Eternally Minded - Are You Trippin'?

When He Asks Us To Prepare

Apr 25, 2026

I was asked this week to expand on what the Lord told me about the church not being urgent enough in preparing for His return. It was during a group video interview, so we didn’t have time to go through the list Jesus gave me. But then it dawned on me that I hadn’t yet shared this with you, and it is likely past time for that.

Yes, Jesus told me that His church is not expressing enough urgency in these last days. Most are responding with life as normal, and some are replying with complacency. He told me to remind you of the importance of preparation for His return.

We are supposed to live as if we have died, my friends. We are supposed to live like we have already been to Heaven because yes—when you visit there, it changes everything.

Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3

We are not our own.

So when we plan a big vacation trip, what do we add to our schedules? What are the priorities?

Time, Activities & Finances

We study the country or area we are heading to, plan to visit sites that interest us, and maybe even learn about the people, weather, standard dress and customs. Are you studying Heaven, the most incredible vacation destination that won’t be temporary at all?

Financial planning for our extensive travel must happen. Funds are put aside. We study the exchange rates, and we plan to tell the bank where we are headed and for how long. We may purchase travel insurance, plane/train/boat tickets and pre-rent a vehicle. We might budget for food and expenses while there and even for some gifts to bring back to loved ones. For where our treasure is, there also is our heart.

Although the days of needing to purchase what were called traveler’s checks are past, time is usually invested in ensuring the money cards will work if we are heading into another country, and perhaps we even initiate monetary transfers. Are you putting your treasure toward others’ eternal destiny and investing in them —or are you stashing it in a ready-to-grab suitcase or preparing to hoard?

We sometimes learn the language of a country that we will visit, at least the basics, but hopefully more deeply. Who wants to become stuck at the trolley station with a rumbling tummy, looking around desperately for the nearest and greatest food joint?

And what about developing communication skills? This astronomically increases in importance when a foreign language surrounds you, burying you so deep in the crowd that you don’t know how to say, “I need coffee, please.” Or even worse, “Where is the restroom?”

Are you working to learn the language of Heaven? Our Lord is calling us to increase our studies and focus on Him during this period. This means more reading the Word, more time praying, more time in spiritual journaling (if you do that), more effort and time in remaining in His community, additional time in praise/worship, increased scripture memorization, and extra time listening to Jesus and to trusted spiritual leaders.

How should we be feeling?

Dreamy Distraction

As we prep for a big vacay, do we not get distracted by the thought of leaving? Yes, we dream about going, each day seeming longer and longer until we can hit the highway for the last time and head toward freedom and those amazing sights we’ve looked forward to all our lives. If you do not feel this way right now about Heaven, He wonders why. He has prepped this incredible place for you, you know it’s real, you connect with those of us who have been there and He sent us back to help you get there too. Heaven is not complete without YOU.

Consider your very last week or day in high school or college. Remember feeling this? I never have to walk into this building/log onto this site again. I’m pretty much sick of it. I am almost free, thank you, Jesus!

Remember that euphoria?

Are we distracted with thoughts of our heavenly home? Trust me, the euphoria we will feel there is never-ending. Yes, even better than escaping school for the last time, finishing a job we never really liked, buying a new car, falling in love or obtaining a new place to live. Be excited.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain... I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Philipians 1:21-23

We Prepare Our Family

We also prepare our family when it is time to vacay-plan. What good does it do if you are the only one in your family who knows some of the new language, and then your family gets split up while there? What if your teen-kid is highly likely to find the locals or connect with a good group? They will need the skills to make that happen.

We Prepare Things at Home

Perhaps we have pets or plants that need to be cared for while we are away for several weeks. A house sitter to hire? Someone to walk the dog and clean the litterbox? Certainly, we tend to work to prevent our homes from appearing vacant.

The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. Luke 12: 42-45

Our home preparation might mean things like verbally prepping our people that He could come at any time, encouraging family scripture reading and memorization time, spending time together in prayer, ensuring everyone knows the plan of salvation, creating a Rapture Notebook and leaving it in a visible place for after-the-people-moving-event, paring down on non-essential items, filling your library with books that will help those left behind (digital items will be scrutanized and erased), buying extra paper Bibles to shelve or box while you are at it, perhaps even working on a storm shelter/safe area for significant weather events or a hiding place for any who need to flee later on.

Some who are mid-trib or post-trib thinkers might also be stocking food, cash (which may not even work), propane, batteries and lights-out supplies. They may also prepare for off-grid living, installing solar panels or planning for large potato-stocked victory gardens. Even if you are a pre-trib thinker, your preparations may someday help someone else left behind. Your home and items could become a lifesaver for them, potentially even for family members or friends.

We Help Plan For Others

Our schedule affects other people. Our vacay time likely affects the neighbors, who need to pick up the mail, water the garden and peek out their windows to make sure our porch light shines as scheduled. It certainly affects the schedules of any family members or friends keeping an eye out, feeding the chickens or watching our house. It might affect someone’s pocketbook if the chicken feed runs out early or a window gets broken.

I recently discovered a time-saving feature: ordering many of our groceries via delivery. So far, our local grocery store has not come after me—but you can bet that with the rise in delivery, they are watching numbers and keeping lists. Why else did they also start a delivery service? They sent me a $10-off coupon a couple of weeks ago, and I drove to the store, purchased the minimum required, used the coupon, and then returned to ordering online from the other supplier. I hope I didn’t affect anyone’s paychecks, but you can bet that if more and more of us start ordering elsewhere, it will affect our local stores. We’ve already seen small biz affected when the big-box stores move in.

Our vacays also affect others, and our final trip to Heaven will have a HUGE impact on those left behind. What can you do to both speak Jesus to them and also allow some of your preparation to help them? Please list some ideas in the comments.

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