"There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone...."
Someone recently asked me the common question, "Why does God allow such forces of destruction in nature?"
I am not a theologian; not a studious Bible reader, analyzer, etc. I only know what He has done for me, and what He can do for others. But I don't know all the answers - I don't even believe that the answers are the same for everyone. God is very personal.
I think many times, the theologians with all the answers sometimes get it wrong because they're over-analyzing. God is also very straightforward
So, that verse jumped out at me this morning in Easter service.
MAYBE, just maybe, we're missing the angel. What if, that violent earthquake, tornado, hurricane, volcano eruption...accompanies an angel.
We've all heard of the miraculous survivals, the baby or 80 year old grandmother buried in the rubble, found alive after several days. The big news over the past week was the massive destruction in the DFW area from multiple tornadoes, without a single loss of life.
What if, in looking at the destruction, we overlook the miracle that the angel brings. Perhaps, that miracle is a message from God. Hmmmm, interesting......
There was an earthquake when Jesus died, Matthew 27:51 "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split."
And then, an earthquake at his resurrection. Maybe, we should stop fearing the end of this world as we know it and look for the resurrection angel.
Thoughts? Comments? Insights?
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
I Wonder if She's Had a Heart Attack
That's my 1st thought when I haven't seen her in several weeks.
I am relieved when I see her again.
She jogs at John Stiff Park during the lunch hour. It's really more of a shuffle.
She is clearly anorexic - skeletal, over-sized clothes, hollowed eyes, dry, brittle hair. I especially worry about her on extremely windy days, and on extremely hot days.
Is she in counseling? Does she have concerned family and friends? How long has she been this way? She doesn't look young. Is that genetics or the disease?
The co-dependent in me sometimes wants to stop & say hi. Introduce myself. Befriend her. Apparently, it's my job to save the world - complete strangers included.
Maybe I'm just afraid that I'll witness the moment when her body finally gives out. When one foot just can't make it in front of the other any more and she hits the pavement. Do I stop? Or do I just call 911 and keep driving? Surely someone else will stop.
I wonder if anyone I know, knows her. Mutual Facebook friends perhaps? Probably not. I imagine she's pretty isolated - maybe.
So I see her a few times, then don't see her for weeks, or months at a time. And I continue to wonder.
I am relieved when I see her again.
She jogs at John Stiff Park during the lunch hour. It's really more of a shuffle.
She is clearly anorexic - skeletal, over-sized clothes, hollowed eyes, dry, brittle hair. I especially worry about her on extremely windy days, and on extremely hot days.
Is she in counseling? Does she have concerned family and friends? How long has she been this way? She doesn't look young. Is that genetics or the disease?
The co-dependent in me sometimes wants to stop & say hi. Introduce myself. Befriend her. Apparently, it's my job to save the world - complete strangers included.
Maybe I'm just afraid that I'll witness the moment when her body finally gives out. When one foot just can't make it in front of the other any more and she hits the pavement. Do I stop? Or do I just call 911 and keep driving? Surely someone else will stop.
I wonder if anyone I know, knows her. Mutual Facebook friends perhaps? Probably not. I imagine she's pretty isolated - maybe.
So I see her a few times, then don't see her for weeks, or months at a time. And I continue to wonder.
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