Meet the Super Salesman...ME!

OK - so, I'm not now, nor will I ever truly be a super salesman, but I have started selling old books on Amazon Marketplace. It is so cool! I started loading our books in a new program called Delicious Library (complete with a bar code scanner built to read from your web cam!) on Saturday, then yesterday clicked the "Sell on Amazon" button. It was pretty easy - and in just a day, I have already sold 5 books! It's nice to get rid of old stuff, and actually make some money - oh, and to do it from the comfort of your own home!

A busy month!

As most of you know, this has been an incredibly busy time for the Rotens.  For the last two weeks of July, we were dealing with Dad in the hospital, and then on Aug. 4, he passed away.  Now, for the two weeks since, we have just been trying to get things organized for Mom, and trying to get some semblance of normalcy to our lives.  In a week and a half, we'll be going on vacation, and we're hoping it's a restful, reading vacation with little or no drama!

Dad's death was something we'd tried to expect, since he had been sick for quite a while.  But, the experience of being in the room when he died was very different than I expected.  It turned out to be quite sweet - mainly because we knew that he was going on to be with the Lord.  For a Christian, according to 1 Thess., we are to grieve differently - different that those who have no hope.  And, I can say that so far, God has been gracious.  Of course, we're missing him, and each day it becomes a little more real, but just as quickly as we start thinking about that, God brings to our mind the reality that Dad is now with Him in heaven - to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

And, this has cause me to really think on what it means to be in heaven.  I've never known someone well who has died - so the reality that one moment the person is here with us and the next, he is in the presence of God is astounding.  Heaven has been described is so many radically different ways over the years, it's hard to imagine what the real heaven is like.  The best way to describe it, I have found, is by going back to the Garden.  There, in the presence of God, the two first people worked and served God - this is the other definition of the word "Worship" it also means "Serve."  And, according to Paul, in all things we are supposed to glorify God.  So, heaven may be more like some of those silly stories about planting a garden in heaven, or getting to do your favorite hobby - like fishing for Dad.  If we are going to be actively serving God, then, potentially we'll be doing it in a manner that here on Earth we loved - just without the distraction of selfishness or this sinful world.  Interesting to think of, for sure!

Thanks again to everyone who offered prayers, support and love during this time.  God is indeed good - all the time!