Under Attack

Yesterday was Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember and honor our nation’s war dead. I wrote a little something about Memorial Day in 2008, and rather than repeat myself, you can reference that entry via this link: Memorial Day 2008. All of us should recognize and salute the commitment of every man and woman currently serving in our armed services, and pray that their training will help protect them from the dangers and enemies they face.

Though our servicemen and servicewomen are trained and prepared to live under the constant threat of attack… most of the rest of us are not. Yet Satan is relentless in his campaigns and attacks against us. We are under his attacks from every direction.

Even this blog is under attack. Every week a new comment is posted from an anonymous Asian user; in Japanese. It’s not a comment about the latest post; it is in reality a series of links… links that would take you to a variety of Asian porn sites. Once I recognized the comments for what they really were, it was simple to merely delete them. But it remains under attack, and at least once a week I must delete offensive comments from the blog.

Our bodies are under attack, too: cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, arthritis, and plenty of mystery ailments… to name just a few of the attacks.

Our communities are under attack: terrorism, crumbling infrastructure, corrupt public servants, crime, unemployment, and crushing poverty.

Our world is under constant attack: earthquakes, storms, volcanoes, wars, deprivation, and hunger.

Imagery that attacks our morals, our values, and our sense of right and wrong pours into us from and unending flow being broadcast by television, radio, and the internet. Satan welcomes each new development in communication technology as another weapon to be aimed in our direction… to keep us under constant attack.

Why? What does the father of lies hope to accomplish with these continuous bombardments and attacks? Simple… he seeks to make us dive for cover, jump into a foxhole, build up the sandbags, and in our fear, turn away from God. If you put your faith in this world, if you put your faith in technology, if you put your faith in medical science, or even if you put your faith in your own strength… Satan is winning.

I need to constantly remind myself to take my eyes off Satan, and the works and devices of Satan, and fix my gaze faithfully on Jesus; on Jesus alone!

Jesus overcomes all of Satan’s attacks; not some, not most, but…

JESUS OVERCOMES ALL OF THE ATTACKS!

Jesus heals sickness, Jesus calms the storms, He changes hearts and casts out demons, and He has overcome death. Walking with Jesus, we walk with our Lord, our Savior, our Deliverer, and our Protector. When we invite Jesus into our heart, we never have to walk alone again. Though we still may walk in this calamitous and dangerous world, in Jesus we are no longer of it. Instead, we become more than conquerors, we become children of God and inheritors of God’s heavenly kingdom.

With my eyes off Satan and my eyes only on Jesus, Satan’s false illusions are little more than smoke and mirrors. Instead of a world of horrors, I see God’s people pouring out love, compassion, aid, and healing… into a broken world. I see a beautiful creation in endless variety and infinite complexity that gives glory to God the Creator. I see Jesus… who suffered for my sake, took my sins and shortcomings and covered them with His blood, and by His resurrection guarantees me eternal salvation. In the company of Jesus, I’m not pinned down under withering attacks, but I am free… I’m free, indeed!

Since we do live in this world, the attacks don’t stop. But in the company of Jesus, the attacks now have all the weight of a feather; as easily dealt with as deleting an inappropriate blog comment. The best thing about walking in faith with Jesus by your side is being able to step up to the battle front, pick up the wounded, and show them how Jesus can heal them, save them, and free them. In the company of Jesus we can do all things. Fear not!

Where are you under attack? Who leads you? I pray it’s Jesus!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Edify and Encourage

My friend Monica recently sent me an email that was meant to encourage me. Monica is wonderful at offering encouragement, and she is pretty awesome at edification, too. I got her permission to use the message in the blog. As you read the following, notice how encouragement and edification produce joy!

I brought your heart situation to my Sunday school class and this evening to my choir for prayer. There are a lot of people who really know how to pray there.

Meanwhile I'm having an inordinate amount of fun with the bass guitar. Today Ken, the music minister who plays 7 or 10 instruments, pronounced that I'm doing fabulously! However, reality check; when I was buying the guitar and the amp, the people in the store who *really* know how to play, and how to set the amps for their playing, really did play wonderfully. The first amp I considered was too much for me; a matter of technique, it showed up everything especially the treble. The second one I can damp down more and besides it sounds almost mellow instead of  real brassy or bright, which is more 'me' anyway. Then this evening I was a tad early to ladies ensemble (singers) and Ken was playing his electric guitar (I have never seen him with one, wonder if it's new, will ask tomorrow). He put in a CD and was playing to it; wow, wow is all I can say. It was extremely interesting to realize the patterns he was overlaying. Not merely accompanying. It was amazing, solo work. And yet he encourages me for my progress, without a hint of 'good for merely a few months' but instead 'really good'. Diehl's mother, the church organist who was *extremely* talented, used to say when she listened to her LP records of E. Power Biggs playing Bach, she felt as though she should just cut off her fingers, since she'd never be able to attain his level, the level she could hear and understand. So I am going to continue on and keep learning, even though I'm certainly no master at this. Such a blessing. Today at the bluegrass rehearsal, while we were eating beforehand, I said that I could still hardly take in that I am allowed to do this! And Ken said that's the way he feels, it's such a privilege for him to do all the music.

This evening Pastor Joel talked about Joy, and how the Spirit moves where He will, and that we cannot through willpower make ourselves full of joy, and that yet we are commanded to be filled with joy, to rejoice, and again I say rejoice! Because our God is worth everything. What a privilege to be His! You are one of the people I have met who just bubble over with joy of and in the Lord. I know that doesn't mean you don't have concerns about yourself and those you love, but your bubbly witness is a great encouragement.

Blessings
Monica

Monica so often hits the nail right on the head and she causes me to be humbled and excited when she accurately says: “What a privilege to be His!”

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Thank You, God!

A big "thank you" to everybody that sent birthday wishes to me over the past few days. There were phone calls, emails, Facebook postings, Skype video conferencing, cards via snail-mail, and even a few birthday hugs.

I had an amazing birthday.

My great friend, Ray Rizo, surprised me by stopping by with a pizza for lunch. We shared it over a Netflix movie (The Kingdom). Wow! The Kingdom is a powerful story of our time, grabs you with the intensity of its action, draws you in with the humanity of its characters, and will haunt you with the irony of its ending. Ray and I agreed that the movie gave us a lot to consider. In the end, the message of Jesus is as valid (and desperately needed) today as it was when he first taught it to his disciples over 2,000 years ago: “Love one another.” See the movie, and see if you don’t agree.

In the late afternoon, I had an appointment with my good friend Dr. Jason Baietto. Jason is a brother in Christ, and a Wellness Chiropractor helping people balance their bodies through gentle chiropractic and balance their lives through fitness, nutrition, and stress management. I always feel some improvement when I visit Jason, but today was truly special. As Jason was adjusting my neck and spine, he held my neck in his hands and prayed over me. The peace and the comfort that flowed from the warmth of his heart, through his hands, and into my body was overwhelming!

I also got a bunch of snail-mail cards that actually arrived on my birthday. One was from my daughter, Jennifer, and my grandson, Jeffrey. Later, while on Skype with them, I held the card up to the camera and asked who drew the pictures on the card. Jeffrey brightened right up and proclaimed: “I drew that, Pop-pop!” Nothing will melt your heart faster than a grandchild, who is not quite 3, sing “Happy Birthday” to you.

My youngest daughter Wendy helped Patti put on a big spaghetti dinner (with meatballs). Patti and I have been married for almost 40 years (June 2011), so put in a good word for her when the Sainthood nominating committee comes around. She must be a saint... putting up with me for this long! There was cake (with candles), and a few surprise presents. We topped off the evening by teaching my son-in-law, Adam, how to play Hearts; the newbie beat all us old pros! Isn’t that typical?!?

God’s blessings continue to be the best gifts of all... I just need to open my eyes, and I am surrounded by riches and joy. Thank you, God!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Anchored or Propelled?

Uplifting stories have a way of making the rounds… generation after generation. The following story is a popular Facebook post these days. I first saw it over 40 years ago, but some evidence indicates that this story of unknown origin may have originated hundreds of years ago.

A man walking by a construction site sees three men laying brinks. He says to the first one, “Whatcha doin?” and the guy says: “Geeze… I’m laying bricks, what does it look like?"

Then he asks the second guy, "Whatcha doin'?" and that guy says: "I'm working; I've got bills to pay. Scram!"

Finally, he asks the third guy, “Whatcha doin?” and the worker stops, looks up, looks around, smiles, and says: “I’m building a cathedral.”

While researching the origins of this story, I found a huge number of people that spent a lot of time, and many words, explaining its deeper meaning. Like the story itself, its meaning seems absurdly simple to me. Do you see yourself anchored to the perceived reality of menial tasks? Are you tied to the realities of the world… just getting by? Or are you propelled by a vision… do you see the bigger picture of what you do… of who you are… and of how you fit into God’s plan?

Take a minute, and ask yourself: What am I building for God’s kingdom? What vision propels me?

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Do-It-Yourself

All I wanted to do was install a new faucet in the bathroom. It sure sounded easy from the description on the side of the new fixture. You’d think that by now, I’d have learned my lesson with plumbing… that it is always best left to the professionals! There is a plumbing maxim that has applied to every plumbing project (and most other home improvement projects, too): Any project will require at least 3 trips to the hardware store.

This project was no different. It seems that it’s impossible to replace just the faucet. Anything I touched… even just in passing… either broke, or started to leak in ways I had never seen before. Before I was done, the pressure fittings at the wall had to be replaced; the shut-off valves, the feed hoses, and the drain, too!

Who knew that grime, crud, and corrosion could be so structural?!?

Aren’t our lives like that, too? When we neglect our spiritual lives, grime, crud, and corrosion builds up. We don’t really notice it until we try to do something about it. But since we are unable to fix our own spiritual problems, all we do is make things worse… our lives seem to spring leaks everywhere. It sure seems easier to not disturb the grime and corrosion… even if our spiritual water pressure is close to zero.

Jesus doesn’t want to scrape the grime, crud, and corrosion off your heart. He doesn’t want to make you spring all kinds of new leaks in your life. If you call him, he won’t fix your heart, he will give you a new heart. A new heart with strong couplings, and connected to the water of life.

You’d think that you might not be able to afford God’s help. The good news is that Jesus has already paid your bill. Besides giving you a new heart, and connecting you to the water of life, he will also connect you in fellowship with others.

So call Him today, and then come connect with us on Sunday… or any other day, for that matter.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Still

I'm dying. Well, not right away, but eventually. We all are. It comes with being human... once we are born, we start dying. Most of us don't live our lives like we were dying, though; we live our lives as though we expect to live forever.

I've been struggling with a health issue for months now. The doctors are all stumped. All the poking, prodding, measuring, testing, and other indignities they have put me through have yielded exactly zero information as to the cause of why I often feel like I'm about to pass out when I'm walking. It doesn't happen at any other time, or in any other situation... just walking... and it doesn't happen all the time. Usually, when it occurs, I just stop for a few seconds, the feeling passes, and then I continue on. There seems to be no discernable pattern or trigger. Sometimes I'll go for days without an occurrence; other times it happens with frightening regularity.

Now, at my age, I don’t care too much about being an athlete, but I would like to be able to play with my grandson, walk across our church campus, or even walk around the block… without worrying about passing out. There must be a lesson in all this for me. There is probably a lesson to the doctors, too. I just hope they figure out what their lesson is before I bump up against an expiration date.

I’ve prayed for years to be set free from gardening. My wife loves to garden, which happens to mean that she expects ME to cut, and prune, and weed, and dig, too. “Be careful what you pray for, as you just might get it.” Remember that old saying? Recently, I’ve been released from many of the yard work chores, but it’s not the sweet victory I had envisioned. Right now, I’d be happy to trade this mystery ailment for a continued lifetime of gardening and yard work.

Truly, you feel in bondage with something like this. I never know when I will feel its lash. I carry the weight and the burden of it, and it has robbed me of my freedom. Its random (but ever increasing) attacks are both disturbing and frightening. Each time I am attacked, I cry out to God to literally hold me up. He does, and… I continue on.

This week, while searching for something else, I bumped into this beautiful and powerful song by Reuben Morgan that helped me lose some of the anxiety I’d been feeling lately. There was instant recognition when I first heard this song, as these were the words my heart had been singing for months… OK, so perhaps not in quite so beautifully a poetic fashion… but close. [; )]

Still
by Hillsong United
Words and Music by Reuben Morgan

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
Within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

How are you under attack? Is it something physical, like me? Is it pressure with family? Are you under stress at work? Is school overwhelming? Is there an addiction that never ceases to torment you? In all these things, and more, the words of the song resonate with me:

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

I hope you enjoy hearing the song on the embedded video.



Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Artistic Voyage

Come enjoy an evening of art and music on May 22, 2010
6:30 pm Gallery and 7:30 pm concert

From its very beginnings, the Christian church has been a place of fellowship. Over the centuries, that fellowship has often reflected the character of geography, society, customs, traditions, and the spiritual gifts of God’s people. Christian fellowship expands into church life to include communal worship, prayer, study, teaching, sharing, giving, and more. There is this fellowship in virtually every aspect of the church… from building projects, to building maintenance… from sharing of resources, to sharing of time and talent… and from loving God to loving one another.

At Messiah Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda, California, the members (partners in ministry, as they call themselves) have a long history of sharing their time, and their amazing talents. The Messiah Fine Arts Ministry gives youth and adults an opportunity to develop and share their acting and dramatic gifts with the congregation and the community while working cooperatively to produce high quality stage presentations. There is also an excellent adult choir and an amazing children’s choir called Soul’d Out that is a performing arts group for grades K-6. Both the children’s music program and the adult choir are key parts of Messiah’s commitment to music as an important part of worship. All age groups have regular opportunities to contribute their gift of music to worship services and other special events. There are literally dozens of ways artistic gifts manifest themselves at Messiah: audio-visual presentations (which include worship materials, photography, and video), set building, architecture, construction, electronic media, music, drama, and art… to name just a few.

Messiah’s fellowship extends much further than their campus in North Orange County, as they support dozens of local charities, relief efforts, benevolence, and partnerships with other organizations and churches. In addition, the people of Messiah have a global vision to match their local efforts, and as such, support missions in Uganda, Peru, Mexico, and global missions throughout the world through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Messiah is also home and patron to a developing cultural and artistic center in North Orange County where people can celebrate music and art.

Artistic Voyage is a Yorba Linda-based classical music and art exposition series with a worldwide vision. The series uses the transformative power of music and art to inspire people from all walks of life to unite behind a common purpose to make a difference in the world. A portion of the proceeds from each event within the series are donated to worthwhile humanitarian causes throughout the world.

Imagine for a moment the church as concert hall and art gallery. It’s not all that difficult to do if you’ve toured the great cathedrals and basilicas of Europe. The church as patron of the arts is one theme that has persisted in the church for centuries. Imagine an evening of art and music to bring attention, benefit, and give hope to worthwhile causes.

Each month, a new Artistic Voyage transforms the walls of Messiah’s Life Center into new and exciting artistic visions. During the gallery opening, patrons have the opportunity to stroll through the gallery, chat with the artists, enjoy a glass of wine and tasty hors D'oeuvres, and perhaps acquire a bit of fine art at a reasonable price.

As the gallery showing concludes, the Artistic Voyage continues in Messiah’s Worship Center; transformed for the evening into an intimate concert hall. Different world class musicians, bring their talent and musical artistry to each unique concert performance. Musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Julliard School, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Colburn Conservatory, are just a few of the artists that bring great music to life in these incredible concerts.

One of the key ingredients that make the Artistic Voyage series so successful is world renowned pianist, Yana Reznik; founder and director of the Artistic Voyage series. She has been described critically as: “Phenomenal talent… expressing the extremes of human experience with textural refinement and blistering virtuosity.” Originally from Moscow, she has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with orchestras throughout North America, Europe, and Russia. In 2004, she gave a sold-out Carnegie Hall debut performance in New York as winner of the Artists International Competition. Ms. Reznik is also the choir director and organist for Messiah Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda; the host of the Artistic Voyage series.

Each Artistic Voyage event brings a focus on a different humanitarian cause. These have included Giving Children Hope (GCHope), St. Jude Medical Center’s Care for the Poor Program, and in May… Hope 4 Kid’s International’s: Hope for Women. Not only do a portion of the proceeds go toward the selected cause, but the humanitarian organizations are highlighted and have the opportunity to reach potential future donors and supporters.

Every event in the Artistic Voyage series has lived up to the billing: An evening of art and music to benefit a worthy cause. The next event is scheduled for May 22nd, 2010 and is billed as: Classical Gone Jazz. Tickets are only $20 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets, gallery and concert times, performance details, artists, and Hope for Women information can be found online at:

     http://www.artisticvoyage.org/

There are only a limited number of tickets available for each Artistic Voyage series event, so get yours today. Bring your sense of wonder and love of beauty, and bring oxygen, too… the art and the music are certain to take your breath away! I’ll see you there.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave Hoag

God’s Creative Spirit

Wednesday nights are really special to me. Every Wednesday (well, almost) I am blessed with the opportunity to hang out with a bunch of fun, delightful, exciting, and insightful people… as we study and open ourselves to God’s Holy Spirit while delving into His Holy Word. In other words: we meet for Bible study. Pastor Ron usually leads us, often sets us up for amazing revelations, and always challenges us to think, consider, and be open to the Holy Spirit. Schedules being what they are, the attendance fluctuates a bit, but… overall it is a very faithful study group.

Sara Stuckenberg is a part of our study group. She is not just a church member, or even a partner in ministry… she is a disciple of Christ. On Wednesday nights, we study for about an hour and a half. That time flies by so fast, that many of us usually hang around “in discussion” for a while. Recently, Sara was telling us about some Spirit-led art she had created. Knowing how well she writes and organizes her thoughts, I asked Sara to send me the pictures and some descriptive prose for the blog. So… today I share Sara with you. Enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------------

Though I do believe the gift of visions is still an active gift of the Spirit, I have only recently begun to explore what this gift looks like. Though I rarely paint, and have no talent as a artist, every once in a while I began to feel as though images or “visions” (if you can call them that) come to me as a gift from God with a story to tell. Sometimes they arrive during a favorite song or in the course of silent prayer; it always seems God imprints these images on my mind and moves me to complete them.

So, here are two of my most recent images. The person with the heart and cross I call: “Life from the Love of Christ.” The image came one Sunday morning during a sermon on love. A comment was made about how the love of God and Christ comes forth from within, almost exploding from your chest… and suddenly I had this image in my mind. It was powerful to watch this image unfold with the light of the love of God shining from within a grey person in a dark space. The original painting sits in my bedroom and is a constant reminder that the love of God and Christ is what really gives us life and light to the world.

The 2nd painting came during the song it is named after: “Lead Me to the Cross.” While singing this song a few weeks ago, I closed my eyes to hear God, and poof… this image appeared. It took me a while to draw it because sometimes the image provides an optical illusion and honestly, crosses are hard to line up straight. I remember thinking... “If I am truly living for the Cross, I leave it all behind me, all my sin and sorrows and frustrations...” and that is where I got the black mess from at the bottom. Obviously the cross and what Jesus did for us is what stands out and truly… the light symbolizes us drawing into the death and resurrection of Christ. Once again, the person becomes a shiny grey “essence”, pointing to the lost and undefined character of our selves.

I believe deep down a 3rd painting is near, and will somehow connect all three paintings together. Though faint images have appeared in my mind, nothing has stood out. God always surprises me though, on his timing and with his love; with his talents and his created masterpieces.

Thanks Be to God!
Shalom In Christ!
-Sara

-----------------------------------------------------

How about you? I have published lots of stuff from lots of people. How has God’s Holy Spirit inspired you in your writing, in music, in art, in photography, or in video? Since there are infinite ways that God inspires us, I’m pretty sure I left out a couple of ways YOU might have been inspired by God. Don’t be shy. Don’t hide your light under a bushel basket. Share it with us. Share your inspiration as a comment, or… if you want to include additional media, send it to me for consideration as a blog post (check out my profile on how to contact me).

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Overcoming the Blues

On Sunday, Pastor Ron Baesler was talking about the let-down that comes right after Easter. His message included him reciting his original Easter Blues. Being a fellow poet, I immediately wanted to post it on the blog, so… as Jeff Askew softly played a blues riff in the background, this is what Pastor Ron recited to the congregation:

Losing your job? Losing your lover? Gotta be singin’ them blues.
Waiting too long for economy to recover? Gotta be singin’ them blues.
Down in the dumps, takin’ your lumps? Gotta be singin’ them blues.

You know, the blues are music full of tears and sighin’,
Mournful low down music full of weepin’ and dyin’
Strange music, I know, to start an after Easter address
But trust me, this is more than just a pastor’s silly madness

Easters come and Easters go. Has anything ever changed? Does anyone really know?

Most of us got way up for this Easter season
We dressed pretty, did some cheerin’ …and all for good reason
The Lord had risen, the day was bright,
Yes, last Sunday was lily white…
But today sad to say, some of us are singing the blues.

Some of us got the grumps, the down in the dumps, the nothing ever changes blues.
Easters come and Easters go. Has anything ever changed? Does anyone really know?

I’ve stopped watching TV news; it always gives me the impression
That God is losing, the devil is winning; it drags me into depression.
It seems more people are angry these days; they all seem bent out a shape,
Instead of engaging and digging into life, they all are trying to escape.

Easters come and Easters go. Has anything ever changed? Does anyone really know?

Now I’m a Christian, and a pastor, and I believe in the resurrection
But neither my titles nor my believing give me any guaranteed protection
From those gloomy grumps, the bitter down in the dumps,
The nothin’ ever changes after every bloomin’ Easter blues.

Ron always challenges us to examine our thinking, our emotions, and our direction.

Easter; so what’s the big deal? It’s great that Christ died for our sins. I mean… REALLY… big deal! So He’s our savior?!? What’s really changed in my life from the days before Easter to the days after Easter? What’s really changed in YOUR life? Shouldn’t all this change something? How come our lives are still such a mess?

If you read my last blog post, you might remember that I mentioned that ANYBODY can be a savior. Of course, nobody but Jesus could be a savior of the entire world, but let’s ignore that for a moment. Let’s say you got pushed out of the way of a runaway truck, or saved from drowning, or given CPR after a heart attack. Certainly, you’d be grateful to your savior (rescuer), but your life probably wouldn’t change much because you got saved. So whatever was screwed up, unhappy, and out of kilter in your life is still screwed up, unhappy, and out of kilter.

Spoiler alert! Don’t read any further if you don’t want your life to change. Stop reading now if you don’t want to hear the Good News… if you don’t want to know the end of the story.

On Good Friday, Jesus died on the cross as our savior, but on Easter he rose from the dead. He has defeated sin and death (one in the same)! He is our conquering Lord! If you only recognize Jesus as your savior, don’t expect any change in your life. He calls to us, for us to make Him lord of our lives, as he called many times to Peter:

“Follow me!” - John 21:19

As Lord, Jesus calls gently to each of us to follow him. Only when we submit in faith to Jesus as lord of our lives will our lives change. If we still have the last word on what we do in our lives, then Jesus is not our Lord. It is necessary to open the door to your heart, and let Jesus take over.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” - Revelation 3:20

With Jesus as Lord, your life WILL change. It may not get easier, but it will change. There is no description I can give you that will allow you to comprehend the incredible joy that is in a life where Jesus is Lord. With Jesus as Lord, there is no post-Easter letdown… there are no day-after blues. With Jesus as Lord, Easter is just another celebration… a remembrance… a tradition. With Jesus as Lord, every day brings new joy… as we follow Him.

If all this is NEWS to you, start a conversation with your pastor, or contact me, or just talk to me (if you find yourself on the Messiah campus). Don’t let another minute go by only knowing Jesus as savior… Jesus wants you to have the abundant life that God has planed for you… if only you accept Him as Lord.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Your Savior… or your Lord?

Happy Easter!

I know that Easter Sunday is filled with all kinds of commitments for you. There’s probably sunrise service, singing with the choir, putting on an Easter breakfast, setting out baskets and eggs for Easter egg hunts, hosting family and friends, and many other things that I haven’t even thought to include in my incomplete list. But before you turn away from reading this to bite the ears off a chocolate bunny, consider the following this Easter:

“A person can become a savior by dying, while saving your life. But they must be ALIVE to be LORD, because a Lord is in charge - He has the ONLY VOTE! If Jesus had NOT risen from the dead, would your life be different? Are you ONLY taking advantage of His death, as your Savior, or also His Resurrection, by making Him LORD?”
- Mark Gorman

As Lutherans, I like to think that we know Christ as Savior, but that we walk with Him daily as Lord. There is a deep truth in the greeting and response that Lutherans give each other on Easter:

“Christ has risen.”
“He has risen, indeed!”

Happy Easter!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave


The quote by Mark Gorman comes from the teachings in his book, "The 3 Heavens" on Spiritual Warfare. Mark is a friend of mine that I’ve often quoted. You can find more information, as well as his books and resources at http://www.markgorman.com/.