Christopher
Townley

Here are they Top 5 viewed posts from the month of April:

1.  Answers To Sticky Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask // Is The Bible Reliable?

2.  Friends Who Inspire

3.  Celebrate the Face

4.  Brushes with the Law

5.  Unmet Expectations and Your Response

did you have a favorite?  or maybe one that meant the most to you?

easter is over (although i still have candy in my cupboards!) but that doesn’t mean we stop celebrating.  before i go on let me clarify.  i rarely celebrate bunnies, candy, or eggs.   in case it was unclear, i mean celebrating Jesus.  the cross.  the tomb.  the resurrection.  the power.  the hope. you get the idea.

in order to continue the celebration i wanted to get you thinking about the moment of celebration.  thanks be to carlos whittaker for the inspiration and original idea.

i was thinking back to my wedding day… yes, I was thinking fondly of the day!  and I started to think about what made that day special, what made that day meaningful.  obviously, there was the sense of anticipation leading up to the evening ceremony.  if you’re married you know the feeling of waiting for your bride to walk down the aisle, waiting for the moment you’ll see her face for the first time that day.  as i was looking back in time (all of 4 years.  i know, i know) i tried the locate the exact moment of celebration.

standing there in front of all our guests by myself- not really worth celebrating.  waiting for everyone to find their seats- not really worth celebrating.  the pile of gifts coming in- not really worth celebrating (well, kind of worth celebrating).  watching all the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk down the aisle- not really worth celebrating.

the moment worth celebrating?

the very second that I saw kate’s face.  that was the moment I celebrated.  and i’m still celebrating to this day.

as you let that mushy story swallow you whole let’s turn our focus to the resurrection of Jesus.

let me set the stage for the first easter morning (from John 20)…  mary magdalene finds the tomb empty.  she is distraught so she runs to tell the disciples that the body of Jesus is missing.  peter and john run to the tomb and find out she is not a liar.  then the men go home.  mary, still grieving (not just from the missing body but from seeing Jesus brutally put to death 3 days prior), is crying at the entrance of the empty tomb.  as she’s crying two angels appear and tell her to chill out (my interpretation).

she turns to leave and sees someone (Jesus, duh!) standing there but doesn’t recognize Him.  finally, Jesus (who she thinks is the gardener) says “mary!”  He calls her name.  she turns and cries out, “Rabboni (which means “Teacher”)!”

imagine the joy that must have flooded her confused and crushed heart at that moment.  she did not celebrate the cross (because that broke her heart) or the empty tomb (because that left her baffled).  she celebrated the moment that she saw the face of Jesus.

i’d say Jesus is pursuing us in much the same way.  He’s saying our name and waiting for us to recognize Him.  waiting for us to recognize Him in the middle of our addiction or apathy or renewed purpose or whatever situation we’re walking through at the moment.

but if you’re not celebrating… i’d challenge you (and myself!) to begin locating the presence of Jesus in your life.

because for every friday that is filled with death and heartache and challenge there is a sunday filled with rebirth and hope and redemption.

here’s to the continuing celebration!  tell me, what are you celebrating?

i’ve sat down with a few friends lately who haven’t felt like they’ve been at the top of their game.  they have been living in a place of confusion or frustration or compromise.  and it’s draining.

you and i can relate, i’m sure.  but these few friends who are at the base of the wall they wish to climb have been inspiring me.  no, not because of their current struggles, but because of their willingness to press on and admit that it’s time for a change.  all of them are aware that if they continue down the path they’re on, they’ll find destruction.  which, for all of us, is not what we’re looking for.

as i’ve walked through or into these challenges with my friends i have also found hope in the Bible.  the same place my friends are finding hope. here’s what it says in Psalm 18:28-30…

You light a lamp for me.  The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.  In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. God’s way is perfect.  All the Lord’s promises prove true.  He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

my friends (and myself) KNOW that the decisions they are currently making are not in line with the God they follow.  and they want to change. they have the courage TO change.

in their darkness they find God with the light.

in their weakness God crushes the armies holding them down.

in our longing to overcome, with God, we can scale any wall.

in our confusion God’s way is perfect.

in the midst of all the lies we tell ourselves, God’s promises prove true.

in our vulnerability, God is our shield.  our protection.

in essence, we have been, or will be, or are my friends (sorry for the clumsy wording) and we must be courageous and turn away from the destruction we are creating.  we must be courageous and turn toward God.

like my friends, we must be willing to change.  and then realize we can’t do it all on our own.

only by the grace of God.

how do you find AND activate the courage to change?