Resurant Review: Top of the Rock

This is the toughest review that I have ever had to write. Probably the strangest dining experience I have ever had. We arrived at 6:00 and you actually walk through the Red Rock Tavern to get to the Top of the Rock hence the name. When we got upstairs the décor was rather nice. Started out with the dinner salad the waitress suggested the balsamic vinegar dressing, good greens tomatoes and cucumbers. The dressing was awesome. Next was the sautéed vegetables to be honest they were just all right, however they were all things that I didn’t really like to begin with. I could eat them and they weren’t too bad. So they must have been really good. Next I had what they called gourmet potatoes, I call them hash browns the best I have ever had, they had some sour cream, spices and they said a touch of cheese. For the entrée I chose the ribeye I was nervous because I now compare every steak to the $9 sirloin at The Texas Road House.  Even though it was $23 it did not disappoint. Very good flavor cooked well. Teresa had the fettuccine alfredo she reported it was just okay. Now comes the strange part the service started out okay and went downhill after that. Not sure if it was just a bad waitress or just the fact we were in a different country or culture after all we were in Fairfield. The time between each stop she made was further and further apart. I really think she just forgot us a couple of times. It was 8:00 when we left and our food came quickly. It took over 40 minutes to get Teresa’s complimentary birthday cream brulee and the check. Of course the highlight of the evening was the $18 coupon she got from the Top of the Rock again for her birthday. Then it go really weird when we went to leave. Leaving what for me is a really really nice restaurant and then having to walk through the “bar” with a completely different clientele, then there were the half a dozen of Fairfield’s finest standing outside the door smoking really was surreal. Thus the low atmosphere score, strange that a place can get such high food scores and so low on everything else.  

Price range: (everyday, a night out, a special occasion only) special occasion only  

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere: 2

Service:        2

Food:           5

Value:           2

Overall          2.5

Top of the Rock

Fairfield IA.

Who's holding you?

There are some things in Christianity that to the unsaved eye just do not make sense. One is the fact that it is God who decides who becomes a Christian that it’s not anything that we do. We live in a works based society that we must do things to get things, even though I am starting to wonder about that. But all in all there are many who think that if they do this or do that God will surely say you’ve earned it come on in. That is not the way it works. There is nothing that you can do to earn your way to Heaven it’s impossible. Grace is the only way and grace cannot be earned if it could it ceases to be grace. Grace was made possible through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Good luck on trying to outbid that. Ephesians 1:5 is like many other verses in the Bible that make these things clear if you really stop and think about them. It says:

⁵ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

God decided in advance. Advance means before you did anything good or bad. To adopt us (Christians) into His own family, this means Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, this means the only way to Heaven is through Jesus and no way else. This is what he wanted to do and it gave Him great pleasure. That is Grace. So if you have trusted in Jesus relax, He’s got you. Who's holding you? Who or what ever it is can't be trusted. They or it will eventually let you down. So if it's not Jesus that's holding you ask Him into your life and trust in Him there your emptiness will be filled and your security found.

The face of evil

2 Thessalonians 3

² Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer

Today’s blog went in a direction that I certainly did not see coming. When you think of wicked and evil people what images come to mind? Perhaps it’s something like today's picture. However an interesting thing happened to me as I prepared today’s blog. The face of evil may not be what you think. Every day as I prepare this blog I look at perhaps hundreds of pictures to find just the right one. I am continually amazed when searching a completely innocent word the number of offensive pictures that show up. Today was different I Google image searched evil people and found less offensive pictures than most of the other words I have searched.  When I searched evil people there were many who did not look evil. There were of course politicians, world leaders, athletes, and actors whose faces showed up. As well as others who may have indeed have been evil I had no way of knowing. The point is that you can’t tell whose evil just by looking. So when you look at today’s verse Paul is asking for prayer to be rescued from wicked and evil people for not everyone is a believer. I’m sure the people he was talking about did not look like the guy in today’s picture either. People who passively or purposely persecute believers don’t have a specific look. They can not only be normal looking but they could also be very close to you.  Not everyone is a believer and if they are not, they are against Christ and therefore may come against you. That is why it is so important to know these things and to spread the Gospel message so that God can use you to convert the evil and wicked people of the world.

Tattooed Tot...... Baby gets inked

Call me old fashioned but I think a baby getting tattoos is going a bit too far. This is a picture of little Joey Madison who is from Waco Texas. I think his parents are actually from Wacko Texas. I mean really, this child will have to live with this ink for the rest of his life. I’m sure baby Joey didn’t go in to the shop and pick out the tat he liked best and said I think I’ll take that one. I’ve never had a tattoo and don’t plan on getting one for the simple fact I like to stay away from pain. I mean what were the parents thinking? This is just wrong. Please tell me you agree?

If you think that this picture and this story is a fake you’re right. The picture was photo shopped and I made up the story. If you believed any of this for just a second you should read 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 very carefully, it says:

⁹ This man (the Antichrist) will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. ¹⁰ He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. ¹¹ So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. ¹² Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

The Antichrist will come someday and he will fool people. The ones he will fool the easiest are the people who say they believe in God but don’t trust in Jesus, the ones that go to church but don’t have a relationship with Christ, the ones who don’t regularly study the Bible or pray. Don’t be that person, don’t fall for it.

Last night the VMA’s were on (the MTV video awards) I watched for a total of 2 minutes and saw two people thank God. On the surface that’s great, I am certainly not here to judge if those two people are saved or not, however my thoughts were which God were they thanking and do they have a relationship with Christ. That is for God to decide and not me. However there are many people who saw the same thing I saw and just by the fact they thanked God they immediately just assumed that they were a Christian and would be going to Heaven. Just remember in this fallen world things are not always as they seem.

Hell will have two kinds of people in it, surprised and very surprised. Be prepared don't get surprised and especailly don't get very surprised.

What's that you say?

2Thessalonians 1:11(b) May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.

Yesterday was about where our help comes from to do the things we are called to do. The second half of verse 11 talks about the good things your faith prompts you to do. To this I have two questions

1.       Do you hear the prompts?

2.       What do you do when you hear them?

Sometimes to hear the prompts is a challenge because of all of the noise in our lives. I believe the prompts are there continually we just choose not to hear them. If you take a phone call and having trouble hearing you will find a place where you can hear better. We should all do the same when it comes hearing the prompts of the Holy Spirit, we need to find that place where we can hear better, a place where we can get away from all of the noise of the world.  Just like in this next picture God prompts us because He loves us. Again the question is do we hear them?

It then can come to the point of hearing the prompts and coming up with excuses not to follow through? Some day you will have to account for every single one of those excuses. The excuses not follow through with what God prompted you to do.

Today is as good as any to start listening and removing the excuses.

Help Wanted

2Thessalonians 1:11(a) So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call.

 I started writing this blog almost 9 months ago missing very few days however this is the first time that I remember splitting one verse into two days, living a life worthy of His call. When I first read this my first reaction was that this was indeed impossible, that on my own I am unable to live a life worthy of His call. Then I realized that I was right, on my own I can’t do it. Sometimes when you read something your mind is drawn to just one part of what you are reading, when I first read this my mind went straight to living a life worthy of His call. I skipped right past the part about God enabling. I so want to live a life worthy of His call but I know I can’t do it on my own. I would covet prayers from anyone for God to enable me to live that life. But in turn I have to do a much better job of deliberately doing the same myself for others. Just thinking about being worthy is intimidating. God is such a high standard that cannot be reached without His help and the help He offered was Christ. If you put the help wanted sign in your window Christ answer.

The Pinnacle

2Thessalonians 1:10

 ¹⁰ When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.

When I read this verse I immediately thought of the word pinnacle. (the highest point; the culmination) since the day the world was created it has all been pointing towards the day when Christ returns. It says here that He will receive glory and praise from those who believe. This verse comes from a letter to the people of Thessalonica and it says this includes them. The questions is does this include you? When Christ returns, that is when the sorting takes place for those that are still alive. Some will go to Heaven to be with Him, others will go to Hell to be ever separated from Him. For those choosing Hell, I really feel sorry for you. For those who were chosen by God and headed to Heaven if you’re going to be bringing glory to and praising Christ why not start practicing now? I don’t know about you but the Lord knows I need practice. We are headed towards the pinnacle and there is no turning back. The questions remains when the pinnacle is reached will you stay to glorify and praise Christ or will you be forever banished?  

Pull your head out

Pull your head out of …………..the sand, Hell is real. A person can bury their head in the sand all they want and deny that Hell does not exist. That does not make Hell go away. Jesus talked about Hell more than Heaven to me that makes it real. You often hear about people talking about getting a ticket to Heaven. How does a person get a ticket to Hell?

2 Thessalonians 1: 8-9 gives us a couple methods.

⁸ in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.

Not knowing and refusing to obey Jesus are sure ways to find yourself in Hell. You can say what you want but these two verses make Hell pretty apparent to me. Get to know Jesus and obey God and get out off the highway to hell.

Pay backs are hell

2 Thessalonians 1: 6
In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.

Pay backs are hell and this verse to me says it is literal. But there are two words that we must pay very close attention to in this short little verse and they are not pay and back. The two words are his and he. In his justice, he will pay back. The ultimate pay back is not up to you. You have to trust in the LORD for justice and His justice is perfect.

Please pass the antidote

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

As it says these three things are God’s will for everyone. However, in case no one has told you Satan and God are at war and if something is God’s will for you Satan is going to try and destroy it. When it comes to being joyful, Satan tries to replace that with happiness. You may think what’s wrong with that? Happiness is shallow, temporary, fleeting. Sinful things can easily lead to happiness. Where joy is more permanent, more rooted, and is only found in the LORD. Then there is prayer, Satan at least for me uses distraction and busyness to put a stop to prayer and we would all have to admit he’s pretty good at it. As for being thankful, one of the weapons he uses is pride. Making you think you did it all on your own and if there was anyone to thank it would be yourself. The other is victimhood, making you think that you are a victim when the smallest thing happens. When he successfully makes you a victim you then immediately stop being thankful.  The serpent will strike it’s just a matter of when, how hard, and how often. The question is how prepared are you and who or what will you turn to? When the serpent does strike the only antidote is Jesus. Do you have the antidote for Satan's strikes?

Stop and ask yourself

1 Thessalonians 5: 10

Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.

When it comes right down to it this one sentence is what Christianity is all about. Pure and simple Christ died for us so we can live with Him forever. If you want to find out how to do this find someone who will know and talk to them about it. Those who know would be really excited to visit with you. Those who are not excited to talk to you, well you don’t want to talk to them anyway.

I realize the fact the Christ died so that we can live is a basic of Christianity however how much do you really think about it? How much has it affected you? How grateful are you really? What do you do for Him?  All good questions to ask yourself this week.

Don't be that guy

1 Thessalonians 5: 4-8

⁴ But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. ⁵ For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. ⁶ So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. ⁷ Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. ⁸ But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

 Don’t be that guy. The guy who gets drunk and passes out not having a clue what is going on around him. If you read the above verses you know I’m not talking about literally getting drunk on alcohol. When I was looking for the picture to go with today’s blog I found some really nasty things that happened to people, most of which were not fit to be shown. However the things that happened to them were nothing compared to the fate of those these verses are talking about. What I’m talking about is how these verses start out; don’t be surprised when the day of the LORD comes. And as they end staying alert, clear headed and getting all decked out in the armor and the helmet.

Resturant Review: The Hamburg Inn 2

Went with a group to the Hamburg Inn 2 last night it is really an interesting place. The atmosphere is what you would call political an interesting decor for a restaurant. Every president since Reagan has been there. The walls are filled with pictures of politicians I find that strange because politicians could very well make you lose your appetite. The cool thing about the place during an election cycle is that you can place a coffee bean in a jar for those running for office. Right now with the Republican caucus coming up and being in Iowa City needless to say there were not too many coffee beans in jars. But this is a restaurant review and not a political one. The service was not stellar, they are known for their Red Velvet Cake Shake it’s where they make you a shake and at the last minute drop a piece of red velvet cake in it however two of the people were looking forward to this and they ordered it when they ordered their meal and it was not until about 15 to 20 minutes later the waitress came back and said they were out of red velvet cake. I had the Ruben it was average, the corned beef was tough and the sauerkraut was blah. Teresa had the BLT and said it was just okay. We both had the homemade chips they were too just okay. I ordered coleslaw with my meal and she brought it after I was half done with the rest of my food. It was very dry; if they would have doubled the sauce it would have been very good. The biggest problem with the place is the value. What you get for what it costs falls very short. Still this is a place that you need to go to a least once.

I wish there servings were as liberal and the community.

Price range: (everyday, a night out, a special occasion only) a night out  

Overall rankings all based 1 to 5

Atmosphere: 4

Service:        2

Food:           3

Value:           2

Overall          2.5

This was my $9.00 Ruben and chips.

Hamburg Inn.

 214 North Linn Street

Iowa City, IA 52245-2149

Get directions

(319) 337-5512

hamburginn.

Dealing with Death

The most difficult thing a human being can go through is the death of a loved one. It’s horribly painful and some crack under the circumstances. To those who have a loved one that dies and they themselves do not know Christ there is no hope, that’s it, their loved one is just dead and gone. It makes their death final. There is no hope. Now on the other hand you would think that Christians have it much better when a loved one dies, after all they are Christians. When it comes to the death of a loved one a Christian is actually in a tough spot. On one hand if they know their loved one was also a Christian that at death they went to be with Jesus and that after a time of grieving in the end they have that comfort knowing their loved one is where they also want to be. However there are two more things that a Christian has to deal with, one is not knowing whether or not their loved one was a believer and not knowing for sure their eternal resting place that's tough. They too in the end ultimately have to trust in Jesus. Then finally the Christian knows the fate of those who die that don’t trust in Christ and that can be terribly painful. At this point the key is understanding that everyone also deserves that same fate and it’s only by the grace of God that anyone can go to be with the LORD. Then in turn it is their responsibility to go and tell everyone about that grace.

1 Thessalonians 4:3

³ And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

Price fixing again in Mount Pleasant Iowa?

New London IA.            8 miles from Mount Pleasant, population 1937, price of gas $3.39      

West Burlington IA.   24 miles from Mount Pleasant, population 3161, price of gas $3.38

West Point IA              19 miles from Mount Pleasant, population 980, price of gas $3.44

Wapello IA.                 20 miles from Mount Pleasant, population 2124, price of gas $3.44

Mediapolis IA.            20 miles from Mount Pleasant, population 1644, price of gas $ 3.44

Donnellson IA.            23 miles from Mount Pleasant, population 963, price of gas $3.44

The population of Mount Pleasant  8843, the price of gas $3.52   Price fixing you be the judge.

Encouragement.....everyone needs it

We should live our lives in a way that pleases the Lord. I’m sure that most all of us could agree with that. However we should urge others to do the same. Less people will agree to that, many times we think it is none of our business or they will be fine on their own. If we are honest with ourselves we know that to live in a way that pleases God is difficult and comes with many challenges. So getting encouragement at times would be helpful. So if you realize that getting encouragement is would be important to you then why not work hard at giving some to others. For some encouragement come natural and for others well if you are like me we have to work at it. When it comes to encouraging others there are the oblivious ones who need it but don’t forget those who you think  or look like they have it all together. They may not and even for them there is always rooms for improvement because even the best person here on earth is far from perfect or as I like to say far from Christ.  

 Take the time to encourage at least one person today.

1 Thessalonians 4

¹ Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.

Road Blocks

1 Thessalonians 2:18

¹⁸ We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us.

Paul was arguably one of the greatest Christians of all time yet he was aware that Satan had the ability to prevent him from doing some of the things that he wanted to do. The Bible does not tell us what Satan did to mess up Paul, it just says it does. What’s the point you ask? The point is you need to be aware that for now Satan is alive and well and we too may not know how he does it, but he can prevent us from doing the things we should do and the things we want to do. He can put up road blocks in many places. People today need to know that Satan does exist, he does have many powers, but they also need to know that Jesus is greater. That in the end Jesus wins and you can always ask Him to come into your life and remove the road blocks.

Go all in

You have to go all in. Teresa and I were fortunate enough to have a couple that went all in with us. Not only did they share the Gospel with us and talk about spiritual things. They went above and beyond and shared their lives with us and became and still are very good friend even though they have moved away. We are so thankful that they were willing to go all in with us. Perhaps you have had the same experience? The question then becomes are you willing to go all in for someone else? It’s one thing to share the Gospel with someone and then walk away. It’s another to share your life with someone and never share the Gospel with them. Both ways are incomplete. If you really care about them. If you do what God intended you to do you, will go all in and do both.

 1 Thessalonians 2:8

⁸ We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

Are you a Scaredy Cat?

When it comes to the Good News we can be so consumed with not wanting to offend someone, that the only one we offend is God. We are nothing more than a scaredy cat. Why is it that we can be more worried about what people think than what God thinks? Because in the end what God thinks is all that matters. Perhaps we think that people can’t handle the truth and by telling them the truth they will be mad at us, then perhaps they will never know the truth. Translated means we just lie to them and then they will never hear the truth. Or they will have to hear it from someone else. However we do have to keep in mind that when we do tell the truth we have to do it with great care and love and sometimes it is a very fine line. When I think of people pleasing I think of being politically correct and my definition of being politically correct is avoiding the truth. When it comes to the Good News, to Jesus, these are truths that cannot be avoided. So if you choose to skirt the truth of the Gospel to someone fearing that you will make them mad and then justify it to yourself by thinking that you did the right thing, just remember God alone examines the motives of your heart. If your motives are wrong then you should be scared.

1 Thessalonians 2:4

For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.

Give them something to talk about

Are pastors the only ones who should be out spreading the Gospel message. Of course not we have the responsibility as well. Sometimes we are not sure how to do such a thing but Paul gives us some ideas in 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10

⁸ And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, ⁹ for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. ¹⁰ And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

Being hospitable, showing others how you have turned away from your idols, serving God, and looking forward to Jesus coming back again. When you do these things that quite frankly all Christians should be doing people will talk about you. As I have said in the past when you become a Christian some people will talk bad about you. That’s just the way it is, however there will also be those who will talk good about you and that is also how the Gospel message can be spread. So no matter what people will talk, so give them something to talk about. That something is how you live your life and love the LORD.

Reach for the effective button not the easy button

If anyone ever says that if you become a Christian you automatically get an easy button like you see on TV they are most likely not a Christian but a false teacher. The opposite is more likely, becoming a Christian brings forth a whole new set of problems. As soon as a person accepts Christ here comes Satan and his demons to discredit you, to silence you, to frustrate you, the list goes on and on. Satan does not want you to be effective in winning more people to Christ. Then on the flip side how you react to the trials and suffering in your life is really how you do become effective for the LORD. Kind of funny when you stop and think about it that what Satan tries to use for bad turns out to be good. If we are fortunate we may be able to see what we thought was bad was acutally good in this lifetime. However we may not, and we have to be okay with that. After all that is faith.  Stop and think about it who do you know that has “pardon the expression” been through hell, that the faith in Christ they express has been an inspiration to you. Be that person for others to see when you are experiencing the trails in life that Satan has intended to be bad but God can use for good. So don’t reach for the easy button reach for the effective button.
1 Thessalonians 1:6-7
⁶ So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. ⁷ As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.

Walking the road

Rising from the dead is a pretty big deal and Jesus did it. Towards the end of Luke 24 Jesus appeared to His disciples before He ascended to Heaven. Verses 13-49 are titled the walk to Emmaus , however it could be titled the road to becoming a Christian. There are five key verses that for me say a great deal about walking the road with a sovereign.    The first one is verse 15.

¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them.

Jesus is always here and always present whether we know it or not.

¹⁶ But God kept them from recognizing him.

For the people who don’t know Christ it’s not their fault. Here it makes it clear that God can keep people from recognizing Jesus.

³¹ Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

Only God can open the eyes and soften the hearts of unbelievers. God is in control.

³⁶ And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them.

Even though He is always there Jesus will reveal Himself whenever and to who ever he wants to.

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Only Jesus can open a person’s mind to understand His Word.

So the thing to take away from this is God is in complete control. Jesus decides who and when people come to know Him. If He has opened your eyes acknowledge it tell others about it and especially thank Him for it. If He has not opened your eyes and ask him to to do so. Then ask Him to open the eyes and soften the hearts of those that you would like to know Jesus.

If you would like to read all these verses in context I have included them.

¹³ That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles^[c] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. ¹⁶ But God kept them from recognizing him. ¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. ¹⁸ Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” ¹⁹ “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. ²⁰ But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. ²¹ We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.²² “Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. ²³ They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! ²⁴ Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.” ²⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. ²⁶ Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” ²⁷ Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. ²⁸ By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, ²⁹ but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. ³⁰ As they sat down to eat,^[d] he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! ³² They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” ³³ And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, ³⁴ who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.^[e]” ³⁵ Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. ³⁶ And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. ³⁷ But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! ³⁸ “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? ³⁹ Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” ⁴⁰⁴¹ Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he ate it as they watched. ⁴⁴ Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. ⁴⁷ It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations,^[f] beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of all these things. ⁴⁹ “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

Hope and Change

I know by looking at the picture and the title some of you may be expecting a political blog today. Sorry to disappoint. Back during the campaign of 2008 hope and change was the catch phrase of our current president. Many people did put their hope in a mere mortal. Today’s blog is not about if whether or not that hope and change worked. But it’s about where real hope and change comes from. And it’s an empty tomb.

The fact that Jesus rose on the third day is the lynch pin of the Christian faith and because of it; that is where we find our hope and is reason for us to change. A lot of stuff in the news lately is about presidential politics. About who will run for president in 2012, it is very important. But by November 2012 I’m hoping for a king and not just a king, but THE King.  When Jesus returns politicians won’t be necessary, if not extinct. Jesus will rule without spending one campaign dollar. Why? Because the Bible says so and everything that God has promised in His Word has come true, including the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The next thing on the list is His return. Now that’s hope.


Luke 24: 1-7
¹ But very early on Sunday morning^[a] the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. ³ So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.⁵ The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man^[b] must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Death...... You deserve it!

Luke 23:41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

If you can comprehend this one little sentence out of the Bible, you can understand what entire book is about.

These words come from a man who had been convicted of, and sentenced to death for crimes he committed. He knew he was guilty and yet he knew Jesus was innocent. Not only did he know Jesus was innocent. He knew who Jesus was and trusted in Him and because of that Jesus assured him that very day that he would be with Him in Paradise.

Once you understand that you too deserve to die and that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for your crimes and that he paid the penalty for your sins. Then repent of those sins and trust in Jesus who is not dead but alive at the right hand of God. You too will maybe not today, but someday will be with Jesus in paradise also. But again you have to understand that you have sinned and do truly deserve to die and that there is NOT ONE THING that you can do to fix it. You have to understand that only by the grace of God and the death of Jesus can you get to Paradise. In a sense God is the travel agent who arranged everything and Jesus is the only mode of transportation that can get you where you want to go.

I know the title today may have been a little much. But we do deserve death and thankfuly we can avoid it by the grace of God.

Here is more of the account of the men who were crucified with Jesus.
³² Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. ³³ When they came to a place called The Skull,^[e] they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”^[f] And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.³⁵ The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. ³⁷ They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”³⁹ One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” ⁴⁰ But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? ⁴¹ We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” ⁴³ And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

In the end; a rooster is still a chicken

I love how the Bible is filled with such irony. Like in the story of Peter denying Jesus three times just as Jesus said he would. What I find ironic here is how Jesus brought in the rooster. After Jesus was arrested Peter followed at a distance, you could already tell he didn’t want to get too close and this was just after Peter promised Jesus that he would go to prison with Him or even die with Him. Then the first three times Peter was asked if he was a follower of Jesus (a Christian) he denied it. Peter learned real quick that being a follower of Christ was not all about picnics for 5,000 and time out on the water. Peter now knew that following Christ can put a person in difficult situations. It’s how you react in these difficult situations that tell what you are made of. Just because Peter denied Jesus does not mean he was not a Christian. What makes Peter a Christian is that when he realized what he had done he wept bitterly, he repented he turned from his sin of denying Christ to the point of actually being crucified himself for the sake of Christ. When it comes to us we too sometimes follow at a distance or may even deny Jesus when things get tough. The key however is to be just like Peter. We need to acknowledge it, and repent of it. The ironic part of the rooster thing is that even though sometimes we as Christians portray ourselves as tough guys able to do anything on our own the fact is we are not different than the rooster. Even though roosters can be portrayed as tough, proud, or cocky (pardon the play on words) in the end, a rooster is still a chicken.

 Luke 22: 54-62

⁵⁴ So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. ⁵⁵ The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. ⁵⁶ A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!” ⁵⁷ But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!”⁵⁸ After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted. ⁵⁹ About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.” ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. ⁶¹ At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” ⁶² And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

But I want it nowwwww!

Luke 22:42

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

We are in some ways  a lot like Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate factory. We want it and we want it now. We all want things, but are the things that we want right? Of course we think so at the time, as did Veruca. But look where it got her. Who could blame Jesus for praying not to have to go through what he was about to endure? After all he was Jesus he was perfect, he never sinned all he did was good and he was about to be punished for it. That’s not right, that’s not fair. However the thing to note here is that Jesus was perfect and Jesus did not sin so that is why he said what I want is not important but what God wants is. Are we able to do the same? Are you able to put your wants aside for the glory of God? Endure suffering and hardship for Him? If you’re honest the answer is probably no. But it is something that you can work on every day and work towards. If each day you can learn to love Him more, if you can know Him better, and trust Him more you will be better equipped to lay your will aside and embrace God’s. Then in the end be more like Charlie than Veruca and inherit the Kingdom of God.

Do you want fries with that?

Look at the picture can you name the most important people in the picture? My guess is that everyone sitting at the tables earns more money than the ones waiting on them. Does that make them more important? If the people standing don’t serve everyone else will go hungry. How important does that make them? Jesus asks the very same question in Luke 22:27

 ²⁷ Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
The disciples were arguing among themselves who among them were the greatest while Jesus was serving them. If find that kind of amusing. However we do the very same thing today getting all wrapped up in who is the greatest or how great we are and expecting to be served. When in fact the greatest person of all time Jesus came to this earth to serve. We should take from His example and be servants to others. Believe it or not people are spiritually hungry or even starving and they need to be served. The phase associated with a waiter or waitress is do you want fries with that? The phrase that should be associated with Chrisatians should be do you want Christ with that? Why not become a server and become great.

Where's the wolf?

Luke 22:21-23

²¹ “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me. ²² For it has been determined that the Son of Man must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him.” ²³ The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.

If find it interesting that among the twelve disciples was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  We’ve all heard the story of Judas. But at this point in the story Judas has already agreed to betray Jesus and the other eleven disciples didn’t have a clue who the betrayer was going to be. It makes me sad to think the same thing is true today. That there are more wolves in sheep’s clothing among us even in churches.

Another important point to realize is that Jesus knew who must die but He did not make Judas betray Him but he used the evil Judas committed for His purpose. As evil as evil is it is comforting to know that still to this day Jesus still will use evil to accomplish His will. Even the wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Don't be afraid of the wrong things

Today reading the account of when Judas betrayed Jesus in Luke 22 it dawned on me how messed up these religious people were. They were truly afraid of what the people might think about them or do to them. Never once considering what Jesus might think of or do to them. To me this is crazy but then I realized we, myself included are not much different today. At times we too are more afraid of what other people might think of us or do to us than what Jesus might do or think and our words and actions reflect that.  At that point we are just as messed up as the religious people who plotted to murder Jesus. We need to fear God while being fearless when it comes to people.   

Luke 22:1-6

¹ The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. ² The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction. ³ Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, ⁴ and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. ⁵ They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. ⁶ So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

It ain't pretty

 In Luke 21 Jesus talks about what things will be like before he comes back again and it ain’t pretty. Again no one knows when Jesus will return. Even though some may think they do. I don’t really have all of the answers to this set of scripture but I do know there are some things that we need to be prepared for. A bit more today than usual but it’s very important to know what you’re up against or what it coming .  




Luke 21: 8-19

⁸ He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’^[b] and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.” ¹⁰ Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.

¹² “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers. ¹³ But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.^{[c] 14} So don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, ¹⁵ for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you! ¹⁶ Even those closest to you—your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of you. ¹⁷ And everyone will hate you because you are my followers.^{[d] 18} But not a hair of your head will perish! ¹⁹ By standing firm, you will win your souls.

When it gets ugly don’t say you never saw it coming. Jesus spelled it out 2,000 years ago, so don’t be surprised. Being a Christian is not easy but in the end it will all be worthwhile.

Who's Black?

Luke 18: 10-14
¹⁰ “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.
Sounds like the first line to a good joke doesn’t it? But this story told by Jesus is not a joke in fact it was a serious enough problem then for Jesus to address, and it is not any better today. Jesus goes on to say:
¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
Two things come to mind here that are still big problems today and the first is pride. Notice that the Pharisee used the word I, seven times in two verses. It was all about what he had done. He gave God no credit for the things he was able to accomplish. Do you have that problem? If you’re honest with yourself whenever you do something right or good especially over a period of time you may very well end up giving credit to yourself. Be mindful of that and remember to give God the glory.

The second thing here is the at least I’m not as bad as the other guy attitude. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. This too runs rampant in today’s society. For we all sin, however we all feel better about ourselves and justify our sins as soon as we find a person or a sin that is worse than us. As sinners we are all experts at this.
We all need to take a lesson from the despised tax collector who comes into play in verse 13.
¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’
He stood back would not even look to Heaven, he knew who he was a sinner and was deeply remorseful and asked for forgiveness. Then in verse 14 Jesus tells us how it all sakes out for the two completely different people.
¹⁴ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The question you need to ask yourself today is how much Pharisee is there in me? Find your inner Pharisee, and kill it.

Please don't leave me!

Jesus is coming back and when he does there are two things you need to know. The first is no one knows when that day will be and if they say they do they are lying. Second, once he arrives there is no getting ready. Your lot is cast no pun intended. Back in Noah’s day the people were unprepared and the flood came. In Sodom and Gomorra the people were too unprepared and judgment came quickly. It will be the very same way when Jesus returns up until his arrival it will be a normal day, it will be business as usual.  The part that should scare us the most is that for those who are not prepared there is no escape. There is no second chance you can plead with Jesus all you want begging "Please don't leave me" because it won't do a bit of good. Some will be taken with Him others will be left without him. The question becomes are you ready right now? Today could be the day. Have you trusted in Christ?  And if you have does it bother you that perhaps some of the people you love will be left behind? If it does bother you are you sharing the Gospel message with them? Because the only way not to be left behind is Jesus.

Luke 17:26-34

²⁶ “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. ²⁷ In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—²⁹ until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. ³² Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! ³³ If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. ³⁴ That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.^[h]”