Here it is…

Jesus and his disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus in the lead. The disciples were amazed while the others following behind were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he told them what was about to happen to him. “Look!” he said. “We’re going up to Jerusalem. The Human One will be handed over to the chief priests and the legal experts. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles. They will ridicule him, spit on him, torture him, and kill him. After three days, he will rise up.” (Mark 10:32-34, CEB)

If a friend were to say this to me on this day, I would be like, yeah right, April Fools!

But it wasn’t an April Fools. Jesus was telling the disciples that they were going to a place where they would all come back from different. That Jesus was going to be condemned, tortured, and killed. But that wasn’t the end, He would rise again.

They didn’t get it, and honestly how could they? Imagine you were one of them, you had just walked around with Jesus for 3 years and seen all kinds of miracles and wonders and now he tells us he is going to die and in three days he will be alive again. Seems a little far-fetched to me. But here it is plainly.

We still don’t get it.

But we see the love given. And hopefully see the love of God for each of us.

God loves you!

Loving People. Loving God.

Which is better?

Because for me, living serves Christ and dying is even better. If I continue to live in this world, I get results from my work. But I don’t know what I prefer. I’m torn between the two because I want to leave this life and be with Christ, which is far better. However, it’s more important for me to stay in this world for your sake. I’m sure of this: I will stay alive and remain with all of you to help your progress and the joy of your faith, and to increase your pride in Christ Jesus through my presence when I visit you again. Most important, live together in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel. Do this, whether I come and see you or I’m absent and hear about you. Do this so that you stand firm, united in one spirit and mind as you struggle together to remain faithful to the gospel. That way, you won’t be afraid of anything your enemies do. Your faithfulness and courage are a sign of their coming destruction and your salvation, which is from God. God has generously granted you the privilege, not only of believing in Christ but also of suffering for Christ’s sake. You are having the same struggle that you saw me face and now hear that I’m still facing. (Philippians 1:21-30, CEB)

I remember studying this text in seminary and discussing the mental health aspects of this text.

Paul says living serves Christ because Paul gets to share the story of Jesus and what Jesus did for him and all of the world, but dying is even better because then Paul gets to be with Jesus.

So is Paul contemplating suicide? Paul says, ” I’m torn between the two because I want to leave this life and be with Christ, which is far better.” It is better to not be in this world because being with Christ is so much better. There is no talk about Paul being sick or anything about him about to die. So is he writing to the Philippians about his contemplation of taking his own life? Remember that this epistle was written probably 10 – 20 years before the gospels. So Paul would have heard stories about Judas but may not have known details from the gospels that we do, and Judas’ suicide might not have been as much of a struggle for followers of the way then. They would have had disdain for Judas for other reasons.

I think it interesting to look at this reading this way. Paul is wanting to be with Jesus which puts a different spin on suicide than most of us have. Mental health is a topic we need to talk about and not make it taboo.

Know that Paul didn’t do that, he chose to live and to continue to spread the message of God’s love.

If you are ever thinking about committing suicide, please reach out to talk to someone and if there isn’t anyone, reach out to me. We are never alone in our walks, or the dark places we find ourselves.

I love you and am thankful that we connect, if only through this website.

God loves you and you are a beloved child of the creator of the universe.

Please always remember that.

Loving People. Loving God.

more rich

From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. To all those in Philippi who are God’s people in Christ Jesus, along with your supervisors and servants. May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now. I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus. I have good reason to think this way about all of you because I keep you in my heart. You are all my partners in God’s grace, both during my time in prison and in the defense and support of the gospel. God is my witness that I feel affection for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight. I pray this so that you will be able to decide what really matters and so you will be sincere and blameless on the day of Christ. I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God. (Philippians 1:1-11, CEB)

This is my prayer: that your love might become even more and more rich with knowledge and all kinds of insight.

Knowledge and insight sometimes seem to be what those in power in religion don’t want us to have. Those in power want us to follow blindly, and not question. Sometimes it seems to me that those in power are worried that we simple folks will figure out we hear God clearer when we don’t follow the old ways, or see things the way we always have.

We need to be so focused on loving as God loves that we love in a way that opens our minds to what and where God is leading.

Sometimes the way we have always done it is so people maintain power and that power belongs to someone else.

And in the end, God is really the only one with true power, so follow where God is leading.

Loving People. Loving God.

Living not dead

That same day Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus. They asked, “Teacher, Moses said, If a man who doesn’t have children dies, his brother must marry his wife and produce children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married, then died. Because he had no children he left his widow to his brother. The same thing happened with the second brother and the third, and in fact with all seven brothers. Finally, the woman died. At the resurrection, which of the seven brothers will be her husband? They were all married to her.” Jesus responded, “You are wrong because you don’t know either the scriptures or God’s power. At the resurrection people won’t marry nor will they be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like angels from God. As for the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what God told you, I’m the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He isn’t the God of the dead but of the living.” Now when the crowd heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. (Matthew 22:23-33, CEB)

We all want to know what is going to happen when the kingdom comes to fruition. We want to know how life will be in heaven, or the resurrection. We have ideas and thoughts and when it actually comes, I bet all of them will be wrong.

The way I love to describe heaven and the coming kingdom is through a story about a dog. I don’t know where this story comes from and it is not mine. I have heard it but can not find it on the web…

The story goes there were two people talking about what heaven will be like and the first one commented how they are scared for what might happen. And the second person said, “well it is kind of like a dog sitting next to a door they have never been through. They have no idea what is in that room, but they hear the voice of their owner coming from there. So what do you think will happen when that door opens?”

The first person looked puzzled, and the second person said, “The dog will leap through the door because the dog knows their owner is in there. Nothing else matters.”

Still more puzzlement from the first person. The second person said, “I have no idea what heaven or the kingdom of God will really be like, it is like a room I have never been in, but as I wait at the door, I hear God’s voice coming from the room, so when that door opens, I’m jumping through because God is there and that is all I need to know.”

What will heaven be like, we will all find out. Right now just know that God is there and we will all get to love there for all of eternity.

Loving People. Loving God.

The Way

At one time you were like a dead person because of the things you did wrong and your offenses against God. You used to live like people of this world. You followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power. This is the spirit of disobedience to God’s will that is now at work in persons whose lives are characterized by disobedience. At one time you were like those persons. All of you used to do whatever felt good and whatever you thought you wanted so that you were children headed for punishment just like everyone else. However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! And God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace by the goodness that God has shown us in Christ Jesus. You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives. (Ephesians 2:1-10, CEB)

I admit I had to read this passage a few times in this translation, because 2:8-10 are verses I quote often, and this is way different than I quote it.

For you are saved by grace through faith, not by works so no one can boast.

Here I’m not sure I like the wording of verse 8, You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. The original Greek in my opinion leans towards we are saved by grace because of Christ’s faith, not ours. If it is based on my faith then it is a work. Even if we say faith is trust and it depends on me trusting God, then it is my work and something I do. Grace is a gift because I can’t do anything to get it or to not get it.

But 9 – 10 in this version are a great translation, in my opinion,  “This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.”

The way we live our lives. Our lives are to be lived doing good things that God had planned for us to do long before we ever knew anything.

This is the Way.

Live it. Love it. Share love every where you go!

Loving People. Loving God.

Longest sermon?

On the first day of the week, as we gathered together for a meal, Paul was holding a discussion with them. Since he was leaving the next day, he continued talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we had gathered. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. He was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third floor and died. Paul went down, fell on him and embraced him, then said, “Don’t be alarmed. He’s alive!” Then Paul went back upstairs and ate. He talked for a long time—right up until daybreak—then he left. They took the young man away alive, and they were greatly comforted. (Acts 20:7-12, CEB)

I always chuckle at this passage. Paul preached for so long, someone fell asleep and fell out a window and died. I have always heard the joke there is a fine line between a long sermon and a hostage situation!

And my wonder about this passage is why did the writer think out of all the stories they could include this is one that needed to be known? Well, it does show us that Paul was able to raise a man from the dead. And that is the work of the Holy Spirit or heavenly power in him. And we all have that same power.

So maybe we read this to know that we have the heavenly power to raise people to life. Do you believe you have the power to raise people to life?

God moving in and through you will do greater things than Jesus according to Jesus.

So know you have the power.

Loving People. Loving God.

Why did he weep?

A certain man, Lazarus, was ill. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This was the Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was ill.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, the one whom you love is ill.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This illness isn’t fatal. It’s for the glory of God so that God’s Son can be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. When he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was. After two days, he said to his disciples, “Let’s return to Judea again.” The disciples replied, “Rabbi, the Jewish opposition wants to stone you, but you want to go back?” Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours in the day? Whoever walks in the day doesn’t stumble because they see the light of the world. But whoever walks in the night does stumble because the light isn’t in them.” He continued, “Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I am going in order to wake him up.” The disciples said, “Lord, if he’s sleeping, he will get well.” They thought Jesus meant that Lazarus was in a deep sleep, but Jesus had spoken about Lazarus’ death. Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. For your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there so that you can believe. Let’s go to him.” Then Thomas (the one called Didymus) said to the other disciples, “Let us go too so that we may die with Jesus.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was a little less than two miles from Jerusalem. Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother’s death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.” After she said this, she went and spoke privately to her sister Mary, “The teacher is here and he’s calling for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. He hadn’t entered the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave, they followed her. They assumed she was going to mourn at the tomb. When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to cry. The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.” Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Therefore, many of the Jews who came with Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. (John 11:1-45, CEB)

People say the shortest verse in the Bible is Jesus wept. Well in some versions, as the above one, it is Jesus began to cry, so that’s not short and to know which verse is shortest you really have to ask what language and version you are talking about. The Greel version of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 actually has fewer letters than Jesus Wept, so then technically it would be the shortest verse, but I digress…

Why did Jesus weep?

Did he weep because Lazarus was dead? He was/is God so knowing what he was about to do, maybe, or maybe not.

Did Jesus weep because people didn’t get it? He was deeply disturbed and troubled because of all the people there that were crying that thought Lazarus was dead. He had been dead for four days in the tomb. Now you have to understand that at that time a person could get up within the first 3 days of being dead. Weird yes, but if you wonder about this look up the term dead ringer and see where it comes from. So at 4 days, Lazarus is dead. And the people were sad, and Jesus explained to Martha about the resurrection of the dead, and even she didn’t get what he was saying.

And I wonder, do we? If we had been there and Jesus said what he said to Martha, would we have gotten it and known that Lazarus really wasn’t dead but sleeping as Jesus said to the disciples?

Jesus weeps because we think we get it and we twist it to fit what we want. Not just death and resurrection but everything about our faith. Once we think we know it, Jesus weeps.

Are we making Jesus weep?

Loving People. Loving God.

heavenly power

Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Look, I’m sending to you what my Father promised, but you are to stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.” He led them out as far as Bethany, where he lifted his hands and blessed them. As he blessed them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem overwhelmed with joy. And they were continuously in the temple praising God. (Luke 24:44-53, CEB)

You are to stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power!

Heavenly Power! God came to live with us as one of us, and when God returned to where God was, God gave us heavenly power!

We are always with God and God is always with us. The power to continue in life is always with us. Sometimes, we lose sight of that. Sometimes, we wonder why God has forsaken us. Sometimes our darkness gets in our way of remembering we are never alone.

Know you have heavenly power and always have God with you.

Loving People. Loving God.

Party?!?

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will rule forever and always.” Then the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshipped God. They said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and was, for you have taken your great power and enforced your rule. The nations were enraged, but your wrath came. The time came for the dead to be judged. The time came to reward your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the chest containing his covenant appeared in his temple. There were lightning, voices, thunder, an earthquake, and large hail. (Revelation 11:15-19, CEB)

The seventh seal was opened and the time came for the temple in heaven to be opened and the chest with the covenant was opened. It is time for the party of all eternity!

Doesn’t sound like the description of a really good party in my opinion, but it is only the beginning.

We will all be with God for all of eternity and the beginning of that has already happened so this is merely a step in the plan for us to continue to be with God.

Eternity started a long time ago and isn’t something we wait for, it is happening now.

So let us show love in everything we do to help others know they are loved.

Loving People. Loving God.

Eat the scroll…

Then I saw another powerful angel coming down from heaven. He was robed with a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet were like fiery pillars. He held an open scroll in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. He called out with a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he called out, the seven thunders raised their voices. When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don’t write it down.” Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. He swore by the one who lives forever and always, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, and said, “The time is up. In the days when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious purpose will be accomplished, fulfilling the good news he gave to his servants the prophets.” Then the voice I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the opened scroll from the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will make you sick to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.” So I took the scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. And it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it made my stomach churn. I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.” (Revelation 10:1-11, CEB)

Honestly, what does this mean? And when we take it out of context it can be taken a bunch of different ways.

But the person here is told to go and take the scroll from the angel (which means messenger in Greek) and to eat it. It will be sweet and tasty in your mouth but will turn your stomach. And after eating it you are told to prophesy again.

We need to keep telling our story, even when people don’t want to hear it, when people won’t hear it. We need to tell what God has done for all of us.

God’s love for the world needs to be told, even when we don’t want to, even when we can’t, we still need to.

Know you are never alone and even when your stomach turns, God is there.

Loving People. Loving God.