Soul Sister Time

              Who does not have questions about God when an ancient, invaluable, precious cathedral catches fire during Holy Week in Paris, and manmade bombs destroy several churches on Easter Sunday making martyrs of the hundreds of worshippers in Sir Lanka?   What is God’s lesson?               My son, Ben, was asked this question from his friend and his comment—that the burning of Notre Dame exposes more about the hearts and minds of Christ-followers in our post-Christian era than a judgement from God—made me stop and think.   Where do you find groups of people willing to sacrifice, dream, endure hardship, work, design and create an elaborate place of worship recognizing that since it would require 100 years to complete, they would not witness its magnificence in their lifetimes?   What do Christians dedicate their sacrifices, dreams, endurance, work, and creativity to in our days?   Has the world so infiltrated our churches that we don’t dream and plan for the witness we will

Monday of Holy Week:   Monday, Monday Monday is not known for being the most hopeful of days. Songs have been written about Mondays. Monday marks the end of the weekend. Though it offers a new start and a new beginning, most don’t see it that way. Monday means back to the grind in most people’s minds. Jesus’ experiences on Holy Monday are a precursor to the work he would do the rest of the week. On Monday He set in motions the dominoes of instant responses for what would lead to Good Friday. The disciples didn’t seem to have a clue. Coming off of the high of Palm Sunday, they might have had their hearts and minds set on some more of the same for this day. Perhaps they wanted to sleep in after such a draining Sunday. This would not be the case. Rather, they followed Jesus as He led them on an intense day of mysterious events with important lessons. Monday, in the week that changed the world, would be a day of teaching about prayer. He would rely on the dramatic to drive His teac

Fifth Monday in Lent: Righteousness Needed Jesus is all about bringing us righteousness yet we are too worldly focused to think we have much of a need for righteousness. Most of us think we need healing or exciting miracles. We might try to get a little righteousness by going to church on Sunday and giving some spare change to a beggar. God sees the bigger picture and knows that there is nothing which we are more bankrupt than righteousness. He sees that we are totally incapable of getting the righteousness we need through our own actions, so He sent Jesus to give us His righteousness through His sacrificial work on the cross. Lent is a season of repentance and preparation for the Easter celebration. No matter how sacrificial your Lenten fast, it could never be enough to earn your righteousness. I have been practicing Lent for   years, and every year at the end of my fast I come face to face with how far I am from righteousness. Some of the first recorded words of Jesus in th

Fourth Monday in Lent: Miraculous Forgiveness Forgiveness is the true miracle cure that is given to the whole world. I don’t think it is possible to comprehend what Christ’s forgiveness means in our lives. We can open its miraculous powers when we entrust the Holy Spirit to release the release the cleansing and healing powers of forgiveness within our souls. The reason most of us don’t experience the miracle powers of forgiveness is because it goes completely against our sin nature to forgive, thus we don’t fully commit to the process. When Christians try to forgive in their own strength, it dilutes forgiveness’ power. If forgiveness does not improve your soul, you are probably acting without the Spirit’s power. Shamefully, I have to admit that I know firsthand what happens in my soul when I have forgiven with God’s Spirit, yet still struggle to forgive after being offended. Though it is the most peaceful, supernatural, hopeful, spiritually productive experience of my life, I d