My Road to Paradise
by
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Acknowledgement
The Family Circle
The Table
The Road
The Blender
The Bible
The Father
The Son
The Holy Spirit
The Tree of Knowledge
The Red Wine Glasses
The Dollar Bill
The Barber
The Last Mile
Epilogue
The Table of Contents presents a step-by-step progression through life. It unfolds through the concept of an ideal Family Circle. It then takes on life which is illustrated through the imagery of a tapestry being created. Its foundational roots take on life around The Table. As the weaver's wheel turns, the spindle goes and returns countless times as it weaves its way to completion. With each pass the tapestry portrays my journey from The Table to The Blender. This is where my past life was blended with The Bible and the desires of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Through these, The Knowledge of my true purpose in life was brought into focus.
Regardless of time and distance, one can never travel beyond the parameters of God’s love. It flows from our loving Father – where love originates, through His Son – the instrument of God’s love, through the Holy Spirit – the voice of His love, through our parents – the object of His love, and then finally into the family circle – the beneficiary of His love.
The table serves as the ideal platform from where the family is nurtured and grows into maturity. It engages every aspect of the family circle by serving as the focal point for teaching, learning, relationships, special occasions, and family discussions about things that matter. Things like Christian values, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and other special days, all of which serve as building blocks that grow the family into God’s intended purpose.
He explained that Mom’s strength was derived from her personal relationship with Christ – A relationship driven and empowered by the Holy Spirit. A relationship that embodied comfort in times of sorrow, guidance through times of confusion, and above all the peace and joy that came from knowing Christ as her personal Savior. He reminded me that she was a true role model and that she had been a living example of the building blocks I should employee in my own life.
Rose left her entire estate to my wife and me. It more than exceeded the time and expense we had invested in her welfare over the past 15 years. It had little monetary value, but her legacy set a sobering example of faith, endurance, hardship, and suffering that was difficult to measure in human terms. She did not see her misfortunes as sources of complaint but rather as doors of opportunity. Although it was only $800.00, she left us an inheritance of wonderful memories and a beautiful picture of herself with her precious dog taken just before she left her homeland for America. It still hangs in our home.
Along the way we stopped in the Queen’s Room where our guide demonstrated to the group the experience of total darkness. We were about 800 ft. below the surface of the earth when the ranger said “lights out, and please, no noise;” with that he turned off all the lights. They remained off for about 3 minutes, although it seemed much longer. There was something about experiencing this degree of total darkness and not being able to see, hear, or touch anything that quickly became very unsettling. I had never experienced solitude or darkness to that degree before. While sitting in this dark silent cave my thoughts turned to being separated from God and being cast into total darkness for eternity.
Finally, The Last Mile approaches; Pascal’s wager surfaces and demands an answer: A response that is self-evident based on the lifestyle you chose to live. Your response will be used to mold the casting for the key that unlocks your gate to eternity. Either the best is yet to come or the worst is yet to come.
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About the Book
Frank is a noncombat veteran and is the retired president of an electrical engineering and testing firm, which he founded in 1985. Throughout the past thirty-five years, he has served as a Bible teacher, ordained deacon, trustee, and finance director, along with other leadership roles in the church. He has traveled extensively throughout all fifty states and many foreign countries. As a private pilot, he enjoys flying, golf, photography, travel, and writing, along with other business-related interests. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife of thirty-six years and has two children. You can visit Frank at http://godsperfectwork.com.
“In a culture that, at times, seems to have lost its way, My Road to Paradise unearths a treasure chest of lifetime rewards. As the father of three beautiful daughters and four awesome grandkids, I know firsthand the value of a loving family circle. This book presents a vivid illustration of God’s intended purpose for the family and the foundation from which it must grow. No matter where you are along your road of life, stop and read this book.”
Cornelius Phillips, Senior Pastor; McCullough Christian Center, Atmore, Alabama
“As an artist, I have the unique gift of expressing my encounters with life on canvas. With each stroke of my brush, I struggle to achieve one simple goal: the portrayal of the truth of life. Similarly, My Road to Paradise clarifies truth through a comparison of the Tree of Knowledge to the Tree of Life. Frank defines the true meaning of life in terms of good that is acceptable only through Christ, the Tree of Life. Life is encapsulated within the knowledge that “the best is yet to come.”
Katherine Rutledge, artist
About the Author
Frank is a non-combat veteran and is the retired president of an electrical engineering and testing firm which he founded in 1985. Throughout the past 35 years he has served as a Bible teacher, ordained deacon, trustee, and finance director along with other leadership roles in the church. He has traveled extensively throughout all 50 states and many foreign countries. As a private pilot he enjoys flying, golf, photography, travel, and writing along with other business related interests. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife of 36 years and has two children. You can visit Frank at http://godsperfectwork.com.