Drive Thru Theology

I love taking car trips with my daughter.  She has an inredible mind and asks really great questions.  It is impossible to calculate the number of conversations that we have had and the topics of those conversations.  Some of them have included: what modern day pirates look like, hot air balloons and if they offer free rides, if her toy wand really possesses magical powers, can a Great Dane fit in a Camaro, Darth Vader and general frustration over people being in front of us in the drive thru and the possibilty that they are taking the last happy meal toy.  Along with those amazing conversations that, by the way, I enjoy thoroughly, we also talk a little theology. 

Some of these conversations happen on the way to church.  Like,"We're going to church in a hotel??!!  Really?" To which I'm able to reply "Yeah baby.  You know, church isn't about the building." Then a conversation about church is born.  Or after picking her up from school I hear "Marissa is mean!  She said (insert insulting remark here)" and we start a conversation on forgiveness and how Christ forgave us of a BUNCH of mean things.  Don't get me wrong there are tons of moments where this doesn't happen.  Either, I'm tired or Savannah is just not up for having a discussion on the matter.  However, the more I try the more I multiply my chances of one of those conversations sticking.  There are times when I think I've made a pretty good case and it falls completely flat.  There are other times that I'm sure that I have stunk it up royally and she gets it.  I wish there were a formula.  The only formula I can come up with is Paul's in Acts 17:16.

Scripture states that Paul's "spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols."  Do you ever feel this way?  I mean, you see something on TV that should not be on during prime time and your kid is sitting in front of the screen.  I still remember my daughter uttering the phrase "Why he's got no head?" Before she was able to formulate sentences correctly.  I was horrified by what was being show on TV.  My spirit was provoked within me.  It made me sad that a generation of kids have to witness stuff like that.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a "Boycott everything that disagrees with my beliefs" kinda guy at all.  I was just miffed.  We also see it in our teens.  The stars they idolize and the sports figures that grab their attention are not exactly who you want to model ourself after.  My spirit is provoked within me when I see that.

YET, which is a key word, YET they are teaching points.  Don't spend your time ranting about why "kids these days" aren't respectful, while you raise your cane on your front porch.  Use it like Paul did.  It was a time to teach those who are knee deep in that culture something about the One true living God!  Take the opportunity without getting too preachy with them.  Don't beat them over the head with it or sermonize them.  Have a discussion with them over it.  See what they think.  Shut up and listen for a while and  you might be surpised about what you can find out about your kid.  But it all starts with you following the Spirit when He stirs you.  How will you react when the time comes?

A TALE OF TWO HOODIES

I've had this hoodie for around 8 years. It used to be navy blue but is pretty faded and a little tattered around the edges.  Me and hoodie have seen some pretty great times together.  This hoodie is so comfortable, even in 200 degree weather, and I LOVE IT!!! There’s one problem, my wife doesn’t want to be seen with me in public with old hoodie. I know, can you believe that?! “Why?” you may ask. Well, old hoodie has stains on it, it is also tattered and a little torn. Old hoodie, is…old. The fact of the matter is, I really needed to change to a new hoodie. I try not to say that in front of old hoodie too much. So, I went out and bought a new hoodie. It is currently hanging in my closet...nice and new. A lot more presentable than old hoodie and a little bit trendier. But not too trendy because I bought it at Wal Mart. Here’s the problem with new hoodie. I really like old hoodie. He’s comfortable, and people have seen me in old hoodie. I’m not sure how new hoodie is going to turn out for me. Not sure how people will react to new hoodie.

OLD ME VS NEW ME
When we become Christians, our lives are kinda like these hoodies. You see, we like the old us and really don’t feel like changing into the new us. The old us is predictable, comfortable and people know me that way. The Bible calls the old me, the old nature or man. The new one? The new man or creation/creature.  Our new life in Christ should be characterized by the change in us.  We are in the process of giving up more of ourselves and becoming more like Jesus.

LAY ASIDE, RENEW, PUT ON
This process of change or transformation is outlined in Ephesians 4:22-24 via Paul by the Holy Spirit.  He says things like we need to "lay aside" the old us, be "renewed" and to "put on" Christ.  Those words "Lay aside" and "put on" carry with them the connotation of taking off and putting on a garment.  The things that our heart desires before and after Christ should be different but the old us, isn't that easy to shake.  Our in dwelling sin still craves our old way of life and sometimes derails us from God's plan.  That's why this whole process is so important.  The more we take off, the old us and our old ways, the  more free we become to worship Jesus!  That's the renew part.  We shake ourselves of the old entanglements (Hebrews 12:1) and that rids us of the distraction of worshipping something different.  When we lay aside those things we are free to gaze upon the beauty that is Christ!

What is it in your life that is distracting you from seeing Christ's uniqueness?  His beauty?  Think of one thing that stand between you and a more fruitful life in Jesus this week and lay it aside so that God can do the work of renewing your heart.  Then begin to put on Christ's righteousness and His deeds to make the transformation complete.  I'll be praying for you.

Dark Night

I am notorious for having a bad sense of direction. If I don’t have a GPS or someone with me that has some serious directional skills, I will be lucky to get home. Yet, there are still times when I can convince myself that this is not the case. For instance, one year before I took a group of students to camp, I went off by myself, which was my first problem, and went for a hike. It was a pretty long hike and I was really enjoying the scenery as I went, which was my second problem. You see, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I was enjoying the deer that jumped across my path, I was peering off of the edge of the hill/ mountain (I was in Texas…it was a hill), and marveling at the butterfly that flew by my head. Before long I found myself deep in the woods, without a compass, with no cell phone coverage and…no water. Not very smart.

But still, I was relatively confident in my tracking skills (without real hard evidence that any such skill ever existed) and optimistic about finding my way back. So I turned around and hit the trail back. I was doing great, for awhile. Then I started looking at my surroundings and realizing, “I’ve never seen any of these land marks before.” I started to panic a little. No one really knew where I was and night was quickly approaching. If I was having trouble now, I would have REAL trouble once the darkness settled and I could see very little. I tried recalling episodes of Survivor or shows like 48 hours where people have survived extreme circumstances. But then I remembered that I don’t have any outside survival skills and quite honestly didn’t sit through an entire episode of these shows recently enough to make a difference.

The good news is, by God’s grace, I found my way back to a designated trail and eventually back to the camp before night came. Whew! If I had not, I would be wandering around in the dark, lost and pretty much hopeless. Have you ever had an experience like that before? Maybe it wasn’t being lost in a literal wilderness. But have you ever felt completely lost and not sure how to find your way out of a situation? Have you ever prayed to God to intervene but felt like…well…He ignored you? St. John of the Cross would call that your “Dark Night of the Soul”. Pretty cool terminology right? If you have ever been through it, you know that it is accurate imagery. You battle feelings of alienation, loneliness and abandonment. As a believer, you know that God exists but you wish for just a moment He would show Himself and get you out of the pit that you are in.

The question is: How do you get through the Dark Night? The answer is a lot more simple and uninteresting than we would like it to be. Trust and obey. Some of you just broke out into an old school hymn right there but I really believe that is the gist of it. As much as the Dark Night of the soul sucks, there are some things that I think God does through those times (not that it makes it any easier). Here are a few:

Rids you of Excessive Pride – When you have hit the bottom, there is no place to look but up right? Any misconceptions that you had previously are annihilated during this time. Be encouraged! It makes you more dependent on Christ. Which leads me to the next point…

Seeing Christ as Sufficient – Philippians 4:19 puts it this way: “And my God will supply all of your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.” Notice there is no promise of your riches or glory but according to His. The treasure that He is talking about is Jesus. Not deliverance from your problems or pain but that Christ is there in the midst of it. You are no longer seeing possessions or things as your savior but you are able to see the one true savior…Christ.

Brings you to a place of honesty with Him – Once your pride is stripped away and you have nothing else to lean on but God, it is really easy for you to confess your inability to help yourself before God. Not only that but you can confess your anger before Him. There are times when I have felt like shouting at God over something. Sure it isn’t a great prayer strategy but it is honest. God is a BIG God, He can take it. As long as you say you are sorry afterwards.

Gives You Endurance and Opens up New Possibilities
A few months ago, I contacted an old mentor of mine to update him on some things that I was currently going through. He was very encouraging and at the end of the email he signed it with “Press on…”. LOVE IT!!! He basically summarized Philippians 3:14 which says “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Notice how the goal is always Christ? But to get there you have to press on regardless of the circumstances. When you do that, God gives you endurance to face the next challenge. It is called perseverance and character. This ultimately makes you more like Christ which, again, is the goal. That is called “transformation”. Once you begin to live that way, God will open up new possibilities for you that you never dreamed possible. When your happiness is not contingent upon your circumstances you can do anything and glorify God! Amazing right?

In the moments where you can't tangibly feel God.  Know this.  He is there.  Trust and obey, even in the times when you can't feel Him there and know that He will never leave you or forsake you.  Peace.

Skipping Church

This past Sunday I went with a gathering of friends to place in our city, McKinney, and did some remodeling.  It was my favorite part of the remodeling process, demolition.  It is also the part that I am the best at...which isn't saying very much but I digress.  I was in my car driving to the work site when I couldn't help but notice the churches that I was passing as I sped by.  People were moving in and out of the buildings.  Some were sparsely attended and others seemed bustling with activity.  Regardless of what their attendance was that day, they were all similar in the sense that people were coming together at their regularly scheduled time to go to their regularly scheduled Sunday morning church services with most of the same elements that it did the week before.  It was routine.  That isn't a bad thing, in a world of inconsistency it is good to have things like schedules and programs.  I am not anti routine by any stretch of the imagination.  As a matter of fact, I love my routines, I'm comfortable with my routines, my routines make me feel safe.  Maybe that is why it is really healthy and maybe even spiritual to disrupt your routines.

I think when our spirituality becomes routine, it turns into religion.  It turns into a cold, stale and predictable path.  I think we all get lulled into an unconscious faith when we fail to realize this.  We don't venture too far outside of what we expect and we avoid things that are new or outside of what we deem "normal".  This past Sunday I remembered that God cannot be contained within a building or even a program.  He is among and is present among friends that are volunteering their time and efforts to show love to people they don't even know.  The Holy Spirit is there in the "incidental" conversation that you have with someone you just met and yet they are opening up about their painful past and uncertain future.  Jesus is there when you are hammering a nail and tearing up drywall while the neighbors in nearby homes notice your efforts and smile when you walk by (Psalm 139:7-9).

I'm not going all pantheistic on you, I realize the importance of preaching God's Word and singing worship songs together.  My soul is touched when I hear a great sermon, moved when I am challenged by Scripture and my eyes have teared up while singing words of a praise and worship song.  But worship can, and does, happen while you are hammering a nail and sawing a piece of wood.  He is there when we gather in His name, His precious name, and devote ourselves to Him and love each other accordingly (Matthew 18:20).

My encouragement to you is, break your routine once in a while.  Skip church.  You heard me.  Skip church.  Not to watch a game, not to sleep in but to do something else that is devoted to Him.  Maybe it is a service project or feeding the homeless.  Maybe it is to study your Bible in a coffee shop uninterrupted.  Whatever it is, do it because you love Him and want to know Him better.  Peel off that thick layer of religion that has coated your heart for too long and make your walk with Him a dynamic one. 

I'll be honest with you, I almost skipped the service project I'm talking about this week.  I had a pretty rough week as well as a busy one.  I was feeling like I didn't want to be around people very much and like I needed the rest.  At some point God spoke to me, not audibly, and I felt very strongly that instead of skipping it, it was the remedy for my troubled soul this week. I was right.  God rewarded that time by giving me the opportunity to connect with people I had not previously and by getting outside of myself to focus on others.   I remembered that Jesus served others despite the intense persecution He was under.  Despite the fact that He was on a mission to save us.  He had all kinds of excuses for not serving others but He served instead of demanding that we serve Him.  The King.  Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to serve You (Matthew 20:28)!

Matt

I Alone Am Left

Ever had to face a bully? My guess is that all of us at one time or another have been in that position whether we want to admit it or not. Maybe it was at school as a kid. Perhaps the bully was a member of your family or it is not unheard of for the bully to be your boss or a coworker. Whatever the case may be, my story will probably sound in someway familiar to you. It would not surprising to hear that as a kid, I was bullied semi frequently. It would be even more apparent if you checked out a picture of me growing up. The bifocals, toothpick arms and pasty white skin would definitely seal the deal for you. I can remember one specific event when I was walking home from school when I was in middle school.

I was in sixth grade and my family had just moved from Plano, Tx. to Humble, Tx. In my opinion, at least at the time, it was not good timing. I had no friends and as previously stated, I was not going to win any medals any time soon for any sports related event. I was easy pickins. I liken it unto the gazelle that has strayed from the herd with the lion lurking behind the brush like you would see on the Discovery Channel.

When it happened, I was in the most vulnerable place I could possibly be in junior high. You guessed it...P.E. My affectionate term for the class was "Juvenile Detention" for obvious reasons. It was one of the few places where absolute lawlessness reigned and adults seemed to turn a blind eye to bullying chalking it up to "boys will be boys" or "it will toughen him up a bit". But I digress. I was sitting on the bench in the locker room, the most terrifying of places for a middle school boy in my position, when it happened. His name was Paul and it was widely known that he smoked pot and ate sixth grade nerds for breakfast. He seemed to be six feet tall, had a Magnum P.I. mustache and as I remember it, his knuckles scraped the ground.

I was sitting alone on the bench, trying to avoid eye contact and looking straight ahead nervously hoping that today's activity might be something like "pick your own activity day" or "read your favorite comic book" and certainly not "dodge ball" or "wrestling". Paul, smelling blood in the water, walks straight up to me and leans over right in my face and gave me the ultimate insult. I could feel his hot stinky breathe on my face when he uttered the words "YOUR MOM!". Of course he got the usual high fives from his cronies around him and nervous laughter erupted in the locker room. I know that "YOUR MOM" by today's standards is not that bad at all and if I had known that at the time it wouldn't have stung that bad but...it did. Even though I had nerdy friends at the time that were facing the same persecution, in that moment I was alone. I alone had to face that trial. Sure, we would get together after the fact and share how bad the day had been, talk about our common interest and console one another but in that moment I was alone facing that test.

If the truth be told, it was not the last time I had to face a challenge like that in middle school and even to this day, I face challenges where I feel like...I'm alone. Don't get me wrong, I am in community with other believers but there are certain struggles and challenges that even though you have support and encouragement from friends and family, there is a degree in which you face that challenge alone. I was going through my reading plan for my time with God and came across this passage in 1 Kings 18 with Elijah the prophet. He was facing the Prophets of Baal and made this statement:

v22Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 men."

Now, later in the book of 1 Kings, (19:10) Elijah will make the same statement but I think it has a different edge to it here. The latter verse Elijah is basically saying that he is literally the only prophet left to face Jezebel and her prophets was him. This passage I think he is aware that there are other prophets because Obadiah, another prophet, had just finished telling him as much. Later he conveniently forgets this fact in his despair. He exaggerates his condition. However, here I believe the statement he is making is that he alone must face the prophets of Baal and possible annihilation.

There are times in each of our lives where we are faced with an extreme challenge. We can find community and get encouragement, which you absolutely should. You will not be able to stand in the face of this challenge truly alone. But, I do believe the burden of conquering that challenge and the physical act of standing up to it, rests on your shoulders...and on God's. You see God uses those moments to strengthen your faith. St John of the Cross calls those moments "The Dark Night of the Soul'. I love that phrase! It accurately describes the turmoil that you experience during those times. It is not your run of the mill challenge. It is not the typical suffering that you experience in every day life. This challenge is a Goliath sized problem. At first it may send you reeling, grasping for something to pick yourself up by. But before you are able you are hit yet again by the same challenge. It is indeed a crisis!

In those moments, God is your only anchor (Hebrews 6:19). He alone will face the challenge with you if you draw near to Him (James 4:8). It is in those moments that your faith is solidified or broken hopelessly. God will strengthen you and allow you to face that challenge only in Him and not in your own strength. It is a blessing but in the moment, it certainly doesn't feel like it. If that is you right now, let me first encourage you by saying, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There are other Christ followers right now that stand along side of you who are facing their "Dark Night of the Soul" as well. Find comfort in community. But please do not rely on them primarily, make God your anchor. Here are someways that God provides us to face those moments.

1. Gain Strength from God - Cry out to Him in your pain but also in comfort. Make Him your close friend and ally. Learn more about Him through His Word and in prayer.

2. Gain Strength from Biblical Community - Find a group of Christ followers that is dedicated to yielding their lives to Him and learning more about Him. A group that lives our their faith and reaches out to those that don't know Him. People that serve in the community and love Jesus.

3. Face Your Trial - Don't avoid the confrontation that you are facing. Charge the hill! Run into it knowing that God is with you and get support from your local body of believers. Know that we are all in the same boat and you are not alone. Realize that regardless of how painful what you are experiencing is that God is in you and with you. He will never leave you or forsake you even if you feel forsaken. God is faithful because that is who He is.

Gracious Authenticity

About a week ago, I was looking for a Starbucks to study in. I was going to deliver a message the following Sunday and I needed to find a place where I could be fully caffeinated as well as get away for a few hours. I found the perfect location. It was only five minutes away and it was constructed in a mediterranean style with a cobble stone walk way. It was perfect! It was the closest thing I could get to a retreat while still being close to home. I ordered my coffee, a grande drip no room, and sat down to begin the caffeination process. As I picked up my coffee and downed my first gulp of coffee, I glanced out of the window at a Walmart that was across the street from the coffee shop. It one instance the entire illusion of a retreat, of sipping coffee in a pseudo mediterranean village had been shattered. One glance was all it took.

I fear that sometimes the church is a lot like my experience at that Starbucks. People approach the church building with a lot of expectations. The hope of entering a place that is about forgiveness and acceptance. A place where they can be known without fear of judgment. The problem is that many times that illusion is shattered with just one visit, just a glance. They enter the building and are often times met with unwelcoming stares or worse, no acknowledgment at all that they were even there. At other times it is more subtle. They join a small group and open themselves up to hypocritical criticism. Instead of being authentic and gracious, members of the group have chosen to wear "holier than thou" masks and hide behind Bible verses and religion instead of sharing their fears, struggles and failures.

The other problem that we encounter in church is that we swing to the opposite side of the spectrum. Instead of pretending to be something that we are not, we use the word "authenticity" as an excuse not to grow or to embrace a lifestyle that is contrary to the message of the gospel. Instead of wearing the mask of religion, we wear the mask of disobedience and use the idea of acceptance to to hide our refusal to grow in Christ.

If you look up "Authenticity" in Websters one of the definitions that is given is "being actually and exactly what is claimed. It implies being fully trustworthy as according with fact." This is a great definition of what it means to be an authentic Christ follower or to be "Graciously Authentic". According to this definition we need to be careful what we are claiming to be. We can't claim to be overly "religious" and we can't claim to be a people that accept Christ and then end up being a "waste of grace".

I love Paul's stance on this in 1 Corinthians 15:9-11. He says this:

“For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

After reading this passage a few things impacted me greatly.

1. Paul Received God's Grace - "least of the apostles" Paul's realization that he was guilty of destroying the church while the 12 had been busy at building it up. It wasn't that his authority was any less than theirs, he spends time in other passages defending that fact. He was simply honest about who he had been and made no bones about the fact that he was a work in progress (Philippians 3:12).

2. Paul Reflected God's Grace - "But by the grace of God I am what I am" Not only was Paul acutely aware that God had been merciful to him, he was also aware that he had begun a good work inside of him. He was in the middle of transforming him from the inside out. Paul reflected the grace (unmerited favor) that God had shown to him and his life was evidence of this.

3. Paul Released God's Grace -

"and His grace toward me did not prove vain;" The word "vain" there can literally be translated to "empty". Paul is saying that grace that is poured out onto you should be then poured out onto others through you. Don't be a "waste of grace" by withholding grace from others. He also says that as a result he "labored" more than the other apostles. The word "labored" holds significant weight. It's meaning is that he worked to the point of exhaustion. It was no incidental thing. Paul worked tirelessly to show grace to those who didn't know Christ without being a hypocrite.

The application in your life should be obvious. Think about yourself in view of God's grace. Have a healthy view of yourself in view of the cross. A sinner saved by grace. But don't spend all of your time dwelling on it because the person that you were is no longer the person that you are. God has transformed you.

Now comes the hard part. Show that same grace to others. Work tirelessly at it. Don't wear the mask of hypocrisy and pretend to be better than you are and don't give up and embrace a life of disobedience pretending to be open minded.

To be an authentic believer in Jesus Christ, you must receive, reflect and release God's grace to others.

Poking Jesus in the Eye

A few years ago, our family cat was really sick due to kidney failure. We visited the vet and we were told that she didn't have much time left but we could buy her some time if we would feed her an IV and give her fluids. I had decided that we were not up for that because we had young kids and I am a needle phobe but before I could inform the vet, my wife said "We'll do it." She did this for a few different reasons:

#1. She really loved that cat and it had been with her since college.
#2. She is a much better person than I am.

After a few months of treating Maychen (our cat) it was evident that she wasn't going to make it much longer. The treatments weren't having the desired effects that they had once had and we new that she was suffering. So we made the difficult decision to have the vet put her to sleep. It was very sad but we knew that it was time. Though that was a difficult time, we were not prepared for the conversation with my daughter about our beloved cat.

We pulled Savannah aside, who at the time was about 5, and broke the dreaded news to her. "Savannah, you know Maychen is sick right?" "Right". "Well, today we took her to the vet and she couldn't help her any more. They couldn't give her any medicine that would make her feel better. So Maychen died today." Savannah: "So she's with Jesus." Me: Long pause. "Yes sweetie, she's with Jesus." Look, theologically I've always been taught that this will not be the case (because animals can't accept Jesus)but PLEASE! You try to tell that to a 5 or 6 year old. Bottom line, I'm not sure what God is going to do with that. There will be a New Heaven and New Earth right? I digress. Savannah's face teared up and she bawled for about five minutes. It was gut wrenching. Then suddenly, the tears stopped abruptly. Her face hardened and her fists clenched. I asked her "Honey, are you sad?" Her jaw tightened and then she spun around and said the following words that will forever be etched in Snellings family history: "I'm not sad. I'm MAD at God!" I bit my lip trying not to laugh (yes I know it is a very sad situation...its my coping mechanism). Jenn cupped her hands over her mouth in utter shock.

Savannah then said, "When I get up into heaven, I'm going to walk up to Jesus and POKE Him in the eye." To her that was one of the worst things you could do to a person. In all honesty, it does really hurt. But to recap our reactions from before: Matt biting lip and Jenn in utter horror. Jenn is thinking "we've ruined our daughter forever" and I'm thinking "A theologian is born!!!" I think that it is really important to let kids express what they are thinking about God without judgement but there is a line. Savannah had a really strong grasp on the situation. She knew that God allowed this to happen to our cat. It was not outside of His grasp. God is sovereign. Maybe she wasn't thinking those exact words but she got the concept. I then began to explain to her that poking Jesus in the eye really isn't a great idea especially since He died for our sins and everything. She calmed down a bit but it was a teachable moment and legendary to boot.

Handling news like that is really difficult. Maybe we haven't said those exact words about Jesus but we've thought something simliar. Maybe upon hearing about a relative passing or a loved one getting the news about a a life threatening disease, we've thought. "God, I can't believe you'd do this to me." or "That's it, I'm not going to church anymore, I'm not serving, I'm not reading my Bible anymore because of this." Unconsciously we've subscribed to a theology that we probably wouldn't admit to. It is this: I do good = You give me what I want. We are treating God kind of like a cosmic vending machine. The truth is, God gives to us because He loves us, not because we earn His favor (Matthew 7:8-10). Its called grace. God's unmerited favor. It is how He imparts His salvation to us and how He preserves us until He returns. his unmerited favor (Acts 15:10-11; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 2:8-10); . Nothing that we've done earns that gift. Conversely, bad stuff doesn't happen to us because we've colored outside of the lines (John 9:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:9-11). Sure, He wants us to obey Him (John 14:21), but He isn't waiting around for us to fail so that he can give a love one cancer or make us lose our jobs. A loving Father doesn't do that.

There is another truth at play during times such as these. God is with us. One of the names that Jesus is given is "Immanuel" or God with us. No doubt you talked about this name during the holiday season. Jesus has told us that "I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) God promises us His presence to walk us through these times. He also promises that victory has swallowed up death (1 Cor. 15:54-57). By Christ's work on the cross, Satan's power is nullified and death is not the final word. It isn't the final word for the one dying nor is it the final word for those left to deal with the aftermath. Victory is the final word. Death's power has been nullified. Christ conquered it. Take that with you this week. Impart the power of life to someone else that you know. Speak life into your conversations and be a life giving agent to someone you know. Peace.

Matt