SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY

I thought that by the time I was sixty-five years old I would know everything there was to know.

I thought at least that I would know more than I knew when I was a teen-ager and thought I already knew everything there was to know.

But I have discovered that the old adage "You learn something new every day," is quite true.

In 1982 God led me into Christian radio ministry.

My first manager had led the station at which I worked to become a nationally known, award winning station.

He taught me quite a number of things.

For instance, he taught me that contributions follow ministry.

In other words, if the listeners perceive that they are being ministered to they will support the ministry.

And they did...to the tune of $350,000.00 per year, plus.

Furthermore, I learned that the needs of the listeners as a group were more important than the needs of any individual listener, including any single contributor, business underwriter or church member.

I was also taught that we didn't depend on our opinions of what listeners needed, we actually regularly surveyed them and found out what they needed, in order to provide their listening needs objectively, not subjectively.

He also taught me that we work together as a team.

It was nothing, if one of the staff was put on a task that pulled him/her away from his/her regular duties, for the manager to step in and do the duties until the staff could get back to them.

In fact, the entire staff had the attitude, "If something needs doing and the person normally responsible for it could not get to it, I'll do it for him/her."

The station manager thought that was a good thing.

It was.

Another thing he taught us was that no station issue was worth sacrificing our health, our interpersonal relationships, our families or our church involvement.

The result of that was that the entire staff had confidence that they were safe from ridicule, disrespect and unfair practices.

Community involvement was a high priority at that award-winning, well supported Christian radio station.

We regularly could be seen at local church and para-church ministry events.

If a community ministry had an event such as a walk-a-thon, or a car wash, or a Bible conference or a special concert, we would be there...often doing a remote broadcast from the event.

We also were regularly found at the evening worship services of various churches, often with five minutes of platform time to promote the station and to survey the congregation, thus finding out their actual preferences.

The manager taught us that this was an important part of serving the local community.

Another thing that was drummed into our little heads was that we were there to serve as many different ministries as possible.

We actually sought out opportunities to make announcements about special events of interest to the general Christian community.

The manager believed that the more announcements about local ministry, church and para-church events we were able to make, the greater our listening audience would be.

We learned that the greater the audience, the greater the support.

The manager realized that employees in Christian radio are not employees in the worldly sense, but are actually as much ministers as a pastor, worship leader or educational director in a local church.

There were times when a staff member would make a mistake or an error in judgement.

At those times, the manager would adopt the Biblical principle of gentle restoration, being a spiritual person himself, helping the staff member to learn from his/her mistake.

He never would have dreamed of correcting a staff member in front of other staff members, but realized that such behavior was invariably, totally counter-productive.

He would have considered such behavior barbaric and instead would have dealt with the staff member calmly and privately.

His demeanor would never have been loud, abusive, derisive or hateful. He would have considered yelling as being un-Christlike.

The manager not only believed in, but practiced the Biblical admonition not to sin by being angry, and not to let the sun go down on any anger he might have had.

To a person, the staff sought to please the manager, not out of fear, but out of love, gratitude and respect.

In fact, the relationship among the staff is one that continues to this day.

The station I worked at was bought out by a national Christian network and eventually everybody was let go (except for one person, who still works for them). The station lost its local flavor and is now a regional station.

Yet the former staff still gets together once a year for lunch or dinner to catch up on what each one is doing and to remember various good times.

God has allowed me to remain in Christian radio.

Our station is Kingdom FM .

I've had to unlearn a lot of what I had learned.

There have been a lot of very, very different things to learn.

I am actually glad that even as an elder (in the age sense, not the church office sense), I can still learn.

But some things never change.

The only thing instilling fear in an employee accomplishes is to cause him/her to run from it.

There are no circumstances in which the imposition of fear causes an employee, even one who should be considered a minister, to want to do a better job.

MANAGING IT

The other day I got angry.

As I look back, in the great scheme of things, it was a petty thing.

But I chose to get angry over it.

And that is my point.

I spent many years of my life being angry, from the inside out.

Let me tell you a thing or two about anger.

1) Anger is always about self.

Suppose you are driving along and some person cuts in front of you.

You can do as many of us do and react in anger.

But do you have to?

No.

You could just slow down and let him in.

So why don't you?

The thinking goes like this: I didn't want that person to cut in front of me. I wanted that person to let me do my driving the way I wanted to. That person caused me to do something that I did not want to do, that is, slow down. But I didn't want to slow down, but I had to so I chose to get angry.

Notice how many times the reference to "I" showed up?

2) Anger never solves the problem.

No matter how angry I get, the other person STILL cut in front of me. Not only that, he/she went on his/her merry way oblivious to my anger (unless, of course, I chose to express my anger by blowing the horn, which could have no effect at all, or could result in him/her getting out of his/her car with a 12-guage and blowing me off the map).

3) Anger feeds anger.

Ever notice that when you get angry, you tend to get angrier?

Ephesians 4:26 says, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:"

Most people struggle with having to twist this and turn it to make it make sense.

Actually, that's not necessary.

A little understanding of 1611 King James English will help.

They would have understood it to mean: Don't sin by being angry.

"What?" I can hear you ask. "Didn't Jesus get angry when He tossed the money changers out of the temple?"

Uh...read me the part about His anger.

Fact is, you concluded that He was angry, but the text does not say that.

I'm not saying that He wasn't angry...I'm just saying that the Bible does not SAY it.

In the end, whether you get angry at a given situation or not, is 100% your choice.

I recommend that you choose not to be angry.

You'll feel better.

THIS IS THE DAY

Today is my wife's birthday.

She is...well, never mind.

She's the pretty one on the left in the picture.

Let me tell you about my wife.

She is the light of my life in this world.

She is the reason I hurry home from work each day.

She puts a smile on my face.

She calms my frazzled nerves.

She smiles better than Mona Lisa.

She wiggles her nose better than Peter Rabbit.

She can wrinkle up her face cuter than our two pugs.

She can flash her eyes better than a Fourth of July fireworks display.

She is so cute I get joy just being in the same room with her.

She laughs at my jokes (most people just moan).

She scratches places on my back that I cannot reach, and her touch is ten times better than that wooden back-scratcher we have.

She compliments my cooking.

She always thanks me when I do something for her.

She talks to me and with me...I love that.

She loves me...I don't know why, but she does.

She loves computers as much...no, more...as I do (she has bunches of websites).

She gets up with me at 5:00 am and we have breakfast together before I go to work.

If I leave this world before she does, I will stand before our Lord, praising Him with all of my being, but I will always be looking out of the corner of my eye, looking forward to the time when she joins me in forever.

Bonnie J. Scoggins, I love you from the depth of my being.

Happy birthday, my sweet love.

TIME FOR A CHANGE

I was reading Sweeter than Ever. It's a great post about using each day to its fullest in terms of time.

Time is an interesting concept.

Einstein believed that time was both physical and relative.

That's hard to grasp, but we have all had the experience of one hour passing more quickly than another.

And the older you get, the faster time seems to flow.

Maybe it's only the perception of time that seems to flow faster.

At any rate, I'm 65 years old.

I can tell you that time seems to move very rapidly.

When I was in my thirties, I remember thinking time was passing faster than it had when I was in my teens.

Now it goes by even faster.

How can this be?

Yet, when I am timing my boiling egg, three-and-a-half minutes seems to take too long.

I used to get impatient with the mail.

Then I got Internet access and I got impatient with dial-up email.

Now I have high-speed Internet, and I hate waiting the twelve or so seconds for my email to load.

And nothing is more time consuming than standing in line at Wal-Mart.

(Does anybody remember the signs at Wall-Mart that use to say: "At Wal-Mart you're always next in line?" They're gone, now...must be a sign of the times).

My doctor tells me that I'm living on borrowed time.

Does one pay interest on borrowed time?

Maybe I could loan some time to someone so that I could draw the interest.

But then what if they didn't pay it back?

How does one best spend one's time?

How are we compensated for the time we spend?

To be sure, we are laying up treasures in Heaven when we spend our time the way God wants us to.

Does that mean that I should only do things that are "heavenly" in nature?

If so, what does that mean?

If I spend time with my wife, does that count as treasure laid up in Heaven?

How about my kids?

Or time in a prison ministry?

I don't mean in jail...I mean visiting prisoners.

If the word "amuse" comes from roots that mean "without thought," is it wrong for me to watch a funny show on TV?

What if it makes me laugh? A merry heart doeth the body good.

Someone said we should spend more time with God.

If I am a Christian, is it possible for me to spend time without God?

I thought God was omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient.

So.

Do you have time to read this post about time?

What time is it, anyway?

Well, as I live and breathe!

It's time for me to take a nap.

DEALING WITH THE UNDEALABLE

Thirty-two people are gone for no reason.

Their lives taken by a disturbed person whose mind we cannot fathom.

Why does what happened to Don Imus seem so empty now?

Why is there no global warming on the front page today?

No non-missing missing emails are of any concern today.

Thirty-two people who had hopes, dreams and plans are gone.

Is it, after all, true that the very essence of life is more important than the inane, day-to-day fallderall in which we choose to imerse ourselves?

There are those insensitive drones who will (and already have) try to politicize this horriffic event.

Meanwhile, thirty-two people with heights to rise to and appointments with destiny are gone.

"Shouldn't the school have been locked down after the first shootings?" one very stupid reporter asks.

Inept reporters on CBS, NBC and ABC have asked the very same questions...as if these questions were burning on our minds and hearts.

Are you so out of touch, o venerable reporters that you really think that's what we are asking?

You want to know what we are asking? Here's what:

Why are thirty-two people, who deserved to live as much as you do, gone?

Is this a wake-up call to the need for more gun legislation?

What if six of the students in the building had had hand-guns.

Maybe only six or eight would have died before the gunman was dispached.

But that all misses the point right now.

The point is, thirty-two people who were trying to make themselves the best they could be are gone.

Can we lay the blame at the feet of the Virginia Tech administration.

Not if you have one ounce of decency about you.

You lay the blame at the feet of the crazed gunman or you are no better than he.

Like it or not...believe it or not...wish it were not so or not, this is a sin-filled world and the fact of its sinfulness laid bare yesterday for all to see.

And thirty-two people are gone.

Over twentyfive hundred military personnel and civilians were killed in an attack at Pearl Harbor, and that was hard to understand. But it was, after all, an act of war.

Almost three thousand people were killed on what has come to be known simply as 9/11. And that was hard to understand. But it was, after all, an act of war.

Over three thousand military personnel have been killed in Iraq, and that is hard to understand. But it is, after all, an act of war.

But this....

Thirty-two people killed by one man, one at a time, in just minutes.

Talk about hard to understand.

How many more wake-up calls will it take before we finally decide to run to the outstretched arms of a waiting God who offers refuge?

How many more debates will there be by politicians who have only their self-interests at heart until we discover that they will not...cannot solve our problems?

How long before we discover that our society has sunk to a moral level beneath that of a back-alley prostitute?

How long until we admit that we have lost all sense of propriety, politeness, dignity and respect?

My thinking is that it is still a long way off.

Issue all the decrees you wish.

Pass all the gun legislation you will.

Give us all bullet-proof vests to wear.

Put bars on all of the doors and windows.

Make us prisoners in our own freedoms.

And still, in time, there will be another day when thirty-two people (perhaps more, perhaps fewer) will be gone, killed by the hand of a disturbed person.

Columbine gave us a chance to learn a lesson.

We did not learn it.

We have been given other opportunities.

We did not take them.

Isn't it time to start learning?

Lord, even as we praise your very goodness, we ask for your special peace to fall upon the families affected by the deaths of those at Virginia Tech. Show us how we can help and enable us to do so. We pray it in Jesus' name.

HOW TO READ PART WHATEVER

Let's do a BIBLE study!

Let's look at Matthew 28:19.

Most people do not seem to understand this passage, as evidenced by their actions.

Perhaps they have trouble reading it, so here I am to help.

In this Bible study, you will be given some choices from which to choose that will help you with your understanding.

For simplicity's sake, we will take it one word at a time.

Matthew 28:19

"Go..."

Select the best meaning for the word, "Go:"

1) Move from where you are to somewhere else.
2) Stay
3) Meditate
4) Pray
5) Give money to missions

Did you choose number one?

Oh, good! You can read two-letter, one-syllable words.

Let's try another.

"Ye" (Some translations use the word, "you." Others adopt the conventionally understood "you" as the subject of the sentence).

Select the best definition of the word "ye:"

1) You, yourself (as opposed to someone else) - Second person singular or plural.
2) Nobody
3) The other person
4) Men only
5) Women and children first

Did you select number one?

Oh, good! You have reinforced the idea that you can read two-letter, one-syllable words.

"Therefore"

Select the best definition of the word "therefore:"

1) A conjunction connecting the thoughts of this command with the thought Jesus iterated that He has the power and authority to tell you to do it.
2) If you want to
3) Who knows?
4) A shout used on the golf course to keep others from being hit by your ball.

Did you select number one?

Oh, good!

That's a big one. Two syllables and nine letters!

How well you are doing!

"And"

Select the best definition of the word "and:"

1) A conjunction connecting the first command in the verse with the commands to follow.
2) A small, six-legged insect found at picnics.
3) Particles of silica found on beaches
4) A word inserted to confuse you.

Did you select number one?

Oh, good!

We're making progress!

"Teach"

Choose the best definition of the word "teach:"

1) Transfer information meaningfully from one person to another.
2) Preach
3) Run
4) Nag

Did you select number one?

Oh, good!

How are you doing so far?

"All"

Choose the best definition of the word "all:"

1) Including each and every one
2) Some
3) A few
4) A sharp pointy tool

Did you choose number one?

Oh, good!

We're rollin' now!

"Nations"

Choose the best definition of the word "nations:"

1) Countries where people live
2) Vast, void expanses of water
3) Underground oil deposits
4) The undercarriage of your car

Did you select number one?

Oh, good!

Progress used to be GE's most important product.

"baptizing"

Warning!! Trick question!

Choose the best definition of the word, "baptizing:"

1) Dipping a saved person beneath water in representation of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
2) Dipping a person beneath water as a part of his/her salvation package
3) Dripping a little water hither and yon
4) A religious ritual affirming that one is not Muslim, Buddhist or some other religion, therefore one must be Christian.

Did you select number one?

Oh, good!

You actually know how to read the part in terms of the whole.

To make a long story short (have you ever noticed that when people say that it is usually too late?), we'll skip to the last three nouns of the verse.

"Father," "Son," "Holy Ghost"

Choose the best definition of the nouns: "Father," "Son," and "Holy Ghost"

1) The three persons manifested by God of His ultimate being, to which we have give the name, "Trinity."
2) Three different Gods worshipped by "Trinitarians"
3) Three random and meaningless names found in the Bible
4) A dad, his kid and and expression of surprise.

Did you selection number one?

Oh, good!

You got it right.

Now that you, by your own evidence, understand this verse,

What are you actually going to DO?

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN

One of my favorite friends is Steve Gimbert.

He can be heard on www.kingdomfm weekday afternoons 3:00 to 6:00.

He sent me this.

Get a laugh.

NEW YORK TO LONDON

Take 60 seconds to do this, I guarantee you will show someone else, it's too funny not to.

1. go to www.google.com

2. click on "maps"

3. click on "get directions" (under the search box to the right)

4. type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box)

5. type "London" in the second box (the "to" box)

6. click "Get Directions"

7. scroll down to step #23

A NEW DAY DAWNS

I have no idea what that title means...it just sounded melodramatic, so I used it.

For newcomers to this blog (as well as oldcomers), I offer the following:

1. This is my blog.

2. Everybody is welcome to read this blog (although I think that might bring the entire Internet to a stop...I guess you could say it would get blogged down).

3. Anyone who wants to, may comment on this blog, caviatus followingus: no foul language; no disparaging remarks about other commenters and no actual physical contact allowed.

4. This blog will deal with whatever swirl of sense or nonsense is on my mind at the moment I begin a post.

5. You may disagree with me if you must. This is America (at least it is the location at which I usually post)...you have the absolute right to be wrong.

6. All opinions expressed by the "writer of this blog" (don't you just hate that expression? I know I do...I think that means "me"), are both humble and correct.

7. If you want my opinion on something, just ask. I have one on nearly everything.

8. If you don't want my opinion on something...why don't you?

9. I am the sole arbitor of what gets to exist in my little corner of cyberspace.

10. When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one nation...oh, never mind.

11. Some of my thoughts are original with me. Most are stolen from somewhere. Feel free to steal mine, as well. Or not.

12. My sister and I know the answers to almost all of the world's questions. You need to know, though, that if you ask me a question I will most likely refer you to my sister.

13. I love the Lord, Jesus, with all of my heart, mind, soul and strength...I confess, though, to having a little trouble with my neighbor, as well as myself.

14. I take Jesus very seriously.

15. I do not take you very seriously. I don't even take ME very seriously.

16. I have been a Worship Leader, Youth Director and/or Education Director in Southern Baptist churches since I was 17 years old. I am 65. You do the math...I'm too tired.

17. I am also an "announcer" (we are far too sophisticated to be DJs) at a Christian FM radio station, Kingdom FM, in Fort Myers, Florida. You may click on the following link to listen live. I do an on-air shift from 9:00 AM until Noon, weekdays, so you might want to listen some other time. Kingdom FM Christian Radio

18. I am disgusted by Voodoo Christianity: that which does not find absolute sufficiency in the person of Christ, without the addition of fakey, non-edifying, emotionalistic balder-dash.

19. I am very disturbed (at least that is the opinion of many...but I digress) by the number of times I have used the personal pronoun, "I" in this post.

20. Do you think I suffer from "I" trouble?

Give Me A Hypocritical Break!!

Imus.

He always has been, is now and always will be an idiot.

But if he gets fired for calling women the "h" name, then every hip-hop, rap and rock singer who has ever done the same must be fired, too.

If you think Imus should be fired, and they should not be, you are an inconsistent hypocrite as vile as he is.

Every time I go to the shopping center, I hear women called the "h" word. I hear the "F" word. I hear the "S" word. I hear words I don't even know what they mean.

I see women "flippin' " men off, men "flippin'" women off, women "flippin'" women off and men "flippin'" men off.

Most of them have even "flipped" ME off.

Don't give me that pathetic whine about society becoming insensitive. What a total crock!

Of course society is becoming insensitive! And most of the most insensitive are the most highly paid.

Actors do it and its OK.

Journalists do it and its OK.

Take Michael Moore (Good idea...would somebody please take him). He is as vulgar as they come. And a liar. And fat.

How about Mrs. John Hines-Kerry (or is it Kerry-Hines)?

She is a very vulgar, despicable person.

Far from the "Hippy-Dippy weatherman," there's George Carlin. He's made a career of using offensive language and calling people names.

Has he been fired?

Get REAL!

Now, I hate what Imus said.

I wish he would come to the Lord and never even think such a thing again.

But fired?

That's just plain STUPID.

The Gloves Are Off

OK.

The gloves are coming off!

I've had it!

No more Mr. Nice Guy...I'm tellin' it like it is (for you purists: as it is).

Let me start with this truth: God is sovereign.

He can do absolutely, positively, anything He wants to do, when He wants to do it, where He wants to do it, for whatever reason He wants to do it.

He is God.

I am not.

Neither are you.

You do not get to tell me what God is like, and I don't get to tell you what God is like.

God tells us what He is like, and He knows best.

So don't go saying that Joe Scoggins doesn't think God can do anything. He can.

Is that clear? 'Cause that's important.

That said, God has told us what He is like and what He chooses to do.

He has done that in His Word, the Bible.

Everything you need to know about God is found in the Word of God.

Nothing you need to know about God is not found in the Word of God.

Everything you think you know about God that is not found in the Word of God, you just made up.

That goes whether you are a liberal (many of whom make up things about God), a conservative (many of whom also make up things about God), or a "moderate," (who is just someone who does not know what he/she believes and won't take a stand...many of whom also make up things about God).

People make things up about God because they either don't know what He really says, they want Him to say (or do) more than He says, or they are unsatisfied with the Person of Jesus and His finished work at the cross of Calvary.

"OK, Joe," I can hear you say. "Where is this rant coming from?

I have been watching our local Christian TV station a lot lately (Most of secular TV has no relevance to me any more).

Our local Christian TV station has changed hands and has started airing the most outrageous, un-Biblical, spiritual nonsense programs you can imagine...all claiming to be Christian.

Balder-everlovin'-blue-eyed-dash!

There is nothing remotely Christian about what they are expounding.

Here's the rub.

One program claims that you can get extra blessings from God by tithing to them.

Heresy!

Another claims a "fourth" dimension.

Heresy!

Still another prays over a stack of what is supposed to be letters of healing requests in a box three feet high, two feet wide and five feet long and proclaims that all of those requests have been healed.

Heresy!

On one program the "worship leader," or whoever he is, just walks around looking spiritually smug and self-importantly serious, saying almost nothing while the congregation convulses and writhes physically and emotionally.

He calls it the work of The Holy Spirit.

Heresy!

One guy (actually several of them do this) starts to babble mono-syllables, some of which are repeated over and over and over and over ad-infinitum, calls it the Spirit speaking through him in "tongues," and then tells us to send money.

Heresy!

There is a "preacher" who dresses in a sort of modified Nehru outfit and seemingly hits people in the head with the palm of his hand, knocking them over, and then grinning with a silly look as he proclaims them "healed."

Heresy!

Now I am not arguing whether or not God heals.

Neither am I addressing whether God can use unusual methods.

I'm not even considering the so-called gift of tongues as erroneously practiced in many religious venues today.

What I am saying is the following.

God has given us a model of the things He wants us to do.

For instance, He has given us a model prayer (we often mistakenly call it "The Lord's Prayer").

Instead of following the model of the very prayer Jesus, Himself, gave us, most of us pray "gimmie, gimmie gimmie...God do this...God do that...let me explain to you, O Holy God, how You should handle this situation...then do it my way so I will continue to believe in and trust you and bless you with my approval."

Another model He has given us is the model of laying down our lives.

Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend."

After He said it, he demonstrated it.

At the cross.

And, yes, He demonstrated healing.

God heals.

God heals when He heals.

He does not mess around.

When He heals, his healing is immediate and complete.

When He does not heal, He does not heal.

He gets to choose, 'cause He is God and I'm not.

I can't understand how He does it when He does it, why He doesn't do it when He doesn't do it.

And I don't need to know.

He is not required to check with me.

Nor is He required to report to me.

He is not responsible to me.

But there is not one single solitary model of the heresies listed above found in Scripture.

Sadly, the venues in which these programs take place are filled with people...hundreds, even thousands of them, who seem totally caught up in the emotional, idiotic, unscriptural falderall taking place.

What it really boils down to is this: for this group of leaders and their followers, the finished work of Jesus at the cross and His subsequent resurrection for the remission of our sins is not enough. If He is to be followed, He must do and/or be more.

Funny thing is, if His death, burial and resurrection is enough...totally enough...and you want/need nothing more, there is, paradoxically, more to come!

Don't fall for that "junk Christianity."

Avoid it like the proverbial plague.

In your life, make sure that Jesus, just Jesus is all sufficient.

Focus on Him, love Him, trust Him, serve Him and give your life for Him.

You won't need that other stuff.

Resurrection Sunday!

HE

IS

RISEN!!

INDEED!!

It's Friday, But Sunday's On the Way

Matthew 27:33-60

They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).

There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.

Above his head they placed the written charge against him: ~this is jesus, the king of the jews.

Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.

"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."

Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."


And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.

Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.

Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock.

He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY!

Part One

My name is Asa.

It’s a Bible name.

At this time of year we celebrate a special occasion with a special meal.

The celebration is called "Passover," and the meal is called a Seder.

There are fifteen parts of the Passover Seder, but I want to talk about three.

One of the things we love is the fresh bread Mama makes. It is round, and full and soft and warm and holds honey and is very fluffy.

But at the Seder, the bread is not full and fluffy, it is flat and almost gummy or hard.

This signifies the fact that the Hebrews had no time to let their bread rise as they made a hurried escape from Egypt.

There are three loaves, one representing Abraham, one for Isaac and one for Jacob.

We also have bitter herbs and salt water.

The bitter herbs stand for the bitterness of slavery our ancestors endured.

And wine…there is always a deep red wine.

The wine represents the blood of a slain lamb that our ancestors smeared over the door jambs to save the children from the death angel in the last of the plagues in our Egyptian exile.

(We often use a lamb shank in the meal to symbolize that there is no longer a need to sacrifice an entire lamb.)

It is poured and prayed over four times during the Seder; once at the beginning, once after the maggid (a retelling of the Passover story – at which I get to ask The Four Questions ), once at the after-meal blessing and once for Elijah, who will usher in The Messiah.

At the meal, my father lifts the first loaf of bread (he calls it unleavened) from the stack, picks up the second loaf, tears it in half and places half of it aside in a cloth for "desert" later.

He then puts the bread back in a stack, a whole one on the bottom, the half-loaf in the middle and another whole one on top.

Later, the cloth in which the half-loaf was "hidden" is used to wash the feet of those present…representing the ultimate cleansing required for salvation.

All in all it is a solemn occasion that turns to joy as it progresses.

Part Two

My name is James.

It is a Bible name.

At intervals throughout the year, my brothers and sisters celebrate a special meal.

It consists of broken pieces of unleavened bread and wine.

It’s about Jesus.

He, like Asa’s half-loaf of matzo was in the middle of the stack, is in the middle of the Holy Trinity…Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Like Asa’s middle loaf, He was broken (on a cross) and wrapped in cloth, out of sight until the third day.

It is the middle piece of bread (the AfiKomen) that Jesus broke for the disciples when last He ate with His disciples, and with its cloth he washed their feet…even Judas’ feet…his betrayer.

The wine represents His shed blood, which is a covering for our sin…more than a covering, it cleanses our sin.

Like the "desert" at the end of Asa’s Seder, on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared to His disciples as the Sweet Savor of Salvation.

Today, He will indwell anyone who in faith, believing, will trust in, and only in, His finished work at the cross for the remission of our sin…to anyone who will agree with God that Jesus is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead.

We who call ourselves Christians, gather regularly. To worship God together? Yes, but more than that: To celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.

So we have Resurrection Sunday (generally called Easter) all year ‘round.

I pray that you do, too.

HAVE FUN...............Healthy Insanity

A Friend and co-worker sent this to me...I, therefore, send it to you.


1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See whether they slow down.

2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.

3. Every time someone asks yo to do something, ask whether they want fries with that.

4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it, "IN."

5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.

6. In the memo field of all your checks, write, "For Smuggling Diamonds."

7. Finish all your sentences with, "In accordance witht he prophecy."

8. Don t use any punctuation

9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

10. With a serious face, order a diet water whenever you go out to eat .

11. Specify that your drive-through order is "To Go."

12. When the money comes out of the ATM machine, scream, "I won! I won!"

13. When leaving the zoo, start running toward the parking lot yelling, "Run for your lives! They're loose!"

14. Over dinner, tell your children: "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."

15. And the final way to keep a healthy level of insanity: read this blog periodically.