Is Your Tomb Occupied?

On Easter Sunday morning Christians love to hear the story of a risen savior. This part of the scripture enforces our faith and belief that my God can do all things and that if I believe He will give me the strength to do all things.   Three woman went to the tomb on Sunday morning with spices they had prepared.  Did they expect that the guards would break the seal and allow them to anoint the body of the Jesus?  Were they there to anoint a dead Jesus who died with the sins of all humanity? Were they making the trip to see the empty tomb.  Maybe they understood “…I will raise it again in three days”.   I am curious to know the purpose of their trip.

These woman went to the tomb on Sunday morning with spices they had prepared. I dreamed that I was on that road with these women.  When we arrived, the stone was in place. The guards were there but suddenly the woman were no longer with me.  The guards stood before a tomb with my name on it.  They offered to help me move the stone, which we did without much effort.  I am not sure what I expected to see but what was very clear to me was that my tomb was not empty.

Inside I “greeted” the worst of me.  I spoke to my unforgiving heart.  I discussed life with my discouraging tongue. I high fived my mean streak.  I put some cool shades on my roving eyes.  I saw my gifts still wrapped in the packaging they came in. They all moved closer but I knew I could not stay long.  I woke up and tried to explain to Janet what I saw in my dream.  The question that followed me that day is what if my tomb was occupied? In my dream, I saw what lived there.  Could the guards or societies seal contain them?

When Jesus died, the Father could not look upon Him because He had taken on the sin of humanity.  He took those sins to hell and “handled up” on Lucifer and death.  In my dream, I think Jesus left my sins in the tomb.  There are times that I think and behave as if I visit the tomb regularly.  If you have met one of those guys please accept my apology.  I chose to serve a risen savior and not a dead Jesus. Jesus took my sins with Him and deposited them in the sea of forgiveness.  This is why every day I can say I am doing “absolutely wonderful” because I know that my tomb is empty.   

Divinity and Humanity Became One

Consider this:  The holy trinity having a sit down and deciding on how to bridge the gap between them and man.  This was a gap that had existed for 400 man years (just a few days for them).  There was only one way to truly bridge the gap.  A sacrifice had to be made.  Would the first fruit from the fall harvest do?  Would the fatted calf do?  How about the first 10th of their wages?  They spoke in unison; “all of these are mine already.”  Neither will do.  Jesus, this one is on you.  You will have to be clothed in human flesh and endure all that is common to it.  You will also be mocked and scorn even though you are without sin.  All the while we need you to teach folks with severe spiritual learning disabilities.  On top of that you will have to endure the most brutal death know to them.  After that, you can handle up on Lucifer and death, do your thing and come back home.  Then the Holy Spirit can take over.

On Thursday (before Good Friday) Divinity and humanity became one.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:42-44

Jesus knew the brutal undeserved treatment that was forthcoming was part of the divine plan.  I am no learned theologian but it appears his humanity asked if it was possible to forgo this part of the plan.  Angels even came to strengthen him, yet he still sweat blood.  He knew full well that he would receive 39 lashes, one less than it would take to kill him.  The deal was he was to die on the cross, not in the court yard with blood thirsty Roman guards.  This he knew yet he endured. 

Lord God My Father every day I pray for strength to endure in a world that is not my home because you did not let the cup pass. You did this for my sake, not your own. There are no words or thoughts I can use to express my gratitude for the enormous price you paid for me.  My responsibility as a believer is to love my neighbor as you loved me.  I am to forgive as you have forgiven.  I am to serve just as you came to serve. I am to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything you have commanded me. And surely you will be with me always, to the very end of the age. Amen

In Over My Head

I heard my Pastor say he felt as if he was “in over his head” when called to pastor our church.  You have probably felt this way at one time or another.  I don’t have any experience pastoring a church but I have had that feeling in a large percentage of the journey’s that I have set out on or been instructed to go on.   

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8 “ 

It seemed like there was always smarter guys in the room. Why was I there?  Maybe I misread the meeting invite.  The completed task seemed to always be just out of my reach.   

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 1 John 5:14” 

In the midst of the struggles God can be a “lamp unto your feet” to show you the way.  When the journey seems long and dangerous, the 23^rd Psalms says that “surely goodness and mercy shall follow”.   

When the opposition to your success is rising tall and shouting loudly, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32 

It is God’s desire to see His people succeed.  When you feel like you are in over your head, remember He has already made the ultimate sacrifice for us.  All was done in an effort to allow us to reach Him…  All we need do is listen for His voice.  “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me.” Rev 3:20 

“Knock Knock” … I think you know who’s there!

Black History Month

February is Black History Month. Some folks believe there is no need to continue designating this month for this reason. You might be one of them and I respect that. I personally do not share that opinion. I have friends and associates of all nationalities that will receive this email. I hope you can read this objectively because I have the utmost respect for you and your opinions, as I hope you do for mine.

The African American community is experiencing some catastrophic realities. Our children are dying in record numbers and it is only being noticed when the best and brightest of us fall victim. To be true to my faith I am just as concerned with the death of the “gang banger” as I am for the debutant. You might shout out that in the black community it is a result of black on black crime. You might also say that whites are dying in mass shootings because of “mental illness” which is the only reason there is an out-cry for gun control.

This month is a perfect opportunity for my generation to speak up and stress the rich history and struggle of a people that was the subject of the most horrific and diabolical treatment (before and after the 13th Amendment) any one group of people could endure. I reaped the benefits of my parent’s (generational) struggles in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. In the 70’s and 80’s the road blocks to success were passable because of the struggles of my elders. I did not acknowledge their “triumph” or pass on my gratitude. Instead I focused with laser beam precision to realize “my dreams” and prosper. Consequently, I (we) forgot to tell (repeat) the stories of the struggles and show our appreciation for the fruit we ate from trees we did not plant.

Excerpt from “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six year old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Fun Town is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five year old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness"--then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.

Those that pull the trigger do so with no thought of the countless “somebodies” that endured to allow them to just “be”. They never heard this story (and many others like it). They may only know of the much heralded “I have a dream” speech. One month can’t contain the history of African Americans. My hope is that it can serve as a spring board for conversation.

I can only pray that we all realize that God has given us a short time to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

My Lord My God My Father My Counselor, and My Redeemer, Thank you for your loving kindness despite our inability to appreciate your limitless gifts. Your greatest commandment is that we love you with all we have and then love others as we love ourselves. With that in mind, I lift up all relationships to you. All human encounters, rather they be casual or complex. I ask that you be present in them and bring peace to a hurting world… Amen

If I Had A Choice

Growing up I had several routes I could take to get to grammar school. The route I chose usually depended on how “nimble” I was feeling that morning. A straight shot to St. Killian was quick and I enjoyed walking past the store fronts on 87th street. This route left me vulnerable to guys that were tougher than me and who knew where I hid my lunch money. Hopping the freight train was quick but dangerous, and I still had to contend with the neighborhood when I hopped off. I could use my lunch money to catch public transportation but be hungry all day. Oddly neither of these choices ever caused me to miss a day of school in eight years. So my choice was always based on the consequences I was in the mood to endure. It is not the choices; it is the consequences of the choice that we must consider.

Consider this: The holy trinity having a sit down and deciding on how to bridge the gap between them and man. This was a gap that had existed for 400 man years (just a few days for them). There was only one way to truly bridge the gap. A sacrifice had to be made. Would the first fruit from the fall harvest do? Would the fatted calf do? How about the first 10th of their wages? They spoke in unison; “all of these are mine already. Neither will do. Jesus, this one is on you. You will have to be clothed in human flesh and endure all that is common to it. You will also be mocked and scorn even though you are without sin. All the while we need you to teach folks with severe spiritual learning disabilities. On top of that you will have to endure the most brutal death know to them. After that, you can do your thing and come back home.”

The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit made a choice based on their love for us in spite of the sacrifice Jesus would make on our behalf. The heavenly hosts rejoiced this decision\choice. This choice would allow us to go home after these carbon based bodies will no longer hold water. This past Christmas season was based on a choice that was made in heaven. How will you consider the choices that you make this new year? Those choices that put you at the foot of the Father will bring about consequences that will be rejoiced in heaven.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:13-14

Lord God my Father, thank you for loving me enough to choose to send your son to live and ultimately die for my bad choices. Thank you for being God and God all by yourself. My prayer is that I consider your choice as I make mine. I seek to grow closer to you this year and get to know you better through prayer and studying your word. All the glory and honor you are due for the grace and mercy you have shown towards me. In 2013 I choose to show myself approved… Amen

Glad the Tomb is Empty
Lance C. Peeler

Sliding Doors

In 1998 a movie titled Sliding Doors featured a woman named Helen who had a bad day at work. She got fired. On the way home she missed the train. Before the doors closed she got a glimpse of herself boarding the train in a “parallel universe.” The movie follows both Helens. The one that made the train lives a prosperous life while the Helen that missed the train struggles to find her direction and purpose.

Janet and I talk about how the choices we made early in life (and those made for us) have somehow brought us together. Her mother moved her and her sisters to Chicago where I lived. I missed the transfer date to the school I wanted to attend. I ended up attending school with Janet. I consider myself to be a logical person who shuns the concept of coincidence. I believe in cause and effect. I believe God has a hand in my life because He knew me before I was born and has a plan for my life.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” Jeremiah 1:5

We missed a tragic traffic accident. We uncharacteristically got on the road early. We were two hours ahead of the accident. Lives were lost and many were hurt. I was on my way to the airport on 9-11. My life has been filled with joy and pain. In the midst of it all God has introduced some incredible folks into my life to walk with me. The list of folks is vast and versatile. You may never know how much you contributed to my growth and the growth of my family. I am not sure if I missed or made the train. I do know that I am thankful for the life that God has allowed me to live for His glory. Janet and I have made it a habit to pray each day and give thanks to Him for our blessings. While doing this we realized how “rich” we actually are. Let everyday be a day of thanksgiving in your life. You are not a coincidence. He set you apart for a time such as this. Every day is a day of thanks giving because every day I have an opportunity to do your will your way.

Lord God My Father, My Redeemer, My Savior, thank you for being God and being God all by yourself. Thank you for the good the bad and the ugly that you have allowed to enter into my life. I know that they all will be for your glory... Amen

Is Love Blind?

It is often said that love is blind and that you overlook a person’s faults because of the love you have for them. That may be true but not necessarily the reason you overlook faults. You love in spite of a person’s faults because you may see the potential life you can both share together. Besides, you undoubtedly have a few faults yourself.

Many years ago I heard Janet say I love you. To be honest she was my first “real” girlfriend and I could not process those words or understand what they meant. So I said “I don’t know much about love, but I do dig the hell out of you.” Cut me some slack, it was the 70’s. Janet’s heart had a vision of what our relationship could become. She was wise beyond her years. I was a 16 year old boy which should be explanation enough.

As you might expect our relationship had an uneven start. Be that as it may, that was a defining moment in our life. It was a moment I could not shake. Do you remember that moment when you knew your spouse just might be working their way into your heart? Do you remember how you reacted or felt about those words or actions that made your heart think about them? I never want to forget that moment or those tingling sensations that went down my spine. It is that exact moment that will fuel you to be resolute in your will to provide for the needs of God’s gift in your life. Every day I have a moment when I pause and remember how much she really means to me. You see I know that our life together was ordained by God before we both breathed this air. Take a moment today to remember and give thanks for your gift… God’s love is not blind.

A writer said … “To love and be loved is to feel the Son from both sides.”

My God, My Father, My redeemer… Thank you for the gift of companionship, friendship, love and affection that you have provided for me through my spouse. Please allow me to honor your gift in a real way that will reflect your love for the church. You died for the church. I ask that you give me the never ending purpose and will to revere and respect my spouse until that time when you call us home… Amen