Bonding

Peace Week Two – Advent

Peace       Week Two – Advent

This past Sunday marked the second Sunday of Advent. Many churches and families celebrate Advent by lighting a candle each week in an Advent wreath. Each candle represents a specific aspect of Jesus and His Ministry.

The second candle, the one that was lit last Sunday, is the Candle of Peace. It is a purple candle that symbolizes the perfect peace that Jesus gives each of His believers.

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Since the beginning, Satan has been fighting against goodness, and humans have fought against God, making the earth a battleground. So, how do we find our peace in the midst of this?

When a Door Opens....

When a Door Opens....

Why are we so often a people without praise on our lips?

I include myself in this category.

God opens a door—and what do I do?

I question it first.

“Did God open the door? Is it safe to go through? What would happen if I went through?”

Now, all of this is highly logical.

Martha—not Mary.

God does tell us to “seek” before we “find”.

But, once we have explored the option and believe it is God’s doing, what do we do then?

Finding the Majesty of Easter

Finding the Majesty of Easter

One aspect of our culture that I find puzzling is how it takes the glorious and attempts to reduce it to the ordinary.

We take the day that commemorates our Savior’s rising from the dead to give us eternal life—and we celebrate it with colored eggs and bunnies.

Don’t get me wrong—I love chocolate bunnies. I look forward to coloring eggs. But, somehow, the majesty of this day gets hidden behind the mundane. This year, I am determined to enter the Majesty of Easter!

I realize that without a plan I will miss it.

Why and How to Celebrate Palm Sunday!

Why and How to Celebrate Palm Sunday!

I find the story of Palm Sunday to be a series of lessons—hard lessons—of the fickleness of people and of the forgiving and loving nature of God.

Jesus knew—He knew—that the people who were celebrating His entrance into Jerusalem would, within days, cry out for Him to be crucified. Imagine that for a moment. It is one thing to have an event in which you feel valued and appreciated – and then have people snub you. It is quite another to be at the event where people express appreciation for you and to know, right there in that moment, that those same people are going to call for your death.

How would you react?