Category Archives: Jesus

The Blessing of Being a Princess

Song at Midnight Posted on by 

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are

Abbie Johnson Taylor
and

Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me.

Princess on a throne

This is a hard concept to get my head around. The last description anyone, including myself, would use for me is that of “princess”. And yet, according to Galatians 3:26, that is what I am.

for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. (NRSV)

The Bible says I’m the daughter of a King–and that makes me none other than a princess. The problem is, of course, being a princess often doesn’t look like what we see on TV or in movies. Nonetheless, as children of our Creator, there are things we’re asked to rule over–our children, animals in our possession, our home, our belongings.

Sometimes, instead of the image above, ruling looks more like this:

Catch Me If You Can–Blind Human Tries to Medicate Blind Cat

Blindies, unfortunately, tend to not be all that great with videography, because this episode would likely have netted me a very tidy sum on “America’s Funniest Pet Videos” or similar if I’d been able to record it.

It was Monday night, 11:25 pm. Husband Karl had gone to bed an hour earlier. I turned off “Murder she Wrote” and was going to go to bed when I realized that Sunny Kitty hadn’t gotten any sinus medicine the whole day. “Great!” I thought. “Now I’m gonna have to do it all by myself.” And I really needed to, cuz he was sneezing. I went out into the kitchen, got a half of a pill out of the bottle, wrapped it in bacon flavored pill masker, then did the logical thing, returned to my chair, & called him.

He profoundly ignored me. He’s a cat. What else could I expect? So I got up from my chair and started walking toward him. Blind though he is, he took off like a shot toward the bedroom, with me straggling behind. In the bedroom I got close and reached down to grab him. Fur brushed my hands as he ran straight for a few steps, took a sharp left, and headed back toward the living room. This went on for about 10 minutes until I finally caught him. I sat down in my chair, put him in my lap with his head on my shoulder, and blew in his face to open his mouth so I could insertt the pill. He swallowed hard, I held him till I was sure he’d swallowed it, , then let him go. I got up, turned to go to bed, felt something round under my foot, and realized it could be nothing other than the pill. I swore and again started after Sunny. For 10 minutes we ran–if you can call the slow motion thing we were doing running– from the living room to the bedroom and back again, till once more I finally caught him.

Back in my rocking chair, I made him assume the pill posture. Once again I blew in his face. I put the pill in his mouth. It ended up inside my shirt, stuck to the fibers. Now I really had a problem. It’s not easy holding a cat who wants to escape while extricating a slimy sticky pill from inside a shirt. I held onto his collar, and he promptly jerked his head, freeing himself using the breakaway. Round and round and round we went for 10 more minutes.

I shoved the pill into his mouth. Out it came between the arm and seat of the chair. Away he streaked. Ten more minutes of blindy hide-and-seek. Finally I caught him again. This time I got it down. It was well after midnight by time I finally got to bed. Husband Karl had an early doctor’s appointment, so sleeping in wasn’t an option, at least not for me. Sunny on the other hand, was doing quite well at it. Go figure!

Ruling, reigning, or dominion is not tyranny, though I suspect Sunny Kitty may have had a different idea. It is doing the best we know how to do for the people, animals, and things God has given us to care for. For most of us, our throne looks more like the trenches we occupy daily. Often, it looks pretty humiliating.

But the Bible in 2 Timothy 2:12 says:

“If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.”

There will come a day when we will reign with Jesus, if we but endure the present trenches–not because of anything we’ve done but because this is the way He wants it.

Lord, thank you for those things you’ve given me to take care of on this earth. Help me to do that every day to the very best of my ability. & when my time here has ended, may I reign with you in your heavenly place. In Jesus’s name, amen.

The Blessing of Desert Rain

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me.
and
Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Rain Falling on the Desert

I realize that even now the last thing some folks wanna see is rain. TX is reeling from flooding in the hill country. My sister was here from Chicago and said they had a glut of it. But when you live in the desert like me, where a quarter of an inch was the most rain we’d experienced this year, it’s like treasure from heaven.

It’s amazing the transformation that takes place. Brown parched vegetation turns a deep shade of green. Flowers literally raise their heads. Bird songs fill the air. It reminds me of Isaiah 35.

5  Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6  Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
7  The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8  And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.
9  No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there,
10  and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
New International Version (NIV)

I wrote a song back in 2001–and sang it at church just 2 days before Sept. 11. Here are the lyrics.

Streams in the Desert

When the night is unrelenting and the silence gives way to fear,

When the darkness feels unending, and the road ahead’s unclear,

Then grant to me your vision

Of my life through your loving eyes,

And give me ears to hear your voice

Until the day arives–

Chorus: When the eyes of the blind are opened

And the ears of the deaf shall hear.

When the tongue of the mute will sing for joy,

And the lame will leap like a deer–

When streams will flow through the desert

To quench a thirsty land,

And every tear will be wiped from our eyes

By the touch of the Savior’s hand.

If you go before me,

I won’t be afraid

Keep my feet from stumbling,

And guide me in Your ways

And grant my greatest longing,

To hear you say “Well done!”

When at last my journey’s through,

And the day has finally come–

Chorus:

There will come a time when creation is whole again, when all things are made new. Sometimes it feels like a far distant promise, but through faith we know it’ll come to pass. Meanwhile, we can hope in that bright shining future when everything will be put right.

Lord, give those of us who are called by Your name a vision of the wonders that await, and help us stay the course until we receive what you have promised to us. Amen.

The Blessing of Another Birthday

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Abbie Johnson Taylor.
and
Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me.

Birthday cake w/so many candles it catches fire

This week I’m about to celebrate another birthday. I will not be lighting candles for fear of a repeat of the picture above. In 2004, however, I was facing life-threatening complications of chemotherapy, and there was some question as to whether I’d live to celebrate my next birthday. I’m still amazed sometimes as to how I ever got this old. I guess it’s just a function of putting one foot in front of the other.

I’m grateful for the 2nd chance I was given. I hope the dear Lord feels I made it worth His while to give me that, and that it wasn’t wasted. I was able to see my beautiful daughter get married, and I’ve got 2 of the greatest grandkids this side of Jordan. I’m grateful to God that he helped me do what I said I’d do when I got my cancer diagnosis, i.e., open up a can of whoop-ass and send it runnin. Husband Karl and Amanda were heroes, and Dr. Wendt was a staunch ally. I will always be thankful for them, as well as for countless other relatives and friends who prayed and sent good wishes during that time. My brother & sister were right up there.

You don’t get through something like that alone. God provided me a whole host of folks on earth to help, and I believe some others in the heavenly realms as well. I’m excited about my birthday present, but even if I got nothing in the way of a physical gift, I have everything I need. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

Thank you Lord, thank you family, thank you friends, thank you my medical team, & even thanks to strangers who prayed for me because they heard about my situation from other praying folks. May God bless you richly. & Lord, let me proclaim Your goodness for as long as you give me breath.

2 Kings 20

20 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”
2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,

3 “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

5 “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.

6 And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.” ’ ”

This is probably my favorite Christian song–and I have a lot of them. My husband and daughter will probably tell you that my cure for just about everything is Jesus music. This is CeCe Winans official video of her signature song, “Goodness of God.”

I hope this blesses everyone this week.

The Blessing of Friends in High Places

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are

Abbie Johnson Taylor
and

Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me.

People looking down from Mt. Everest

In mid April, we were the victims of a scam. Because an investigation is ongoing, I cannot share additional details. I reported it to Bank of America, and, when they denied my chargeback, I filed a complaint w/the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB, as well as the AZ Attorney General, and the FBI. I had lots of evidence against the merchant in question.

Following my complaint to the CFPB, I was contacted by a gentleman from Bank of American named Dustin. I’ve been working closely w/him for awhile now. He told me that my chargeback had been denied by the merchant’s credit card holder, but that he wasn’t letting it go. He told me he was prepared to take this one as far as he needed to in order to help us not lose our money. He said he was with us every step of the way.

Sometimes it helps to have friends in high places. In this case, we have 2–one named Dustin and the other named God. I don’t know what will happen in terms of getting our money back. I do know that these 2 friends are with us, and it’s a great comfort. I thank God every day for Dustin and for the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

2 Cor 1:3-5 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

Update: After I finished writing this post, I checked my email to find, much to my surprise, a notification from Bank of America. Obviously I was not expecting that late on a Saturday night. The notification stated that the money will not be deducted from our account, and that this was a permanent decision. There are bad people in this world who want to take things that aren’t theirs. Thanks be to the dear Lord, there are also folks like Dustin who fight hard so that doesn’t happen. The world is a better place because of him and all those like him.

The Blessing of Having a Dad

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me

and

Abbie Johnson Taylor

God's smiling down from His throne at 5 children of diverse races.

The 3rd sunday of June in the United States is Father’s Day. It can be a joyous time, but the caveats I discussed in my post about

Mother’s Day

apply.

The problem, of course, is that God is viewed by Christians as a Father, and He gets all the garbage we project on Him because of our relationship with our own.

I remember once watching an episode of MASH (1 of my all-time favorite TV shows). Drs. Winchester and Pierce were talking. Winchester said to Pierce something similar to: “the difference between us is that I had a father. You had a dad.” Dr. Winchester’s tone expressed pain at how little his father had interacted with him. He was distant. He expressed love only when Dr. Winchester had done something exceptional, and even then only begrudgingly.

I think a lot of us view God that way. Actually, I think many of us look on Him as someone who delights in punishing us, who’ll send us to hell for the smallest of indisgressions,, maybe even like a predator torturing its prey before the final merciful kill.

The Bible says something different. It refers to God as “Abba”, which, in English, might be better translated as Papa, Dad, or Daddy, as opposed to Father, which is how it’s normally rendered.

The image God wants us to see, I think, is that portrayed in Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the lost son. Indeed, He loved each and every one of us so much that He sent His son to die on a cross so we could be with Him.

The late Dr. Larry Crabb wrote a book in 2006 called “The Papa Prayer.” I recommend it highly. In fact, I think I’ll read it again after I’m done with this, because no matter how many times you read it, there’s still something to be learned when you re-read it. The point is that God is our father–no, our Papa or daddy. He loves us so very much, and His greatest longing is that we come to him with everything–our hopes, dreams, joys, sorrows, and fears. No matter what your relationship to your father was, your relationship to God can be deeper and more fulfilling.

God is our very life. In Him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28). He wants the very best for us, and, like the old TV show called “Father Knows Best” says, He actually knows what that is. It may not pertain to our earthly comfort, but it will lead to our union with Him if we’ll allow it.

I wish for you a happy Father’s Day. Even more, I wish for you the relationship God wishes to have with you. May He bless you richly.

The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

The Blessing of Being clean

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are

Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me,

and

Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Pristine snowy field

Last week I hauled in a grocery delivery from Walmart. It was really hot out there. By time I got done, I was sweaty, smelly, and hot. All I wanted was a good shower. It felt so good afterwards. I was so grateful for that shower.

Isaiah 1:18 tells us: “The Lord says, “Come, let us talk about these things. Though your sins are like scarlet, they can be as white as snow. Though your sins are deep red, they can be white like wool.”

By Jesus’s death on the cross, God takes away both our sins and our sin. We come before Him clean. And it feels amazing! The cool thing is we can do it every hour of every day. We are no longer guilty and ashamed. Rather, we are His beloved sons and daughters. We can come to him, our daddy, whenever we wish, and He will joyfully receive us like the loving father He is.

The Blessing of Doing Your Best

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Abbie Johnson Taylor
and
Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me.

Jesus in white robe, ascending into Heaven

This past week, on May 14, in fact, Christians celebrated the ascension of Jesus into heaven. I been thinking a lot lately about what that meant. He was leaving a very fragile seed, His church, to blossom and grow in hostile soil. He knew–he had to know–we’d screw it up. He knew we’d disappoint him, likely on a daily basis, assuredly many times a day. And yet, he let go, asking us to co-create with Him down here while He did whatever He needed to do from on high.

I often wonder why in the world He’d do that. And the only thing I can come up with is that if we are going to reign with Him in Heaven, we need to learn how to do that on Earth. Now, me, I think he could just have a heavenly school where we could bypass all the stuff that happens down here. But it seems He disagrees, and He definitively wins!

I’ve been battling a problem with our bank for a couple weeks. This week I was finally able to move things forward, and I decided to simply let events happen. There really isn’t much I can do. It’s a mixed bag. It feels good to finally quit hassling with it on the day-to-day, but not very good knowing I’m not in control. I didn’t give up control particularly willingly. The bank did that for me. Jesus, on the other hand, did surrender control to us. Does He intervene on our behalf? Assuredly. But He also gave us free will, and in large part, allows us to exercise it, whether or not our choices are those He would want us to make.

Often times I hear Christians complain–and I’ve done it a number of times myself–why doesn’t God just tell us what He wants from us? All I can do is answer that He already tried that w/the Israelites in the Old Testament. We all know how well that turned out. He appeared to them in a cloud by day, in fire by night. They knew what He wanted from them. They worshipped a golden calf instead, and He at last established a new covenant with humankind by means of His death on the cross.

Most people who walk this earth won’t be remembered long. All we can hope for is that some small action of ours, something we said or did, will turn someone toward God, and that they in turn did likewise. Often we don’t even know when we’ve done that because the action to us seemed so insignificant. And maybe that’s why we have to learn here on earth that the one who is faithful in very small things is also faithful in much, because sometimes that small thing can turn into something very big, while we’re none the wiser.

Luke 16:10 puts it thus: “Suppose you can be trusted with something very little. Then you can also be trusted with something very large. But suppose you are not honest with something very little. Then you will also not be honest with something very large.”
NIV

I pray that I can be more like Jesus, doing the best I can and then be content to put it in God’s hands, because that is, after all, where all my hopes and dreams will ultimately come to fruition.

The blessing of Connection

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are

Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me,
and Abbie Johnson Taylor

Cell phone charging

You know what happens when you forget to charge your cell phone. You can’t call anyone, you can’t text anyone, you can’t play your music while you’re on the go. It’s not nearly as earth-shattering as some would have you believe, (there are those who don’t even have a cell phone, after all), but it can be disconcerting at best, and life-threatening at worst.

Just like a cell phone needs a connection to power in order to recharge, people need connection as well. Monday is the first meeting w/my Word Weavers’ Writer’s group, called Page 53, where I’ll actually be fully participating. Last month I kind of just sat back and observed, obeying what my spiritual dad Rev. Lloyd Mattson used to say frequently, “Never miss an opportunity to shut up.”

I also joined a Facebook group this week called Biblical Fiction Aficionados, and I posted to them today about my audio book offering group members a free copy via a private link.

I am a dyed-in-the-wool, 100% confirmed, introvert. This sort of thing is very hard for me. But I know that connection and community is the key to growth.

Gen 2:18 says: “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
NIV

Though the context indicates God said this about men, it’s equally applicable to women as well. The church, indeed, is described as Christ’s body. Those of us who call ourselves Christians acknowledge that we are part of His body, and therefore connected to every other Christian. So, hard or not, it’s necessary, and I’m sure my life will be blessed by these new connections. I hope I can in some small way enrich their lives as well.

Lord, help me hear your voice through the new friends I’m making, and help me speak your truth to them as well. Thank you. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

The Blessing of Having Loved

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me, and
Abbie Johnson Taylor

Today is our eldest daughter Karley’s earthday birthday. She was the victim of a homicide in 2007. The killer was never apprehended. He wanders the face of the earth, and Karley’s life was snuffed out.

The loss of a child goes beyond words. It rips at the fabric of all we believe to be good and right. It violates the natural order that the parents should be the ones to die first. I once met a hospital chaplain who’d also lost a child and formed a support group called Sisters of Eve and Mary. Indeed all mothers who’ve mourned a child are members of this sad, but somehow binding, sisterhood. There’s a connection there that is strong beyond words.

Despite the many years, the pain of the loss is still very real. Conventional wisdom notwithstanding, it never goes away. Birthdays are reminders. Mother’s days, though happy occasions, are always tinged with great sadness, because there will be no call or card from her like she used to do when she was among us. And there’s always the strange aura Of what might or would have been that lingers every time I think about her. All moms I know who’ve gone through this say likewise.

And yet, God gave us the gift of her presence among us, and I will be forever grateful for that. I would be so much less of a person if she hadn’t been a part of my life. I hope in some small way the same might be true for her as well. And sometimes, there are those precious fleeting moments when I almost feel she’s here, dropping in to say hi. A puff of cigarette smoke, a familiar-sounding voice or laugh, the lady who looks so much like her it makes you catch your breath–a fleeting but awe-inspiring moment in time where the veil thins, worlds touch, and love is expressed.

It is true what Alfred Tennyson said. “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

1 Cor 13:
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.;

Happy earthday birthday, Karley. Say hi to Jesus for me. And know that though it brings me joy to know you’re with him, I still miss you mightily. But 2 weeks ago we celebrated His resurrection here, and that gives us hope that renews every morning.

Christ Is Risen!

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Abbie Johnson Taylor and

Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me,

An empty burial cave. The shroud and linen wrappings are folded, 2 men in white stand just outside.

That first day of the week, a few women walked the streets of Jerusalem. There was a hint of gray in the sky. A rooster crowed. A dove cooed. A dog barked. The women bore a heavy burden. The spices and ointment they carried, although weighty, seemed light compared to the spiritual burden. The man they loved, the one whom they believed was the Messiah, the foretold one of the Torah who would liberate their kingdom from the Romans, had instead died on a criminal’s cross. Their job now was to perform one last service they couldn’t finish before the arrival of the Sabbath–the anointing of His body.

“How will we roll the stone away?” they asked each other as they trudged along. “It’ll be far too heavy for us to do it ourselves.”

Like so many of our worst fears, they found it had been taken care of. When they arrived, the tomb was empty. The burial clothes were folded neatly. Two men stood outside, dressed in dazzling white.

Matt 28:

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

The news still echos down the centuries. “Christ has risen! He has risen indeed!” And many gave their lives, sometimes in horrifying ways, because they would not deny the truth of that seemingly improbable sentence.

The resurrection is the central pillar of our Christian faith. Without it, Paul tells us exactly where we stand.

1 Cor 15:

14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

If there was no resurrection, we have believed a lie, we have told a lie, we are still in our sins, and death has the final word. May as well eat and drink for tomorrow we die. There is no hope.

If, however, the story is true, then every year we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, we rejoice in the living hope we have in Him. May you be blessed with the unspeakable joy His resurrection brings to the heart and soul of every believer, and may we tell it to others w/love and rejoicing. Christ has risen! He has risen indeed! Praise be to God!