11 Days and counting ... until I'll be headed back in Cali, Colombia to follow the last earthly command of Jesus alongside some very, very special friends, during the week leading up to Easter Sunday (April 24).
On a sidenote, is Easter really today, April 5? That's what Bible scholars believe (E. Michael and Sharon Rusten's "The One-Year Christian History, a daily glimpse into God's powerful work").
While our traditional celebration day for Easter started in AD 325 and is tied to the Gregorian calendar, full moons and such, the Bible tells us through a series of scriptures (Daniel 9:25, Nehemiah 2:1, Revelation 11:2-3, 12: 6, 13:5) that Jesus entered Jesusalem as the Messiah on March 30, which puts his day of resurrection on the 5th.
Worth mentioning, but I don't think the boss will give you a holiday today and the kids will get early release from school.
The resurrection of Jesus, His unlikely (and 'ghostly' as the scriptures call it) appearance on that glorious day to Peter and then his closest friends is the greatest story ever told. It's what separates Christianity from all other religions and is an event we should celebrate every day, whether it's today or in a few weeks. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus fulfilled more than 350 prophecies in the Bible. He showed himself to hundreds after he rose and escaped from the heavily-guarded tomb, and before ascending to heaven he made one final earthly directive to his buddies: Go and make disciples of all nations; teach them (Matthew 28: 19-20). He empowers us through His spirit (like we could ever do His work on our own?) and promises to never leave us. He doesn't make this suggestion to us ... He commands us.
If you had the knowledge (like Jesus) to understand what your today held, and that today would be your last day among friends and family ... wouldn't your final words be the most powerful ... the most important ... the most crucial?
What legacy would you want to leave with loved ones?
His directive was to share His story, to share the good news. He died for me, it's the very least I can do: to show His love to others, and to share how my life has changed with Him directing my life (as stubborn as I am most days). I'm the only one who can tell my unique story (Luke 8:39), and every time I knock on the door of a Colombian who wonders how a loving God could possibly care about someone who turned his/her back on his/her creator for 30 years ... I'll smile, knowing this crazy redhead and new-found friend in Colombia have something HUGE in common.
For those divine appointments (which can very well happen next door here in Texas if I was bolder), I'm there to plant a seed of hope and to nudge someone closer to God's waiting arms. In following the command of Jesus, I have to stress to others that I'm not selling anything and I'm not there to convince anyone to make a decision or just ramble some prayer for acceptance into the holy fraternity. It's a free gift, a free choice, and nothing any one of us truly deserves.
So what are you doing or can you do to effect the life of a stranger today? Perhaps it's offering a smile, opening a door or buying him/her behind you in Starbucks a cup of coffee or lunch. That's a good enough nudge, isn't it? Maybe you'll pass on reading that book on the bus or train or on the airplane to open a dialogue with your fellow passenger.
Maybe, just maybe, you'll be BOLD ENOUGH to actually call that friend you miss instead of sending a vanilla text message or posting you miss him/her on a Facebook wall to truly convey you're ready to make time in your day to effect that person's life. It's a cordless phone that travels where you go, why not use the talk feature sometimes to exercise reality communication?
Just imagine how special a day today would and could be if you changed that person's life on the other end of the line. Not just for today, forever. Eternity starts now. Just a nudge.
That's what makes Easter Sunday so special. He paid it all, He defeated the cross, He did what He said He would do. And He commands us to tell others our Story and His story, to offer hope and a future.
Share your story. Be His witness. Change a life today for forever.
Happy Resurrection Day!
Blessings,
Dave
- If you're a Facebook friend, please bookmark this Blog site. I will post a prayer schedule next week for our week in Cali and the days leading to the trip. During my week in Cali, I hope to share unbelievable stories and pictures that only can be traced to God and His awesome power when we are willing to do His work and be His hands and His feet.
- Need that same hope in Christ but don't know where to go and what to do? Drop me an email or message me. None of us can do it alone, and why should we?
- Interested in following the command of Jesus somewhere else in the world besides Colombia? Fear a week of evangelism (I sure do)? Check out the E3 Partners website and scour the pages to choose a site around the world, dates for trips and request information. E3 provides great fundraising tools and terrific organization throughout the entire process. If not E3, so many wonderful options are only a click away; Lisa and I just attended a meeting last night with Amazon Outreach ... if you're interested in traveling on a large boat down the Amazon in Brazil for 10 days.
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