Word 6 document of prepare.doc .
Sunday, September 27, 1998
Omaha World-Herald, Entertainment Magazine Television
Version 4, 9/15/1998
Preparation for the Year 2000
By Dan Boeckman
Internet:
spring2life.com
The year 2000 is only 461 days away from today. That is not that far. If you want to do something special to welcome the year 2000 , you better start thinking about it soon.
You could have a party the evening of Friday, December 31st, 1999, and invite your family and friends over. That is something simple. It is doable. (Even I could handle that.) You could drive to New York City and be there in person when the ball drops in Times Square . Using your camcorder you could document the historic event from your viewpoint. You could then say for years: "Hey, I was there and I can prove it" or "Do you know where I was on New Year's Eve, 1999?" Cool! You could fly to some tropical island like Aruba . It definitely would be much warmer than around here. Bring in the New Year with a walk along the ocean or just watch the waves crash along the shoreline. (I sound like a travel agent. Sorry.) Maybe an expedition to Antarctica is the thing for you. It would be "summer" there. The sun would never set. Interesting! Something you would never forget. Well, back to reality... I imagine most of us will just stay home here in town (i.e. Home Sweet Home). We will be with those we love. There probably will be snow on the ground with the temperature around zero. You would have a countdown and wish everyone a Happy New Year. Not too exciting, but very likely.
Another thought is... maybe we could all agree that Saturday, January 1, 2000, is the day when all wars would cease. (I mean, for just a day, of course.) I think that would be possible. That would be different. It would be nice. It could be... a day of forgiveness, a day of peace, a day of love. Just for a day. (We don't want to get carried away.) Maybe we could also agree that no one would intentionally kill anyone else that day. We could hide all the guns and bombs. I realize I'm asking for a lot, but it is a special day and it would be a fitting way to "celebrate." Don't you think? And if we would all drive real careful (stop for red lights and stop signs, don't exceed the speed limit, don't follow too close, etc.), maybe there would be few, if any, car accidents that day. No one has to die, if we can prevent it. It would be different. A few hundred people that might have died in accidents would live to see the year 2001 and beyond. It would change the course of history. Wow! That is really something to think about!
And another thought... (Arlis says I think too much.) Maybe we should start the New Year with prayer. Ask God for help. Ask him to bring peace and love and hope and joy to our troubled world. That couldn't hurt. Right? If he made the universe with all the billions upon billions of stars , solving some of our problems should be easy. Maybe we should fill all the churches that evening and pray. I like that thought. That is a winner.
I firmly believe that the year 2000 will be a very powerful spiritual year. I don't see it as the end of the world. I see it as a new beginning. Prepare yourself. You could pray starting even today. Why wait? You might die in the next 461 days and not even be around when the year 2000 arrives. I sincerely ask today that you give your heart to Jesus. He is love. He is peace. Ask him to forgive your sins. Change your life. Start reading the Bible. Buy a Bible, if you don't have one. Read a chapter each day. Start with the Gospel of Mark . Attend church each Sunday. Pray with others. If you have any questions, write to us. We are here to help you any way that we can. If you need prayer, just ask. We will pray for you. Listen to Christian radio. I like to listen to Heath and Jeff weekday mornings on 100.7 FM KGBI .
Last week on September 20 "The Bridge is Out" was reprinted. If you missed "The Answer is Love" , it is available on the Internet or write for a copy. I try to write something each morning on the Internet at spring2life.com around 6 AM.
I'd like to thank Cheryll, Keith and Dola for praying with me in
Sioux Falls
on August 30 at the
Cathedral
. Thanks for being there.
I was assigned to
Directory Assistance
from August 16 to September 1,
so if you called looking for a phone number, you might have talked to me.
Surprise!
Spring To Life, P.O. Box 991, Omaha, NE 68101-0991 USA
