Jesus, Our Passover Lamb

In Exodus chapter 12 the children of Israel were told to take a lamb for their household. Verse 5 says, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year…” The Israelites were instructed on how and when to kill it. They were to use the blood around the door frame of the home. In verse 13 the LORD tells us, “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you … Continue reading

Easter and Marriage

Easter means different things to different people. As I’ve read a couple of other blogs I see some of those different traditions in families come out. To some people it means Easter bunnies and Easter egg hunts. To others it means church. Sometimes there is a combining of the two. In our marriage and those of our son and daughter and their spouses, it means church,remembering the first Easter and what Easter is all about – the death and resurrection of Jesus. One couple I know who are still on their L plates in their marriage has started a tradition … Continue reading

‘Just in Case’ at Easter ?

Easter is a time for gifts of Easter eggs and chocolates. It is also the time to remember the greatest gift that was given – the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for your sins and mine. In a recent episode of Eli Stone when he was struggling with his gift of visions and querying why it had been given to him when sometimes it caused him nothing but trouble. he was told, ‘A gift is something that is given. You don’t own it. The world does.’ That’s basically the message of Easter. The gift Jesus gave at that first … Continue reading

Christmas Carols

I’m a sucker for Christmas carols. Three of my favorites are ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel,’ ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘What Child is This?’ Mick’s favorite, as others mentioned in the forum, is ‘Silent Night.’ But, as Janet and others said there are so many great carols to choose from. One of the reasons I particularly like ‘What Child is This?’ is because the birth and the death of Jesus are linked together which they should be. Too often it seems people want to enjoy and celebrate the Christmas story and the birth of Jesus as a baby but forget … Continue reading

How Soon We Forget!

How soon we can forget the way God acts in our lives! This is one of the advantages of keeping a journal. For years I’ve been a huge fan of journals for quiet times, probably way back since I read ‘A Man Called Peter,’ by Catherine Marshall. I call mine a communuon journal because it records my communion with God, Bible readings, prayers, thoughts and how God speaks to me. This morning I plucked put one of those old journals and looked at the first page. Like Courtney I’ve been feeling a bit disenchanted with novel writing recently. I was … Continue reading

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has enjoyed Easter Sunday. Easter egg hunts are probably well past done, along with the aroma of delicious holiday foods cooking in the background. Some folks may also have gone to church, to give thanks for what Easter represents and enjoy beautiful musical celebrations of praise. For those that don’t celebrate in a religious manner, I hope you enjoyed your families, friends, food, and fun. Our youngest woke us up surprisingly late this morning, a very unusual occurrence for any holiday. Never expecting her to sleep so late, I didn’t set an alarm and we missed church. … Continue reading

What is Easter Really?

It might shock some to learn that Easter is not actually a Christian holiday. Easter has very clear pagan roots that predate Christ in the flesh. The name “Easter” derives from the pagan queen of heaven Ishtar or Astarte, as well as various other names depending on the region celebrating. During some Easter celebrations, men and women would assemble in a circle around a fire each placing a piece of oatcake in a shepherd’s bonnet. One of the pieces would be blackened. Each person was blindfolded and chose a piece of oatcake out of the bonnet. Whoever chose the blackened … Continue reading

The Unbeliever and Christians Today

There seems to be a common misconception among many non-believers that they don’t need God because they’re doing just fine on their own. Many of these same people believe too that it is those who are “good” that make it into heaven. Of course, the truth is, sin is sin, and on our own none of us are “good enough” to deserve to be in the presence and glory of God who is perfect and holy. That is why we need Jesus and the gift of his sacrifice. It’s His blood that covers us just like the lamb’s blood did … Continue reading