Resurrection 10 On the Move

One of my vacation jobs while I was in college was being a lifeguard in New England. A man, who owned a unique country lake beach with rental boats, canoes, a skating rink, a restaurant and game arcade, would come to Gainesville, Florida in the Winter and hire students to work for him in the Summer. I actually did both cooking and lifeguarding. He was always on the move from the boats and beach to the rink and restaurant. Night and day he would check each…

Resurrection 9a OK, So You Want to Be a Disciple

Since we have felt the attitudinal thrust of the Sermon on the Mount we need to follow Jesus coming off the mountain and applying His attitude in the valley of human turmoil (Matt.8:1-17). How did He live out His teaching about attitude when confronted by human needs? He had three immediate encounters, one with a leper, the second a centurion and the third a disciple's mother. Each had deep personal need but each also represented a…

Resurrection 9 Forging Ahead to Claim the Resurrected Life

To start with, we need to review. We have been given three basic life rights---the right to be a child of God, the right to a new identity, a disciple of Jesus and the right to an eternal spiritual Counselor, the Holy Spirit.

First, when we believe and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord we are images of God being given the right to a new personal and relational identity---children of God the Father. That is the most basic…

Faith in God or Faith in Man? (Resurrection 8 Continued)

So we see the uncompromising difference between secular rights and spiritual rights---self-declared importance as opposed to humble service to God. Secular rights are based on this principle: “Because I exist, the world owes me!” Spiritual rights start with this principle: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only (Mt.4:30)!” If you view the political situation across the world, these two positions frame the battle between…

Resurrection 8 The Bill of Rights and Beyond

If you watch TV crime shows you know that when a police officer apprehends a suspect he is required to say the Miranda ruling, “You have the right to be silent, whatever you say can be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney and if you can't afford one, one will provided for you. Do you understand your rights?” Those refer to your secular rights. There are of course other rights, known as the Bill…

Resurrection 7a A Late Gift

Have you opened all your Christmas gifts? In the flurry of last minute wrapping I forgot one of my gifts for Mary. I discovered it a week or so later when someone riding in the back saw it stuffed under the front seat. It was one of those 'kick-yourself' moments. Sometimes I think we are like that about the gifts God has given us. We stuff them away and forget about them.

For me, part of the Lenten exercise is to return to the basic truths we hold as…

Resurrection 7 Who Am I Really?

One of the old Twilight Zone TV episodes was about a man who was irritated by everyone he saw and wished that everyone would be like him. His wish came true and wherever he went, whether it was on a subway or a restaurant or just walking on the street, everyone looked and acted exactly like him. He saw himself in everyone. He found the reason he was so irritated with others was because he was irritated with himself so he wished everything to be like it…

Resurrection 6a Our New Identity

In one of my studies early on I came across the case of a psychiatrist who was faced with a woman in his hospital wing who was out of control. She kept shouting over and over again, “I am the 17th cousin of Queen Elizabeth.” He walked up to her, paused, looked intently into her eyes and said, “It must be terrible not to know who you are.” In that moment she looked at him, calmed down and he began helping her grapple with her greatest fear. That…