We often talk about keeping a spiritual journal. Fill it with prayers, prayer lists, thoughts, ideas, notes from Bible studies you hear, notes from your own personal studies, fill it with notes and observations about the journey that God has you on. You might find it to be a resource that over time becomes more and more valuable to you.
As I am typing this I am waiting for the space shuttle Atlantis to take off for the very last time. Growing up in Florida I am fascinated with the space program. I know in a world of tight budgets and bad economy there are many that think space exploration is waste of money. I believe spiritually exploration and discovery is the call of God to humanity. Asking questions, finding answers, and striving to test the limits and keep striving forward are all things that I see rolled into living the God-breathed life.
What comes to mind when you think of Jesus? I think for some people it’s the picture of a lamb draped around his shoulders. There of course is the one where He is knocking at the door with no door handle on it. Others have flannel graph flashbacks from Sunday School. But there is a very different picture in John 2:15
As I reflected back over the calls, contacts, e-mails, and surprise visits from various news organizations it dawned on me that 90% of the requests that were made of us we answered with a “no.” For a variety of reasons we just couldn’t or didn’t feel led to honor most the requests that came our way. However, over a two week period we had 6 different local media outlets and all three network news agencies here at CCC. Some of them actually were a part of our worship events.
We try our best to communicate the truth in creative and life changing ways but there are a number of ways and styles to do that. We need lots of different kinds of churches because there are lots of different kinds of people!
Just about the time Jesus was finished healing the ear of the servant of the high priest named Malchus, the Gospel of Mark tells us a naked young man was found in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark 15:51,52 says, “And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: and he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.” Who was this young man? Why was he following Jesus? Why was he naked? Why was he draped in a linen cloth instead of wearing normal clothes? And why was the Holy Spirit so careful to include this unique story in Mark’s account of the Gospel? What is the significance of this event?