Tag Archives: It’s Friday. But Sunday’s Coming!

It was the beginning of 3 days that these 3 men would never forget. Never.

The hour was late. Much had happened. The last supper. Prideful posturing. Washing feet. Judas’ departure. And the ensuing walk across the Kedron valley with Jesus teaching. Encouraging. Comforting. Promising.

Peter, James, and John are invited to walk a little father, as Jesus entered into prayer to the Father.

Struggle. Sorrow. Supplication. These words describe Jesus’ emotions in Gethsemane’s garden as Thursday turned into Friday. Continue reading →

Today is dubbed as “Black Friday.” According to Wikipedia the term originally began in Philadelphia to “describe the heavy and disruptive  vehicle traffic that would occur the day after Thanksgiving.”

In more recent years “Black Friday” describes the busiest shopping day of the year. It’s a day when retailers open early and close late. It refers to businesses who’ve been operating “in the red”, now turning a profit and operating “in the black.” Continue reading →

Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Pontus Pilate asked Jesus at His trial.

The power in Jesus’ day resided in Rome. Everyone knew it. Their empirical rule reached across the known world. The power was evident in their army. Their outposts of culture. Their massive building programs. Their roads. And, of course, their ruler. He was Pontifex Maximus. Continue reading →

I’m not in the habit of reading random obituaries, but this one dated August 7, 2012 grabbed my attention.

Virginia Dean Whalen Farless got the last laugh Tuesday evening

According to the obituary in the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal Mrs. Farless was the source of smiles, laughter, jokes and funny stories. It read in part.

“She chuckled in the face of death from the time she was born, the baby child of Thaddeus and Lottie Whalen in Harrison County, KY, on May 10, 1932. She had severe asthma and on many occasions, the doctor predicted to her older brother Gerald that she would not live through the night.”

“She not only lived, but laughed a lot, when she graduated from Oddville High School (perfect), as a funny pastor’s wife in SC, KY and Ashland City, TN, a Kentucky Colonel, and a nurse at Deberry Prison. “ Continue reading →

Jennie Wilson was born on an Indiana farm in 1857. Her life was filled with trouble and change. Her father died in infancy. At age 4 she suffered a spinal disease that rendered her an invalid, confined to a wheel chair. However, she developed a love for music and poetry and began writing lyrics for hymns.

The post civil era in which she lived was a time of transition and vulnerability for many poor farmers, share croppers and emancipated slaves. In was during the time of societal upheaval that Jennie wrote these words that later became a famous hymn. Continue reading →

We’ve all experienced it. The roller coaster of emotions. The highs and lows of life. Exhilaration to exhaustion. Excitement to Discouragement. Hope to despair.

Life is a mixture of good and bad. Sunshine and rain. Pay raises. But unexpected bills. The birth of baby. The death of a grandmother. A joyful wedding. A bitter divorce. Health and sickness.

But think of the incredible range of emotions the disciples of Christ experienced in just three days? Continue reading →