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Showing posts from August, 2020

This Changes Everything

"It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength." I Corinthians 15:42-43    When the Olympics are held in a country with a different time zone, I have this habit of looking up the result of an event before it's played on primetime in the U.S. I just can't take the tension of the unknown. So, I find out what happens and then I can watch it without the emotional roller coaster ride. It drives my kids crazy. They don't want to know, but I'll keep asking, "Do you want to know what happens?" "No!", they reply with great emphasis. Knowing the end completely alters the experience of the moment.    Paul frequently talked about the end. It wasn't the end of a book or a movie, but rather the end of one&

Times of Refreshment

  "Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah." Acts 3:1-21 When the last hay bale hit its mark in the withering, dust-filled barn, we took our scratched-up dehydrated selves straight to the water pump. We pulled up the bright red handle and waited for that wondrously clear and cold water to pour out. There are few words that capture the impact of that water rushing over our steaming heads and down our parched throats. Satisfying, for sure. Restoring, yes. Life-giving, absolutely. Without a doubt, one of the most refreshing moments I can remember.   Peter had just been used by the Lord to bring about just such a moment to a man who had labored with paralysis his entire life. He healed him. A life of begging, a life of unfulfilled dreams ended in a moment as his legs strengthened. He stood up and walked. Refreshed in a w

The King Heard

"While they were bringing out the money collected at the Lord's Temple, Hilkiah found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was written by Moses...When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair." II Chronicles 34:15, 19   After waiting for quite a while, the cars in front of me began to weave through what seemed to be dysfunctional railroad crossing arms. Everyone looked twice before they went through, but no train in sight. As I was nearing the front, I kept looking and looking. Still, no train. After a few more cars made their way through, I was at the front. I looked left and then right. Again, no train. I was just about to go when I heard a train horn. Startled, I immediately put my car in park frustrating the drivers behind me ... until they heard the horn too.   Not all sounds are created equal. Sirens and doorbells do not illicit the same response. King Josiah recognized this same reality when it came to written words. Undoubte