upward & inward

Happy Good Friday? How can we describe as “Happy” a day that was so very sad? Also   called Black Friday, Holy Friday, and Great Friday, we celebrate this  day on the Friday before Easter.  The Scriptures tell us that on this  day, nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus was arrested, accused, condemned, and  killed. If anyone was there to be His   advocate, we do not know of it.   There is no report of such advocacy in the Biblical accounts. But   in this account of this day we read of darkness having its way.  Everything that could “go wrong” did. Or did it? As Bob Goff says,  “Darkness fell. His friends scattered. All hope seemed lost. But then  heaven just started counting to three.” Looking   at this story from the end backwards, we know what the disciples and  those who killed Him did not - that He would indeed rise again!  How can   we then look at this story with a freshness our world desperately  needs? We can receive that freshness  by becoming desperate. When I realize the de

Have you checked the mirror this morning? I ask you this not to have you look over your shoulder or remember the guy that was following too closely behind you in traffic this morning. No, as you prepared for the day this morning and looked in the mirror, you probably looked   closely at your own face.  Take a moment and remember through your mind’s eye: what face held your gaze as you looked in the mirror?   Now, before you are overly critical (or overly admiring) about the face you remember, read this: So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27 You may want to sit down as you read this next, often overlooked, incredible truth:   You bear the image of Almighty God. Have you pondered that lately? Last weekend, I had the opportunity to consider this anew: each of us bear the image of the Almighty God, creator of the universe - the One who loved enough to die for us so that we would have eternal life w