He is Risen!

It is Holy Week, and the entire church is looking forward to Easter Sunday and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. We may be preparing to participate in Good Friday services, sunrise services, pancake breakfasts, Easter cantatas, ham dinners, and/or Easter egg hunts. Are these celebrations and remembrances that are a part of Holy Week merely history or traditions that we do once a year? Does Jesus’ resurrection have any effect on our daily lives? Should it? What effect did the news of His resurrection have for those first eyewitnesses who arrived to discover an empty tomb that first Resurrection morning?

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

Then the angel spoke to the women. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.’ (Matt 28:1-7 NLT)

Can you imagine the tangled thoughts and emotions of these women? Try putting yourself in their place. It has only been a few days since you witnessed the cruel, violent death of the man that you had invested the past two or three years of your life to follow. Afterwards, you, along with several of His other disciples, hurried to get His body buried in a tomb before the Sabbath began. You all cried together through the Sabbath, utterly devastated by the knowledge that He was really gone, and sealed in a tomb. You tried to process what had happened and what your next steps should be. All you could come up with at the time was that He deserved better than a hurried burial before the Sabbath, so you made plans to revisit His grave. On Sunday morning, a couple of you trudged to the tomb, planning on doing a better job of preparing Jesus’ body for a proper burial.

Try to imagine the shock and joy that collided with the fear and confusion in the minds of these women when they saw the angel and heard the news that Jesus had risen from the dead! How would you have responded to such an astonishing change of events? 

These ladies immediately obeyed the angel’s instructions and they “rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message” (Matt 28:8 NLT). They were so overwhelmed by the good news that Jesus was alive that they could not wait to tell the others. They joyfully did what they were commissioned to do, and then “as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him” (Matt 28:10 NLT).

The news of Jesus’ resurrection turned their lives upside down and moved them to action and to unashamed, extravagant worship. Does the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection do the same for me or for you? Does it move you to action, to do something? Does it move you to unashamed worship of Jesus? The gospel is such amazing news that it should turn our lives upside down, move us to action, and move us to extravagant worship.

Be intentional during this special week, during this time when the entire body of Christ is intensely focused on the suffering, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Allow these events to affect your life. To move you to action. To inspire you to extravagant, unashamed worship. To turn your life upside down for His Kingdom.

(This blogpost was adapted and excerpted from Part One of Follow Jesus, Share the Journey, available on Kindle.)

How Does the Lord Direct our Steps?

Imagine that you have set out on a journey. You checked the map, consulted Google, and marked out what seems to be the best path to your destination. However, to your surprise, not very far into the journey, you hit a dead-end and all forward motion was blocked with a sign like this...

You decide that you obviously made a wrong turn somewhere, so you turn around, start down a slightly different path, but soon you are met with a sign like this one...

Obviously this is not the right way either, so you turn around once again, study the map, examine the detour signs, and begin again, only to be met with a sign like this one...

I'm sure you would agree that this would be an extremely frustrating road trip. You'd probably want to give up, turn around, and just go home. I know I would.

When we moved to the Denver, Colorado area two-and-a-half years ago for my husband to manage the LifeWay Store in Centennial, Colorado, I immediately started applying to Worship Ministry positions at churches in Denver and the surrounding area. It had only been about three months since earning my M.A. in Worship Studies and being ordained into Christian Ministry, so this process shouldn't take too long, right? After all, this was the path I believed God had me on, and it was the direction the map seemed to be pointing. 

However, this turned out not to be a quick and easy journey, but one as frustrating as the journey described above. We were constantly met with roadblocks, and with signs that said “Road Closed” and “Do Not Enter” at every turn. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. All I heard was “No. No. No. No.” “Not here.” (Or sometimes just crickets in the otherwise deafening silence.) At last count, I think I had applied to over 50 churches ---both in the Denver area and out-of-state. The answer to everything and everywhere was “No. Do not enter. Road closed. Go away." 

We began to doubt the map and asked God, “Are we even supposed to be here? Was moving to Colorado a mistake? Why did I ever think that You called me to serve You in ministry? Why was I ordained if it would all be for naught after only three months?”

Last fall, after two years in Littleton, our apartment lease was up and we received a notice that they were going to raise our rent. This was not a small increase. It was a big one. We looked everywhere for something else, but couldn’t find anything in the Denver area that we could afford. 

Well this has been a fabulous two years. I have run into nothing but discouragement looking for a ministry position. My purse was stolen in broad daylight. My computer suffered a bizarre crash that even dumbfounded the computer repair guy. Then I broke my foot while still living in a third-floor apartment. Now we can’t find a place to live. Fabulous.

A friend in Colorado Springs suggested that we look there because housing there was more affordable than in Denver. I really resisted this idea at first. I thought it would be much too far for Chris to drive up to Centennial for work, and that’s what brought us to Colorado in the first place. Plus, I didn't want to uproot our kids and move them to a different school system again.

Although it took some convincing, we finally agreed to go look at houses on the north side of Colorado Springs. We not only found a house that was in our price range, but one that we love! It even has a nice view of the mountains from the front porch. Okay, so maybe Colorado Springs is where we need to be. Chris’ commute is about 40 minutes --- pretty much the same as what it was in Texas, but with views of the mountains rather than fields and houses. The kids settled into their new schools very well and have made new friends.

So after more than two years of blocked roads and frustrating signs like this...

...it was just a few weeks after moving to Colorado Springs that God opened the door for me to lead the Worship Ministry at Grandview Community Church. In one of my interviews there, I was asked if I could be happy with a part-time position rather than full-time. After thinking a minute, I answered, “Actually, what I would really like is a part-time Worship Ministry position and a part-time Worship Professor position at a Christian college, but I haven’t found that here either.”

I kid you not --- it was the very next day following this conversation that I received an email from Dallas Christian College, where I earned my undergrad Worship degree, asking if I would be interesting in teaching the traditional format of “Worship Theology and Practice” via distance learning technology. Then----another week or so after that, I found a part-time office job with an organization that works with Christian education. Talk about a green light rather than a "Road Closed" sign! We are in a house, and I now have three jobs that are all related, that are all in my field of experience and passion, and that all work together. 

In the past couple of months since these changes have taken place, I have really been contemplating the differences and the similarities between these two situations:

“For we wanted to come to you –certainly I, Paul, did, again and again –but Satan blocked our way.” (1 Thess 2:18 NIV)

“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.” [Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia calling him, so they] got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” (Acts 16:6-7, 10 NIV).

While we were in Littleton, was Satan the source of our frustrations as Paul wrote about in Thessalonians? Was he blocking my path in order to try to frustrate and discourage me so that I would quit serving in the Kingdom of God? Or was it like the situation that Luke described? Did the Holy Spirit block us at every turn so that we would leave Denver and move down to Colorado Springs to be able to serve where He wanted and where He had planned? I believe He does plan these things --- “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10 NIV).   

Proverbs 20:24 says, “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” (NLT). How does He direct our steps? Could it be through “Road Closed” and “Do Not Enter” signs rather than just by opening doors? Could it be that a small molehill in your way would not make you change paths, but a giant blockade would? Could it be that He sometimes has to take drastic action to move you from your own path to the one He wants you to be on because you have no idea where the road is headed or where He wants to take you on your journey? I know. We just read "why try to understand everything along the way." But it does make me wonder what all God uses to direct our steps. 

All the "Road Closed" and “Dead End” signs are very frustrating, depressing, and heart-wrenching while you are in the midst of seeking where the Lord is directing you. And we may not ever understand all of the steps and mis-steps along the way. However, it can be a great joy to be able to look back and trace all the ways the Lord directed your steps in order to bring you to where He wants you to be, where you can do the good works He planned long ago for you to do.

So This is Love

There are a number of reasons that I have not posted a blog entry in over a month. I have actually begun (but subsequently abandoned) quite a few possible posts. But I think this is where I'm going for today ....

I have always liked animated Disney movies, and Cinderella is one that I have especially enjoyed for some reason. Maybe it is partially because I had Disney's Cinderella on one of those late 1960s era 45 RPM records that came with the little book. You may recall the ones that would say "Ding -- turn the page." I remember mine had a scratch on it near the end of the story: "That was all the Duke needed --- That was all the Duke needed --- That was..."

Since falling and breaking my foot last Sunday, I have spent a great deal of time sitting and watching a variety of movies. Yesterday, I watched Cinderella again with my youngest daughter.

During the scene when Cinderella and the Prince were dancing at the ball, I paid attention to the song's lyrics more than usual. In all fairness, the song was probably not written for deep contemplation; just for a fleeting scene in a movie. Even so, it made me wonder what we have been teaching children for decades. If you've watched Cinderella much, then you may remember the waltz written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston, and Al Hoffman, entitled "So This is Love."

There really aren't many lyrics.

So this is love, mmmm; so this is love

So this is what makes life divine

I’m all aglow, mmmm; and now I know

The key to all heaven is mine

My heart has wings, mmmm; and I can fly

I’ll touch every star in the sky

So this is the miracle that I’ve been dreaming of

Mmmm, mmmm; so this is love

So this is love. Really? So what exactly is love? Is love being dressed up beyond recognition and dancing for a few hours with a man who doesn't even know your name or anything about you? Is love going to a party and being the center attention when you're accustomed to being used, abused, and unappreciated at home? Is love escaping everyday life with a handsome stranger?

This is infatuation, perhaps, but this is not love. THIS is love:

• Working all day at your job and going home to work more by cooking, doing dishes and laundry, and taking care of kids because your spouse is sick or injured and unable to do so.
• Serving your spouse by cleaning up puke, changing bloody bandages, or helping them in and out of the tub because they are unable to do these kinds of things for themselves.
• Forgoing your own personal goals or dreams to support those of your spouse. 
• Sticking with each other through the worse part of "for better or for worse," the poorer portion of "for richer or for poorer," and the sickness component of "in sickness and in health."
• Caring for a loved one who is terminally ill, even when it is difficult.

Obviously, these scenarios don't hold quite the dreamy, ethereal, romantic ideal of the waltz scene in Cinderella. She and the prince just gaze into each other's eyes for a few hours, get married, and then live happily ever after ---whatever that is. They have not battled anything together. They have not weathered any storms. 

I don't want to lay all of the blame for the sad state of marriage in our country at Walt Disney's feet, but surely the "So This is Love"/"happily ever after" lies we have been buying for decades haven't helped. 

Of course, we should know better than to expect Disney to accurately teach our children what love is or to expect a children's entertainment company to be able to say with certainty "This is Love." We have already been told what love is by one who knows:

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:10-11 NIV). 

Or don't forget:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Cor 13:4-8a NIV). 

What examples do you have that define "So This is Love"? 

Please consider getting the e-book, Follow Jesus, Share the Journey on Kindle. And don't forget to leave a review after you have read it. Thank you!

The Perfect Psalm for Today

If you have read any of my blogs this year, then you know I have been slowly going through the Psalms. Occasionally, I get frustrated with myself because I’m going so slowly. It seems that I am getting behind on some artificial, self-imposed mandate to march through one psalm per day. But then I read the psalm for today, and I realize the timing is perfect. I am not behind. I am right on schedule.

You may or may not know that my sister, Angela, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. That is her in the photo with my daughter, Sabrina. Angela has been confined to a wheelchair for the past thirty-plus years. She has had a tracheostomy and been on a ventilator so she can breathe for maybe the past ten to fifteen years. She has been in and out of the hospital with pneumonia too many times to count. Each time feels like it might be the last. When she was diagnosed with MD in the 1970’s, the prognosis was that she would only make it to her late teens or early twenties, and she is now 46.

She is currently in the hospital again. This time with double pneumonia and a collapsed lung. As you can imagine, she is experiencing a great deal of fear and anxiety. Not fear of dying, but fear of the feeling of suffocation and pain. I would be too.

This morning, my first thought was that I might skip today’s psalm in order to read and pray over some other passage on healing or peace. But then I decided to go ahead and read the psalm for today anyway. Yesterday, I was on Psalm 55, so 56 was up for today. And it is perfect for today.

Would you join me in praying for Angela. Pray for a sense of peace and calm that can only come from God. Let’s pray these words from Psalm 56 together for her…

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
I praise God for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? ….
You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book. …
This I know: God is on my side!
I praise God for what he has promised;
Yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? …
For you have rescued me from death;
You have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
In your life-giving light.” (Ps 56:3-4, 8, 9b-11a, 13 NLT)

Sing Praises!

I wrote quite a few songs during the time I served in worship ministry in Texas, but I haven't written any since we left. I have been slowly going through the psalms every day, and I spent these past few days I reading Psalm 47. I found a song there.

As poetry that was originally written in Hebrew, the psalms don't usually hold such rhythm in English as I found in verses 6-7 --"Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise" (NIV).

I have certainly read these verses before, but this time they formed rhythm and melody in my head as I read them. What I "heard" was this song that is an invitation for all people to join in singing songs of praise to God.

This blog entry is really a song --- listen to the link below and join me in following the instructions given us in Psalm 47 and sing a song of praise to our God and King!

Sing Praises! (Psalm 47)

Chorus:
Sing praises to our God, sing praise!
Sing praises to our King, sing praise!
For our God is the King over all the earth
Oh, sing to Him a song of praise!

Verse 1:
Clap your hands, all you people
And shout to God with a joyous cry
Lift Him up, for He is worthy
How awesome is the Lord Most High
(Repeat Chorus)

Verse 2:
Our God reigns over every nation
He's seated on His holy throne
Every knee will bow before Him
The earth belongs to Him alone
(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge:
Lord, You are good; You are holy
You are righteous; You are just
You are mighty and full of mercy
You are worthy of all our praise
(Repeat Chorus)

(c) 2016 Sheri Tesar