On Good Friday, we recognize the death of Christ, as he sacrificed himself on the cross for each and every one of us. And on Easter Sunday, we celebrate his resurrection, as Jesus’ deity and power over death assure us of the hope we have in him. But between Friday and Sunday, there is Saturday. There is waiting….
Have you ever felt the sting of betrayal? Maybe it was during high school when a rumor started going around about you, and you found out it was your best friend who started it. Maybe it was when you and a bunch of your friends were pulling a prank and when you got caught, they all let you take the fall….
In the Broadway play Rent, there is a song called, “525,600 Minutes” that describes the number of minutes in a year. It’s a reminder that every minute matters and how we use every moment matters. In Psalm 90, Moses, the man that God chose to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt, prays, “Lord, teach us to number our days, that we might grow in wisdom.” Moses realized that when we consider the brevity of life, we will live wisely, and live each day like it matters. This is a bold prayer that we can pray each day, asking God to help us to make the most of today.
James, who was the half-brother of Jesus, told the church that they should pray for each other. Those prayers, James said, are, “powerful and effective.” In actuality, the Greek words that James used are better translated, “powerful, having been made effective.” Our prayers are powerful because they have been made effective. What makes your prayers and mine effective? The resurrection of Jesus. It’s not how articulate we are when we pray. It’s not using special words or phrases. It’s praying in the name of Jesus, who died and then CAME BACK TO LIFE, that makes our prayers powerful. And when we pray for each other in Jesus’ name, things happen.
We live in an instant society – and I love it. When I am hungry, I don’t have to go out and grow my food or raise my food, or even shop for my food. I don’t even have to get out of my car. I can pull up to a screen, tell it what I want, and then about 30 feet later, someone hands me a bag of food! If I want to read a new book, I can download it to my Kindle app in about five seconds, no trip to a bookstore or waiting for two-day Amazon shipping for me…
How do you make decisions? Do you go with your gut? Do you jump at the first opportunity? Are you likely to overthink and struggle with a decision? Do you do your homework by asking friends for their opinions, reading reviews, and scouring the internet? Or maybe you just flip a coin and hope for the best?
The image of the people of God as a flock of sheep occurs several times throughout the Bible. In Ezekiel 34, the current shepherds (rulers of Israel) are rebuked for their abuse of power (34:1-22). The prophet describes a situation where they had grown fat and wealthy at the expense of the very people they were supposed to care for. We are told that because of that, God would bring judgment on them…
The prophet Ezekiel had a responsibility to be God’s spokesman when the people of Israel were in exile in Babylon. In the midst of suffering, and as people drifted further away from God, Ezekiel uttered prophecy that brought hope. In that prophecy, God promised to change the people’s stone-hardened hearts to hearts capable of feeling the immense love God was willing to give them…
Have you ever said yes to something or bought something only to find out there were some conditions you weren’t aware of or didn’t pay attention to? Often, we call that, “the fine print.” It’s the gotcha that comes along with the deal. When the promise sounds too good to be true, it usually is. You signed up for the new phone plan with your carrier because you could get the newest phone free, and then it wasn’t….
I love the saying, “The juice is not worth the squeeze.” It describes situations where the benefit doesn’t justify the cost of something. For instance, when I was a kid my brother and I along with some of our friends really, really, really wanted an Atari game system (the old school kind with controllers made up of a joystick and one orange button to push). We decided the bast way to get one was to collect cans to turn in for recycling. Now, this was before can deposits and we were not in Iowa, so it was going to take A LOT of cans. We scoured the ditches along the roads in our neighborhoods, dug around in the weeds in the woods near our houses, and even did a lot of dumpster diving. It wasn’t pretty, but it was for an Atari 2600, so it was totally worth it. Or so we thought….
At Journey, we have an early morning men’s group that meets to go through a Bible study called 33 (modeled after the 33 years of Jesus’ life on earth). Currently the series is focusing on, “A man and his traps,” which deals with some of the sins and struggles that are common to men. One of the biggest insights that we have received in the study so far is that it is not enough to resist areas of temptation and sin in our lives, we also must replace them if we want to overcome them. Saying yes to the right things is just as important as saying no to the wrong things.
In the early 1900’s, the London Times newspaper asked the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” It was early in the twentieth century, and the optimism of the Industrial Revolution and the potential of scientific progress had been shattered by World War I. Men had been gassed and gunned down in the trenches. Sickness, poverty, and rising totalitarianism had darkened people’s hopes and dreams. So, the Times wondered, what’s the problem? What’s wrong with the world. Maybe they were hoping for some inspired essays or political commentary to answer their questions.
Several years ago, a well-known pastor in Africa was interviewed for an American magazine. During the interview, the subjects of faith and miracles came up. “Why,” the pastor was asked, “do the people in your congregation have such great faith that God will take care of them and that miracles happen?” “That is simple,” the pastor replied, “in my country, the people have nowhere else to go.” He went on to say, “In Nigeria, we have blessed assurance, in America you have blessed insurance.” Ouch.
In the movie Nacho Libre, Nacho (played by Jack Black) is a Catholic priest in Mexico who secretly wants to be a professional wrestler. When he becomes to stressed out, he decides to head out into the wilderness on his own. In the film, we see him comedically sitting underneath a pile of sticks trying to figure out his life. All of a sudden, his close friend shows up to talk to Nacho. “How did you find me in the wilderness?” Nacho asks. “I saw you from the village,” his friend responds. Then the camera pulls back to reveal that Nacho is only about fifty feet from the nearest house. “Hola, Nacho!” shouts the family that stands in their yard waving at him. Nacho wanted to get away, just not that far away…
Recently, I ran into a friend who had just come back from what appeared to be a great vacation (based on all the pictures she posted). When I asked her about it, she told me she had an incredible time and how much fun she had. Then she told me about how tired she was from all the running around she did on the trip, and shared the famous line, “I need a vacation to rest up from my vacation!” Most of us have either heard that line or said it ourselves. As Spring Break wraps up this weekend, many students and families have gotten away somewhere warm to take a break and relax…
One day, a second-grade teacher was having trouble with one of her students causing trouble in class. Instead of staying in his seat, Josh kept getting up from his desk, wandering around the class and bugging the other kids who were trying to get their work done. Several times the teacher told Josh to go back to his desk and sit down, and several times Josh refused. “Josh, if you don’t sit down, you are going to have to stay inside during recess.” Josh still refused to sit down…
