I have been thinking a lot about Heaven lately. Consequently, I always do, but the thought has made my longing intense, and I have desired to just go now, enter the intermediate Heaven, and await the re-spinning of the universe - and the earth - for the New Heavens and New Earth. I believe God implants our desires inside us, desires that are, to some degree, unique to us.

Many of my friends find their passion rooted in music; I believe God gives many of us a taste for good music, and wires us all to enjoy different kinds; I also believe the music in Heaven will be simply amazing, and all the wonderful music we know now are but echoes of the music to be found in Heaven. All the songs that just make your heart leap and sing and forget everything are shadows of the music to be created by the children of God.

Lee is passionate about weather like most people are not; maybe one day he will study the weather on the New Earth or even on planets strewn across the universe. Perhaps one day he will be the greatest storm-chaser to ever live, and take people on trips into the Red Eye of Jupiter, a storm several times the size of Earth.

Mindy's passion is giraffes; really, how many of us are crazily in love with giraffes? She is. It is not ridiculous to assume God put this inside her; after all, He created the giraffes, and no doubt He, too, is in love with them. Would He have created them if they did not find a special place in His heart?

Genesis says we are made in the image of God; certainly this reflects our desires: just as God is passionate about giraffes, so Mindy is. Just as my friends are passionate about music, so is God. Just as Lee gets childishly excited with a passion storm, so God enjoys spinning the storms in the heavens. I am sure He had fun with the storms of Jupiter. Mindy, Lee, and my other friends are all made in the image of God. But we must remember: God is more passionate about giraffes, God is more passionate about music, God is more passionate about storms than we ever can be.

Pat Dewenter and I went to Borders today. A dinosaur book was on sale, and something inside me cried out, and I picked it up, and just leafed through the pages, mesmerized and awed and longing to be alongside them. Really, it is a childish and otherworldly desire. But there is something within them that speaks to me. I am made in the image of God; just as God is passionate about dinosaurs, so I am passionate about dinosaurs. But God is even more passionate about dinosaurs. Something inside me says that the task God will give me in Heaven is a task of studying dinosaurs, learning about them, and writing books on them. Maybe the books will be enjoyed by children on the New Earth, and maybe I will invite visitors to my land and show them the beautiful creatures. I am smiling right now. I may sound crazy, but there will be dinosaurs on the New Earth, as animals will be present in their perfect and unspoiled forms.

Many of us, I believe, will be surprised at how earthy the eternal Heaven will be. We imagine it is a place of pure spirituality, and it is. But true spirituality is not found outside the physical realm; in fact, it breeds and prospers in the material world. Our idea of worship in Heaven as just being an eternal church service is flawed; while there most certainly will be intimate and passionate bow-down-and-sing worship, worship will also be done through enjoying the New Heavens and New Earth. John Piper was given a divine revelation: "...the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever." And enjoying Him involves enjoying the New Heavens and New Earth. This post is long. I am excited.