds, but I still got some quality reading time! Eventually, it got a little too cold, so I came in and chilled in the lounge with John.

And then this evening back at Gilc we heard an epic sermon on Jonah from Dominic. I don’t think epic is really the right word, but my mind is a bit too frazzled now to come up with a better. Anyway, he preached on God being the God of second chances(and third and fourth…and five hundred and sixty fifth…) and how despite all of Jonah’s flaws and issues(he was not exactly a model citizen, what with his prejudices and lack of compassion!), God still used him to do his work. Think on us – we with our rebellious natures and wayward souls…God loves us all the same. And our God and Father turns our eyes and hearts back to Him and gives us missions to perform. We may mess up at times. Ok, we will mess up all the time. But God – He with His everlasting lovingkindnesses – continually renews our hearts and points us in the way we should go. So if you are feeling a bit far from God right now – think on His goodness. Think on His love. Think of Christ. Think of these things and let your heart be open to the love of God – thank our Father for all the many blessings we receive. Each and every day. Even now, I sit on this couch in comfort(and in darkness – not really sure why we haven’t turned the lights on yet. Hm). I have a warm cup of coffee sitting next to me. I have my Bible on my lap. These are all good things. These are all from God. The God who is good. The God who gives us second chances. The God who loves us so.

And now – this is much more than I meant to be writing! But I shall let it stand. I am going to read a bit more tonight – maybe write a bit more too. We shall see.

Farewell my friends!!

(Oh wait, I need a title now. Hm. Oh whatever)

Peace!

Seventy Sevens

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Briefly, e’er so briefly I shall write! Just eaten a most delicious dinner of spaghetti(with Mom’s sauce recipe…eating it made me feel like I was home!! Can’t wait for delicious spaghetti leftovers the rest of this week). Now I’m about to enjoy my Harrenhal tart(made by Jo!) with a bit of coffee as I read and enjoy the remainder of this gorgeous weekend…

But truly, this weekend has been delightful! This morning I got to catch up with Jackie at Pret before church – hadn’t seen her in months! Sweet times talking, as always. And then even better times worshiping together with our whole church family! After church, while the spaghetti sauce simmered, me and John watched Two Towers(one of the best movies ever made, no?) and then this evening, we had our communion service at Gilc after a most awesome sermon on Daniel 9 by Pastor Dominic. Afterwards, had sweet times talking with Chris and Jo before driving them home and now the football is on TV as John and I chat.

I think I’ve said enough about my day(but seriously, am I not blessed with so many good things??) I think it is now time for my tart and coffee and book! But first…I’ll leave you with a brief something I wrote this night at church…

We threw ropes of shame
up to the stars
and pulled them down to earth.
We danced upon our mothers’ graves
as we shouted
songs of mirth.
We drank deep of
the blood of mountains
and drained
our lovers dry.
We sang sweetly
songs of justice
as we reviled
the weeping sky.
We shut our eyes
to creation’s glory,
we shut our ears
to starry song.

Oh Lord, how long your coming?
Oh Lord, have mercy on your sons.
Oh Lord, how long your glory?
Oh Lord – your love!
How long?

Clouds and Snow

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So as I look outside the window now, I see the grey skies of this morning have vanished, although snow still graces the rooftops and lingers on the pavement below. But the winds of winter are strong, sending beautiful cottony clouds to billow across the blue of the sky. And the sun shines!

I did so think that winter was over and spring was coming, but apparently I was mistaken. Awoke this morning to see – snow everywhere!! So I spent a nice morning with my eggs and coffee and reading before tramping through the snow to church. And oh what a joyous time at church it was!! Singing with all our hearts(Psalm 24 was particularly lovely – The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains! …who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty!) and enjoying being together as a church – an amalgamation of people from all over this earth, people from all walks of life and manner of living. And yet we all share a common bond – we are heirs of God and brothers of Christ and bought by the blood of this Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit and desirous of being with our King and God forever and ever!! And so today, as our local fellowship of believers in Christ – what a wonder it is that I have been blessed so be included therein!! – met for the first time as a new church, we couldn’t help but exult in the Lord and worship him oh so heartily!! We are no longer part of the Church of Scotland – nay, we are no longer tied to an organization who deems servility to the world of higher value than being submissive to Christ and all He has told us in His Word. And so this new church – Gilcomston Church – is no less a church because we are not tied to a denomination or hierarchy of men. Gilcomston Church remains part of the church universal – the body of Christ – and as we long to worship Him in spirit and truth with all our might and all our heart and all our soul, I simply bow my head and rejoice in my spirit. That God has blessed me so…by putting me with people here with such a passion for God and His Word – what have I done to deserve this? Nothing. And yet God blesses me.

And indeed, God our Father – the King of glory! – has blessed our simple church. And as we rejoiced this morning in song and word and love(Dominic had a beautiful sermon from Psalm 98…oh, how we long for the return of the King!), I was overwhelmed by what God has done for us. He has given us much. May our hearts continue to cry out to Him all day long and through the watches of the night! And if you are reading this and don’t know our church, pray for us, I ask. Pray for us.

And I was not planning on writing all that, but I shall let it remain.

Now time to prepare some dinner before evening service! Oh how I love Sundays! A day to worship God and enjoy the rest He has given me and be at peace in my soul. And y’all – I pray that you may have such a peace – a peace as sweet as the most beautiful sunrise, and no less glorious. Grace and peace.

Naptime

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And yes, I really feel as if I could do with a nap just about now!! But it’s less than an hour until I leave for church, so maybe I should just try and stay awake…I thought writing a few words might help! Anyways, these past couple days have been packed full of awesome(although sleep may have been lacking!). Yesterday afternoon after Books and Beans, went over and met up with Chris and Jo for Hobbit goodness…and yes, it was glorious seeing it again, and especially with them! Afterwards we munched on burgers at Handmade Burger in the mall before Jo went off to meet people at Gilc for hot chocolate outreach. Me and Chris ended up going back to their place and chilling out for a while and talking and reading old stories he’d written and playing with Maple…and while I may not have gotten back to my place until late o’clock, I don’t regret a thing! Although – this morning, my body was a bit grumpy as I got up early to go over to Graham and Tineke’s for pre-church coffee(turned in to full breakfast! Bacon and eggs, mmm..) – it was so awesome seeing them again, since we haven’t talked since before Christmas. So again – oh so worth it. After that(still not church time yet!), me and Jackie had coffee at Pret, since she’s back in Aberdeen for the week – hurrah!! So we enjoyed talking and catching up…and then soon enough – church time! Worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ and basking in the love of our God and hearing the mighty Word of our Lord(2 Thess 1 today – I love that chapter!! And Dominic didn’t preach it half-bad either…)..I can’t describe properly how blessed I truly am. I really can’t.

And now I had planned on using this afternoon to clean the flat a bit and do some clothes-washing, etc…but of course, people had other plans! Went over to Zara and Ruth’s for a yummy lunch…and again, talking and laughing with them and Alec and Philippa and Morag and Charlotte and Amy…again – why do I have such good friends? I am deeply humbled and e’er blessed. Truly, y’all.

And yes – I finally took my leave and walked down to Sainsbury’s for a bit of shopping(running into Tineke doing hers as well!) and now I’m back in the flat and I’m sleepy and fading and slightly delirious from these sweet times I’ve been given… I really think I could lie down on the couch here and sleep deeply, but I think I may instead just continue to sip my Earl Grey and read a little bit of A Memory of Light…and continue to praise my Father for all these things he’s given me. Oh joy, oh love, oh bliss!!!

Ruhamah

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Just finished the book of Hosea at church tonight. Can’t express in words how lovely that book is and how it has blessed my soul…just read the below verses and linger in the gorgeous music of the heavens…

Then I saw a new heaven and a
new earth; for the first heaven
and the first earth passed away, and
there is no longer any sea. And I saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, made
ready as a bride adorned for her
husband. And I heard a loud voice from
the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle
of God is among men, and He
will dwell among them, and they shall
be His people, and
God Himself
will be among them,
and He will wipe away every tear
from their eyes;
and there will no longer be any death;
there will no longer be any mourning,
or crying, or pain;
the first things have passed away.”

And He who sits on the throne said,
“Behold, I am making all things new.”
And He said, “Write, for these words
are faithful and true.”
Then He said to me, “It is done. I am
the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end.
I will give to the one who thirsts
from the spring of the water of life
without cost.
He who overcomes will inherit these things,
and I will be his God
and He will be My son.”
-Revelation 21:1-7