Standard – With Sidebar
This Christmas Gift
- December 18, 2023
- by
- Guest Writer
It was the deepest silence I’ve ever experienced as I parked a few feet from my father’s grave. The calmness felt sacrosanct.The silence invited me in, and I allowed myself to be surrounded by it. I listened intently to the stillness. Sometimes God speaks most powerfully in silence… “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
The deep peace I feel is always intriguing to me each time I pass by my dad’s “final resting place”- as they say. I mean, I’m the emotional guy that might cry at a goofy Hallmark...
The Trial of Barabbas
- April 03, 2023
- by
- Tatum Fishel
If you missed it, click HERE, for a brief narrative podcast of the events of Jesus’ trial.
All of cosmic time points to Jesus’ last days. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane, which means “oil press”. Jesus surely would have begun to feel the pressure of the upcoming events. Similar to how olives are pressed so the most precious commodity, the oil, is leftover. He had been attempting to give the disciples glimpses into his death and resurrection, but they couldn’t seem to understand. They couldn’t even stay awake...
What Happened in the Garden
- April 03, 2023
- by
- Guest Writer
Open on a well-worn, mountainside path. The day was warm, but an unseasonal chill now fills the air. Two adult friends obligatorily trail their determined overseer. Exhausted, confused, and impatiently torn…
Peter
Dude, tonight…was…weird.
John
What do you mean??
Peter
All that stuff…at dinner.
That was weird!
John
Oh, you mean the “body and the blood” stuff?
Peter
Yeah man!
John
I don’t know.
He’s always kinda saying stuff like that, right?
Peter
I know, but tonight was just weird.
With...
One Last Passover: Jesus Prepares the Table
- March 20, 2023
- by
- Chris Lawson
Jesus was a Jew. He had grown up celebrating the Passover and reciting the story of the Exodus. Now, one final time, he celebrates the Passover to foreshadow his own week to come. But, did you know that both stories were connected by a single Psalm?
If you missed it, click HERE for a brief podcast exploring the significance of Psalm 118 in the history of the church and why it would have marked the Last Supper.
Jesus would gather with his disciples one last time around a table.
A last meal…dinner…supper.
A final Passover...
The Triumphal Entry: An Announcement for the Ages
- March 13, 2023
- by
- Ashlee Johnson
On Palm Sunday Christians around the world celebrate Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem just a few days before he was crucified. Here are a few quick facts that may provide a fresh look at this inaugural scene in the Passion Week.
Better yet, click HERE for a brief podcast exploring the significance of the Triumphal Entry as you prepare your heart for Easter.
We celebrate Jesus’ “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, one week before Easter morning. This dramatic entry into the city where Jesus would die a few days later displays...
New Year, New You
- January 11, 2023
- by
- Joe Danehower
Sorry for the cliché title, but with all the promise and expectation of a new year, I think it’s a fair (and on the nose) question to ask. To put it more broadly, will anything actually be different this year? Judging by the short-lived verbal resurrection of “resolution” for today and the next few weeks, just about everyone is hoping the answer is yes, that there will be change or progress of some kind.
One could argue this desire for progress is driven by cultural belief, or time’s merciless march onward,...