Passion Week Snapshot #1

During this heart-wrenching week that we remember The Passion of our Lord Jesus, snapshots from the Holy Scriptures give us a look at His life during the last days that led up to His death and resurrection.

Here's one such Passion Week snapshot:

"Looking up, Jesus saw people, especially the rich, dropping their gifts into the temple offering box. He noticed a poor widow drop in two small coins. He said, 'I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others. All of these people have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on.'” (Luke 21:1-4 GWT)

Grateful 

With Every Breath, Hallelujah!

When the words "Christmas" and "Hallelujah" are in the same title, it must be a good thing. I know it's not December, but a little Christmas in January might be exactly what The Great Physician is ordering for our day. Click the link below and turn your speaker volume up. Your soul will be refreshed.

Thanks Pastor Joseph for the heads-up on this Cloverton song link. It delivered to us all some much needed and wondrously unexpected, "Joy, Joy, Joy" to close out our January and the song even points us towards Easter. Hallelujah, indeed!

Click here: A Hallelujah Christmas - Cloverton LYRICS - YouTube

With Every Breath, Hallelujah!
Grateful

Easter Afterglow: Encouraged in a Cemetery

In the afterglow of Resurrection Sunday I was able to take a few days away from my normal routine for personal reflection and solitude. My wife and I traveled back to the coast to be with our parents for a short stay in our native North Carolina homeland.

While there I visited the burial site of my Granny Margery and Granddaddy Gray. Though I have made many trips to the humble island cemetery, I had not really recognized clearly a Scripture verse at the very bottom of Granny and Granddaddy's shared headstone. I knelt on the ground to read it clearly. As I was there on my knees my heart was strangely warmed. Yes, I was wonderfully encouraged in a cemetery by the words of Jesus, maybe sort of like Mary of Magdala was. (Well, at least Mary of Magdala and Kerry of Carolina were both in a cemetery and Mary of Magdala and Kerry of Carolina were both experiencing the afterglow of The Resurrection of The Lord Jesus.)

Anyway, the Scripture engraved on my grandparents' gravestone is a sentence spoken by Jesus when He came to Bethany just before resurrecting His friend, Lazarus:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.
-- Words of Jesus in John 11:26a (KJV)

Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.
-- Words of Jesus in John 11:26a (GWT)

Click here: Margaret Becker - Say the Name - YouTube

John 20:11-18 may offer extra encouragement for your heart today.

Say The Name! JESUS! Because of Him death is defeated!
Grateful

Not A Lie! Not a Myth! But A Living Mystery!

Lord God Almighty:
You are not a lie!
You are not a myth!
You are a Living Mystery! So Marvelous to me!

I especially remember Your thirst on the Cross,
Your sacrificial death, Your beautiful burial,
Your triumphant victory over death and hell.
Your tomb is empty so our lives don't have to be.

"I WAS DEAD! NOW I AM ALIVE FOREVER!"
Words of Jesus in Revelation 1:18

Today, Lord Jesus, I know You are my Purpose, my Peace, my Power.
And I am forever...
...Grateful (Click YouTube Below)

Click here: That Was Three Days Ago - YouTube

"Good Morning!" & My Easter Benediction

(1-4) After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move. (5-6) The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed. (7) "Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message." *8-10) The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."
-- Matthew 28:1-10 (The Message)

My Easter Benediction:
Let us go out as passionate witnesses of our Alive-forevermore Lord.

Let us testify that Jesus Christ has indeed been raised and that we too are gloriously Alive-forevermore in Him.

Yes, let us tell the world -- one-seemingly-hopeless-soul-at-a-time -- that they too can find themselves coming home to Hope, yes, gloriously Alive-forevermore in Christ.

May Almighty God lift you, by His Resurrection Power, above everything that would even dare to fantasize about threatening your glorious Alive-forevermore reality.

Let us fasten our eyes on King Jesus, the Object of, the Author of, and the Finisher of our Faith.

By the Power of the Holy Spirit within us, let us not yield to fear or temptation, knowing that Greater is the One Who lives in us, than the one that is in the world.

And finally, may the once-dead-and-now-Alive-forevermore Lord, be more than a part of your life and more than #1 in your life, may He gloriously be YOUR LIFE now and until He comes back to take You to His Home on High.

In the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit... receive these blessings by saying:
“Amen & Amen”.

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!
Grateful

I Belong Between The Bread & The Blood

We have now entered that season between Christmas and Easter.

During the Holy Days of the Christmas season, it slowly but surely struck me that Bethlehem is called The House of Bread and Calvary is all about The Blood.

As we live between The Bread and The Blood, let us be in constant Communion with The One Who was born as our Baby King. Yes, and let us be intentional about an ever-increasing intimate relationship with Immanuel, The Lamb Who was once (and for all-time) slain for our sins (but is now Alive forevermore!)

Soon enough we will find ourselves in that celebration season between His glorious Resurrection and His powerful Ascension with the remarkable reality of Pentecost on the horizon.

Lord Jesus, during every season leading up to my faith finally becoming sight -- on that Day when You return for me -- I want to belong to You, and never betray You! I belong between The Bread and The Blood. Amen!

Click link below for Kathryn Scott's song "I Belong":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg9TchaiOck&feature=related

(23b) The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, (24) and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (25)In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me." (26) For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. (27) Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. (28) A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. (29) For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. -- 1 Corinthians 18:23b-29 (NIV)

Lord, from Your first cry in Bethlehem's Manger to Your final cry on Calvary's Cross, You have given to me everything necessary to succeed spiritually in every season of life and death! You are so Faithful. Find me ever so...

...Grateful (for Bethlehem's Bread and Calvary's Blood!)

Want to Breathe Again? Rest Area Open!

Due to financial cutbacks in The Commonwealth of Virginia, in 2009 our elected government officials in Richmond decided to close multiple rest areas designed for motorists along the interstate highways across the state. Because I am a reasonable citizen, I can surely understand financial shortfalls, but I must also say that when I heard many of Virginia’s roadside rest areas were closing down, it produced some measure of unrest in my peace of mind as a driver of vehicles. Especially as I grow older, I appreciate like never before the simple blessing of roadside rest in long-distance travel.

During the Christmas season in 2008, even with all of Virginia’s rest areas still open, our family came up on an awful automobile accident just north of Roanoke in the southbound lane. We were probably the third vehicle to approach the scene – a dear couple, in their late sixties, were traveling to southern Virginia to celebrate the holidays with their son and his family. The mother, who had been driving, had fallen asleep at the wheel. It was so sad. A failure to stop and rest adequately was the culprit. As the Pegasus chopper airlifted the father to UVA Medical Center, I called their son on the mother’s cell phone to tell him what had happened along the interstate highway. He didn’t answer so I left a careful and prayerful message on his voice mail. Months later, the daughter-in-law called me to thank me for assisting her in-laws. Her mother-in-law had survived. Her father-in-law had not. Tears.

Our spiritual lives can be illustrated as a car-trip on a highway. We travel along all excited about wherever it is we think we’re headed, all-the-while carelessly discounting the dangers of soul restlessness. As we ride south, the Resurrected Jesus stands alongside the highway with nail-scared hands outstretched. I can see Him holding a sign of hope in those nail-scared hands. His sign of hope is a simple but profound three-word invitation: Rest Area Open!

Matt. 11:28-30 (NLT) – Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”

Why do we as weary motorists need rest areas? That’s obvious. We need rest areas because we get weary. Staring through the windshield mile-after-mile can be dangerously mesmerizing and can easily cause us to carelessly forget that our lives are at stake, as are the lives of those traveling with us. Will we stop and rest? Will we take time to catch our breath before it’s too late?

Why do our eternal souls need Easter? We need Easter because it echoes loudly the personal, eternal-life-invitation of the One Who was dead, but is now alive, forever. (Rev. 1:18). Will we finally exit this Easter on the ramp that leads to R-and-R -- Rest and Resurrection? Do we Want to Breathe Again? Rest Area Open!

P.S. Under the leadership of a new governor, in 2010, The Commonwealth of Virginia has now reopened the roadside rest areas. :-)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Looking Like The Gardener?

Rev. Bill Wilson planted this thought in my mind a few years ago:

Did you ever think that maybe the Resurrected Jesus came back in appearance on that first Easter Morning looking like "the Gardener" (to Mary Magdalene) so He could help us through the agony of our own Gethsemanes?

John 20:11-18 (NLT) -- (11) Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. (12) She saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. (13) "Why are you crying?" the angels asked her. "Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "and I don’t know where they have put Him." (14) She glanced over her shoulder and saw Someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize Him. (15) "Why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?" She thought He was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if You have taken Him away, tell me where You have put him, and I will go and get Him." (16) "Mary!" Jesus said. She turned toward Him and exclaimed, "Teacher!" (17) "Don’t cling to Me," Jesus said, "for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find My brothers and tell them that I Am ascending to My Father and your Father, My God and your God." (18) Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, "I have seen the Lord!" Then she gave them His message.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Go to Calvary. Breathe Again.

For as long as I can remember, my Aunt Edith (my Dad’s only sister and only sibling) has been the organist at the church where I was raised – Free Grace Wesleyan Church. She’s not a flashy musician, but she is talented and dependable and her love for the Lord invites breathless souls to breathe again.

Aunt Edith was always content to let the pianist choose the selections for praise and worship. I only remember once when she requested we learn a new hymn. Well, it was written in 1921 by Jennie Hussey, so it wasn’t exactly “new”, but you know what I mean. It was “new” to us. As Aunt Edith passionately shared, it was obvious that this “new” hymn was a personal prayer from her very alive soul.

By the theme of the hymn, it must have been the season leading up to Easter when Aunt Edith brought it to our attention. The title is “Lead Me to Calvary”. To this day, whenever I think on the wonderful words of “Lead Me to Calvary”, it inspires and challenges me to consider each word carefully and prayerfully.

Here are the loving lyrics now. Let’s remember that before we can breathe again on Easter Resurrection Sunday, first the Lord must “Lead Us to Calvary!”

(1) King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.

(Chorus)
Lest I forget Gethsemane, Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me, Lead me to Calvary.

(2) Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid,
Tenderly mourned and wept;
Angels in robes of light arrayed
Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept.

(3) Let me like Mary, through the gloom,
Come with a gift to Thee;
Show to me now the empty tomb,
Lead me to Calvary.

(4) May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.

Lord, I do not ever want to forget Your love for me. I want to go to Gethsemane and to Calvary, yes through Your agony, so my eternal soul can in gratitude breathe again – inhaling and exhaling for forever Your Resurrection Life. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

A Beautiful Opportunity

Let us not forget the sacred preseason that leads us to the Glorious Main Event of our Lord's Resurrection year-after-year. Yes, as Henri Nouwen said, The Lenten Season offers a beautiful opportunity to discover the mystery of Christ within us.

So let's sacredly soak in the seven-word, secret message written in Colossians 1:27 -- Christ in you, the hope of glory. And let's get the secret message out during the Lenten Season and every season.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful