Category Archives: Lent
OH, WHAT A VOICE!
Young voices seem to excel on the playground, when having a tantrum, in church and in countless other ways. However, put them in front of an audience and that giant vocal cavity seems to close up instantly. There are, of … Continue reading
NO TABLE LEFT UNTURNED
The Sabbath day before had been a day of excitement and glory for Jesus. He was hailed, the King of the Jews. Though honored as a king, Jesus entered the city in humility on the back of a donkey. On … Continue reading
AN EXTENDED WILDERNESS?
February 26, 2020 was the beginning of our walk through Lent – a trail that would traverse over a mountainous wasteland – a time to re-evaluate our lives and focus on what God has so richly blessed us with. His … Continue reading
ON THE BACK OF A DONKEY
Before He was born, Jesus traveled on the back of a donkey. He was safely protected from the bumps and crevices on the rugged road. Tucked away in His mother’s womb, it wouldn’t be long and He’d be born to … Continue reading
PUTTING PLANS INTO ACTION
Up until that time, Jesus was nothing more than a nuisance to the rulers of the Sanhedrin, but once this so called blasphemer had raised Lazarus from the grave, He became much more. Now He was a definite threat to … Continue reading
THE PLOT THICKENS
The plot was well underway from the day they left Bethany until they reached Jerusalem. Mary heard murmurings of it within the crowds. Some thought Jesus was the Messiah, but there were those who couldn’t believe it. This was just … Continue reading
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
I may be getting ahead of myself with Joseph of Arimathea, but I think he began to follow Jesus before the crucifixion took place. He was a well respected member of the community, wealthy beyond most standards and a leader … Continue reading
A NEW MESSAGE
Jesus grew up with the traditions and teachings of the children of Israel. He made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem each year. He worshipped and studied intensively at the temple. His wisdom seemed to be growing daily and now that He … Continue reading
WHAT, ME WORRY?
Many years ago, a now familiar character appeared on the cover of Mad Magazine. He was created by a versatile commercial artist named Norman Mingo. This man had worked for many years in the comic book industry. His name isn’t … Continue reading
WAS IT WORTH THE COST?
A large crowd had gathered in the little town of Bethany. Only a few days earlier the man named Lazarus had been returned to life by the Rabbi, Jesus. Everyone was talking about it and wanted to see the man … Continue reading
DID HE COME TOO LATE?
Mary and Martha were Lazarus’ sisters and all of them called Jesus their friend. He’d been a guest in their home. Mary couldn’t get enough of His words and Martha was more concerned that the house was in order and … Continue reading
ZACCHAEUS WAS A WEE, LITTLE MAN
He was the chief tax collector of Jericho. He was also a descendant of Abraham. His own people despised him because tax collectors were considered corrupt as well as traitors to their own people. Zacchaeus was also short – very … Continue reading
PETER’S MOTHER-IN-LAW
“And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.” Matthew 8:14 Jesus had chosen Peter to be His first disciple and obviously had a special connection with him – so much so, that He … Continue reading
MARY OF MAGDALA
Jesus had twelve whom He called Apostles, but there were many disciples. Some of them were women – unusual for women of the time – unusual for men to have a following of women. They could be considered the first … Continue reading
MARTHA, MARTHA, MARTHA
When I was a young woman, there seemed to be a ton of distractions. For example, when we’d go to church with our three children, I felt like I was getting nothing out of the service, because one or the … Continue reading
SHE GAVE HER LAST CENT
Jesus was coming to the end of His ministry. From here on in, He would continue to speak to His followers in parables and through every day examples. One day as He was sitting near the temple, He watched as … Continue reading
KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS
Mary continued to watch as her Son captured the people with His message of love and forgiveness. She couldn’t help but notice that He was growing tired and overcome by all of it. He needed some rest. As a mother, … Continue reading
OBSTACLES – THE PHARISEES
The Pharisees came from a long line of religious tradition and strict adherence to the law of the God of Abraham. Jesus spent much of His youth in their temples filling His mind with the writings, the laws written by … Continue reading
IN THE SHADOWS
READ JOHN 3:1-21 The Sanhedrin was the ruling body of the Jews. This group acted as a lower court. Nicodemus was a member of this select organization who was considering doing something to stop Jesus and His “new” ministry among … Continue reading
OUTSIDE THE BOX JESUS
It was the hottest point of the day, when the Samaritan woman came to draw water from Jacob’s well. Most likely she was trying to avoid the other woman who came to gather water in the coolness of morning. Those … Continue reading
