Good Friday Reflections

I posted this blog exactly a year ago and wanted to share it again:

I have been reflecting today, Good Friday, on the sacrifice that Jesus made for the whole world. The History Channel aired a special about crucifixion, which I watched. They talked of Jesus and the excruciating pain he experienced as he suffered on the cross. We get the word "excruciating" from the word "crucifixion". It is the most horrific, gruesome way to die. But it was not just death, it was torture as well, and on display for all to see. It was a way to discourage uprisings against those in power. In effect, to say, if you get out of line, this is what will happen to you. Crucifixion was greatly feared. Juxtapose that to what the cross stands for today: salvation, hope, redemption, the most widely recognized symbol of Christianity.

They said on this special that aired today, that there was no comfortable position on the cross that Jesus would have ever been in. When he raised up to exhale, pain like lightning would shoot through his feet and legs. When he would breathe, the wounds on his back would be reopened as they rubbed against the rough wood of the cross. When he would support his weight with his leg muscles, he would be in tremendous pain. When he would let his hands support his body weight, unbearable pain would race through his hand, arms and shoulders.

He did this for me, for you. We see in John 19:27 that as he hung there on the cross suffering, he was concerned for his mother's welfare as he told John, "Here is your mother." And it says that John took a widowed Mary into his home to care for her. We were certainly on his mind as he suffered and died. He could have, at any moment, commanded legions of angels to deliver him, yet he chose not to. To understand what crucifixion actually means and all that it entails makes me love Him all the more!! I stand in complete awe at the plan and unconditional love of God to redeem and reconcile mankind back to Himself!!

When David penned these words about his own suffering, it was prophetic of Christ's suffering on the cross:

Psalm 22:14-18: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."

His sacrifice once and for all made the way for us to be cleansed from our sin and to be able to experience fullness of life in this life and in the life to come.

The sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday purchased the resurrection on Sunday. What an incredible price had to be paid! Dear Lord, let us fully be able to grasp how much you love us and know that all we have to do to be right with you, is to accept the sacrifice you so freely give us.

If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, I can't think of a better time than Good Friday to ask Him to be the Lord of your life! All you need to do is pray this simple prayer and mean it from your heart: "Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart and life and save me. I give you complete control of my life. I say that you are my Lord and I believe that God raised you from the dead. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer, please go and tell someone. Tell them how God has changed your life! You can even comment below and let us know what God is doing in your life!

~ Kim Dillingham

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What If?

My Beautiful Daughter Ethecie - 12 years old

The beautiful girl in the picture hiding behind the yellow balloon is my oldest daughter, Ethecie. (She would want you to know it is pronounced Etessee, without the "h.") She is 12 years old and joined our family from her home country of Haiti when she was 9. A conversation with her recently made me think of how the disciples must have felt during this time we celebrate as Easter weekend.

She heard my husband and I discussing a person who had passed away due to cancer. A few minutes later she came to me and said, "Mommy, what if you got cancer? What would you do?" Sometimes Ethecie surprises me with "What If" questions. Although she is living a wonderful life here with us now, she has already known a great deal of heartache and sorrow in her young life. I think her life now is still somewhat surreal to her, and so as she is learning to walk by faith these questions will come to her. What if mom and dad don't stay together - what if they get a divorce? What if I don't know what God wants me to do with my life? What if I marry the wrong person? And as each question comes up, we talk about what the Bible says and learn a little more about having faith in God's Word. When she asked me this question, it was not a difficult thing to answer. I was incredibly blessed to grow up in a culture of faith and healing that planted the healing Word deep into my heart. So immediately up out of my heart came faith - "I'd pray and stop it. I would use the Word to make it leave my body and I would be healed!" A glance at the smile on her face told me that was all she needed to hear. She said, "Okay" and went about her day in peace.

I can imagine the disciples on Saturday, fighting What If? thoughts and emotions. What if He doesn't rise again? What if the soldiers come for us next? What if these last 3 years were just a supernatural season that's over now? What if we never see Jesus again - what will we do?

It would be easy to read the Bible and feel tempted to almost look down on the disciples for their lack of faith at times, but if we are honest, we have all had those What If moments. The key is in realizing that it's not the question that determines the outcome - but rather how you answer it! Ethecie was willing to take my answer of faith in the Word and believe it. In Matthew 10 and Luke 18 there are accounts when Jesus told the disciples that the only way to enter the Kingdom of God is to receive it as a child would.

My girls take my word for things. They know that mommy is very careful not to make promises she can't keep, and because of that they trust my word. Even though I'm not perfect at it and there are sometimes changes in plans, my track record of keeping my word to them assures them that when I tell them something, they can count on it. That's why Ethecie walked away without care or concern after our conversation. She knows my heart and my faith in the Word of God, so she trusted my words to her.

If we can learn to trust the word of someone here on earth, how much more can and should we trust the infallible Word of our Father God! 2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us that all of the promises of God are Yes and Amen! When a What If question comes to your mind, that is the moment you need to lean and rest fully on the promises of God. Even if it is just a thought in your mind, never let a question that raises doubt go unanswered! Use the powerful, two-edged sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, to cut doubt and unbelief into pieces and win every time.

I am so thankful that just as Jesus promised, on that third day He rose again! The promise He made to the disciples to rise again was fulfilled and eternal life was won for everyone who would receive it. What a glorious and most precious time this weekend is to celebrate the resurrection of Christ that took away every What If question and launched the Body of Christ into the taking of the Gospel around the world. Happy Easter everyone - Jesus is alive! 

Debbie Beck

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Good Friday Reflections

I posted this blog exactly a year ago and wanted to share it again:

I have been reflecting today, Good Friday, on the sacrifice that Jesus made for the whole world. The History Channel aired a special about crucifixion, which I watched. They talked of Jesus and the excruciating pain he experienced as he suffered on the cross. We get the word "excruciating" from the word "crucifixion". It is the most horrific, gruesome way to die. But it was not just death, it was torture as well, and on display for all to see. It was a way to discourage uprisings against those in power. In effect, to say, if you get out of line, this is what will happen to you. Crucifixion was greatly feared. Juxtapose that to what the cross stands for today: salvation, hope, redemption, the most widely recognized symbol of Christianity.

They said on this special that aired today, that there was no comfortable position on the cross that Jesus would have ever been in. When he raised up to exhale, pain like lightning would shoot through his feet and legs. When he would breathe, the wounds on his back would be reopened as they rubbed against the rough wood of the cross. When he would support his weight with his leg muscles, he would be in tremendous pain. When he would let his hands support his body weight, unbearable pain would race through his hand, arms and shoulders.

He did this for me, for you. We see in John 19:27 that as he hung there on the cross suffering, he was concerned for his mother's welfare as he told John, "Here is your mother." And it says that John took a widowed Mary into his home to care for her. We were certainly on his mind as he suffered and died. He could have, at any moment, commanded legions of angels to deliver him, yet he chose not to. To understand what crucifixion actually means and all that it entails makes me love Him all the more!! I stand in complete awe at the plan and unconditional love of God to redeem and reconcile mankind back to Himself!!

When David penned these words about his own suffering, it was prophetic of Christ's suffering on the cross:

Psalm 22:14-18: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."

His sacrifice once and for all made the way for us to be cleansed from our sin and to be able to experience fullness of life in this life and in the life to come.

The sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday purchased the resurrection on Sunday. What an incredible price had to be paid! Dear Lord, let us fully be able to grasp how much you love us and know that all we have to do to be right with you, is to accept the sacrifice you so freely give us.

If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, I can't think of a better time than Good Friday to ask Him to be the Lord of your life! All you need to do is pray this simple prayer and mean it from your heart: "Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart and life and save me. I give you complete control of my life. I say that you are my Lord and I believe that God raised you from the dead. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer, please go and tell someone. Tell them how God has changed your life! You can even comment below and let us know what God is doing in your life!

~ Kim Dillingham

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A Morning Like This by Judi Jo Adams

A Morning Like This

All hope seemed gone!  How could the situation ever be made right?  It was truly Mary Magdalene & the other Mary’s darkest hour on their way to the tomb that morning, like we read about in Mathew 28. Though one doesn’t want to cast away their confidence for it has great recompense for reward (Hebrews 10:35), it had to appear that their hope had died.  It’s amazing how God always has a plan, a higher road and a way to even resurrect our dreams.  We see it take place that beautiful morning we call Easter & we can also see it take place in our own lives as well.

They had walked with him, talked with him & cared for him!  Wasn’t he to be the Messiah?  How could this have happened and how could God step in now to make it all right.  Well, that’s the beauty of His high ways!  We see it come alive in the message of Easter!  To our emotions it looked like He paid the highest price and lost, but in the Spirit we go on to learn what He accomplished brought us back to the Father!  Best of all, we know that the Lord is the same yesterday, today & forever  (Hebrews 13:8).  This means that He showed us part of who He is on that wonderful morning & how He wants to resurrect our situations as well! 

What do we need to learn from this story for own lives, apart from the beautiful story of the resurrection that we all cherish during this season? It doesn’t matter what any problem looks like or even if it seems your window of opportunity has come and gone. It doesn’t matter what man does to us, says about us or plans for us.  All that matters is that God is a God of impossibilities (Mathew 19:26)! Throughout time He had a plan to bring us back to Himself and to make things right, so how much more does He now watch over our lives with a plan to lead us to our dreams!

So where does that leave us today, especially if we find ourselves in a situation where hope seems gone?  It leaves us with Mary Magdalene & Mary…. Running to Him!  They were going where they could find Him.   Though they thought it was a tomb, they met Him on the way & everything was now alright.  So, we run to Him, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  He is the one who goes before, sees ahead & holds the power to change!  We don't run in desperation, but in anticipation that He can turn what is wrong into something perfect.

As we celebrate Easter, we celebrate life! We rejoice in the one who holds resurrection power, both now and forever more.  He is able to restore you!  Let us all put our trust in Him today, running to the one who lives!

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Easter Sunrise by Judy Boewe Lau

Easter Sunrise

“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”

~Matthew 28:2-6

This little girl’s dream for Easter morn’ was always my new dress and bonnet.  It’s now over sixty years ago, yet I still remember it so vividly.  We lived in the country on a little farm &, although we didn't have much money, our home was filled with so much love.  It wasn’t easy for my mama, but she sewed and made all the clothes my sisters and I wore.  We would be up bright & early to go the Moravian Church Sunrise Service, which followed by a long walk to the cemetery.  We were always wearing our new Easter dresses and feeling so special.  What this little girl remembers most was the band playing “Up from the Grave He Arose”, while we all joined in with singing.

Truly, there are many Easter traditions that surround our lives, but the most precious one of all is that our children know why we celebrate.  I always looked forward to Easter morning!  All these years later, I treasure what was imparted to me as I stood in the grass at the Moravian church singing about our risen Savior.   He was alive, not in the grave any longer, & I knew that to be true!  I can only imagine the sheer excitement that Mary Magdalene had in Mathew 28:6 when the angel said to her “He is not hear, He has risen.”  As a little girl, & even now, I’m more excited to go worship Him on the morning He rose for me than any other!

I carried those same precious traditions I learned from my mother into my own home to celebrate Easter.  I can especially remember one Easter Sunday, as we all awoke to go to the early morning service at the Presbyterian Church.  My two boys were wearing their suits, while Judi Jo & I had on our new Easter bonnets.  As we were singing those wonderful songs from my childhood, I looked over at Judi Jo (age 5) and she had taken off her bonnet.  I whispered to her to find out why she had taken it off.  She whispered back, “You, me & the old lady over there are the only ones with a hat on & I just can’t do it.”  Needless to say, that was the end of the Easter bonnets for Judi Jo… she was never much for standing out in a crowd.

Truly, it’s not about what we are wearing, as many churches these days seem to be wearing their jeans.  It’s about a revelation in our hearts of the victory that took place on Easter morning.  It’s about the blood that was shed for you & for me, which brought us back to Him for all eternity.  You can bet I won’t be wearing my jeans to church this Easter & I may even find a bonnet, in honor of my dear mama.  What will matter the most, however, is that I’m singing about my risen Savior that I learned so long ago!  As for my mama, she is 88 years old today & you can be sure she will have on her bonnet.