May 20, 2013

Good Friday: All Hope Is Not Lost

Photo by Alberto Ramirez

Photo by Alberto Ramirez

If you noticed, I did not title today’s blog in the usual fashion.  I purposely left the word “Feel” out of the “Feel Good Friday” message.  I did this because I’m surmising on this day approximately 2,000 years ago, not many people could “feel” anything.  Systemic shock was more than likely the reaction that day, at least among those who had placed all their hope in Jesus to be the King of their nation.   Then when the Roman government put Him to death, no doubt their hopes for being led by the Savior prophesied in Genesis, Isaiah, Zechariah, and Psalms died with Him on the cross.

So if the One whom others had placed all their hope was crucified on this day, why call it “Good Friday”?  Because the story does not end there, we find out three days later this was only the beginning.  We discover over 500 eyewitnesses saw Jesus return to life after dozens had witnessed his death:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time…” (I Corinthians 15:3-7)

Curious what the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life was like on earth?  I recommend you watch the 2004 release of “The Passion of the Christ” starring Jim Caviezel.  Be forewarned, this is not a “popcorn” eating type of movie…but when you realize He endured the last 12 hours of His life because He loves you…it will explain why this day is considered to be “Good Friday”.

Happy Easter…He has risen :)

 

Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple, Open the Door

Here's the Church

Do you ever struggle with getting to church?  Maybe it’s your day to sleep in and catch up on your rest.  Maybe going to church cuts into your normal weekly routine.  Maybe you stayed out too late the night before. It’s true, attending church will not make the difference whether you go to heaven or hell.  However, fellowship with other “believers” will help you stay on the course toward your Savior.  How important is fellowship? It is important enough that Christians in the Middle East would risk their freedom or even their lives to get a small taste of God in a gathering of fellow Christ followers.  Here’s what I mean:

  • Saudi Arabia’s notorious religious police, known as the Mutawa, swooped in on a private gathering of at least 53 Ethiopian Christians last month, shutting down their private prayer, and arresting the peaceful group of foreign workers for merely practicing their faith.
  • 36 Ethiopian Christians were tortured and incarcerated for their belief.
  • The Saudi Mutawa imprisoned 29 women and six men for more than seven months in barbaric prison conditions, where the men faced severe beatings and the women were subjected to sexually intrusive torture methods.
  • Last March, Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah Al al-Sheikh, the grand mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, declared it is “necessary to destroy all the churches in the Arabian Peninsula.”

What do these Christians know about the value of church that Americans seem to have forgotten?  I might be able to answer that question for you since I have a little experience with the foreign mission field, but I think it would be more beneficial for you to find out for yourself.  See you Sunday :)

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/21/saudi-religious-police-arrest-ethiopian-workers-for-practicing-christianity/

 

A Christmas Poem

I lay at rest in a peaceful state,

Tomorrow is Christmas and the children can’t wait.

The weather outside is crispy and clear,

The glow from the fireplace reflects in the mirror.

My eyes become heavy and my thoughts start to fade,

But not before visions of my family invade.

Then a slight tap…tap…tap begins soft in my head,

It grows with intensity ‘til I rise from my bed.

I look to the window where the noise is abound,

In my grogginess and haste I step on the hound.

As I spy through the window the tap-tap fades away,

I’m staring at nothing and I like it that way.

Than a humorous thought comes to me from the past,

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas it’s happening at last.

A slight chuckle slips out as I turn toward the bed,

The tap-tap starts again and it’s not in my head.

This time as I squint to see what is the cause,

I witness a sight but it’s not Santa Claus.

The stars have aligned to a wonderful scene,

A manger, a mother, a baby…a dream.

I blink my eyes twice and rub out all the sleep,

I look once again and the scene is more deep.

The wise men, the animals, and even the bright star,

Have formed once again in the distance afar.

Now a message appears as the stars realign,

God’s written word, what a wonderful sign.

This is My Son Whom I love and adore,

His birth was My gift to the rich and the poor.

So don’t lose your focus on this Christmas day,

Remember your Savior and what He had to say.

There’s no greater gift from one friend to another,

Than to lay down his life in place of the other.

Then as fast as it came it faded away,

My nose pressed the window in hopes it would stay.

I made my way back to the bed in a fog,

This time I made sure I stepped over the dog.

Then I sat very still my gaze circled the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

A Christmas Poem

I lay at rest in a peaceful state,                      

Tomorrow is Christmas and the children can’t wait.

The weather outside is crispy and clear.

The glow from the fireplace reflects in the mirror.

My eyes become heavy and my thoughts start to fade

But not before visions of my family invade.

Then a slight tap…tap…tap begins soft in my head,

It grows with intensity ‘til I rise from my bed.

I look to the window where the noise is abound,

In my grogginess and haste I step on the hound.

As I spy through the window the tap-tap fades away,

I’m staring at nothing and I like it that way.

Than a humorous thought comes to me from the past

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas it’s happening at last.

A slight chuckle slips out as I turn toward the bed,

The tap-tap starts again and it’s not in my head.

This time as I squint to see what is the cause,

I witness a sight but it’s not Santa Claus.

The stars have aligned to a wonderful scene,

A manger, a mother, a baby…a dream.

I blink my eyes twice and rub out all the sleep,

I look once again and the scene is more deep.

The wise men, the animals, and even the bright star

Have formed once again in the distance afar.

Now a message appears as the stars realign

God’s written word, what a wonderful sign.

This is My Son Whom I love and adore.

His birth was My gift to the rich and the poor.

So don’t lose your focus on this Christmas day

Remember your Savior and what He had to say.

There’s no greater gift from one friend to another

Than to lay down his life in place of the other.

Then as fast as it came it faded away

My nose pressed the window in hopes it would stay.

I made my way back to the bed in a fog

This time I made sure I stepped over the dog.

Then I sat very still my gaze circled the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.