He's Coming Back!

Gabe, the granddog

"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again - my Savior and my God.! (Psalm 43:5)

My Phillip and I just finished reading aloud the Newberry Honor children's novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo about 10-year-old India Opal Bologna, her dad, The Preacher, and a scruffy stray dog that Opal rescues at a Winn Dixie supermarket. (Great read, by the way.) 

At the point in the book when Winn-Dixie disappears and Opal and The Preacher can't find him, I choked out the words through tears. Crying and laughing at the same time, I told Phillip, "Why am I crying? (Spoil alert!!!) I know he comes back!"

Why are you discouraged, beloved? Why is your heart so sad? Jesus is coming back!

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him, "Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?"

[Jesus] replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses..."

After saying this, He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see Him. As they strained to see Him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven but someday He will return from heaven in the same way you saw Him go!" (Acts 1:6-11)