monologues performed by people who played characters that were living at the time of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Each person gave an incredible message, some even chose to dress in costume. They talked about their feelings and experiences, how they doubted in the beginning, and how they came to believe that this profit they’ve interacted with was indeed the Son of God. We heard from:
one of the soldiers
Mary Magdalen
Peter, the disciple
Cleopas (Road to Emmaus)
and finally, Thomas (AKA: doubting Thomas).
an incredible performance by our very own Lynn Dyck who sang “He’s Alive”, which reinforced the simple message of the Bible “He’s alive and I’m forgiven. Heaven’s gates are open wide”.
“Thomas” explained that he wanted to believe; that Jesus had actually risen from the dead, after it was discovered His tomb was empty and the body was gone. But, the truth was that he didn’t believe. Like many people, even today, rising from the dead after 3 days seems like a crazy idea. It’s not possible, right? However, Thomas was curious enough to want to know more. He said he wouldn’t believe it until he saw Jesus, Himself, standing before him showing the holes in His hands, and the wound in His side. Thomas refused to believe until he saw it with his own eyes. So, Jesus did exactly that. That’s when Thomas became a believer.
So many of us are like Thomas. The difference is that Thomas had the opportunity, much more so than we do today, to talk with the risen Lord. He was able to see the truth for himself. Jesus said that Thomas was blessed because he believed because he saw. Jesus also said that those of us who believe even though we haven’t seen are even more blessed.
This led to a video that had been prepared showing people within out church family and around town giving a short testimony as to how they know, 2000 years later, that Jesus is real, alive, and that He is who He says He is. Below is that video. I think you will find it to be a blessing, as was the youth shadow performance, and the song “He’s Alive”.
Overall, as Christians it’s always wonderful and awesome to see and hear the Easter message. After all, it’s what life is all about for us. It’s a story we never tire of hearing, and gets more exciting every time. It was also a message that could help newcomers see and hear the truth about the great love God has for us. He loves me. He loves you. He knows you, even if you don’t know Him. He loves you enough to have sacrificed His son to save your eternal soul, to make sure you will spend eternity with Him in paradise. He loves you so much, that even if you were the only one who needed saving, He would have given the same sacrifice, suffered the same fate on the cross.
He’s waiting for you. Talk to Him today. It will be the most life changing conversation of your life. The most important decision you will ever make is to ask Jesus into your heart to be the Lord and Saviour of your life.
Every once in a while a song, a performance comes along that in and of itself is a message. This is the case with this video. This is a performance by Lynn Dyck in our church on Easter Sunday. The message is clear “He’s alive and I’m forgiven. Heaven’s gates are open wide”. What else is there to say? What else really matters?
I hope this blesses you as much as it did our church family when we watched it live.
On Good Friday, our church presented a multimedia concert event. It showed us that Jesus died for us, and left us with the question “How Could You Say No to this Man?” Seeing the sacrifice that He gave for us leaves us with out a doubt that He loves us, and our hearts should accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. No one has ever, or will ever, make such a sacrifice, or has ever loved so greatly.
Easter Sunday, again Barrie Free Methodist Church, presented the Easter story in non-traditional methods. This is a great way to help those who are non-believers or those who are “sitting on the fence” to experience church in a way that may not be so “scary” or “in your face” as a standard sermon. It’s a great way of showing the hope that the Easter story has brought to us.
Among other things, that I will present in the next couple of blogs in this Easter series, this video shows the youth of our church presenting the Easter story. I’ve said before that we are blessed with an over-abundance of incredible talent in our church family. This includes our youth. Among them, we have great musicians, actors, and creative talent. Watch this video of their performance to the song “Hope’s Song” by Rebecca St. James. It’s a sermon in and of itself… with no words spoken.
My church has a history of producing wonderful concerts that draw our church family, and others, closer to God. We have been blessed with an abundance of incredible talent amongst our family. There’s everyone from the stage crew to the performers, and everyone in between. And, God has used each and every one of us individually, and as a group, to show His love for all of us.
Anyone who goes to our church will tell you that it’s a different place, we are a different people, then other churches. Neither, do we always do things according to the traditional methods. This Easter weekend, a concert was presented on Good-Friday instead of the standard type church service. The message behind it was loud and clear; Jesus willingly suffered and gave His life for us. For me. For you. Even if you were the only one, He would have given the same sacrifice. He loves you that much!
Here’s the video of our concert. I recorded it myself from the audience, which I hadn’t planned on doing when I went. There’s a little movement of the camera now and then, and heads in front of the camera, but neither hinder you from seeing the concert or accepting the message.
Happy Easter. May this be the year you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. It is the most important decision you will ever make.
~~ Mark 9:23 (ESV) ~~ And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
by Carley Cooper
There’s a song by country music singer, Joe Nichols, called The Impossible. It’s been going through my mind today. The lyrics remind me of how I’m feeling about some circumstances in my life right now.
Sometimes the things you think would never happen,
Happen just like that.
Unbendable steel bends.
If the fury of the wind is unstoppable,
I've learned to never underestimate,
The impossible
An' then there was my junior year,
Billy had a brand new car.
It was late, the road was wet,
I guess the curve was just too sharp.
I walked away without a scratch.
They brought the helicopter in.
Billy couldn't feel his legs.
They said he'd never walk again.
But Billy said he would an' his mom and daddy prayed,
An' the day we graduated, he stood up to say:
Unsinkable ships sink.
Unbreakable walls break.
Sometimes the things you think would never happen,
Happen just like that.
Unbendable steel bends.
If the fury of the wind is unstoppable,
I've learned to never underestimate,
The impossible
So don't tell me that it's over.
Don't give up on you and me.
'Cause there's no such thing as hopeless,
If you believe:
Unsinkable ships sink.
Unbreakable walls break.
Sometimes the things you think would never happen,
Happen just like that.
Unbendable steel bends.
If the fury of the wind is unstoppable,
I've learned to never underestimate,
The impossible
I’m tempted to ask you if you have ever felt like you’ve been in an impossible situation. However, I know I don’t have to ask you that. I know you have; because we all have at some point in our lives. Life seems to have a way of backing us into a corner leaving us to feel like there is no way out. There’s no solution possible to the problem.
Right now I’m feeling very hurt, angry and even betrayed by someone I love dearly. I don’t claim to be innocent in the situation. Just the opposite; I blame myself for everything. It’s left me completely disoriented, confused and grieving in the worst way. I see that a friendship that I knew for sure was completely solid and immovable, no longer is. It’s left me wondering if it ever was solid; was it ever real in the first place? Was I misleading myself this whole time? What else or who else in my life am I deceiving myself about? I opened myself up to this person and left myself in a completely vulnerable state trusting this person totally, and it backfired on me. I was rejected because of my brokenness. Then, to cloud the issue even more for me I found out that confidences were broken; and my most broken parts have been shared with someone who was not invited into the situation. Nothing looks clear to me anymore. I am not sure who or what I can trust. I knew with absolute certainty that this friendship was real and solid. I counted and depended on it. I was wrong. At the moment, I no longer trust my own judgment on anything. It’s left me feeling like I can’t trust that the sky is indeed blue or that the grass is in fact green; let alone who is telling me the truth. Of course all this, in itself, causes even more emotional turmoil through a truck load of guilt, because I keep thinking that others have problems so much worse than mine. I should just let it go and forget my feelings.
There was another situation once where I knew something was impossible. I knew with absolute certainty that God would never keep me separated from my dog, Casey. I knew that I would be able to bring Casey home to live with me where he belongs once my living situation was settled. I made very important life decisions based on the fact that Casey is definitely coming home. If I thought for one instant that he wasn’t I certainly would not have chosen the options I did. I was trusting God; keeping my faith in Him without any weakness in it. I wasn’t budging an inch in my faith! Except it didn’t happen. Even though I had medical support that I need him and my lawyer said that the law is on my side, Casey can’t come home now even if the circumstances changed; because it’s in his best interest to stay where he is. He’s blind now and his last sighted place is at my friends house; which was meant to be a temporary solution until I could put myself in a position to bring him home. Not only that but her dog, Snowy, has succumbed to her instincts to become Casey’s new eyes. Little Snowy guides Casey around the back yard, the house, and keeps him from wandering onto the road. Whether I like it or not now, Casey needs them more than me. Casey’s needs have to come before mine. He is staying where he is. I love him enough for that.
Another time when I underestimated the impossible was many years ago when I dated a guy, that I’ll call, Brian (not his real name). We dated for about six months. I was so head-over-heels in love with this guy. He felt the same about me. He treated me like a queen. One day we were downtown and stopped at a hotdog vendor where he bought a jumbo hotdog for us to share together. I mean, literally, together. He was eating from one end while I was eating from the other end. We giggled our way through it the way we giggled our way through everything we did together. When we got to the center we ended with a kiss.
A couple of girls walked by as we were eating and saw us. One said to the other “See, that’s what being in love is all about. That’s what I want.”
It made me feel good. Brian and I looked at each other smiling, but didn’t say anything. We didn’t have to. We knew what she meant, because we felt it. It wasn’t long after, that he ended the relationship. I was so in love with this man. It was so real to me; more than anyone else that I had been with. This was the same guy that took me on a grocery shopping date. Yes, you read that correctly. Grocery shopping date, and I could not have had more fun at anything if I tried. I had a blast! How could something that real, be fake? Yet it ended, so therefore I know it wasn’t real and never was.
Thinking about the impossible being possible; at this time in the year, I can’t help but think about the impossible feat that Jesus accomplished for us at Easter. He willingly put Himself through punishment, humiliation, suffering, sacrifice, betrayal, and much more that we are not even capable of imagining. He died, fought death and came back to life again after three days. He went through all this because He loves each one of us that much. If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now I would not make the same decisions that I have made so far. I would choose very differently. I would not open up so much to someone that I thought was a friend. I would not let my living situation be such that Casey couldn’t come home; even if I knew about his future blindness. I would alter my course to avoid going through these pains. But Jesus is eternal. He’s outside of time. He knew what was going to happen. He already knew that we would sin against Him and we would need to be saved; yet He did went through all that pain and suffering for us anyway. He loves us that much.
All these events in my life leave me with the same questions; How could my judgement have been so off? If my judgment is that off on something that important, then how can I know that anything around me or anyone I interact with is real or trustworthy? Where does it end? Where do the boundaries start and stop with trust? I honestly don’t know. My vision has been clouded with much pain; and is made even more so through the filter of Bipolar Disorder and the medication cocktail that goes along with that. The only thing I know for sure that I can trust is Jesus. I will sit and wait for His direction; even then, I may have to ask Him to confirm and reconfirm His instructions to me. I will have to pay extra close attention to every detail for a while to make sure I know when He’s directing me; to make sure that it’s not the enemy taking advantage of my vulnerability to lead me astray. It is overwhelmingly difficult to concentrate and focus, but when nothing else looks clear; when I don’t know what is real and what isn’t around me, I know that I have to focus on Jesus. I know that He is real and as long as I focus on Him nothing is impossible.
Joe Nichols – The Impossible
~~ Dear God ~~ Thank You for the impossible feat that You accomplished through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus on the cross for us. Thank You for never giving up on me, even in spite of my brokenness. Please help me to clearly see Your direction in my life; to clearly see the enemies attempts at misdirection, and open my heart to true forgiveness of those who have hurt me. Especially, help me to forgive myself as well, Lord, so that my heart is completely free to focus on You. ~In Jesus name, AMEN.
JOE NICHOLS lyrics are property and copyright of their owners. "The Impossible" lyrics provided for educational purposes and personal use only.
~~ Proverbs 10:2 ~~ Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.
Free Source Photo
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The province of Newfoundland is an island in the great Atlantic ocean, located at the very east end of Canada. It is overwhelmingly rich in history, culture, and beauty that is second to none in the whole world. I was born and raised in this wonderful place commonly known as ‘The Rock’, where people are so friendly they would give you the shirt from their back if it would help you in the least little bit. Our ancestry makes us a unique gene pool in this world that scientists are eager to study. We will invite you, as a complete stranger; into our homes, give you supper and a place to sleep in a heartbeat if you need it. The next day you will likely experience a party like none other you have ever been to with laughter and music as unique as the people. You will get to eat a ‘Jiggs Dinner’; and finish it off with some scrumptious treats that probably involve tea, fruit cake, seafood, tea buns and a very special potion called ‘Newfie Screech’.
As children growing up, playing on the beach next to the ocean was a common practice for us. As carefree kids there was only one rule back then... “Don’t tell Mom we were playing on top of the big rocks near the water!” Like young people anywhere, we would often collect all sorts of riches found on the shore. There were snail shells, pieces of drift wood in the most amazing shapes, rocks of incredibly unique shapes and colors, many variations of sea shells, dried star fish, bits and pieces of gadgets from old fishing boats, and the list goes on.
One of the things that we often collected was a shell called a ‘Sand Dollar’. We liked them because they were sometimes rather large in size and held a shape resembling a disk. Its size was rivalled only by that of a scallop shell. The uses for such a treasure in a child’s world were endless! After we took some home, one of the smaller sized shells might be attached to a string and become a necklace; another might become a place to hold trinkets, and yet another might be painted to become an ornament for a Christmas tree. Once there was one that became an ashtray for my Dad... except Dad never did smoke cigarettes, but he loved it anyway! Sand Dollars, we also thought were pretty, because of the unique star shape in its center. Little did we know, at that time, the treasures hidden within the symbols that this little shell held for us.
There is an old poem that tells a little story about this appealing little sea shell. There are several versions of this poem. The original wording and the true author are unknown. I hope you like it.
The Legend of the Sand Dollar
~Author Unknown ~
There's a pretty little legend
That I would like to tell
Of the birth and death of Jesus
Found in this lowly shell.
If you examine closely,
You'll see that you find here
Four nail holes and a fifth one
Made by a Roman's spear.
On one side the Easter lily,
Its center is the star
That appeared unto the shepherds
And led them from afar.
The Christmas poinsettia,
Etched on the other side
Reminds us of His birthday,
Our happy Christmas tide.
Now break the center open,
And here you will release
The five white doves awaiting
To spread good will and peace.
This simple little symbol,
Christ left for you and me
To help us spread His Gospel
Through all eternity.
Next time you are walking along a beach collecting treasures, and you find a sand dollar; take one home and place it where you will see it as a reminder of this wonderful story. Tell your kids about the Legend of the Sand Dollar and why it is one of the greatest treasures you will ever find on the beach.
~~ Dear God ~~ Thank You for the symbols that you give us as reminders of the great sacrifice that You gave us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Please let me see this treasure in everything I find as I walk along life’s seashore. In Jesus name, AMEN.
