I received a provocative email recently questioning the size of Heaven. The exact query was, "How big is Heaven." I went to Scripture, and then to experts to find the answer, and what I discovered was interesting... but not nearly as interesting as what I discovered in my own heart.

Revelation 21 and 22 state that the size of Heaven is 12,000 furlongs cubed. A furlong is one-eighth of a mile. So, taken literally, that makes Heaven about 1500 miles in all directions.

According to experts, this amount of space is equivalent to almost two thirds of the land mass of the United States. In addition to that, the wall of the Heavenly city described in Revelation is 1500 miles high. that's an incredibly towering wall when you consider that most commercial airliners only fly at an altitude of about seven to eight miles above the earth!

But... do the numbers and measurements of Revelation work the same way our numbers and measurements do today? Are these literal figures or figurative language representing a larger truth?

I am no mathematician and no theologian! I really don't know the exact size of Heaven.

I don't have to know. And, neither do you.

Oh yes, there's lots of speculation and lots of great answers from experts about the size of Heaven.

Here is my answer to the question, "How big is Heaven?"

Heaven is... bigger than my sin, bigger than my imagination, bigger than my failure, bigger than my hopes, bigger than my loss, bigger than I deserve!

Heaven is... as huge as God's Heart and as vast as His forgiveness.

Heaven is... as gigantic as His Grace and as immense as His benevolence.

Heaven is... as enormous as His holiness, as cosmic as His care for us, and as measureless as His mercy!

The writer of the Eighth-Century Irish Poem, entitled "Be Thou My Vision" knew the size of heaven because the writer knew the King of Heaven.

"High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all."

(Be Thou My Vision versified by Eleanor Hull translated by Mary Byrne.)

Everything I discovered in Scripture about Heaven confirms what my heart discovered as I too have walked with the King of Heaven.

"How big is Heaven?"

Heaven is big... big enough to fit in your heart.

"..... but it is written, Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Blessings and Joy,
Jennifer Rothschild
Author of Lessons I Learned in the Dark (and Light), and Founder of WomensMinistry.NET

The objective of this outreach event is to present a "non-churchy" environment for women to hear an expert on a given topic, share in a small group setting and build relationships that will open the door for spiritual discussions.

Frequency: This event can be held as often as your ministry can generate it, but once a quarter is a great place to start. Hold it in the evening or on a Saturday morning to include working women.

Childcare: Offering childcare will create a whole second program that will have to be staffed. I would recommend not having childcare. If women contact you needing childcare - match them up with other families or teenagers from the church youth group.

Venue: Hold the event in someone's home or at a local coffee shop. If you use a coffee shop, find out when their "slow" evening is and see if you can "take over" a section of their shop for the evening. You can have each woman who attends pay for their own drinks, or talk to the owner about a discounted rate if you put all the drinks on one bill.

Program: The key to this event is that it is very informal and takes very little prep time. It is a good idea to set a time frame so that women do eventually go home! :) If you meet in the evening, 7:00-10:00 is usually plenty of time for women to fill up on coffee and chatting!

Recruit a speaker who is an expert in a particular area that is relevant to women in your community. Some examples: finances/budgeting, relationship building, pediatrics, scrapbooking, travel, etc. Ask them to speak for 15-20 minutes and then have a question and answer time.

Encourage the women to share at their tables their thoughts on the subject. Let them know they are free to leave as their schedule permits.

You can create a postcard that has ministry info on one side and an invitation to a coming event on the other. Place the cards on the table before the event and women will feel comfortable taking one when they leave.

Again, this is a great opportunity to reach out to women who are not familiar with church, or who are seeking to know more.

In Him... Robyne Beaubien, Editor

PS... Do you already have a similar ministry? I would love to hear about it.

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So, we would love to hear your ideas for a retreat, conference, or evening event themed around the book of Esther.

What type of event would you do?
How would you decorate?
What type of program would you have?
What part of Esther would you emphasize?

Think about it, do some brainstorming and then send your ideas to Robyne!

Java with Jennifer is an informal monthly ministry update specifically for friends who want to keep up-to-date on what is happening with Jennifer Rothschild's ministry of writing, speaking, and singing.

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Objectives: An Ice breaker game designed for large groups that are seated and unable to mingle.

Materials: pens, customized bingo cards

Procedure: This game consist of passing bingo cards in an orderly fashion down rows of tables or around a single table. Each person begins with a Bingo card and signs their name in one square that pertains to them. They then pass the card to the right when the caller says "pass."

Women continue to sign squares and pass the cards until someone gets a bingo. The caller then reads the winning bingo card's squares recognizing each person who signed a winning square. If they said they could tell a joke, encourage them to do so.

Some ideas for the bingo squares are:
Born in the month of_______.
Born in the year of_________.
Writes poetry.
Has braces.
Still has Y2k food.
Can tell a joke.
Can sing the national anthem.
Got a speeding ticket in the last 30 days.
Has a pet rodent.
Is single.
Is related to a 4.0 student.

The middle square (free space) says stand up and crow like a rooster (thus the chicken bingo), which they must do to claim that square!

For a group of 50 women, I made six sets of nine cards. This way as the cards get passed they are not the same. Have Fun!

Submitted by: Judy Brooke of Torrance, CA

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