The Resurrection Changes Everything

It’s the day after Easter and the retail stores are offering 50% or more off their leftover plastic eggs, chocolate and stuffed bunnies. Many people may be already boxing up their Easter season décor. Isn’t this what we do routinely with most holiday celebrations? When the date has passed, we move on.

But, I’d like to take some more time to linger at the empty tomb and walk with Jesus’ followers as they absorb the fact that the tomb they once knew held their Beloved Jesus now sits empty. Jesus didn’t slow down after His resurrection. In fact, His involvement in the lives of His followers went into overdrive when He arose from the tomb. What I’ve too frequently done is rejoice at the empty tomb, as we all should, but then “life happens” and I allow the resurrection story to fade as I handle the ups and downs I happen to face on a daily basis. But the resurrection story should change EVERYTHING about everything in every single day of our lives.

Remember the two disciples who were returning home to Emmaus from Jerusalem after the crucifixion and the "supposed" resurrection of the Lord (Luke 24:13-35)? The women reported that angels at the empty tomb announced: "He is alive." But they thought those women were delusional. The reports of the empty tomb confused them, but that Sunday afternoon, Jesus met up with them. He encouraged them and explained the message of the resurrection, and reminded them of His promises to them, but they didn't recognize Him until He went home with them and broke bread, blessed it and gave it to them. Their eyes opened and they recognized Him. Then He disappeared. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32) Their hearts burned within them when He shared scriptures with them.

That is my prayer, too -- that my heart would burn within me at the reality of His unfailing Word and that I would be stirred by His presence in my life daily. Perhaps, if we continue in this magnificent truth of our Risen Lord on a daily basis, our hearts will continue to burn with faith, His love will flow from us to others who need an encounter with Him, and we just may be His hands extended to them. We are those disciples on the road to Emmaus, living our lives in the real world, walking along with Jesus who is always there with us on the road, whether we recognize Him or not. He listens to us and understands us because He became one of us. He gets us.

Are you confused, hurting, perplexed or need advice and wise counsel today? Maybe it's time to go for a life-changing "Walk with Jesus". I promise you – He’ll be walking with you! He lives! Now, let’s act like it! Let’s be resurrection people who walk, talk and live the Easter Story daily! I’ll see you later – it’s time for my daily walk!

Lent Means Course Correction

What you may not know about me is that I’m a Private Pilot. So I have a little extra help with the notion of “I believe I can fly”. We had a single engine Cessna 182 – a sweet ride. We logged many hours flying across this great country. Though I haven’t flown in a while, I remember some crucially important things that ensured landing where, and when, we intended. Wind speed and wind direction requires course corrections throughout the flight. A strong wind can certainly take you off course. Constant “tweaking” is necessary. All it takes is to be off just a few degrees and you can end up in Timbuktu, instead of the intended destination.

And isn’t that true in our own lives? Our emotions, our bodies, and our spirits may get off course by “negative winds” that we’ve let come in. They may have come in by the company we keep, the food choices we’ve made, some unhealthy habits, some compromising of our ethics and integrity, or literally missing the mark. Perhaps, it’s time for tweaking and correcting our course. The winds can certainly slow us down, and take us completely off course -- not to mention keep us from receiving the blessings that could have been ours if we were on track. Tomorrow, the Lenten season begins -- the 40 days that precedes the passion of Christ and Easter -- the time we deliberately focus our attention on getting it right – getting our hearts right. It’s the perfect time to make course corrections – where we make the adjustments necessary to be fully devoted followers of Christ. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10. I promise you….this is the stuff that helps us fly higher than we’ve EVER flown before.