And now the good news is not that Jesus lived and died but that He died and lives!
Tag Archives: Jesus
Not Alone
It is one of those years when Christmas is not going to be very merry for some people. There are those who have lost loved ones over this past year, or even over a few years, who, although surrounded by family and friends will still feel alone. It comes with the territory; their special person is no longer with them to share the season with. There will be no special gift to think about, no one to decorate the tree with, no one to put their pinky to the wishbone with them. Each year gets a little easier, but for those spending a first Christmas without their loved one, this will be the most difficult.
Let there be some consolation in the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always…”
If we believe in those words, feel the memory of love, submit to the peace of the season, we will realize that in most ways we are not alone.
Remembering
Today is a day for remembering. We remember those who fought for our freedom, who died for our freedom, and who are still alive today to enjoy that freedom.
A friend and I are meeting for lunch today to remember as well, two very special people in our lives…our lifelong best friends, both of whom are in a different world of freedom…heaven.
We will also remember other loved ones who have left our lives through the mystery of death, gone but not forgotten.
Remembering is a soulful act in that it touches our souls the way our love for all these people touched our hearts.
Be blessed as you remember today…
And from the greatest teacher who ever lived, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
One Day at a Time
After having recent conversations with people about the trials in their lives and how they are trying to cope, I remembered the following lyrics to a great song, “One Day at a Time”. This song got me through some pretty trying times in the first part of this twenty-first century and it seems right to share it here.
One Day at a Time
I’m only human, I’m just a woman (man)
Help me believe in what I could be and all that I am
Show me the stairway I have to climb
Lord for my sake, teach me to take one day at a time.
One day at a time sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking of you
Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do
Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine
Lord, help me today, show me the way one day at a time.
Do you remember when you walked among men
Well Jesus you know if you’re looking below, it’s worse now than then
Pushing and shoving, violence and crime
Lord for my sake, teach me to take one day at a time.
One day at a time sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking of you
Just give me the strength to do every day what I have to do
Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine
Lord, help me today, show me the way one day at a time.
The song was written by Marijohn Wilkin in collaboration with Kris Kristofferson.
The Guest of Honor
You are invited to a dinner party along with several other distinguished guests. The guest list includes the who’s who of scientists, theologians, poets, physicians, musicians, the likes of who are listed below. These are some of my favorite people.
Helen Keller (1880-1968) deaf, blind, activist, author, lecturer
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) theoretical physicist
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) founder of modern nursing
Frederick Banting (1891-1941) co-discoverer of insulin
Mother Theresa (1910-1997) saint and champion of the poorest of the poor
Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) minister and author of The Power of Positive Thinking
Celine Dion (1968-present) Canadian singer/songwriter
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Baroque composer of Messiah
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) author of best selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin
John McCrae (1872-1918) Canadian author of the famous poem, In Flanders Fields
Mary Magdalene (dates unknown) Biblical figure who traveled with Jesus and his followers
The guest of honor is Jesus.
Will you be attending?
It’s Enough to Make Me Cry
Why did Jesus weep? Was it because his friend Lazarus had died? I don’t think so, because Jesus knew that he was going to bring Lazarus back to life. No, I’m sure it was because Mary and Martha, their friends, and even the disciples, after everything they had seen of Jesus performing countless miracles, still did not believe in him.
Jesus had many reasons to weep throughout his short ministry, and even to this day.
He weeps when he sees one human being beheading another. He weeps when we fly airplanes into tall buildings, killing thousands of innocent people. He weeps when bullets are pumped into human bodies by their fellow man. He weeps when his name is trashed; used as a curse instead of a blessing. He weeps when he reaches out to us and we turn our backs on him, or ridicule him, or deny his very existence. He weeps when we lose patience with family and friends, and when we fail to offer kindness and understanding instead of derogatory remarks. He weeps when lives are lost to cancer, humility is lost to vanity, and his love is tossed to the winds, instead of being embraced by humanity, to whom he freely gives.
John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible…just two words: Jesus wept. Two words to show the true compassion of the greatest man who ever lived.
It’s enough to make me cry.
A Spiritual Dimension
Years ago, I wrote a poem called A New Dimension, which I will post here.
After I wrote it, I wondered what that new dimension was, never being sure of the words that came to me. In church last Sunday, spirituality was mentioned and how there are those who never accept, or experience it.
Spirituality could definitely be viewed as another dimension of our life experience, I thought, remembering my poem of 1979.
Didn’t Jesus say, “…seek and you shall find…”? (Matthew 7:7)
Here then, is:
A NEW DIMENSION
Somewhere between each rising
and setting of the sun
a new dimension opens up
to each and everyone.
It’s there for us to welcome
a new challenge, a new day
we need only make ourselves aware
in every subtle way.
We need only make our senses
come alive, alert and more
responsive to the little things
we usually ignore.
So seek that new dimension
it’s there for everyone,
somewhere between each rising
and setting of the sun.
©1979
…to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6) KJV
So, seek that new dimension…why not?
Some Pointers for the Blackboard of Life
Get your chalk brushes ready…you may want to brush me off today as I offer up some pointers for the blackboard of life.
1. The Golden Rule – do to others as you would have them do to you.
2. Love your enemy – it`s healthier than hating.
3. Don`t spend a thousand dollars worth of emotion on a five cent irritation.
4. Don`t worry – it is a totally unproductive pastime
5. Don`t procrastinate – it is the thief of time.
6. Smile often – it increases your face value.
7. Stop and smell the roses – before their fragrance fades.
8. Laughing and crying are comfort for the soul – they each soothe in a different way.
9. Grieve when necessary – but remember to continue to live.
10. God runs a beauty parlor – have a regular faith lift.
11. Live, love and be happy – advice to be given and taken in heaping doses.
12. It is never too late to be baptized – Jesus wasn`t baptized until he was thirty years old.
13. You are never too old to do something new – just begin.
14. Try to have twelve hugs a day – even if you have to hug yourself.
15. Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can. (John Wesley)
And now, put away the pointer, the brushes, the chalk…tomorrow the slate will be clean again for you to chalk up some lessons of your own.
The Golden Rule
Thinking about the random acts of kindness that have come to my attention lately, somehow brought to mind The Golden Rule. In its simplicity this fundamental rule of living means that we don’t treat others in a way that we would not want to be treated. In other words, it is good to stop and think before we speak or act in a way that would hurt another person. Yet we don’t always do that…maybe because it is not so easy in the heat of the moment…maybe because we feel vindicated by putting someone “in their place”.
I remember being at a social function many years ago, and met a man who was constantly putting his wife down. He didn’t have a good thing to say about her; and this in front of a group of people. I couldn’t imagine what he would be like in private! He turned to me and asked, “Well, don’t you think I’m right to want to make her be a better person?” My response was simply, “Do to her as you would have her do to you…talk to her as you would have her talk to you. Would you really want to be treated as you are treating your wife?” And then I left the table before I was tempted to renege on my own advice.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:7 …do to others what you would have them do to you…and also in Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
This great advice would not have made it into the Bible if it was not to be life lesson.
Sometimes a random act of kindness may be to simply apply the Golden Rule.
Rejoicing Anyway
Psalm 30, verse 5 says rejoicing comes in the morning, but there are those of us who find that a shallow promise when our joy is sabotaged by some of life’s events.
Dreaded diseases, death, loss of love, soured relationships, and sometimes just life itself can leave us feeling joyless.
However, Jesus tells us in John 16:20 that our grief will turn to joy. I take this to mean whatever we are suffering will turn to joy.
I really like this promise, and in spite of all else, because of it, at times find myself rejoicing anyway.
My Precious Life 