One day, we got in the car and went to a place that is now called Simi Valley. I didn’t know why we were going but once I got there, I was so excited I couldn’t stand it. It’s probably good that my parents didn’t tell us where we were going.

We wound up in a place called “Corriganville,” which was an actual working movie ranch owned and operated by Ray “Crash” Corrigan.

When we arrived, I could not believe my eyes and my excitement overflowed. We spent the day touring sets, going inside sound stages where they filmed Rin Tin Tin and also saw the outside sets where they filmed the Tarzan movies as well as the set for the film “Fort Apache.”

My dad always loved westerns and so I learned to love them too. And now being on an actual movie set where so many westerns and other movies and TV shows were made was a dream come true. I met Ray Corrigan and saw a reenactment of a shootout in the town complete with cowboys being shot and falling off rooftops onto the ground. Not far from me were cowboys duking it out and my mouth dropped.

It was an awesome day and so exciting for a kid my age to see this type of movie magic.

But for the Christian, there is something that is far more exciting and real than all the movie magic put together. As Christians, we should be looking forward to our union with Christ when He calls us up. That major, end-of-our-life event should be the guiding factor for all we do, think and say in this life now daily.

Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, seeks to remind them of what they were to look forward to. He starts as we’re going to start this morning, by helping them be aware of the good things in their life and uses that to point them upward and onward.

He also takes the time to correct them about a few things they have incorrect that is actually keeping them a bit stagnant in their living faith.

Let’s take a look at how Paul introduces his thoughts to the Thessalonian believers and find out how he corrects their misunderstandings about future events...