Sometimes I just...don't realize how lucky I am.

When I was in Elementary School one of my favorite days of the week was called "lucky dot day." Lucky Dot day was after you dumped your leftover food at lunch if there was a dot on the bottom of your tray you got a prize. The one time I got a dot was so cool, I got to go get ice-cream!!! With any toppings I wanted to have on it.

Before you go any further into my blog I want to warn you this blog today is kind of gruesome so just be aware.

Last friday was a very serious day for many believers. It was the day Jesus died. In preparing for Easter last sunday I went back and re-read the accounts leading up to Jesus' death. First Jesus was betrayed by one of his close friends for money, then he got taken before a crowd of people to have a chance to be set free, but they chose a criminal over him.

Then he was flogged he was sentenced to 39 lashes, the most jewish law would allow. The only thing is the whip they used for these lashes was not an ordinary whip.  It had pieces of bone and metal and other sharp fragments in it so when it hit their skin it would rip their flesh.

After this he was handed over to the soldiers who mocked and beat him even more. They acknowledged he was a king they even gave him a crown. The only thing was this was not a normal crown of gold and jewels. It was a crown made of thorns, digging into his scalp.

I can not even imagine the pain he was in at this point. The physical and emotional pain of taking this all, knowing he was an innocent man. But it did not end there...

He was then led to Golgotha to be crucified. The process of crucifixion was in its self a method of torture. It usually took the victims 2-3 days to die, the process of death usually dying of thirst, exhaustion, exposure and suffocation. The only way to breathe on the cross was to push up and take a breath... If they got to weak to lift up to take a breath they would not be able to live much longer.

After a while soldiers would go around and break the legs of men that were still alive, when it got to this point Jesus was already dead to fulfill an earlier prophesy about no bone in his body being broken. So to make sure he was dead they pierced his side with a spear. When they did this blood and water came pouring out. The only way for this to happen is for the heart to explode.

Jesus died of a broken heart...

Jesus was dead, all hope was lost the man that was supposed to save the jews now hung on a tree dead.

But the story does not end there...

Jesus rose again!!! He is alive, He reigns! After Jesus was resurrected he appeared to many of , John 20:24-26 says:Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

his disciples but one would not believe the story unless he saw it himself

Thomas saw the marks on Jesus the spots from the nails. He saw his “Lucky Dot.” Jesus rose from the dead he gave us the ultimate prize on our "Lucky Dot Day" 

"For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."(1 corinthians 15:21-22)

Sometimes I don't know... when to unplug.

Here is a cool fact about me, my grandpa grew up Amish. I can hear you now "Amish? What is Amish? Are those the crazy people who don't have electricity?"  Yes. They do not have electricity running to their house, as well as running water, and many other modern conveniences. Are they crazy, I don't think so.

The Amish live a very simple life, relying on the things that were created by God and not man. I remember as a young child going to visit the farm where my grandpa, Poppy as we called him, grew up. I loved being there. Surrounded by the simple, no one was on their phone, no one was on their ipad, no one was on their computer. They were connecting to people face to face, making lasting relationships.

In a way this is a genius idea. I mean, really, how often do we ever unplug from the world and plug into God? Several times in the new testament it tells us that Jesus went off on his own to pray and seek his Father. In the age of the internet on cell phones how often do we choose to read our Bible over Facebook, or Prayer over Pinterest?  I often find myself getting lost in pinterest for hours. Time I could instead be seeking God.

A few weeks ago I was talking with the pastor and a few interns here at my church. We were talking about what our priorities are. Without a doubt I said my first priority was God. As the conversation continued we listed how we spent our time in correlation to our priorities. My list of priorities and how I spent my time did not line up. So was my first priority really God?

About four or five days ago I tried a small experiment; I deleted the pinterest app off my phone to see how I could do without it. I did OKAY, but I still found myself doing other tasks on my phone. The only way to get away from it was to turn off my phone for awhile.

So this week I challenge you, with the same thing I am challenging myself with, unplug from the world and plug into God. Spend time making a lasting connection, face to face, to something or someone that truly matters to you.

Sometimes I Just Don't Know...When To PARTY

One of the parables Jesus told His disciples has been on my mind a lot recently. It is found in Luke chapter 15. It is the parable of The Lost Son. It is a story about a boy who asks his father for his inheritance early, goes and wastes it all, then comes back to his father and is forgiven. I never really use to pay attention to  this story before. I always used to shrug it off thinking "This does not apply to me, I have been a Christian my whole life, I have never been 'lost'"

I always use to see myself as the other brother in this story, the older brother who stayed home and kept working. I would always observe new believers from the sidelines, I would never celebrate their return to Christ. Until recently, I was reading this chapter and the story just before this about the woman who loses her coin caught my attention.

The Parable of The Lost Coin is about how a woman, when she lost her money, searched for it then rejoiced when she found it. At the end of this Jesus says: " “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10). 

This is when I realized that there is a party in heaven every time someone returns to God. 

Then why am I so reluctant to party for them too? Because "...All these years I have been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders..." (Luke 15:29). This was when I had a "duh" moment. I was bitter. I did not realize that there WAS a party for me too. 

The day I accepted Christ, the day I returned home there was a party for me. When I was 17 at winter camp and recommitted my life to Christ there was a party for me! 

And there was a party for you too! Or maybe there is a party waiting to be thrown for you.

So I encourage you to join with me in not accepting the "older brother" mentality. Let's join with the Heaven's and PARTY when the lost come to know Christ. Because, after all, we too were once lost.