journey

"The journey gets its meaning from the destination."


Wow, the journey is so hard sometimes. 


But how reassuring to know that our journey has meaning from our ultimate destination- an eternity in a perfect, sinless relationship with our Creator himself. 


What a journey!

resurrection

"Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." 
- I Corinthians 15:12-22

I've never had an Easter quite like yesterday...I have always understood that the resurrection of Christ is monumental to my faith, but never have I seen it as the essence of my faith- the very substance of my belief.

Without it, I do not serve a risen Savior, but a man who was subject to death just as the leaders of other religions. Without it, I have been falsely describing God- saying that he raises the dead, when in fact, he did not raise Jesus from the dead. Without it, I have no present victory over my sinful nature and am doomed to be an ugly, sinless creature incapable of serving God, bringing him glory, or having my devotion be wooed elsewhere. And without the resurrection of Christ, I have no future hope of being raised from the dead; I have no hope of bodily resurrection now or ever, and certainly no hope of ever being with Christ in bodily form.

Easter is a day of hope. More hope than any human will ever be able to grasp. Because that would mean that we are capable of understanding the unending and unfathomable grace of God, which we are not. We have hope on Easter that we have a purpose in existence- a purpose that is continually refined by the grace of our Great Savior.

"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven and of which I, Paul, became a minister."
-Colossians 1:21-23

The hope of Easter is that I am a sinful, dirty human being that God can redeem for his purposes through his grace. The hope of Easter is the Gospel.

Friends, don't shift from this hope! Continue in the faith of Jesus Christ, being stable and steadfast, knowing that you have been equipped to live the life he has called you to through his resurrection and placement of his Spirit in you. Because of grace, you have hope.

pies

I recently have been privileged to get to know a lovely woman from my church named Judy. She is a breath of fresh air and is beautifully fragrant the way that only a woman after God's own heart can be. And the story of how a few college kids came to bake pies and form a friendship with a woman who already has grandchildren of her own is a story that I will continue to tell for a long time, beginning now.

We met Judy one day after the church service had ended, and somewhere in the course of small talk, she mentioned how much she loved baking. She could have not known the effect of that comment. After a joyful exclamation from one of the girls in our group, numbers were exchanged, and a date was set for the purpose of baking pies.

St Patricks Day came, and we found ourselves on Judy's front porch, entering a home as beautiful as the heart of the woman who owned it. We learned the art of pie baking, which is saying a lot after experiencing how seriously Judy takes her pies. Within the timeframe of three hours, we cranked out 16 delicious- and completely homemade- pies.

But what was significant about St Patricks Day this year wasn't the delicious pies, although they truly were the best pies I have ever tasted. No, the significance was so much greater than a pastry. The significance was in the community, the sheer joy of just being in each others' presence. And I think we all were surprised to find how quickly this fellowship developed: after only a few minutes of having these college kids in her home, Judy began planning our next event. Our day was filled with laughter and conversation. The blessing of fellowship was evident in every moment.

Last night, a few of us went again to Judy's. And yes, we ate more pie. But after some violin music, conversation, and plugging in of electronics, we found ourselves lying on the floor with pillows listening to a record of 'the Gospel Road' by Johnny Cash.

Friends, it's the simple things. It's pie baking and laughing and drinking coffee and watching the sun set and listening to Johnny Cash late at night. The little things can be the biggest blessings. Like meeting a woman named Judy at church.