Month: April 2014

Holy Week…The End of the Beginning?

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

I need to share this song and the lyrics with you today as this recording by David Phelps, a Christian artist, says all you need to know about Jesus Christ and how he came, he lived and he died and how he did it all for you!  During this week may we all spend time reflecting on how much Jesus suffered for all of us and I hope we strive to live our lives in a way that is worthy of his sacrifice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=kU-l973MRZg

Words and Music by David Phelps

I was taking a trip on a plane the other day, just wishin’ that I could get out.
When the man next to me saw the book in my hand and asked me what it was about.
So I settled back in my seat. “A best-seller,” I said, “a hist’ry and a myst’ry in one.”
Then I opened up the book and began to read from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John…

He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem.
Angels gathered ’round Him underneath the star singing praises to the great I AM.

He walked on the water, healed The lame, and made the blind to see again.
And for the first time here on earth we learned that God could be a friend.
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong, the angry crowd chose Him.
And then He walked down the road and died on the cross and
that was the end…of the beginning.”

“That’s not a new book, that’s a Bible,” he said, “And I’ve heard it all before.
I’ve tried religion, it’s shame and guilt, and I don’t need it anymore.
It’s superstation, made-up tales, just to help the weak to survive.”
“Let me read it again,” I said, “But listen closely. This is gonna change your life.”

“He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of Bethlehem.
Angels gathered ’round Him underneath the star singing praises to the great I AM.

He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see again. 
And for the first time here on earth we learned that God could be a friend. 
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong, the angry crowd chose Him. And then He walked down the road and died on the cross and that was the end…of the beginning.”

“The end of the beginning?” he said with a smile. “What more
could there be? He’s dead. You said they hung Him, put nails in
His hands and a crown of thorns on His head.” I said, “I’ll read it
again, but this time there’s more.

And I believe that this is true: His death wasn’t the end but the beginning of life that’s completed in you.
Don’t you see, He did all this for you…”

“He was born of a virgin one holy night in the little town of
Bethlehem. All the angels singing praises to the great I AM.
He walked on the water, healed the lame, and made the blind to see.
And for the first time here on earth, did you know that God could be a friend?
And though He never, ever did a single thing wrong, He was the one the crowd chose.
And then He walked and He died, but three days later, three days later, three days later…
He rose! Three days later He rose!

You see, He came, He lived, and He died, but that was the end of the beginning.

When we ask…Why?

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When you stop and think about events and things that occur in the world and in your own life there is always the natural tendency to ask Why?  Why did this happen?  Why did that not stop?

The questions are normal and if they are asked with positive intentions like when you are seeking to understand, it can be very fruitful to pursue answers for these questions.  Unfortunately, we live in a dark and fallen world and more often than not these questions are being asked in order to seek something else…Blame!  Once again the evil in this world has used a natural God given gift…the ability to seek to understand…and turned it into a hunt for Who is to blame for this?

We get so caught up in the Why becoming about the Who did this…that we lose all sight of the opportunity to learn from things that happen.  The world tells us the Why is all about Who is to blame and if we just punish that person or group of people then these bad things won’t happen anymore…that is just not true.  Yes people are a big part of everything that happens, however, it is important to remember that all people have the same gift in common…free will.  So you can keep focusing on Who is to blame your entire life but that is going to be a life full of negativity, bitterness and anger and that is not the life God has planned for you.

Recently, I made a decision to leave a position I had been in for several years.  It was comfortable and I knew what to expect.  I didn’t pursue the move, it came to me so I was hopeful and looking forward to something new, even though I had nerves about leaving what I knew and what I was very comfortable doing.  The change ended up having unexpected events occur shortly after I started and these were unexpected even for the people I was working with…so needless to say I began to ask Why?…Why did I make this move?  I should have just stayed where I was, doing what I was doing…you see I knew who to blame…me…so I began the negative self-talk and thoroughly began to punish myself in my mind.

Then I did something I have learned to do over the last several years…I asked a Why with positive intentions…I asked God to help me understand What he wants me to learn from this situation and he answered like this…

One of my devotional books by John C. Maxwell had an entry about “A Growing Community”…it mentions that if you’re in an environment that is doing nothing to help you grow you are going to have a hard time reaching the potential planned for your life.  The kind of place that can help you grow should look like this:

  • Others are ahead of you
  • You are still challenged
  • Your focus is forward
  • The atmosphere is affirming
  • You are out of your comfort zone
  • Others are growing
  • There is a willingness to change
  • Growth is modeled and expected

I had become to content with my surroundings…so content I had not written on this blog very much for the last few months.  My lesson is I need to keep seeking growth so that I can become everything God has planned for me to be for him in this world.  One important step in faith is to share what you have learned…I pray this post can help at least one other person who reads it.

Peace to you this day.