Tomorrow is Easter, and the message is simple. Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the cross, is alive and coming again!

There are many wonderful hymns about the resurrection, but one of my favorite songs is a song written and performed by Dolly Parton called "He's Alive." It looks at the resurrection through the experience of Peter, the disciple so passionately devoted to Jesus, yet denied he even knew him--three times--on the eve of his crucifixion. 

I hope it speaks to you as deeply as it does me. HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY! THE CROSS IS EMPTY! HE'S ALIVE!

It all happened so quickly. One on top of the other. 

The first was at the Costco gas pumps. The second was on the golf course. Both by people I didn’t know. Both accusing me of something I didn’t do. 

In both cases, I stood stunned, and then started to defend myself: first by denying their allegations, then by pointing out their error, then by . . . I could keep going, but you could probably guess what the result was — nothing changed. In fact, the more I engaged, the more they dug their heels in until finally I just turned away.

However, I didn’t let it go. I kept working it over and over in my head—what I should have said, what I could have said, what I would say next time. Then, I related the incident to more people than I care to admit, gathering allies in my quest to be right.

In other words, I invested a lot of time and energy into these two events. Which is why I think God had me experience them. This has always been my mode of operandi. And it is not Biblical.

It did turn me to the Bible, though, to see how exactly I should have handled the situations. And it is plain to see, I didn’t handle either correctly.

We are told . . .

To pray for those who mistreat or persecute us. (Luke 6:28; Romans 12:19)

To turn the other cheek. (Matthew 5:38-39)

But we are shown these principles through Jesus’s own life. He demonstrated forgiveness and mercy throughout his ministry. He prayed for his accusers and persecutors. During his sham of a court case, he remained silent. And on the cross he forgave them.

Abby McDonald of Proverbs 31 Ministries, wrote a blog entitled “Laying Down the Need to Defend Ourselves.”
In it she quotes 1 Peter 3:9:“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” 

Then she summed up her thoughts by getting to the heart of the matter. “But when we let God take His rightful place as our Defender and respond to others in His love, something beautiful happens. Instead of the focus being on us, it turns to Him. People are drawn to God in us instead of being repelled — because they notice something contrary to the me-first attitude our culture promotes."

Thank you, Abby. Lesson learned.

A few weeks ago (March 14 to be exact) I took a friend of mine out to celebrate her 89th birthday. The night before I had gone to bed with the forecast of possible rain. I woke up to snow!


​When I picked my friend up, she had the best description of March that I had ever heard.


“It’s confused,” she said.


It is indeed, for since then we have had 35 mph winds, drenching rains, and beautiful sunny days. 


While the March forecast might keep us all a bit “confused,” it is comforting to know that “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” I Corinthians 14:33.


And of clarity. And nowhere do you see this clarity more than in God’s personal love for us and the simple path to salvation. It’s not rocket science and it’s not confusing.


“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” Jeremiah 1:5


“But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:30-31

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23


“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46

No, God is not the author of confusion, but Satan is, and he will twist and manipulate these simple, clear truths so that people will not call sin, sin. That people will believe that if there is a god, he is unknowable. They will claim that there are multiple ways to get to heaven (all of which require being good enough or doing enough) or that everyone will go to heaven. And finally, that there is no hell.


Confusing these simple truths robs people of an intimate relationship with God and a life of peace, but worst of all, sets them up to spend  eternity in pain and torment. 


​Though we have no control over March’s mercurial temperament, or any responsibility for it, we do have an obligation to make sure God’s simple, clear, and life-giving truths are made known to all.
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I recently read a devotion by Liz Hetzel called “shape.” She relates that because she was a professional Rollerblader that her leg has taken on the shape of her boot. She says, “My ankle is skinny, but just above that my leg curves out like a ballon . . . . [because I] have skated so much, for so long, . . . my leg has permanently shaped to the curve of my Rollerblade boot.”

I think about our world today, the number of people who want to get in “shape,” and who spend lots of dollars and time to achieve this goal. Then I think about all those who blame the “shape” of their current life to the struggles of their youth, the neglect of their parents, or any number of circumstances that were not in their control. Then there are those who take full credit for the successful "shape" of their lives. 

I am not discouraging us to get in shape, nor am I minimizing the effects our prior experiences have on us as adults, or our part in our achievements. However, as Liz states in her devotion, our focus should be on another shaping.

She concludes by saying, “I truly hope that, in the same way my boot has shaped my leg, Christ is shaping my heart. I hope I have worn His love so much, for so long, that my heart looks transformed. I hope that my heart looks like Him in the way I show love, grace, and mercy.”

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

Let us allow the Potter to do His work and shape us into the Christlike people He desires us to be.

After four years of drought, I decided to take out the grass that was my front lawn and put in a drought tolerant front yard. What this means is I have extended my front patio then split the remaining area with drought tolerant plants and artificial turf.

I have to tell you, that artificial turf looks great! Green! Perfect! And I don’t have to do anything to maintain it!
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But—I have learned something else. That such perfection has come at a cost—and I’m not talking about the monetary cost for instillation. I am talking about the life cost. There is no life on that front lawn. 

Now my backyard is more work intensive. It needs to be fertilized and the weeds and insects need to be dealt with. But there is life in and on that back lawn. Every morning the birds are looking for the worms, and the cats (not my cats) are looking for the birds! But there is life.

My two “lawns” have reminded me of the Christian walk. We can have an artificial one—one that looks great from a distance—perfect, in fact. No maintenance needed because Satan doesn’t have to worry about the artificial Christians—they’re lifeless, so no one will be drawn to them.

However, a vibrant Christian, always needs to be vigilant and proactive. Satan will constantly be out to weaken and destroy and to toss temptations into those lives in an effort to get sin to grow. Therefore, we need to make sure we are well watered, fertilized, and tended. We need to stay in God’s Word, stay in communication with God through prayer, and stay in fellowship with other believers.

A vibrant Christian life may not look as perfect as an artificial one, but it will certainly draw the attention and questions of others. Don’t just look alive—Be alive.

​“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean” Matthew 23:27.