Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak and Become Angry

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Brady Boyd, Senior Pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO, is doing great things to help the Church lead the way out of racial conflicts in meaningful ways–not sweeping the issues under the rug hoping they’ll go away. Instead of giving a sermon today, he led an open and honest dialog with two black couples in the church so we could hear their perspectives on racism. What we heard from them was quite eye-opening. Brady introduced the topic by quoting James 1:19, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry….” He also concluded the discussion by saying that he didn’t mean for this time today to patronize our black brothers and sisters, nor did he mean for it to shame those of us who are white. His intent is to guide us all to the table for constructive, challenging, and needed discourse.

In light of what’s happening in our country these days, I thought it would be worth briefly summarizing what I heard today, then sharing some quotes from Scripture and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that seem particularly relevant. So here are some interesting points:

  1. We may not see racism in action because of our perspective. This hit home for me because I have been guilty of thinking that racism is on its way out since I don’t see any examples of it in my everyday life. But I am not black. These brothers and sisters shared recent personal stories where they (and even more sadly, their children) have experienced racism. Bottom line: we all (people of every color) need to wake up and realize that racism is very real. Admitting we have a problem is the first step toward curing it. One of the gentlemen said that while working on his master’s degree, he read A Country of Strangers: Blacks and Whites in America, by David Shipler, who pointed out that blacks see race in everything and whites see race in nothing. This seems to be a good summary of the difference perspective makes in perceiving racism.
  2. We need to celebrate our differences, but also recognize the vast sea of similarities. One of the ladies on the panel said she really doesn’t like it when people say that they don’t see the color of someone’s skin. She added, “Please do see it. When you don’t see the color of my skin, you don’t see me.” The point, however, is not to judge someone because of the color or their skin. If we are going to do anything with our differences–and it seems like we should–we should celebrate them in mutually respectful ways, and then land together on the realization that we have much more in common than we do differences. Ultimately, if we were to take the time to make a Venn diagram with a very detailed list of characteristics that make up a person, we would see that it looks something like this:
Venn Diagram for characteristics of a black person and a white person

In other words, there are far more things that link us together than those that separate us. But let us celebrate both.

  1. If you have pain in your elbow and do nothing about it, that pain is going to keep getting worse until you do something about it. What we are seeing now in our country is an explosion of pain resulting from a group of people who have not been truly heard. In order to make this pain go away, we need to be able to come to the table–all of us–to have civilized discourse, something that has been nearly eradicated by people on both extremes of the political spectrum who freely spew hateful speech in social media that they would never say to someone’s face [I recognize the irony of me saying this in a blog, a form of social media, but I do not intend for this statement to be hateful and I would say the same thing (in calm and soothing tones) to anyone in person who would listen to me.] We need to ask each other earnest questions with the goal of creating common understanding of one another and working together to find peaceful solutions that are more than a simple detente (i.e., sweeping it under the rug).
  2. The best hope for a resolution to our current situation is Jesus Christ. Although this isn’t a new idea to me, it warrants repeating anyway because it is a hope we already have in common. Jesus is the answer, and not just because we were in church! Jesus told a radical story about how the only man who would help a stranger who was beaten almost to the point of death was someone from a different–and hated–racial group: a Samaritan. So He clearly understood our human tendency to hate or fear people who are different from us, and in this story He give us the simple (although not easy) answer, that if we see another human being in need of help, we are to help them.

With that summary, let me now get to some scriptural references and quotes from Dr. King, all of which I hope will make you–will make all of us–think about how we can work together constructively toward a real unity and toward a real end to the festering would of racism. As Brady pointed out, the Church can and should lead the way out of this national nightmare.

Scripture

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” I Corinthians 1:10

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” Revelation 7:9

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?”he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,”Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)

Dr. King Quotes

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. ”

“Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.”

“There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July and left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine November.”

“A riot is the language of the unheard.”

“The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.”

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

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Praying for National Healing

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

In light of the fact that some of our great American cities seem to be tearing themselves apart at the seams, the best thing I can think of to say to anyone who reads this is that we should all be praying feverishly for healing in our country. A few thoughts to go along with this…

I’m not suggesting we pray that it all just goes away, like it never happened. One thing that’s clear is that we have an urgent need in our society for reform, to work together to attack and eradicate all forms of racism. As followers of Christ, we should do all we can to give voices to those who are not being heard. I’m pretty sure this is what Jesus would be doing. So in praying for healing, I suggest we ask for God’s help to cure the disease of racism, not just treat the symptoms.

To that end, though, I think we should pray that the criminals who are using George Floyd’s death as an excuse to act like criminals will end their cycle of violence–not only because they are destroying our cities, but also because they are undermining the cause of the peaceful protesters, who legitimately seem to want to improve our society (not destroy it) and who seem to be making a positive difference.

Also, we should pray for our city, state, and national leaders, that cooler, more logical heads will prevail. One thing that has been made clear by the peaceful protesters across the country is that there is a need to identify and eliminate systemic racism, particularly in our criminal justice system. Be that as it may, and while I agree with that, we have to be careful not to choose knee-jerk reactionary courses of action that could be even more dangerous. I just saw a news story that 9 of the 12 Minneapolis city council members announced today that they are going to disband the Minneapolis Police Department. What?? I admit, I don’t know what their plans are, and maybe they intend to replace the Police Department with something different but similar, but I will say that the idea of a major city without any police seems like a colossally bad idea. I for one would never go anywhere near such a city. So we should pray that our leaders won’t do anything catastrophically stupid that ends up endangering even more lives.

Finally, the last thought I’ll leave off with repeats some thoughts from previous posts of mine, but I think they are worth repeating, at least in summary. For one thing, we always tend to act like praying is the last ditch course of action when everything else has failed (“all we can do now is pray…”). However, we should never underestimate the power of the God who crafted the universe, which of course includes our little world and each of us in it. Also, neither should we think for a moment that the turn of events since George Floyd was brutally killed in police custody have caught God off-guard. It may seem to us like things are spinning out of control, but we should console ourselves by remembering that God has it all in His more than capable and loving hands.

So anyway, please join me throughout this week in praying for healing for our nation.

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The Light Shines in the Darkness, and the Darkness Has Not Overcome It

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

There is no excuse for what was done to George Floyd, how he was killed. It was unspeakably tragic. My heart and prayers go out to him and his family. Moral outrage, expressed with dignity, is certainly an appropriate response to what happened.

But this?

Rioting and looting? There is no dignity in this. Behavior stooped way down to this level accomplishes nothing.

I admit I will never know what it’s like to be a black man, to know that a life-threatening atrocity can happen at any moment just because of the color of my skin. It is unconscionable to look at someone and make judgments about them because of the color of their skin, or their gender or religion. I’m disgusted that this happens. It is disappointing and foolish that there are people of all races who strive to keep racism alive.

What is the point of these violent protests? It can’t really be a cry for justice–the perpetrating former policeman was fired, arrested, and charged, as it should be. The other 3 cops who stood by while this atrocity occurred and did nothing have been fired. Justice is on its way to being served.

Is the point of the riots to end racism? Nothing says “Why can’t we all get along?” like burning down local businesses and destroying neighborhoods. I wonder what Dr. Martin Luther King would say about all this.

When things like this happen, it’s easy to think that the darkness, the evil in this world, is winning. Isn’t it?

Well, when the church was born on this day, Pentecost Sunday–the day the Holy Spirit was poured into this broken world–racism already had a lengthy and notorious history. In fact, as ugly as what’s happening now is, people tended to do even more awful and evil things to each other 2000 years ago. God was and is disgusted by racism and the endless other examples of the depravity of man, but He was not and is not surprised by it.

This is why the world–and each of us in it–need redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation. This is why we needed, and still need, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Strange as it may seem to us, this is God’s plan to turn the world around: to live in us and guide us as we each in our own small way, day by day, brandish our flickering little candles of light against the seemingly bottomless pit of darkness in this world.

But this is how we win.

Nothing banishes darkness like light. Nothing overcomes hate like love. It doesn’t always make sense, but it doesn’t have to–it’s God’s plan. He will find a way to make it work. He will take our 2 fish and few little crumbs of bread and feed 5000 people with it.

We can and should be assured by reminding ourselves of how the Apostle John introduces Jesus in his gospel (John 1:5): “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

And it never will.

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Remembering Bravery, Remembering Heroes

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Bravery is not the absence of fear–it is doing the right thing, doing that dangerous thing that must be done–in spite of fear. From Gettysburg to Normandy to Saigon to Iraq, from NYC on 9/11 to hospitals today in the midst of COVID-19, you don’t need to think too hard to come up with valiant examples of people who have stood up on our behalf and shook their fists in that face of fear.

On this Memorial Day of 2020, I want to take this time and space to thank and honor those people who have and continue to do this.

This holiday started to honor and remember military veterans, both those who came home and those who did not. This is certainly appropriate. It has expanded sometime in the last 50 years, and also appropriately, to include the families of those brave souls who have stood between us and the dark and evils forces of this broken world–theirs is also a tremendous sacrifice, to go without a father or mother, during the time of their service abroad, or forever.

Starting from 9/11 (in my perception, anyway–I could certainly be wrong), it has also grown to honor first responders–police officers, firemen, paramedics, etc.–who daily, as a normal part of their jobs, and not just on days like 9/11 (although, certainly, especially on days like that), put their lives on the line to keep our cities relatively safe and civilized. I believe this is also appropriate for the same reasons–the sacrifices they and their families are willing to make on our behalf.

And now, in 2020, and also appropriately, in light of this menacing virus that infects people but leaves them asymptomatic for a dangerous period of time, we also salute and remember with extreme gratitude the medical professionals who take their lives into their hands every time they step foot in their place of work.

I thank God for all of you and all you have done and continue to do for me, for all of our families, and for this great nation.

One last thing: I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Jesus made the same sort of sacrifice for all of us. As He headed back to Jerusalem one last time, in the days leading up to Palm Sunday, He knew what was waiting for Him there, but He went anyway to lay down His life on our behalf. Read about His time in Gethsemane garden the night before His execution in Matthew 26 (among other places). In verse 38, He said to His closest friends that His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. It sure sounds to me like He was grappling with fear. But He went anyway. He voluntarily laid down His life so that you and I and every person for all time who looks to Him as their Savior will be reconciled to God and enjoy eternal life with Him in a return to the perfection of Eden. I am also forever grateful for His sacrifice on my behalf.

May God bless your day of remembrance for all of these sacrifices, and blessings for the rest of your week as well.

P.S. I’d like to take a moment to honor and thank my immediate family members who fit into categories above: David J. Little, a Vietnam Veteran who I’m proud to call my father-in-law; Kristin Carpenter, his daughter and my wife, as well as his 3 sons–Jeff, David (who also served), and Kevin; and Katherine (Katy) Neff, a NICU nurse and my daughter, plus her husband, Brandon. You guys all rock!

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Reflection of Beauty

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Participating in church this morning (still online instead of in-person), I sat with my back to a big picture window, so the pine forest and sparkling blue Colorado sky reflected off my laptop screen. The superimposition was striking–singing praises to God and hearing a great sermon about our Creator with reflections of His created beauty floating around the picture.

Life is beautiful, and there is beauty all around, if we have eyes to see it. If we focus on sunshine and flowers and the smell of freshly cut grass and people being kind and loving toward others. Or life can be bitter and ugly if we focus on that which is bitter and ugly in the world.

Which perspective we take is our choice.

We usually can’t choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them. This is what Paul is talking about in Philippians 4 when he says he has learned how to have an inner wellspring of joy regardless of what’s going on around him.

There’s something else we should keep in mind about beauty:  whenever we see someone behaving in a kindly, loving way toward us or another human being, we are seeing a reflection of God, albeit pale and dim compared to the real thing. I say this because God made us in His image. Since Jesus, with His sacrificial love for all of us, is the ultimate expression of God in human form, then we all must have been intended to be a reflection of His love and beauty. So even if someone is not yet a follower of Christ but they donate time or money to help the poor, or they give you a kind word and a smile on a rotten day, they are reflecting the love of our Creator, and that is a beautiful thing to behold.

Another awesome thing about this is that we all, each in our own way, have something beautiful, some small aspect of our great and gracious God, to reflect to everyone we meet. In what special way has God gifted you to reflect His light to each person He puts in your path?

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Sacrificial Love – A Mother and Her Children

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

As this Mother’s Day winds down, it occurs to me that there may be no love in human relationships more ferocious and personal–or more like God’s love–than the love a mother feels for her children.

I’m a dad, so I don’t mean to down-play a father’s love for his kids. I would have (and still would) give my life for my children, and I know many dads feel the same. But moms give their lives into their children better than dads do. For a mom, their kids’ problems become their problems. When a child’s heart is broken by a friend (or boy/girlfriend), or by not being selected for a team or to play a part in the school play, their mom’s heart breaks for them even more than a dad’s does. Moms seem to be quicker to forgive and more full of grace. Moms are more likely to love so much it hurts.

These all describe attributes of God’s love for us.

Jesus loved and honored his mother. Joseph would have had a significant influence on him, of course, but we don’t hear anything more about him in the Bible after he and Mary almost lose Jesus when he was 12 years old (“Oops, we lost the King of the Universe, let’s go back…”). This, of course, isn’t to say that fathers aren’t important (they are), but I’m only pointing out that God the Son clearly experienced the special bond a child has with his/her mother.

I’ve heard of situations where people have struggled with the idea that God is a loving father because their earthly fathers were horrible to them or abandoned them. And they have a hard time trusting or loving God as a result. I wonder if it would help them at all to instead think of how their mother has loved them.

Anyway, it is with all this in mind that I wish all moms, moms-to-be, and women striving to be moms a happy and blessed Mother’s Day. Thank you for painting the best picture of sacrificial love that there is this side of heaven.

In Memorium, fondly remembering my mom and mother-in-law:  Nancy Carpenter and Patricia Little.

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Why Moses Couldn’t Go Into the Promised Land

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

In (virtual) church today, we heard a great sermon today by Pastor Andrew Arndt from New Life Church (East) about the end of Moses’ life, as recounted in Deuteronomy 34 (also the end of that book, as well the Torah). Although it wasn’t central to the sermon, Andrew mentioned that Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land because of a little episode that happened many years earlier in Kadesh (as told in Numbers 20).

In a nutshell, the Israelites had been in the Desert of Zin for about a month, and there was no water to be found anywhere, so the people came after Moses and Aaron. They went to God and fell facedown before Him. God told Moses to speak to the rock and water will pour forth from it. Moses did as he was told–almost. Instead of speaking to the rock, in his anger about this rebellion, Moses struck the rock with his staff. God still produced the desired result–water did, in fact, pour from the rock–but because Moses didn’t completely obey God (he hit the rock instead of speaking to it), God told him he wouldn’t get to enter the promised land.

The apparent unfairness in this situation drew quite a visceral reaction from my wife, and rightfully so. I mean, Moses served God faithfully doing a job he didn’t even want, leading the people of Israel, for 40 years! But he makes one little mistake and then he doesn’t get to enter the promised land–where’s the justice in that? What about forgiveness?

Here is my take, or at least the first part of my answer:  God knows our hearts. If we do the right thing for the wrong reason, I think God would prefer we not do it at all. God asked Moses to speak to the rock to draw forth the water, but Moses, because he was angry with the Israelites, hit the rock instead of speaking to it. In other words, he didn’t do it out of love, but more out of frustrated obedience. The results still seemed good to us, but we can’t see the dark river flowing through Moses’ heart in that moment the way God can.

Bottom line for this part of it:  in everything we do, we need to do it out of love–for God and for others. If we serve at the food bank or soup kitchen or mission field (or write blogs!), but we don’t do it out of love, we’re better off not doing it. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 (“the love chapter”), if I do all sorts of holy, godly things, “but do not have love, I am nothing”. No word or story is in the Bible by accident, so it’s possible this little lesson in “unfairness” from the life of Moses is meant to remind us of this.

Also, we have to remember that there are parts of every story that God sees and knows that we can’t possibly see or know. When we judge this story to be unfair, we see that God shows Moses the promised land from Mount Nebo, then Moses dies. We think, The End. Roll the credits on an unhappy ending.

But wait. We who believe in heaven have to remember that when Moses dies viewing the earthly promised land, he passes into the eternal Promised Land. Maybe God kept him out of the earthly promised land so all of us who came later can learn this lesson, but also in the same instant welcomed him into heaven with a warm embrace and a “Well done, good and faithful servant.” All is forgiven after all.

And one last quick thought–Moses was not perfect. We are told of only one “little” slip-up during 40 years of leading the Israelites, which is an outstanding track record, but let’s not forget that he had murdered someone 40 years prior to being called by God to lead the people of Israel. But none of us is perfect, so it’s really good news that Moses wasn’t either, yet God chose him to do great things for the Kingdom!

There is only one perfect person who ever lived:  Jesus. And he’s just the guy to lead us all into the Promised Land. Take His hand and come along too!

 

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Not Equipped?

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

I was recently reminded of the bleak but genius “Hunger Games” series of books by Suzanne Collins. Her writing is full of insightful observations on the human condition, and one quote that came to mind in the midst of this pandemic and looming economic crisis was, “…sometimes things happen to people and they’re not equipped to deal with them.”

How many of us or people we know are not equipped to deal with the isolation, uncertainty, or worse predicaments that accompany COVID-19 or its economic impacts?

Defining moments come into our lives when situations arise and we’re not sure we’re equipped to deal with them–or worse, maybe we’re sure we’re not equipped to deal with them. Whether we realize it or not, we often have a choice to accept defeat, to admit that the circumstances were too overwhelming for us, or we can rise up to battle the difficulties before us and achieve success.

Of course, the stories we love to be a part of or watch movies about are those where we (or the hero) overcome impossible odds to reach our goals. But no matter how determined we may be, at some point (and maybe that time is now), each of us will eventually encounter situations where we reach the end of ourselves, where all hope is lost.

Or is it?

If the end of ourselves is where we finally let God take over, then we should not lose hope–far from it! God is where problems go to get fixed! God is the giver of the strength we never knew we had! I always chuckle to myself when I’m with a group of believing friends and we reach a point in trying to solve our problems where we’re out of answers, so we say something like, “I guess there’s nothing more we can do except pray.” Nothing more we can do?? Calling on the power of the Creator of the universe, on Him who brought Jesus back from the dead, is where we should START! It’s not the consolation prize.

He can and will and does equip us to deal with anything, if we ask Him.

Here are some encouraging insights along these lines from Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:6-7, NIV, my emphasis added)

“I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (4:13, HCSB, my emphasis added)

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Being Resurrected by the Resurrected King

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

One week removed from Easter, how are you feeling now? How long did the Easter glow last?

For me, Holy Week 2020 was a deeper, richer experience than normal, thanks to the forced rhythm of life being slower this year than it usually is. But even still, it didn’t take long for the warmth, the feeling of confident trust in our God to get mixed into the drudgery and worries of everyday life. Maybe the glow lasted until Tuesday?

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I don’t know about you, but I’d really like to get it back. I yearn to live every moment of every day in the warm candlelight of God’s companionship. But how can we get back to that in the midst of our unprecedented and discomforting reality? That’s the challenge, the secret passage that ends up leading us to a place where we, like the Apostle Paul, could sing hymns praising God even in a dank and disgusting prison cell.

Part of the answer is in the blessed assurance that all followers of Christ should feel–that our final destination in heaven with Jesus, our loved ones, and our favorite dogs has been secured for us by our Savior. That thought should lead us to a place of joy regardless of our current earthly circumstances.

But there’s another piece to the puzzle as well. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” So if we are to think of every step we take with Him as Life, then it’s logical to think of every step we take away from Him as being death. I think about how alive I feel after an amazing church service or time of prayer and worship–and after an entire Holy Week of walking with Jesus to the cross and the empty tomb on Easter–and this is consistent with Jesus being Life. On the other side of the coin, I think about how blah I feel when I let myself forget how much smaller my problems are than my God, and that also seems consistent with my definition of death–steps taken away from Jesus.

I don’t think we get to the point of feeling rotten or sad or depressed all at once. We get there one step at a time when those steps are taken away from Jesus. Little bits of ourselves die with every fearful thought. Or every time we hate or lust or are greedy. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on. We are broken beings born into a broken world that’s ruled by one who is all too happy to grab us by the hand and lead us down any of those broken paths, smiling his oily grin the whole way.

Yikes! So how can we break out of that frightfully depressing pattern? Can these chains be broken?

YES! All we have to do is call upon our Saviour and He will save us. Again. And Again. It may seem to us like there should be a limit to how many times we can do this, but that’s one of the beautiful things about it–about Him–that His mercy knows no bounds! That’s why they call it grace. The simple prayer, “Jesus, help me” is all we need (yes, that’s a prayer–we don’t need flowery language or thousands of words to reach Him). Even though this may seem to be a small thing to us, let’s not forget our Bible stories, which clearly state that demons and other forces of darkness fear His name!

Here’s another cool thing:  it doesn’t matter how many steps we have taken away from Jesus. As soon as we ask Him for help, He’s there with us faster than any superhero! (He’s the original and ultimate superhero–oh yeah, and He’s real). We don’t have to take the same number of steps back toward Him as we took away from Him. One step, one whisper of His name is all it takes. Then we are back to Life. Our Big Brother and Great Big God are by our side.

And here’s the ultimate thing. This power of God–the same power that raised Jesus from death to life–is available to us, to bring us from death to Life every time we call upon His name, regardless of whether we’ve taken one step away from Him or a million.

How awesome is that? How great is our God?

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Ultimate Come-from-Behind Victory

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

So Good Friday wasn’t how it ends. Just when all hope was lost, actually after the final buzzer, Jesus makes the final play that wins the day, wins the week, wins eternity for us. Jesus of Nazareth, the unlikely Messiah, has risen from the dead! So this is what He meant with His references to Jonah (returned to life after 3 days in the belly of the fish) or when He said he would rise again on the third day! God has achieved the impossible.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

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So what does this mean for us? Here are some powerful implications that come to mind.

Death is defeated! But shouldn’t this mean that we no longer die? Well, since we still live in a fallen and broken world, we are going to continue to deal with the pain of loss from death. And Jesus obviously passed through death to get to eternal life, so there’s our answer. Anyone who has accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour (and no other criteria) will live forever with our loving God, but we still must pass through death to get there.

God is worthy of our trust–here is yet another confirmation that God is trustworthy. Jesus promised that He would rise again from the dead. A tough promise to keep (by our standards), but He did.

Love wins over evil–through Good Friday and Holy Saturday, it would have been natural to think that the forces of darkness of this world had won the final victory over God by orchestrating events to get Jesus executed. But in fact it was God who achieved victory in the most unexpected way. Now it’s time for the forces of darkness to realize they’ve lost. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t try to take down as many people with them as they can until Jesus returns. If you spend even a few minutes watching the news, it would be easy to forget that the ending has already been determined. But we know better.

The Power of God is resurrecting us–the same power of God that brought Jesus back from the dead is available to us, living in us, making us new if we’ll let Him. We all have brokenness and we’ll never be just like Jesus, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to be more Christ-like. The Holy Spirit will help us with that. How would we live our daily lives if we were absolutely certain God’s power resides in us? What would we do differently? How and when and where would we take a bolder stance against evil when we encounter it?

With God, nothing is impossible–but we have to keep in mind that knowing God can do anything doesn’t mean He will do what we want in our timing, or at all. God has plans for us that are always better than what we contrive for ourselves. We may pray for a certain spouse or job or other sort of outcome, but God might have something entirely different in mind that works out better for us. Unanswered prayers–rather, our perception of unanswered prayers–is a good topic for another blog, so stay tuned for that.

No fear–knowing that God has defeated death by bringing Jesus back from the dead, what is there to be afraid of? I don’t want to downplay the very real storms happening or brewing in this world and our lives, and we should do all we can to help solve problems for our family, neighbors, communities, and the world (that may be why God put us where we are at this moment in time). However, in spite of the worries of this world, we should know beyond a doubt that our eternal destination was determined the moment we accepted Christ, and that the problems of this life will fade away once we step through death’s doorway to meet our Saviour face-to-face and spend eternity with Him. Not to mention our loved ones who have gone before us and are fellow believers. And of course, our dogs. The Apostle John wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

A happy ending gives us a new beginning–Jesus’ resurrection punctuates His earthly ministry with a happy, surprise ending. But this is really the beginning for us. Now it’s our turn to bring His love to a hurting world, to feed and care for our neighbors and people on the other side of the globe. We may face persecution for this as Jesus did, but if we do, let’s make sure it’s because we are acting like Jesus and not because we are misbehaving due to our own misguided interpretations of manmade rules (see my previous blog about not judging others).

So that’s it. I hope you had a blessed Resurrection Day. Let us go forth and live our lives remembering that He is risen. I’ll leave you with these words from Moses:  “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

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