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The Shroud of Turin

April 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I am certain it is no small coincidence that The Shroud of Turin has resurfaced as a news item.  It seems that experts have determined that a sure-fire way to increase your reader following is to write on the topic of Jesus, even for the secular magazines and newspapers.  I’m convinced that it is even truer when one does so around Easter or Christmas.  I’m good with this concept because for the most part, it means the seed of salvation gets planted in hearts that may not have ever considered whether Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God.

For example, recently I read a report that claimed Time Magazine’s readership was faltering.  The magazine cover this past week has a picture of a man sitting in the clouds and titled it “Rethinking Heaven”.  Following along those same lines is my guess as to why all of a sudden the news is rerunning The Shroud of Turin story.

The question as to whether or not The Shroud of Turin is actually an impression of Jesus should not be a concern for Christians.  The change that took place in our heart after we accepted the fact that Jesus died in our place should be enough evidence for us that He is alive. 

However, there may be some of you out there that are still on the journey of discovery.  If you or someone you know is on that road, have them read my blog from last Friday April 6, 2012 entitled 3 Days That Changed The World:  Day 3.  It may not have all the answers, but I wrote it with hopes that a person looking for evidence will at least stop and contemplate…

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3 Days That Changed The World: Day 3

April 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Let the good news be shared throughout the world.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has defeated the second death.  In doing so, He paved the way for us to be able to avoid the sting of the second death, the devastation of being separated from God for all eternity.

How do we know for certain that Jesus came back from the tomb?  How do we know He truly proved to the world that there is life after the initial death? This is how:

After Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He was placed in a tomb for three days.  On the third day He rose from the dead and appeared 12 times to different group sizes ranging from just one person to 500 people.  If our courts will determine that a case is viable after the testimony of two or three witnesses, then after you read the information below…you be the judge.  Here is what history tells us regarding how many people actually saw Jesus alive again:

* Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11)

* Peter in Jerusalem (Luke 24:34)

* The other women at the tomb (Matthew 28:8-10).

* The two travelers on the road (Mark 16:12, 13; Luke 24:13-34).

* Ten disciples behind closed doors (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:35-43; John 20:19-25).

* All the disciples, with Thomas, excluding Judas Iscariot (John 20:26-31;

   1 Corinthians 15:5).

* Seven disciples while fishing (John 21:1-14).

* Eleven disciples on the mountain (Matthew 28:16-20).

* A crowd of 500, most of whom were still alive at the time of Paul writing

  (1Corinthians 15:6).

* “Then to all the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:7) which includes the Twelve plus all the other apostles.

* Jesus appeared to the disciples in Jerusalem (Luke 24:44-49).

* Those who watched Jesus ascend to heaven (Mark 16:19, 20; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:3-8).

THERE IS HOPE…KEEP THE FAITH…HAPPY EASTER

http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/12groups.htm

 

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3 Days That Changed The World: Day 2

April 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Passion of the Christ

Can anyone tell me what in the world happened between the arrival of Jesus Christ into the town of Jerusalem where He was heralded as The King, to five days later where He was sweating drops of blood in prayer over what was about to become His fate?

Jesus went from being the king to being detested by the same people that sang His praises just a week prior.  There are several significant lessons to be learned in this documentation.  Here are two:

1. The sinful nature of man is very fickle.  One day a person could be exalted as a hero and the next day, a criminal.  If this occurred to Jesus, and He truly did nothing wrong during that five-day period of time, it gives validity to the saying, “I live for the audience of One”.  This should be a reminder that we are to strive to please Jesus and not overly concern ourselves as to what others think.

2.  I believe there is a spiritual warfare that occurs daily for our soul.  If Jesus did nothing wrong during that week after His arrival, then what changed the hearts of the people that loved Him one minute and yelled, “Crucify Him” the next?

Luke 22:41- 44: “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

Matthew 27:35:  “And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots.”

Look for Day 3 on Friday April 6, 2012…

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Religious Freedom

March 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I share this true story because the pastor is a living example of what happens when religious freedom does not exist.  It is these real life examples of solid faith in Jesus Christ that motivated me  to write the fictional novel, Donovan’s Law.  The law Donovan lived by was to STAND FIRM FOR WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE THE TRUTH IN JESUS CHRIST.  The man in the story below understands the cost for that kind of committment:

Pastor Youef Nadarkhani has been in prison in Iran for the past three years and has been sentenced to death by Iran’s highest court last fall.  Why?  Initially the Iran officials accused him of rape and extortion.  However, this past Monday, the United Nations Human Rights Council met in Geneva to discuss Iran’s abuse on human rights and named Pastor Nadarkhani as a victim of false accusations.

When Mohammad Javad Larijani stepped forward to defend the accusations of false imprisonment and sentencing, he stated that preaching to the youth without their parents’ permission, converting his home into a church, and offending Islam were the charges placed against the pastor. How did he offend Islam?  He converted from the Islamic religion to Christianity.

It appears that the original sentencing came when Nadarkhani voiced a concern about his son being forced to participate in a class about the teachings of Islam.  He was arrested and found guilty in a lower court for apostasy (abandoning one’s religion).  Youef was offered the chance to deny Christianity and return to Islam.  The fact that he remains in prison three years later tells us which choice he made.  Would you be able to do the same?

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/03/13/iran-denies-christian-pastor-faces-execution-for-offending-islam/

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Prayer Changes Things

March 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Last Saturday on Facebook I posted a tid-bit of information regarding the sequel to Donovan’s Law, which I am currently writing.  Along with that posting, I included the fact that I am still amazed, after over 30 years of being a follower of Jesus Christ, that prayer changes things.  I don’t know why I am still amazed.  One would think that I would understand the fact that God not only hears our prayers, but also answers them.

I guess I have a hard time with this concept when I dwell on the fact that the Creator of the Universe has time to hear my silly personal prayer.  Here is the amazing part; He does not think it is silly at all.  In fact, He wants to hear from us.

My wife and I provide pre-marital counseling to couples preparing to enter into the sacred union of marriage.  One of the topics we spend the most time discussing is communication.  We emphasize the fact that a key element in having a healthy relationship is good communication.  So if it is true for us, and we have been designed in the image of God, why would it be any different with the Maker of Heaven and Earth?  So I say it again, prayer changes things…

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Tougher Than Nails

January 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The term “tougher than nails” usually depicts a person who can face any type of circumstance and come out winning in the end.  The circumstances that occur that leave a person with such a reputation usually stem from some feat of great physical or mental strength or even a combination of the two.

Early in my career, I worked with a Fire Captain who had the reputation of being “tougher than nails”.  He was about 5’ 10” tall and carried approximately 225 lbs. of solid muscle.  He was the human version of a pit bull. This man was raised in “Hell’s Kitchen” in New York, lived through active duty as a WWII Marine, survived life threatening circumstances that the job of firefighting threw his way, and hung drywall as a second job away from the fire station for over 30 years.  This man was intimidated by nothing and every man that ever walked into his presence knew he was in charge.  Yet, he was a very humble, God-fearing man.

Years later something sparked my memory of him and during my reminiscing I realized a major reason he could carry that reputation was because of his relationship with Christ.  Most people think of Jesus as a pacifist, teaching and preaching peace throughout the regions.  I won’t argue against that view point because He did come to us out of love.  But let’s not forget, anyone who could go through what Jesus went through during His last 12 hours on this earth is without a doubt, the toughest man to ever walk this planet. 

There have been plenty of people that have gone through hard times, but Jesus did this while being innocent and having the ability to change His circumstances at any moment…yet He endured.  Not only did He endure the nails that were heinously driven into His wrists and feet, but He endured the mocking while on the cross, yet, He never did anything wrong.  You want to talk about someone being “tougher than nails”?  Jesus Christ was “tougher than nails” and He has the scares to prove it…       

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Tebow Time

January 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Photo by Elise Amendola/AP

With the next round of the NFL playoffs starting up again tomorrow, I felt it would only be appropriate to give Tim Tebow one last acknowledgement.  Say what you want about Tim Tebow’s ability as a quarterback in the National Football League.  Say what you want about the man’s acknowledgement of Jesus Christ at the beginning of every press conference.  Say what you want about his partially grown beard…which in all honesty should probably be shaved.

Tim Tebow is a good example not only for our youth but for each of us.  Any of us who have publicly confessed Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior know he is now being watched much closer than someone who would have remained silent about his personal religious beliefs.  This is a brave man.

Just look at the picture.  This picture may have been taken right after the humiliating shellacking he and his Denver teammates received from the New England Patriots.  In this picture Mr. Tebow is bowing and acknowledging God despite the ridicule he is taking by the crowd behind him, his critics in the media, and what some would think was an embarrassing performance at center stage.  Yet, he is holding steadfast to his walk with God.  In this picture he is living the example of 1Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  Way to go Tebow…see you next season.

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The Christmas Gift

December 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Over the past 10 weeks I have been displaying the 10 commandments, one week at a time; in the upper right hand corner of this website (Did you just look up there to see what it said?).  I planned this 10 weeks ago so the final commandment would be displayed the week of Christmas.  Why?

Because although theses words from God were given to us to help us thrive and live a successful life, how many of us have been able to keep all 10 without breaking a single one.  God tells us in the Bible when we break one of these laws, we have sinned against His love for us.  He then proceeds to explain that the penalty for this violation is death.  If the story ended right here, this would be a very sad life.  Thank God the story continues.

The ultimate Christmas gift God gave to all of us was His only Son, Jesus Christ.  God allowed His Son to be born on Christmas day knowing that the main purpose for Jesus would be to die on the cross in place of us for our sins.  God then continues to tell us that whosoever believes in that fact (Him) shall not perish but have everlasting life.  Now that might not be a gift you will find under your tree, but it is one you can find hidden in your heart.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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One Accord

November 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

To be in one accord is truly a remarkable accomplishment.  Imagine a group of people in agreement in all aspects of a given situation.  I can barely get my family to agree on what we want for dinner.  I can’t imagine what it would feel like to get hundreds maybe even thousands moving forward in the same direction in one accord.  However, accomplishing the elusive one for all and all for one movement can be a good thing as well as a bad thing. 

In the Bible, the disciples were in one accord in their desire to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.  A little over two thousand years later, Christianity is one of the dominate religions throughout the globe.  On the other hand, Hitler was able to accomplish a voice of one accord as well and we all know the devastating effect that had on the world.

So when we are striving to be in one accord, we need to carefully examine what is driving our motivation.  Is the desire to be a part of something larger than ourselves enough of a reason to be in one accord?  I would say, “No.”  But if we do not take the time for some introspection on this topic, we may someday find ourselves on the wrong side of good vs. evil…but in one accord.   

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