IllumiNations!

WE ARE CHANGED BY THE POWER OF THE UNCHANGING ONE!

Everything on this planet is in a constant state of change.  Nothing ever remains the same.  The only Unchanging entity in the universe is the Lord God Almighty.  HE CHANGES NOT!  The human creature, (myself included) though constantly looking for that Utopian State of bliss and perfection, is dogged by the reality of decay and breakdown.  We must daily behold the reality of change even while we gaze into our mirrors.  

The Apostle Paul declared that, "though our outward man is perishing, our inward man is renewed day by day."  The outward man is winding down to death, while the inward man is being prepared for the eternal state of resurrection life.  Whether in the corporate world, or the church world, we understand by the amazing and rapid changes going on around us that change is happening at a rate we can never keep up with.

With this as my backdrop, I have been so very aware of my need to change as a man, husband, father, and local church pastor.  If all that I do would avoid fossilization, I must be a man in the process of ongoing transformation.  Alas, there is hope for this sinner, and stubborn man. 

In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, I am reminded that the great key to true change, (that is, Christ-likeness) comes by "beholding Christ in His word."  Since we become like whatever we meditate on or behold, we can become like Jesus by looking on Him daily and often.  This truth gives me hope, since it takes the pressure off of me and my various self-salvation projects, and puts it on Jesus, the "Author and the finisher of my faith."  He has promised to transform you and I as we spend time beholding His beauty, majesty and power.  WE ARE CHANGED BY THE POWER OF THE UNCHANGING ONE!

EASTER: The Spring Season in the Life of the Christian!

Spring, that magical time of year when bird songs return to greet us in the morning, when flowers bloom,  trees bud, and new life seems to be bursting out all around us.  Spring is that season that offers to us the hope of new life as we emerge from the general grayness and drabness of the winter months.  Spring is that time of year when our children emerge from the cave of our homes and play outside again.  When I think of spring, I remember the years when my children would venture outside to rediscover bugs, birds, and the warmth of sunshine.  The thing I most appreciate about spring is the picture it paints to us of the most important miracle in human history.  The miracle I speak of is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the premier event of all time.

    In all of our brief time on this planet, there is nothing that holds more significance to our everyday lives than the person of Jesus Christ and what He did for us mortals when He died a torturous, pain-filled death and then rose from the dead after three days in a sealed grave. The entire Christian faith, as well as any hope we have as human beings is wrapped up in these events.  If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, then our “faith is in vain”(I Corinthians 15:17) and sin still has the power to pull us down and lead us to an eternity without God or hope.  In this one event we have the only true hope in our struggle to cheat death and milk all we can out of this life.    

    Each of us is continually faced with the very real prospect of death on a daily basis as we listen to the news, experience our own close calls and grapple with the death or dying of a loved one.  Death, as we all know is even more sure than taxes.  No matter how much we advance in medical technology, or exercise and eat right, we all know we are going to die.  In our culture, we dress up death to look a little nicer, or try to hide it by putting it in the hands of others who will soften the blow and make it more presentable.  Unfortunately, we do ourselves and others no favors when we engage in this form of denial.  Death is real, and, according to the Scriptures, it is our greatest enemy.  It is waiting for all of us and we cannot avoid it.   

    It is precisely this admission which makes the resurrection of Jesus Christ so powerful and liberating to those who have come to know and believe in Him.  When Adam sinned, death spread to all of us through his sin tainted blood. Each one of us understands sin's power, and how it affects our everyday life and entangles us in its chains.  As much as sin is a concept most of us hate to talk about anymore in this therapy minded culture, (which makes all of us a victim of our environment, upbringing or genes) none of us can deny the reality of it in our experience.  As the Scriptures teach, “ the wages of sin is death...” and all of us must receive that paycheck whether we like it or not.   

    This is where the resurrection of Jesus Christ becomes so powerful and relevant for all of us.  As the sinless Son of God and very God in human form, Jesus’ death on a Roman cross was more than just a martyrs sacrifice for a good cause.  Jesus was the only qualified God-man who could die in our place and receive our judgment in His own body. Though innocent of any wrong, though completely pure and without original sin or personal sin, Jesus was sentenced to die an unjust death as a sacrifice for us.  This death alone could satisfy the righteous requirement of God the Father for an atoning death.  Through this death, our sin was atoned for and cleansed once and for all.   

    This story is called the Gospel, which means, good news.  This story would be nothing more than a sad tragedy if it was not for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  When Jesus rose from a grave sealed by the Roman Government, He put the exclamation point on His whole mission and proved He was truly God in a human body.      

    Jesus’ resurrection sealed for us the hope of eternal life with God in a New Creation. This New Creation will be a world without sin, sickness, suffering, sorrow, war, famine, strife, pain, and most importantly, death.  The resurrection of Jesus makes it possible for those who exercise child-like trust in Christ to receive the power of The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables His followers to overcome sin, and live without the fear of death any longer.      

    Truly, the Spring of creation was and is the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The resurrection is the most wonderful and powerful event in human history! The resurrection is the reason believers consider this Holiday to be the ultimate time for reflection and celebration.

    This Spring as you emerge from your winter grave clothes to enjoy all of the new life bursting forth, imagine Jesus Christ coming out of the tomb and bringing new life to those who believe in Him.  Think of a God in heaven who loved His children so much that He had to become one of them, so that He might die and reverse the curse of sin and death. Behold the God whose love is so powerful that not even death could keep Him in the grave!  HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

Core Value #2 - Knowing God takes the "D" word!

"I Value seeking to know God intimately through prayer, the Scriptures, and other spiritual disciplines as a main goal of life."

Words and phrases like intimacy, knowing God, personal relationship etc... are really in vogue in a number of Christian circles these days, and I think that is a good thing.  The essence of theology after all is the study of God's Person as He has revealed Himself to us through creation, the Scriptures, personal experience, and most importantly, Jesus of Nazareth. Unfortunately, I have not met many people who truly know God very well, or take the time or energy needed to invest in that knowledge.

What theologians call the Doctrine of Revelation is based upon the idea from the Scriptures, that God must reveal Himself to be known by humanity. All of the human initiative in the world doesn't make Him any less elusive, and He will only be found by those He draws.  However, in this time of the gospel of Jesus Christ, God has demonstrated his goodwill toward us and summons us to come and believe in his Son.  We are called to seek Him while He may be found. 

I still remember when the veil was torn away in my life, and the revealed, self-existent God came crashing in on my world.  Oh, what a day and season that was and is!  I was shocked that God was truly personal and knowable.  I couldn't keep my mouth shut.  GOD WAS REAL, AND EVERYONE HAD TO KNOW!  As I soon discovered though, this knowledge of God was meant to be an ongoing process that required much seeking, knocking and asking.

This process of seeking God is often a hard and frustrating work just as my marriage relationship can be.  I know He is supposed to be the initiator, but I have to admit it often feels like it's all up to me in this strange and mysterious courtship of God.  God seems to love to play hide and seek, while I fumble around in the darkness of this sin fallen world listening for the faintest breath or rustling of His Presence to give His hiding place away.

This of course brings me to the big bad "D" word, DISCIPLINE.  Yes, it takes discipline and the spiritual disciplines to finely hone my senses to God.  Scripture reading, memorization, meditation, prayer, silence, solitude, service, fasting, night watches and various other methods employed throughout history by God's people have been effective tools in the seeking of God.  Unfortunately, I don't really enjoy doing some of these things because I am not a very disciplined person.  Not only that, but I am repelled by anything that feels like religious striving to earn God's favor.

Nevertheless, I have found that when I consecrate myself to God, not to earn anything, but to focus my faculties upon Him, He shows up and does some unveiling of Himself to my dull and dry soul.  This unveiling impresses God's Presence and character upon my soul, which changes me and influences the people around me as well.

To know God is the greatest treasure and value a human being can desire. Knowing Him is by far the most worthy pursuit of life.  God chased us down and caught us with His irresistible grace and love, so we must now join the chase and make the pursuit of God our life-long goal.  Who knows, if we chase Him long enough, He may just catch us!

Isaiah 55:6 - Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

My Core Values - #1

Recently I found out that a ladies discipleship group in our church was using my Core Values as an example for the purpose of developing their own Core Values.  I was both surprised and challenged.  I was provoked to take them out once again, look them over, and make sure they are not only what I truly value, but what I am also endeavoring to practice in my daily living.

It is not my intention to be overly self-focused in my writing, but as I looked at my Core Values, I thought of how they provide a good starting point for regular posts and food for thought for those who read.   All of us have a set of Core Values that we possess and live from whether they are written or not.  Our lives are constantly telling on us and shouting to the world what our loves, hates, passions and gods actually are.  These are our Core Values.  With that said, here are the first of my Core Vaues with commentary following:

"I Value relationship with God and others as the source from which life and all true ministry will flow."

We are relational beings, this much cannot be denied.  Though I have met a number of so-called "Lone Rangers" in my time, my experience tells me that the primary reason most people become islands unto themselves is because of betrayal, disappointment, and dysfunction within their relationships.  The people that we love and value become the source of our pain.  This very reaction is nothing more than proof that we are indeed relational beings.

Every human being is conceived when two people relating in the most intimate terms, mingled their body fluids and cells to form a whole new entity.  This conception brought forth a new life that related to its host mother by a life-line known as an umbilical cord.  This life-line brought nourishment and connection until the day when this unique personality would be thrust upon its mothers breasts to suckle.  Thus begins the journey of life.  The journey of dependence, of relationship, of family and community.

This new person is just beginning to experience the human condition, the risky proposition know as relationship, with all of its love, acceptance, rejection, abuse, disappointment, competition etc...  It is precisely this experience which primes a person for the knowledge of God and a relationship with Him. 

After only a few short years on this planet, we begin to realize that things are not right down here.  We see the failure of our biggest heroes, face tragedy and personal difficulty, and learn the law of the jungle.  It is often when the props of human relationships have fallen all around us that God reveals Himself to us as Father and Friend.  We then begin a new relationship with One who relates to us on His terms alone.  These terms begin with the idea of the Fall, and the human need for salvation.  We see ourselves as we really are, and God as He really is, in the Person of Jesus Christ. This new relationship becomes the source of all true relationship, and the restorative power through which all other relationships will be made right again.

This new life, this new relationship, issues forth as the fountainhead of all ministry into the lives of others.  It is only within the context of this new relationship, that we can find what God truly intended for all human relationships.  This is why the Great Commandments begin with loving God with our whole being.  To love my neighbor as I love myself, I must experience the settled reality of God's first loving me. Only then am I able to return that love to Him.  I can try to love my neighbor, but until I have encountered being loved by God and then loving Him, my love for my neighbor will always fail and fall short.

So, this is my first Core Value.  This is an impossible proposition apart from God's love.  This love is most clearly demonstrated and embodied in the Person and life of Jesus Christ.  I have received love and relationship, so now I can give them.  This is the law of the kingdom of God.  This is what I value!

The Good Samaritan on Mount Everest!

I am not a mountain climber, but I hope that if I am ever in trouble, someone like Daniel Mazur lends a helping hand to me.  This is a great story of an American climbing guide who gave up his ascent of the highest mountain in the world to help a stranded climber just days after many others passed by a British climber who eventually died on Everest.

This story reminded me of what a couple of men in our church named Mick and Clint did to help a distressed woman the other day as she sat weeping in her truck.  This guy Daniel is a hero who is receiving much deserved press coverage, but Mick and Clint are hero's in their own right in my book!

I love what Daniel Mazur went on to say in this AP story about the rescue.

"Oh yeah, it was worth it," he said. "You can always go back to the summit but you only have one life to live. If we had left the man to die, that would have always been on my mind ... How could you live with yourself?"

I forgot to mention that Daniel's two paying clients had to sacrifice their ascent as well to save this man.  On top of that, other climbers had already passed by and left Lincoln Hall, the stranded climber to die!  Stories like this remind me of the parable that Jesus told 2000 years ago to  his followers to illustrate the need to demonstrate faith and love with action.  Jesus finished that parable with the words, "Go and do likewise."  Sounds like good advice to me!  Way to go Daniel Mazur!  Way to go Mick and Clint!

Tags: Mount Everest, mountain climbing, rescue, Daniel Mazur, Christianity, Jesus Christ, good Samaritan

BE A REAL MAN!

I Corinthians 16:13 - Keep your eyes open for spiritual danger; stand true to the Lord; act like men; be strong; TLB.    

John 15:13- Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.  NKJV.

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, NKJV.    

Nehemiah 4:14- And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses." NKJV.

I am leaving today to join about 35-40 men on a MEN'S ADVANCE in a beautiful wooded area just North of Spokane, Washington.  As I embark on what always turns into an interesting adventure, I find myself reflecting on what it means to be a man and why manhood seems to be under such attack today from cultural forces that seek to make "maleness" a bad thing.    

Many men these days seem to be confused about manhood because they have been told for several decades now that aggression, strength, passion, drive and decisive action are qualities to be avoided.  Men are being forced into a mold of "niceness" where the highest virtue to be achieved is to be "nice" to one and all.  Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to say that being manly is defined by being harsh or caustic, just that our highest goal in life should not be to make everybody happy with a kind of sappy sweetness.

As a man, I find that I am most inspired by great stories of love, sacrifice, brotherhood, courage and protection.  Though I hate war, I recognize that it is a sad necessity at those times in history when to avoid it is to risk our very existence as human beings.  War though seems to be one of those endeavors that brings out both the best and worst in men.  Whether it is the story of Sergeant York, or movies like Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List or Hotel Rwanda, there is something so powerful about men who put it all on the line to risk life, limb, property, comfort and privilege to rescue, protect and sacrifice for others.  It seems that when men live like this, they are fulfilling what it truly means to be "manly".  This is precisely why Jesus Christ is the ultimate man and the greatest model ever of what a REAL MAN looks like!    

As the above Scripture references make clear," laying down our lives, loving sacrificially, and fighting for our brothers, children, wives and houses", calls out to the "deep unto deep" within us and inspires something that often lies dormant in the day to day drudgery we call life.  The good news is that it doesn't take a war or some kind of heroic act to live our lives this way.  We were made to give up our rights, desires and comforts to assure that others may live well.  It is in "losing our lives" that we truly "find our lives" and become REAL MEN.  Men were made to give all for the sake of others and to put it all on the line to assure that the weak, the poor, the widows and the orphans are protected, provided for and loved.  We are called to live heroically by loving our wives as they deserve to be loved, and by providing an example for our sons and daughters to follow.

One day, some of us will be called upon to literally put our lives on the line for our families, nation or Lord, but until we do, we must make it a practice in the rhythms of our homes, workplaces and churches.  My friend and associate pastor Larry always reminds me that "we get good at what we practice at most often."  If we practice loving, giving, sacrifice and true manhood, we will be the kind of man we want to be in the day of testing and when we stand in the presence of the Almighty and hear Him pronounce, "Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord!"    

Powered by QumanaTags: Men, Manhood, Marriage, Family, War, Sacrifice, Love, Jesus

BE THOU MY VISION

Where there is no vision (prophetic revelation), the people perish... Proverbs 29:18  

I hear a call going out in our land in this day for men and women of vision as never before. It is a desperate call, really more of a cry for leaders with a vision that will inspire us to reach for higher heights than ever before. This cry seems to manifest itself most clearly in the political arena as aspiring leaders and candidates assure us of the great vision they have for our nation and its future.

Being a person of vision has always been important to me as I have found hope and encouragement flows from having a vision for life and ministry. I have found that vision-less people are direction-less people without much hope for the future and no plan to get where they aren't going. On the other hand, I have found that many people are calling their own dreams, presumptions and desires, a vision from God, and are therefore setting themselves up for big disappointment. Take a few minutes with me and look at the most important and fulfilling aspect of “getting a vision”, namely an encounter with the living God.

A number of years ago as my wife and I drove to Spokane to attend a conference, we were enjoying a great worship tape when a line to a song jumped into my heart and the Lord seemed to speak to me about vision.  The line I refer to is from a Vineyard song on the HUNGRY CD called, “BE THE CENTRE.”  The third verse starts, “Jesus, be my vision.”  As I heard this verse it suddenly struck me, as things often do with God, that the Lord has been refocusing me on Himself as the “center” and “vision” of my life. 

As I thought about these things, I began to revisit the disappointments of ministry, the “hope deferred that makes the heart sick” and the lack of fulfilled vision in my own life.  I realized that Jesus is the essence of all I have ever wanted to be and that knowing Him intimately is the greatest vision a person could ever have.  These things may seem obvious to you the reader, as they did and do to me, but at that moment they became a revelation to me of the greatest pursuit and adventure to life.  These things have become more real to me as I have noticed the general lack of vision many of God’s people have to know God intimately.  Jesus himself must become our vision.  As He fills our gaze, we will see the things that are important to Him and He will call us to become involved with Him in the things that make His heart beat.

Consider with me several Biblical examples of this truth as we gaze into the Scriptures.  Moses had truly experienced what it meant to be broken and brought to the point of having very little self confidence.  Educated in Egypt by the best educators of his time, “mighty in word and deed”, Moses somehow came into contact with his ethnic background and heritage.  This revelation brought him into a great conflict one day as he observed his own people being oppressed in their slavery and decided to deliver them in his own strength.  In a moment of rage Moses was downgraded in status from possible ruler of Egypt to a hunted fugitive! 

After fleeing Egypt he became a shepherd on the back side of the desert and learned the lessons of waiting, trusting and contentment.  After forty years of leading sheep around the desert he encountered a bush that would forever change his life as well as ours.  As he stared at a bush that was burning and yet not consumed, the voice of the one true God began to speak to him and call him to a special work.  Moses would be the one who would deliver the people of God out of Egypt and into the promise land.  When most of us read this account, we miss the most important aspect of the story, specifically the fact that God first identified Himself and called Moses to remove his sandals and worship on Holy Ground. 

Before Moses could ever become a deliverer he had to first encounter the Great Deliverer Himself, the I Am.  This one vision and the many that would follow would become the springboard for the most powerful and important ministry of the entire Old Testament.  This encounter ruined Moses and caused him to continually seek the presence of the Lord to the point where he had the audacity to ask to see the Glory of the Lord!  This vision of the Person of the Lord led to a revelation of the Purpose of the Lord.  This is the clear Biblical pattern and still the way our God manifests Himself today. 

            This pattern continues throughout the Scriptures with Joshua as he sees the Captain of the Lord’s armies and worships on Holy ground.  This happened before receiving instructions to conquer Jericho, the gateway to the rest of the Promise land.  Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up before he heard, “who will go for us...?”  Jeremiah had a revelation of God the rejected Lover, before he could go forth into a ministry of rejection, sorrow and destruction.  Only the open revelation of the Lord could keep him through the persecution and sorrow he would have to endure. 

            The Apostle Paul gives us another example of this truth as he stands before the angry mob in Jerusalem and recounts his conversion; Acts 22:6-10 - 6 “As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 “ ‘Who are you, sir?’ I asked. And he replied, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’  9 The people with me saw the light but didn't hear the voice.  10 “I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that you are to do.’  Paul understood the proper order when he asked, “Who are you, sir?” before, “What shall I do, Lord?”  We often get these questions backwards as we zealously seek to do something for God instead of concentrating on knowing His Person first.  A true vision for ministry will always issue from an encounter with the Lord in private as we seek to know Him and see His beauty and glory

        I close these thoughts with a Psalm and a classic Hymn that both capture the heart of being God-vision seekers far better than I can.  Psalm 27:4 - One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.  The third verse of, “Be Thou My Vision” really speaks to this thought beautifully.  Read, meditate and enjoy the Presence of the Lord.  “Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise - Thou mine inheritance, now and always; Thou and Thou only, first in my heart - High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.”  May the Lord bless your seeking hearts!

Tags: Jesus Christ, religion, Christianity, visions, purpose, life direction

SOMETIMES IT'S GOOD TO BE SAD

Psalms 6:6-7 - 6 I'm tired of all this — so tired. My bed has been floating forty days and nights On the flood of my tears. My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears. 7 The sockets of my eyes are black holes; nearly blind, I squint and grope.  THE MESSAGE

Psalms 13 - O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?  NLT

I am alive!!!  I know this because I hurt.  I know this because I sorrow, am disappointed, and feel the deep sadness that often goes with being a man on this fallen planet.  Yes, of course I hate the dark moods of life, but they testify to me that all is not right and that sin and death are the reality of this groaning, cursed ground.  You may think I am crazy, but a few moments ago while sitting here feeling quite discouraged and heart-sick, this truth slipped through one of the cracks in my heart and brought me comfort.

We live in the age of the HAPPY CULT of which I have often been a zealous adherent.  We are made to believe that being happy is our birthright and entitlement.  To feel bad is the ultimate no-no and the perfect excuse for extramarital affairs, most divorces and regular indulgences for our sinful nature.  Many Christians I know would rebuke me for these thoughts and accuse me of being negative, faithless and oppressed by an evil spirit.  To these things, I must counter with the words of David and Solomon, men of much greater stature than I.  It seems God often has His servants in the school of suffering as they major in depression, discouragement, disappointment and discontentment.

Please understand, I am not advocating some kind of sick, masochistic view of suffering that encourages the onslaughts of sorrow and pain as though they are blessings to be sought, because I am not.  Rather, I am simply convinced that suffering is an amazing teacher and a constant reminder that all is not well down here.  Our Utopian experiments are all failing, (thankfully) and we must look to embrace God's Redemption experiment, for, it is at work in the hearts of hurting and joyful sons and daughters. 

Pain reminds me that I feel and it serves as the emotional and spiritual counterpart to my physical nerve endings.  It teaches me to avoid evil and embrace God.  It is a beautiful thing that the God who could give me the capacity to laugh loudly from the belly, experience the ecstasy of sexual passion and the beauty of art and music, could also equip me with the emotions of sadness, anger and sorrow.  The pleasure and the pain teach me about the God of the Scriptures who sits in the heavens laughing, stands outside Lazarus tomb weeping, and cries out in the oil press of Gethsemane, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 - 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. NKJV

THE RESURRECTION OF A GOLF GAME

Here's a great feel good story about 25 year old Australian golfer Aaron Baddeley who won his first PGA Tournament on Easter Sunday just 10 hours after he stood at a Lectern just off the 18th green to talk about his relationship with Jesus Christ.  Aaron was speaking at an Easter Sunrise Service at the very site where he would eventually sink a putt to give him the win.  "At the 18th hole this morning, he was giving amazing testimony," said Baddeley's wife, Richelle. "Ten hours later, he's holding the trophy. So, it was great." This is a story of pride, humility, disappointment, failed expectations and redemption.  I thought it was a wonderful irony that Aaron would resurrect his career and win his first tournament on Easter Sunday after almost leaving the game of golf altogether back in late 2000 due to perceived failure.  Enjoy.

READ AARON BADDELEY'S STORY BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK

Jesus Christ has risen, He has risen indeed!

Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, and I am excited about celebrating death's death through the One called THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE!  This greatest miracle of human history is the event which started to turn back the curse of death in the garden and is moving us toward a day when the very creation and environment will be filled with resurrection life!  Here are some great quotes and statements made by heroes of the faith.  Think on these:

Let's celebrate Easter with the rite of laughter. Christ died and rose and lives. Laugh like woman who holds her first baby. Our enemy death will soon be destroyed. Laugh like a man who finds he doesn't have cancer or he does but now there's a cure. Christ opened wide the door to heaven. Laugh like children at Disneyland's gates. This world is owned by God and He'll return to rule. Laugh like a man who walks away uninjured from a wreck in which his car was totaled. Laugh as if all the people in the whole world were invited to a picnic and then invite them.  Citation: Joseph Bayly in Psalms of My Life

Easter is a feast and is celebrated as the feast of freedom. For Easter is the beginning of the laughter of the redeemed and the dance of the liberated and the creative game of fantasy. Since earliest times Easter hymns have celebrated the victory of life by laughing at death, by mocking at hell, and by making the lords of this world absurd. Easter is God's protest against death. Easter is the feast of freedom from death. We must keep the two things together.  Citation: Jurgen Moltmann in Experiences of God

Easter is the New Year's Day of the soul.  A. B. Simpson