Resurrection Glow

In the Gospel of John (20:7) we read: "But the burial napkin (kerchief) which had been around Jesus' head, was not lying with the other linen cloths, but was folded up (wrapped round and round) in a place by itself." -Amplified Bible

Note that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin. Is that important? You'd better believe it! Is that significant? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes! In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.

In the Jewish society of that age the folded napkin was in a way a form of coded communication between the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done".

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, "I'm not finished yet." The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

A pearl to string: HE "IS" COMING BACK... HALLELUJAH!

Let yourself glow in the Resurrection,
You are so loved,
Lyndi

(Note: With most historical custom there is a margin of dispute. With this retelling of old Jewish custom in service I found much to support it as well as much that disputes it. Nevertheless, Jesus is coming back!)

He Gave His Life

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending school in Utah. Brother Christianson taught at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson's class. Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over. One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't you?" Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do." Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?" Steve said, "I do about 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?" Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time." "Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson. "Well, I can try," said Steve. "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," Brother Christianson said. Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it." Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited - it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend. Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?" Cynthia said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?" Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk. Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?" Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. When Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?" Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them." Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then." Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?" Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!" Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?" Jenny said, "No." Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved. Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?" Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson went on. A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."
Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him." Steve said, "Yes, let him come in." Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?" "Yes." "Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut? Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you." Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro. Christianson, can I help him?" Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor. Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, "Into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten." (Author unknown)

A pearl to string: For God took the sinless Christ and poured into Him our sins.
Then, in exchange, He poured God’s goodness into us!
2 Corinthians 5:21/LB

May Son shine and Joy fill your life
because of Resurrection Sunday,
Lyndi

His Pleasure

The Flying Scotsman - Eric Liddell
Paris 1924 Scottish Olympian
Remember the movie “Chariots of Fire”? It’s an inspiring old movie to rent and watch with the family on these cold Colorado winter nights. The 1981 film is a story of two men who run...not to run...but to prove something to the world. They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals...except their honor. With wings on their heels and hope in their hearts they run each chasing their dreams of glory. A line in the movie and I assume from the Scottish athlete Eric Liddell’s life caught my ear. His sister did not want him to run in the race, she wanted him to set aside the running and give himself fully to missionary work. His response to her pleading, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” What joy to feel God’s pleasure.

I have often heard people say after giving of themselves to someone in need, “it made me feel so good to help”. That is feeling God’s pleasure. “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25:40/NLT

String a pearl: God has made a time and seasons for all the gifts He deposited into your life journey. A study of Ecclesiastes uncovers the assembly of aptitude possibilities. With each God blessed gift, talent, and ability in your life He seals a transparent blessing that flows out in many directions. There are eyes on you, watching you to see how you meet the challenges and joys in your day. Those eyes are in your children, your family members, your friends and even strangers. Without ever being consciously aware you are blessing others everywhere you turn. When you smile, when you listen or when you pray there are eyes watching. When you send that football spiraling into the air, shoot a basket, swing a bat, dribble the soccer ball down the field, or do a double stag jump on Beam – people are watching and your gifts are blessing. Your singing, paintings, writing ability, organizational skills, mathematical wits, creativity ….. even your driving! Absolutely everything under the sun.

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”
~ Ecclesiastes 9:10

And Lord let me do it all for You,
Be in His pleasure,
Lyndi

My Lucky Number 238

I’m coming up on my 65th birthday this week. Funny, when I started dreaming of life I never actually dreamed of this moment in time. Thanks to Medicare and all the mailings that arrive for this mile stone moment in life I’ve been thinking of this for months. Feeling a slight disconnect to my youth as our grandchildren gaze upon family photos from the 70’s & 80”s and recognize everyone but grandma and the dog. The dog died people but that’s me and I’m still here. I gathered photos of myself at all ages. Laying them side by side it’s rather startling. I wound up selecting a few from my childhood then adding one from each decade. Suddenly life was pretty short. If, in a perfect world, one had 10 decades to live I’ve already used 6½ of them. It’s too late for a do over and frankly I don’t have the energy. It just might be prudent to enjoy what God has given me and stop fighting so hard to improve it. How did those 900 year old people in Biblical days deal with the crinkled, brown speckled, parched skin look? Oh, pardon me, I digress.

This is about my lucky number 238. Odd I know but it happens to be my address from when I was a kid. I use to think of the bad things that happened to me when I was a kid and feel sorry for myself. Poor little thing I would think. A couple of decades ago a pastor friend encouraged me to see my pain through God’s eyes. I began to realize all the trials and any suffering was in fact my strength. Endurance and perseverance built into me by God. Only God can see a whole life and only God can build a ship that will survive the stormy seas of life. God built me after he created me in my mother’s womb. So now I look back at my start in life and see the goodness of the Lord. I see the numbers on my house and it reads 238 – pretty lucky huh? I have a Scripture verse that reveals the truth of my lucky number and a fun little story to showcase that truth.

An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled,”STOP! Acts 2:38!"

The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done. As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar, "Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell Scripture at you." "Scripture?" replied the burglar. "She said she had an Ax and Two 38's!"

A pearl to string: Remember knowing Scripture can save your life in more ways than one!!! Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. - Acts 2:38 Turn your love away from the wiles of this world and……

Turn your heart toward Jesus,
He’s got a gift for you.
Lyndi





A life of one woman~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1946 @3 .......................... ........................1949 @6

1956 @13 ..........................................1959 @16

1961 @18 ............................... 1962 @19

1964 @21 .......................................... 1973 @30

1974 @31...............................1984 @41

1996 @53 ...........................2006 @63 ....................... 2008 @65