“I had committed the crime and I stood before the judge as he pronounced the verdict.”
“Guilty!”
“Now I awaited the sentence. I so desired mercy. But I knew that I was indeed guilty and had no reason to expect anything except justice. Then the judge pronounced the sentence.” Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
“I have some great stories that in many ways are the result of pain in my life” says John Harvey, a preacher from Palm City, Florida.
One day John was sitting with his kids when one of them asked about a set of scars on his legs. “Right around my right kneecap,” John says, “there is this interesting series of little scars that form a triangle, My kids wanted to know what they were from. So I was able to tell them how I played third base in a baseball game instead of catching. There was a play at the base where a runner slid into my leg as I tried to apply the tag. The scars on my knee form the exact imprint of where the spikes from his cleats went into my leg.”
Then Harvey makes this powerful point: Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
I’m awake early this morning. Everyone else is asleep. I quietly made some coffee and escaped to Rachél’s studio to think.
It is very still, except for the humming of the air conditioner. The morning darkness and some ominous clouds hang heavy from the Florida sky. Probably another day of rain! I can feel the dense humidity! Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
We all have certain expectations in life. Expectations in relationships. Expectations in careers.. Expectations of our elected officials. . Expectations in our churches. We even have certain expectations of a vacation destination, a restaurant, or a new iphone!
When Christ came to earth, he did not live up to the expectations of the Jewish people. He was born in mundane surroundings. A lowly manger. Amid the mixture of manure, blood, sweat and tears, the Messiah entered the world. Continue reading
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“Your King lacks class! No one will follow him. A king has to have flair and style. He has to arouse feelings of pride and prestige. People have to identify with him. They must be able to say, ‘His prowess is my prowess and his glory is my glory!’ He has to have dignity and a certain aloofness. He has to know how to carry his crown and flash his sword in the sun. Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of 911.
It was a day of personal remembrance. Solemn reflection. And national introspection.
We all remember where we were and what we were doing on that day of infamy. Many of us know someone who was directly affected, killed, or either by chance or God’s grace missed being on one of those flights or in the twin towers. And, as Americans we wonder “Are we safer today than we were 13 years ago?” Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
There is a great scene in The Fisherman’s Lady by Scottish author, poet and preacher, George MacDonald. Malcolm, the fisherman, and his friend, the schoolmaster, are sitting in a graveyard following the death of a local woman and discussing dying.
“But, sir, isn’t death a dreadful thing?” asked Malcolm. Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Max Lucado calls them “dynamite decisions.”
There was an old farmer, Sam, who always took the trophy in the fishing tournament with the biggest catch. While other fishermen caught a few, Sam would come in with a boatload of fish! Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
In his devotional, Diligently Seeking God, Gary Henry raises the question, “How should we deal with the painful reality of regret in our lives?”
It’s a good question. Worthy of our consideration. Because we all have regrets. Angry words hurled in haste. Impetuous reactions to someone’s slight. A bad investment. An impulsive decision. An imprudent friendship. An improper relationship. These can all produce feelings of regret, remorse and grief.
But how do we deal with it? Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Ten years ago Mel Gibson released the epic movie The Passion of the Christ. The movie depicts the last 12 hours in Jesus’ life. The story begins in Gethsemane’s garden where Jesus went to pray following the last supper and just prior to the betrayal of Judas.
The expression “The Passion of the Christ,” is a phrase often used by scholars to describe Friday’s events culminating in the crucifixion. Raymond Brown, in his colossal work, The Death of the Messiah, was right when he wrote, “From every point of view the passion is the central narrative in the Christian story.” Continue reading
Filed under It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
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