FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

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Something Better

“We have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1).

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he Associated Press named Pepper Martin their athlete of the year in 1931. The Oklahoma native and right-handed center fielder batted .500, stole five bases, scored five runs, and played excellent defense to lead his St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. After the seventh and decisive game, the press cornered him for an interview. In the midst of celebration, a reporter asked, “Pepper, now that you have won the World Series single-handedly, what do you want more than anything else in the world?” Following a pondering pause, he startled them with his answer. “Above everything else in the world I want to go to heaven.” As the group of reporters laughed, a serious Martin peered into their eyes and said, “What’s so funny about that? I do want above everything else to go to heaven.” 1 And who wouldn’t, based on everything the Bible tells us about how wonderful this “paradise” is going to be? T

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