Wednesday of Holy Week...

This day in Holy Week HIS-Story.

Wednesday, nothing recorded in the Bible for this day.

However, in my personal opinion, I imagine He was spending His Time talking to His Father about what was coming.

"He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted." ~Isaiah 53:3-4

God, I am flabbergasted at what You did or us.

In His Dust,
DCC

Tuesday of Holy Week...

Today in Holy Week HIS-Story...

Tuesday

*This Religious leaders meet and question Jesus’ Authority-
however, He evades trick questions and speaks the truth.

*Jesus returns to The Temple-(shocker) to teach more parables. While there, He warns them of hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

*Jesus predicts destruction of The Temple and talks of His future return.

God, Thank You for the examples you set before us.

In His Dust,
DCC

Righteous Anger....

This day in Holy Week HIS-story.....

Jesus "Cleanses" the Temple

When I think of Jesus, anger is the last emotion I think of.

The "cleansing" of the temple, is an example of the righteous anger of Jesus. The Story shows up in all four Gospels. To me it is a little unnerving. It reminds us that there is no such thing as "business as usual" with Jesus, and that all who come to Him must come on His terms, not ours.

A Rabbi and therefore, fully observant Jew, Jesus joined the thousands upon thousands of pilgrims who booked it to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover at the temple.

When Jesus entered His Father's House, aka The Temple, he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves to the pilgrims who needed them to make their obligatory sacrifices. They were there to exchange their Roman currency into Jewish money in order to pay the temple tax in the coinage of the "sanctuary shekel", and thus we read that Jesus also met the money changers.

That is when all hell broke loose.

Furious with a righteous anger, Jesus improvised a whip, thrashed the animals from the temple, scattered the coffers of the money changers, and overturned their tables:

"How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

Let me be clear...honest transactions were necessary for pilgrims to fulfill their religious obligations, however, that is not all that was taking place here.

There was fraud and exploitation going on here- "ripping off" the poor and blocking "access" to God's Presence, is what I understand Jesus to be furious about.

Imagine the Disciples faces as they watched Jesus come "unhinged."

As subtle as a sledge hammer...they knew very quickly how He felt about ripping off the poor and keeping people from the presence of His Father. May we be very clear on His Message as well.

God, Thank You for Your Son...for His protection over Your House and over us being able to "reach" You.

In His Dust,

DCC

Palm Sunday = Lamb Selection Day

Some things get lost in the translation- such as Palm Sunday.

This is the day Christians call “Palm Sunday.” However, it is much more. If you are familiar with the culture of Jesus' day, you will know it as Lamb Selection Day.
It was on this day The Lamb of God, born in the flocks of Bethlehem, who was sacrificed for all of our sins, entered the city.
This would have been the same day the Passover lambs were being selected for each family group. (similar to how we go out and search for the perfect Christmas Tree.)

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet thousands of years before:
“Say to the Daughter of Zion,‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna the highest!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The Jews would have seen a very obvious picture here- Jesus is proclaimed Messiah by the people, in doing so, they were selecting him as the Passover lamb to cover all the sins of the people for all time.
He was from the flocks of Bethlehem, as all lambs were required to be in that time.
You see, early Christians understood this day (which we celebrate as Palm Sunday) as the day in which Jesus was selected to be our sacrifice.
So this Perfect Lamb waits again today....do you chose him?

Thank You Jesus, for offering Yourself as the perfect and complete sacrifice for our sins.
I choose You.

In His Dust,
DCC

Protection....

Imagine the things God has spared you from....protected you from...and diverted you to or from....

"Never will I leave you, Never will I forsake you" Hebrews 13:5b

God, thank You for your constant protection and watch.

In His Dust,
DCC

*cartoon by Cuyler Black

www.inheritthemirth.com

Isaiah 26:3...

“You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you.” Isaiah 26:3

Make no mistake, there are plenty of things on our lists to worry about....higher taxes....special needs children...funerals...sickness...school.....parents....job security...broken friendships...government...divorce...shall I go on?

A little reminder from God for all of us today....

Do you remember,

The silence before the rocks fell to the ground in front of the adulterous woman...

The screams from the widow from Nain before she sat down to eat dinner with her son who is supposed to be dead . . .

Mary's tears on the way to the tomb....

The laughter toward Noah, before the rain...

The fear of Moses before he walked into the water...

God does....He remembers all of it because He was there. On both sides of the situation....both past, present and future.

"Look at the nations and watch-and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told." ~Habakkuk 1:5

God, Thank you who You are...for allowing us to depend on You and for not budging when we do.

In His Dust,

DCC

Two Sides...One Answer

As we already know there are two sides- to just about everything.

Opinions and beliefs -from just about everybody

So today, regardless of whether you find yourself thrilled or devastated regarding Obamacare,
make no mistake about it....the last word will not be from our government, but from Our Lord.

The One who hung the stars, made the mountains from the flat ground and put the very breath you just took, in your lungs.
All of the answers to our problems...are in Him....not THEM.

I am banking on, (pun intended), the In God We Trust side."I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."John 16:33"

God, I pray for peace in our nation- for a return to unity and more importantly, a focus on You first.

In His Dust,

DCC

Overcome....

Try not to overlook the big picture-when complaining or worrying about things.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33

God, Thank You for Your precious promise, that You "Have overcome it all!"

In His Dust,
DCC

*cartoon by Cuyler Black

www.inheritthemirth.com

Patrick Who???

Top of the mornin' to ya!
Who the heck was Patrick and why is he making me eat nasty food, stare at scary green people and drink green beer?

I'm glad you asked...St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.) After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, God spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland. So, Patrick walked almost 200 miles to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation-an angel in a dream tells him to return to Ireland as a missionary.
Patrick began religious training, for over fifteen years. He was then ordained as a priest, sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish. There were a small number of Christians there when he arrived.

So, why do we celebrate him today?
We honor his faith and his fortitude.
We honor and remember His willingness to listen to God obey Him.

As far as the nasty food and freaky people.....you got me.
Your guess is as good as mine.
All I do know is-

Corned Beef and Cabbage, No Sir. Ain't interested.Quite frankly, you can have the whole plate.

Leprechauns completely freak me out.

I do have Irish in my blood- and lots of it-
So this glass I say....Here's to you Patrick!

God, May we all have the faith and determination of St. Patrick.

In His Dust,

DCC

Daylight Savings...

Spring Forward...I don't like it.

I don't like it dark in the am....it's too hard to get up

I don't like it light at night...it's too hard to wind down....

I don't like the math that comes along with it....I wake up at 5:30, which is 4:30, which is too early, but 6:30 is 7:30 and it is too late...
Wait a minute is it time for lunch? No....

Bring back normal time...and while we are at it...leave it that way.

Regardless, no matter what time it is...or isn't...there is only so much of it left- don't waste it!


God, Thank You for being consistent...never changing and giving us exactly the amount of time we need....no matter what it feels like.

In His Dust,
DCC

Called...

Ever feel like you are not very good at something?
Might be, because you are supposed to be doing something else...

God, Thank You for having perfect plans for all of us. Please give us the ears, eyes and heart to see what that is.

In His Dust,
DCC

*cartoon by Cuyler Black

www.inheritthemirth.com

Word Became Flesh...

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14

From what I have read and studied...Jesus was approachable and available. From what I know from my own personal relationship with Him...He is awesome. He has a sense of humor and He was the kind of guy I'd want to go to a Spurs or Mules game with.I'd like to have a cold beer with Him....yeah, you read that right. He is the guy who offers to refill my Diet Coke, when He gets up from the table.
I picture Him making the kids laugh.

I'm hoping He even laughs at some of my jokes...as He tells a few of His own. I picture Him listening when I speak....or even when I think.

When I worry about things others don't notice...or get sick of hearing about...He is still there. Listening as if He had all the time in eternity. Because quite frankly, He does. He holds the key to eternity in His Hands.

God, Thank You for spending time with me. I pray that You will be lifted up today.

In His Dust,

DCC

Oscars...

Did you check out the Oscars last night?

I thought these two were hysterical-

their chemistry and timing was great- which was not surprising at all.

Then we went to the all time greatest, James Taylor, singing "In My Life" while we looked at pictures of people who died. (Ummmm, where was Farrah?)

Loved Sandra winning...not only a Texan, but thanked her mama for
"not letting her ride in cars with boys until she was 18."

Apparently, "Congeniality" does matter...and if God is handing out awards...that's one of the ones we should all want.

Do you realize that God loves us so much, that He wants us to feel this loved, honored and special every moment of every day?
He does.

God, Thank You, loving us more than we can understand.

In His Dust,
DCC

No Mistakes...

God makes no mistakes.

YOU and I are "wonderfully and perfectly made" ~Psalm 139

God, Thank You for making me us the exact way you did.

In His Dust,

DCC

*Cartoon by Cuyler Black

www.inheritthemirth.com

God is God...

"Jesus took the loaves of bread, thanked God for them,

and gave them to people.” John 6:11

When the disciples didn’t pray, Jesus prayed. When the disciples didn’t see God, Jesus sought God. When the disciples were weak, Jesus was strong. When the disciples had no faith, Jesus had faith. He thanked God. ~Max Lucado

How comforting to know God is not influenced by our weak attempts at faithfulness. My selfish and arrogant ways of "knowing what is best," don't ever cause Him to turn His Face from me.
This is one of the many things that makes God.....God.
And me....well, not.

God, Thank You for Your goodness....Your patience....Your faithfulness, it overwhelms me. I am sorry for all of the times I never stop to thank You.

In His Dust,
DCC

Unity, God's Favorite Olympic Event...

I have an Olympic Hangover.

Closing ceremonies.....they always makes me sad....leaves me feeling lost-

A.What am I gonna watch on TV now?

B.How will I know how my lone Snow Leopard from Ghana is doing?

C. How will I keep up with Joannie Rochette.....will she be ok after her mother's funeral?

I love the unity of the entire world that the Olympics bring. Not just just around the world, but within our own USA. I had conversations with strangers in waiting rooms and restaurants last week that "put us on the same team".....it felt good...and it felt right....like God designed it to be.

All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other.” John 13:35

Maybe this is the key.
To peace? To contentment...to showing others what Christ is really about.

God, never asked us to build unity....He just tells us to keep it.

In God's Eye's, there is “one flock and one shepherd” John 10:16.
How great is that? We don't even have to figure out how to make it- just protect it!

Thank you God, for the Olympics. Thank You God, for placing the desire for Unity among each other in our hearts. Please let that flame deep within us all never be extinguished.

In His Dust,

DCC