the gifts of Easter

It is holy week. Easter is ahead. What is it we will take from Easter? It might be something sweet. It could be time with family and friends. It possibly could be the special worship and church times ahead.

But what we should really hold on to and treasure are the things that last. They re part of our journey and the gifts God gives.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT

Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.

There are the things we will not find in a plastic egg or a basket. You won’t find these in a meal or from visiting with someone. These are the true gifts that God gives us because of His endless grace and marvelous light and eternal love for us.

Cling to faith. It is what we use to learn about and get close to God.

Lift up hope. Far beyond any physical trait this is what lets us look through situations and pain to trust God.

Share His love. This is what placed Jesus on the cross and raised Him from the grave.

The truth of Easter and our connection to God are these. God loves you and has given us faith so we can have hope. Cherish these during Easter. Share these during Easter. And beyond!

That is the week that leads us to Friday’s crucifixion of Jesus and Sunday’s resurrection. This week we look at the different parts of the Holy week.

I continue to declare that God is good. No one compares to Him, His love for us and the price He paid for our sin. Easter reminds us of God’s gifts of faith, hope and love.

2 Thessalonians 2:14-17 NLT

He called you to this through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught, whether by what we said or what we wrote. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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