Dr. Tony Campolo tells the story of a little preaching competition that he had with his pastor during services at the church where he attends. Dr. Campolo tells how he preached the perfect sermon, perfect in every way. He had taken the congregation to the heights of glory. And as he sat down beside his pastor, Dr. Campolo patted him on the knee and simply said, "Top that." The older black pastor looked at him and said, "Boy, watch the master."
It was a simple sermon, starting softly, building in volume and intensity until the entire congregation was completely involved, repeating the phrases in unison. The sermon went something like this.
It's Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where He was praying. But Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. The disciples are hiding and Peter's denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit upon. But Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. The Son of man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. See Him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from His body. See the cross crashing down on His back as He stumbles beneath the load. It's Friday; but Sunday's a coming.
It's Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, "Father, forgive them." It's Friday; but Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble, and He who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God who will not abide with sin pours out His wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, "My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?" What a horrible cry. But Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. And at the moment of Jesus' death, the veil of the Temple that separates sinful man from Holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday's coming.
It's Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that's because it's Friday, and they don't know it, but Sunday's a coming.
And on that horrible day 2000 years ago, Jesus the Christ, the Lord of glory, the only begotten Son of God, the only perfect man died on the cross of Calvary. Satan thought that he had won the victory. Surely he had destroyed the Son of God. Finally he had disproved the prophecy God had uttered in the Garden and the one who was to crush his head had been destroyed. But that was Friday.
Now it's Sunday. And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. But that wasn't the only thing that was shaking because now it's Sunday. And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb. Yes, it's Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone and the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots because it's Sunday, and the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.
It's Sunday, and the crucified/resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin and the grave. It's Sunday. And now everything has changed. It's the age of grace, God's grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again. All because it's Sunday.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Homemade Brownies
Last week, I walked into my office to find a sandwich bag on my desk containing three chewy, tasty, homemade chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous person who knew my love for
tasty homemade brownies had placed them there, along with a hand written short story. I immediately sat down and began eating the first chewy, tasty, homemade brownie as I read the following story:
Two teenagers asked their father if they could go the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the Internet, he denied their request.
Come on dad, why not? They complained. The movie is rated PG-13, and we are both older than thirteen!
Dad replied: Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior.
But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie review
websites say that!
My answer is no and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.
The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty! , and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to the movie he refused to let us see."
About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating
and the brownies in the story. I kept reading...
The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies, which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then their father said, before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much.
The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening.
That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic.
The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and chocolate.
The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech.
But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you don't need to worry, because I only added the tiniest
bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.
Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?
Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it.
Come on, dad; just tell us what that ingredient is.
Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients.
Dad!
Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is fresh organic...dog poop.
I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the wastebasket by my desk. I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained.
Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror.
DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell
us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!
Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!
No, Dad...NEVER!
And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?
I discarded what remained of the second brownie as well as the entire untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute go had become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn't...but I couldn't convince myself.)
What a good lesson about purity! Why do we tolerate any sin? On the day of the Passover, the Israelites were commanded to remove every bit of leaven from their homes. Sin is like leaven or yeast - a little bit makes the whole bowl of dough rise.
(1Corinthians 5:6, 7) Faith and sin don't mix.
tasty homemade brownies had placed them there, along with a hand written short story. I immediately sat down and began eating the first chewy, tasty, homemade brownie as I read the following story:
Two teenagers asked their father if they could go the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the Internet, he denied their request.
Come on dad, why not? They complained. The movie is rated PG-13, and we are both older than thirteen!
Dad replied: Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior.
But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That's what our friends who've seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It's based on a true story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the movie review
websites say that!
My answer is no and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.
The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty! , and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to the movie he refused to let us see."
About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating
and the brownies in the story. I kept reading...
The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies, which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then their father said, before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so much.
The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening.
That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I've made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic.
The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and chocolate.
The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad's long speech.
But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you don't need to worry, because I only added the tiniest
bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.
Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?
Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won't even taste it.
Come on, dad; just tell us what that ingredient is.
Don't worry! It is organic, just like the other ingredients.
Dad!
Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is fresh organic...dog poop.
I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the wastebasket by my desk. I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained.
Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror.
DAD! Why did you do that? You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell
us that you added dog poop! We can't eat these brownies!
Why not? The amount of dog poop is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won't hurt you. It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won't even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!
No, Dad...NEVER!
And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You won't tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?
I discarded what remained of the second brownie as well as the entire untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute go had become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn't...but I couldn't convince myself.)
What a good lesson about purity! Why do we tolerate any sin? On the day of the Passover, the Israelites were commanded to remove every bit of leaven from their homes. Sin is like leaven or yeast - a little bit makes the whole bowl of dough rise.
(1Corinthians 5:6, 7) Faith and sin don't mix.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Awesome Picture
This is the sunset at the North Pole with the moon at its closest
point.
And, you also see the sun below the moon.
An amazing photo and not one easily duplicated. You may want to pass
it on to others.
The Chinese have a saying that goes something like this:
"When someone shares with you something of value, you have an
obligation to share it with others!"
A scene you will probably never get to see, so take a moment and
enjoy
You Took My Parking Space at Church
One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near him. The driver got out and said, "I always park there! You took my place!"
The visitor went inside for Sunday School, fou nd an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.
After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit! You took my place!"
The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still He said nothing.
Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"
The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye, "I took your place."
When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. This is powerful. Just send this to four people. Maybe, just maybe, we can get the world to start thinking of who took our place. Do not break this, please.
Author Unknown
The visitor went inside for Sunday School, fou nd an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.
After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit! You took my place!"
The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still He said nothing.
Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"
The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye, "I took your place."
When you receive this, say a prayer. That's all you have to do. There is nothing attached. This is powerful. Just send this to four people. Maybe, just maybe, we can get the world to start thinking of who took our place. Do not break this, please.
Author Unknown
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Christian Ways to Reduce Stress
An Angel says, "Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what
may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you will have worried in vain.
Even if it does happen, you won't have to worry twice."
1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or
that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects
over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern,
think of what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety.
If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house
key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent
an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find some time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems
in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try to pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and
hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but yourself not at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33 Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36 .. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that
you've never been grateful for before.
GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?"
(Romans 8:31)
Something to think about...
A mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die in Iraq ?'
A mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die in Saudi Arabia ?'
A mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die in Kuwait?'
Another mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die in Vietnam?'
Another mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die in Korea?'
Another mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die on Iwo Jima?'
Another mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die on a battlefield on a field in France?'
Yet another mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?'
And yet another mother asked President...
'Why did my son have to die on a frozen field near Valley Forge?'
Then long, long ago, a mother asked...
'Heavenly Father ...
why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem?'
The answer is the same...
'So that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness, and freedom.'
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