MARCH 18, 2025

 “Humans don't mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary.”

― Sebastian Junger

DEUTERONOMY 31-32

7Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”(31:7-8)

 45When Moses had finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46he said to them, “Take to heart all these words I testify among you today, so that you may command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law. 47For they are not idle words to you, because they are your life, and by them you will live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (32:45-47)

LUKE 1:1-23

11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

JOURNAL 

The great thing about reading the New Testament through is that Jesus life ends and starts over 4 times through the 4 Gospels. It's really interesting reading the mission for John and what is said about him. Fascinating that God's spirit is with him even before birth. His mission is to "turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous-to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Of all the things...turn the hearts of the parents to their children.  Well doing research this comes from  Malachi and the last words of the old testament...5“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”So how does John the Baptist do this? Baptism...Wow...people become new. Not physically but spiritually and are then adopted into the Kingdom. 

People getting adopted into the Kingdom...becoming a vital part of God's plan. The symbol of baptism  signifies that we are now part of the Epic story of God's redemption and new kingdom. I don't guess I ever really fully connected that my acceptance of God's grace is to transform me into a role of service for the Kingdom of God. It's truly transforming from selfishness to unselfishness. It is a turn from self-protection and self-promotion to service, love and sacrifice. 

This is precisely why we connect so passionately with anything involving a team. It's what we were made to do and fulfill. It resonates deep within our soul. We want to do something and be a part of something that's bigger than us. That lives beyond us. I think it's our deepest core desire and it's because God planted it in our mind and soul. That need is essential to our core purpose. 

So if I am now part of this new kingdom. Then everything I do today and every day I am gifted is for the ultimate purpose of building God's kingdom. How I do my job, how I interact with strangers, how I love my family and friends...It's all a part of transforming a world obsessed with selfishness, self-promotion and self-protection into the new heaven and earth of God's Kingdom. 

12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

- Romans 8:12-17 

MARCH 17, 2025

   “God would not bring you through a Red Sea and turn around and allow you to perish in a fish pond.” 

― Johnnie Dent Jr.

DEUTERONOMY 29-30

19This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.(30:9-20)

MARK 16

6“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.^a

JOURNAL 

God makes it very clear...we are to "choose life". He is that life...it is the same for the women upon coming to the tomb. Nothing is really explained...they are just told to go and Jesus will be waiting for them. The hurt and pain of the crucifixion is over, it's a new day and they are told to go. 

Surrender to God everything, seek him in all things, choose life and go as he commands. This is the essence of the Gospel, yet we make it far more complicated. I think it becomes more complicated because, for me, I don't fully trust God, all the time and in all things. Meaning I don't seek him constantly...

This is the rub, this is the dance with sin. This is why I need these reminders, every moment of every day. But I can see and feel how a life lived this way would be. It would be one where I fully trusted the future, was at peace with the past and was sold out to the present moment, living to give and be my best in obedience to God. Why do I not do this??? I think it's because I don't fully trust the future, I am not at peace with the past, therefore I am not sold out to the present. 

So while I do need God in the present...where I really need to trust him are in the things that are out of my control...the past and the future. Surrender those fully to God and obedience in the moment becomes much more attainable. 

 17Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.a The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

18All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21God made Him who knew no sin to be sinb on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21

MARCH 16, 2025

 “I'd made it this far and refused to give up because all my life I had always finished the race.” 

― Louis Zamperini, Devil at My Heels

DEUTERONOMY 27-28

9The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him(28:9)

MARK 15:33-46

33At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^b

35When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

36Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,^c he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

JOURNAL 

A life lived in it's fullness from birth to death is a beautiful thing. Why was it that the centurion...seeing how he died said "Surely this man was the Son of God!"? I think it's because integrity, obedience and passion in the midst of adversity is one of the great revelations of the divine. Jesus persisted, obeyed and did not waver all the way to the end, even when he felt betrayed by God...he didn't resort to renouncing or vengeance but rather accepted his fate, accepted his path and finished. 

Everyone has a cross to bear, everyone has adversity to encounter. How do we handle it? How do we persist? When we submit to follow God all the way to the end. Then our life becomes a gift that God uses in bringing his Kingdom on earth. So not only does Christ provide the path to God in securing our redemption he also shows us how to live a life that's perfect in fulfilling it's purpose.

This is such a lesson in the ordinary daily grind as well. The reality is that the small moment by moment victories are what prepare us for the big ones...and we will have the big ones. In fact some of the small ones, seem small but in the end are the ones that matter more than we realize. Every moment of our lives is important, every moment offers us a challenge to overcome. How we view that challenge and how we persist in our obedience to God creates patterns and habits for the rest of our lives. 

So continually blowing it in one area of my life will have an effect on the other areas. So it's vital that I bring Christ and obedience to God into every corner of my life. This is what it means to have faith, devotion and to surrender my life to God. It's not a sometime, in important moments kind of faith. It's a every day, every moment for the rest of my life kind of faith. 

28Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

JOHN 19:28-30

MARCH 15, 2025

 "You’re cheating yourself out of today. Today is calling to you, trying to get your attention, but you’re stuck on tomorrow, and today trickles away like water down a drain. You wake up the next morning and that today you wasted is gone forever. It’s now yesterday. Some of those moments may have had wonderful things in store for you , but now you’ll never know.” 

― Jerry Spinelli

DEUTERONOMY 25-26

17You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. 18And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands..(26:17-18)

MARK 15:1-32

25It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28]^a 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

JOURNAL 

God gives the promise to the Israelites that they are his people and his "treasured possession". But they are to "keep" all his commands. 

The crucifixion of Jesus was really not a big deal at the time. I'm sure as people passed him and spit on him and laughed about his claims...they assumed and thought that this was just another crazy criminal. There were others there being crucified just like Jesus. I'm sure they had other things on their mind...more important things. For that day and time crucifixions were just part of the culture...no big deal. Yet what was occurring was an event that would change history, the world and the future for every human, yet very few gave it a second thought. 

Today is the most important day in history, because it is the only one that can be changed.  Who knows what is in store, however it is here, happening and it is a gift. I don't want to miss all that God has given me in the next 24 hours. Today God has granted me life and the ability to think, teach, influence, lead, love. Today, this moment, is most important. Be present, be grateful, be diligent and make it count. 

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."

ROMANS 12:2

MARCH 14, 2025

  “‎All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” 

― H. Havelock Ellis

DEUTERONOMY 23-25

16Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.(24:16)

MARK 14:51-72

60Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

62“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

63The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

JOURNAL 

This scene has to be one of the most despairing in all of the Bible. The perfect Jesus, the Messiah is being accused of blasphemy. He is being spit upon and unfairly treated. As a parent I cannot imagine, sitting by and watching this occur. Thankfully I am not God for at this point in the story lightning bolts would have evaporated any and all accusers.

There are times in life when as a parent I am called to intervene, protect etc. Then there comes a time when my protection is no longer warranted. There comes a time when my protection becomes a problem and actually can make things worse. It is in these moments when I must surrender to God and stand by and watch...even and especially when adversity threatens failure. 

I hate it!!!!...But in following God, I at times must allow failure and heartache to proceed. Why? Because that's where God works best, that's where his presence is most dramatically experienced. Father seeing you not intervene in the trial of Jesus shows me that letting go can be the greatest form of love. 

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

- Proverbs 3:5-6