Hello, friend! My name is Joe Hopkins, and you by chance or design have found your way to this page! Since this fortunate event has occurred, I would personally like to take a moment to speak to you about something much more important than the business of planetariums, important though that is!
Very simply, GOD LOVES YOU! Really! Yes, YOU personally! HE loved you even before you you were born, so much that He sent His son, JESUS, to be born, live and minister, and finally die so that you and I might be saved from the burden of sin that keeps us separate from God. By His wonderful plan, even death itself could not stop God's love from being granted to us: for on the 3rd day Jesus arose from the grave! Just as the entombment of the grave could not hold Jesus, neither is the entombment of sin an impenetrable barrier to the God who loves us and desires that ALL should come to Him for eternity!
Now I know that, if you're reading this, you are probably an educated and scientific person. Your concept of eternity may be measured in light-years of visibility, "look-back time", and Big-Bang remnants. I would simply ask that you also consider that eternity as defined by the God who created the universe by whichever means He chose (where did the matter for the Big Bang come from and what made it go boom?) to be a mighty long time in which He says that each of us will spend in either heaven or hell! You and I each have a choice and, as educated and reasoning individuals, I believe we should take time to consider and choose wisely!
The Bible says very clearly:
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) The "all" means just that - you and I - every lie, theft, cheating, etc. (large or small) is SIN!
"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a) Death here is separation from God for eternity after our physical death. In other words, going to Hell!
"Be ye therefore perfect, as God in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48) If you want to get to heaven on your own merits, here's the only passing grade!
"God is love" (1John 4:8b) God wants each of us to spend the rest of eternity with Him and I, for one, prefer it to the alternative!
"By no means will the guilty go unpunished" (Exodus 34:7) God hates and will not tolerate sin! Any sin! All sin!
"For it is by grace you are saved, and that of God, and not by works - lest any man should boast!" (Ephesians 2:8,9) You cannot earn heaven, no matter what you do!
"...But the gift of God is eternal life" (Romans 6:23b) There it is! God has an eternity with Him in heaven as a gift! I took it! You can, too!
You may be wondering by now how you can receive this awesome gift for yourself! If so, praise God! He has made it so simple: you simply need to admit to God in prayer that you are a sinner and that you repent of your sins (that means to be truly sorry for the sin itself, not just getting caught), admit that you need Jesus to intercede for you to God to save you from punishment for your sins, and ask Him to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior. It really is that simple, but you really have to mean it!
If you are a thinking and reasoning person, as I feel you probably are, you may be asking "if my good works can't save me (and they can't), why should I do them?" Once you are saved by the grace of God through Jesus, you will want to do good works simply out of gratitude and love for the one who first loved you - GOD!
I don't know what God has in store for you on this Earth, but I do know what He wants for you for eternity: heaven! I surely hope I see you there! If you ever want to talk about this, feel free!
"For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life!" (John 3:16)
With faith in Christ Jesus,
JOE