Category Archives: Easter

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Why It’s Okay to Doubt God…A Post Easter Post…

Hello World,

As I was out of town this weekend and separated from my beloved laptop, I was not able to post this past Easter Sunday…However, I still have some thoughts on Easter that I would like to share…

Over the weekend, I saw an Easter play about the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ from the perspective of the Apostle Thomas also known as Doubting Thomas…The play got me thinking about why Thomas’ doubt was included in the account of Jesus appearing to the disciples and others after he was resurrected…As I’m learning the art of storytelling, I am realizing that everything that is included in the story must mean something to the story…

I believe that Thomas’ expression of doubt and the response of Jesus to his doubt is a revelation of the type of relationship that God wants to have with us…If you have not read the story, please read it below…

John 20:24-29

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Below are a few conclusions I have come to as a result of this passage:

  1. God welcomes our questions. But we have to be prepared for the answers that He gives…Although Jesus chose to directly answer the questions of Thomas, it has been my experience we may not always get direct answers to our questions like what happened in the story of Job. However, I believe that when we seek God, He always responds by coming closer to us which can be more comforting than having the answers anyway…
  2. God rewards boldness. When Jesus appeared to the disciples, He addressed Thomas first! Thomas put his need out there and Jesus met that need…This story backs up Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
  3. Doubt is okay, but faith is best. Although Jesus answered Thomas’ questions, he made sure to note that while Thomas believed because Jesus proved Himself to him, people that believe without seeing are even more blessed…And the Good News for us is that while we did not see Jesus while He was on earth, we stand to be even more blessed because we believe without seeing Him!

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

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Watch “The Passion of the Christ” on TV Tonight for One Night Only!

Hello World,

As today is Palm Sunday, and the first day of Holy Week leading up to Easter, next Sunday, how fitting that the UP channel is showing “The Passion of the Christ.” This is the first time this captivating film has appeared on commercial television since its debut in 2004. I saw the movie when it was in the theaters, and I was rendered silent after watching the atrocity of Jesus’ murder depicted squarely in my face…I had to keep reminding myself it was just a film and at the same time, I realized the film probably couldn’t capture the totality of Jesus’ barbaric sacrificial death for us…

Below is a scene from the movie….This is Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane…

How are you honoring our Lord’s sacrifice this week?

Any thoughts?

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What You Thought Was Dead Can Now Come Back to LIFE!

Hello World,

Happy Easter or Happy Resurrection Day! However you choose to refer to this day, this is the day that Christians the world over celebrate the most important day in our faith! Today we celebrate that while death is a powerful foe indeed, the power of death could not and cannot compare to the indestructible power of the Lord Jesus Christ! HE IS RISEN! We no longer have to live in sin, be ruled by destructive habits and or addictions or walk through this earth alone! We have a savior and a friend in Jesus Christ! Like the Baptists, I’ve got a reason to shout! Like the Pentecostals, I’ve got a reason to get my dance on! Like the Methodists, I’ve got a reason to be in silent awe! And then do it all over again! JESUS! JESUS! JESUS! Please find yourself in somebody’s church today because the Lord has a blessing for you, and you don’t want to miss it!

And speaking of blessings, I was reading the resurrection story in Matthew 27, and I read some verses that I don’t recall reading before…Do you know that Jesus was not the only one that God rose from the dead? According to Matthew 27:51-53, “51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” Many theologians have differing opinions of what this miraculous occurrence meant, and it is not mentioned if these people remained on Earth or ascended with Jesus back to heaven.

As a lay person or a regular ole Christian or maybe even as a writer, these verses are further evidence that the death and resurrection of Jesus is not just about spiritual good that is just good for Heaven, it is also a good that makes sense right here on Earth! What do I mean? Using my sanctified storyteller imagination, I imagine that one of the dead was a mother who had passed away while giving birth to a son who had never known his mother except through the stories of family and friends. On the day that Jesus rose, this child was able to meet his mother for the first time! I can also imagine that one of those dead was a beloved husband of an elderly widow that had not seen him in decades unless she dreamed about him at night. Can you imagine how elated she was when he came to her during the day? Or what about the young woman that died suddenly after a brief and mysterious illness leaving her family and friends to question why God allowed this tragedy to happen? I imagined that they wept after she confirmed that even death could not keep her from the ones she loved! I’m sure this day of resurrection was a day of overflowing joy!

So what does this mean for us today? First of all and most importantly, we have a risen savior that promises to give us eternal life with Him in heaven. And while we are here on Earth, Jesus can break the chains of sin, addiction and destructive habits and give us joy and peace that sustains us through everything! AND he can bring back to life what we thought was dead…Maybe you dreamed of launching a business but you no longer have the financial backing to get it going. Don’t worry. Just pray! He can bring this dream back to life. Maybe you’ve been set back by setback after setback. God can restore your life! Maybe you are still grieving the death of a loved one years later and have been unable to really move on, God can show you how to live and not die!

What you thought was dead can now come back to life…

Any thoughts?