A few weeks ago these two young ladies thought it would be a great idea to dye their hair purple.  Some parental types were less than enthused by the idea.  Not wanting to be one to dampen their thirst for adventure I found these wonderful wigs so they could have the experience of “purple hair”.  As you can see…a good time was had by all…until the picture somehow ended up on my facebook page with Rayann Nicewonger “tagged”.  Who knew that “tagging” someone meant that all of their friends would see the post?  Guess we learn something new every day.  🙂

It was just about 40 days ago that many people gathered with communities of faith to celebrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  We remembered our humanity, the frailty of life and the reality that “from dust we have come and to dust we shall return.”  We celebrated the grace, mercy and forgiveness of Abba Father while confessing the sin that is a part of our lives.

As we traveled through Lent we sought times of quiet and reflected upon the way Abba Father met us and helped us grow in our understanding what it means to be a follower of Jesus.  We called upon God to help us see Him more clearly and to give us the desire and strength to deepen our faith.

On Palm Sunday churches were filled as we remembered the Messiah’s entry into Jerusalem.  Children marched around sanctuaries waving palm branches as they joined in the recreation of Jesus’ riding a donkey into the city with all the fanfare of royalty.

Holy week brought opportunities for us to focus on the time Jesus spent with his disciples in the upper room.  What must it have been like for them to watch as Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist, filled a basin with water and then knelt to wash the feet of each of them?  We have celebrated communion within our faith communities so often it is hard to imagine what it must have been like for the disciples that first night when Jesus poured the cup and broke the bread.

Throughout the day today people gathered to remember the day Christ offered his life so that we may know the joy of life to the full.  Some traveled the stations of the cross, others relied upon the scriptures to simply tell the story of the crucifixion.  It does not matter what form the service took, the focus was on Jesus Christ.  We recalled His words from John 10:

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

As we joined together to remember the mocking, beating and ultimate death of Jesus there was an air of despair and quiet desperation.  The quiet, solemn nature of Good Friday keep some people from participating.  They find it hard, or undesirable, to focus on the reality of what Christ suffered so that we may be set free to enjoy a restored and renewed relationship with God and the world.  As we focus on Good Friday we must see the cross, focus on the cross…but also see through and past the cross to the empty tomb of Easter morning.

Sunday morning will be marked with sanctuaries filled with flowers, vibrant songs of worship and praise, along with families gathered together to celebrate the miracle of a life resurrected.  The beautiful thing about this entire journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday is that it will repeat itself again next year and we will have another opportunity to focus again on the way Abba Father seeks to draw us closer to Him.

May this Easter be a special time as you encounter the grace, mercy, love and renewal that comes through faith in the one who claimed victory over sin and death.

For the past few days I would see this smiling face on  my way into church or on his way home and he would say, “Pastor Dan, Pastor Dan, only three more stickers and I get to come get a prize out of the prize box.”

The prize box sits in my office.  The teachers at JAM Christian Daycare give the kids a sticker every time the kids do something good or when they are well behaved for an extended period of time.  When they fill up their card with stickers they get to come and pick out a prize.  I get to spend a few minutes talking with them and celebrating the growth in their young lives.  It is simple, yet special.

Just the other day I was walking by the room and overheard the kids congratulating one of their classmates who had completed filling up a card.  “Good job”  “Way to go”  “You did it!” were the words the young child heard from their classmates.  That praise was worth more than any prize from a prize box.  It was good to hear the growth in the kids.

 

Friday night Rayann and I spent some time in the kitchen cooking up one of those things which takes me back to the island of Roatan every time I have the opportunity to enjoy them….plantain chips.  I am reminded of spending hours with Trent peeling plantains (which turn your hands black, by the way) and then watching Lola and Rachel spend hours frying up the small chips for everyone to enjoy.  There is something about eating a plantain chip that takes me back to Roatan and helps me remember all the people I have met along the way.

Rayann and I are planning to return this July.  We are excited about an opportunity to work with the people of the island.  To share the gospel, to bring a little hope and spread a little love, reconnect with friends and most importantly…to see how God will use that time to speak into our lives.  If you want to learn more about the work we have had the joy of participating in on Roatan, or if you want to help support us on the journey please reach out and we will be more than glad to share what God is doing there.

For now…it is time to enjoy some of these Plantains.  (Yes, this is a picture of the ones we fried up)

 

This Lenten Season I am reading some meditations from the readings of Henri Nouwen and C.S. Lewis.  This one from Henri Nouwen spoke to me…so I share it with you…

“Aren’t you, like me, hoping that some person, thing or event will come along and give you that final feeling of inner well-being you desire?  Don’t you often hope: ‘May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country or relationship fulfill my deepest desire.’  But as long as you are waiting for the mysterious moment, you will go on running helter-skelter, always anxious and restless, always lustful and angry, never fully satisfied.  You know that this is the compulsiveness that keeps us going and busy, but at the same time makes us wonder whether we are getting anywhere in the long run.  This is the way to spiritual exhaustion and burnout.  This is the way to spiritual death.”

How often have I approached something new…thinking that this would be the piece, the thing that would make life complete.  How often have I filled my life with activity…believing that increased activity was going to “make something happen”.  It is a very dangerous way of thinking and living…it is not healthy, and yet much of our world enters each day looking for the “next great thing”.  We have bought into the lie that it is in our “doing”, our “accomplishments” that we will find fulfillment.

The reality is that God created human BEINGS…not human DOINGS.  What would our lives look and feel like if we learned to be still, listen for the voice of God to speak words of promise, hope, and fulfillment…instead of seeking fulfillment through doing?  Imagine if I learned to be content to hear God say, “Well done”…instead of seeking the approval of others as they compared my life with others around me?

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life to the full” … it begins with finding our deepest fulfillment in, and through Him.  I have had to learn, and re-learn this lesson again and again.  As I read Henri’s meditation this morning I found myself thinking…”Dan, why are you still wrestling with this…what is wrong with you…how come you find yourself slipping back into old patterns so easy?”  I draw comfort from the beginning of Henri’s meditation, “Aren’t you, like me,”…  At least two of us have shared this journey…my sense is that there are more.

May God grant us the grace to find our inner well-being and strength in the crucified and risen Christ!

 

It is getting close to the time when Olivia joins us at FBC for a great night of exploring how some of the women who knew Jesus experienced the events of his life.  Make plans to join us and invite family and friends to join us for this great evening.

Click on the pictures to expand the image and get more details.

Amazing Grace is one of my favorite hymns.  When a congregation sings it, really lifts their voices as an act of worship to God, something sacred and special happens as we acknowledge the reality that in comparison to a Holy God we are lost, ragamuffin, wretches in desperate need of grace and mercy.

This hymn acknowledges the reality of the human condition and then celebrates the truth that the God of all creation, the God who spoke this world into being, loves each individual so much that He is pursuing a relationship with them….Amazing!

This Lenten season it does us good to reflect upon the reality of our wretchedness and our own mortality…”from ashes you have come and to ashes you shall you return.”

It is also good for us to celebrate the truth that we are not left in that state.  The God of all grace and mercy reaches out to us…calling us to Him through faith in Christ.

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace those fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

 A friend of mine shared this with me the other day.  It is worth watching.

You learn a little of the history of Amazing Grace and have a deeper understanding of why the melody that has become so familiar has such a power effect upon so many people.