40 plus years later

After a month away from blogging, it feels good to finally be back.  I didn’t necessarily intend to be away that long, but things happen.  I have a lot I want to write about, but for today, I celebrate a milestone.  I missed blogging about it on the actual day, but April 24th is an important date in my history.  Let me briefly share the story.

When I was less than a year old, I developed a terrible disease called infantile spasms.  This basically means having seizures as an infant.  For months, my parents had to deal with difficult season.  Then one day in April – April 24th – I died for three minutes.  But God intervened.  He breathed life back into me; and what’s more I didn’t have a hint of the infantile spasms!  Last year marked the 40th anniversary of living seizure-free; now it’s been 41 years.  I’ll never stop giving God all the praise, honor, and glory for this.

Since it’s May, it is fitting that I give another illustration from the TV show “The Flash”; I say this because later on this very month, this series will end after 9 years.  In an episode from season 5, a member of Team Flash was contemplating looking into the truth about her father’s mysterious disappearance, but she was reluctant.  She said perhaps she should just forget about the past.  Ralph Dibny persuaded her to go for it; he gently stated, “Some things are worth remembering.”  I get that sometimes the past can be very painful (in fact, that’s a topic I plan to bring up in the next blog, Lord willing), but there are also wonderful memories; things worth celebrating.  That’s what I do today.   

Psalm 103 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases” (verses 1-3).  God has healed me from diseases – and I’m so grateful.  But I’m also grateful for the truth in the previous line in the verse, it states God forgives iniquities.  Later on in the chapter, we read, “As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (verse 12).  He did this in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, who died a criminal’s death on a cross to atone for my sin – and yours. 

In conclusion, perhaps what best sums up what I’m feeling can be captured from the song “I thank God” by Maverick City Music.  “Wandering into the night, wanting a place to hide… And just when I ran out of road, I met a man I didn’t know, and he told me I was not alone.  He picked me up; He turned me around.  He placed my feet on solid ground.  I thank the Master; I thank Savior; I thank God.  Because He healed my heart; He changed my name, forever free, I’m not the same.  I thank the Master; I thank the Savior; I thank God.”  

Kevin  

Easter Monday, 2023

It struck me that the day after Easter – sometimes called Easter Monday – is sort of like the day after Christmas.  You had the big celebration; you partied like it was 1999, as the Prince song said (maybe that’s party like it’s 2099 or something now, I’m not sure).  You had all the egg hunts, but then after the dust settles, and the music fades, you are left to yourself and your thoughts.  Or perhaps it’s like the day after the Super Bowl; you are left thinking, “That was really something.  But now what?”

Candidly, I didn’t envision writing this blog today.  But I really felt God prompted me to do so. Isaiah 55:1-2 says, “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat...why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?”  Perhaps God has been drawing you and wooing you to “yes” to His offer of salvation from sin.  Only God satisfies; nothing else will quench the thirst.  If you haven’t already maybe, in the aftermath of Holy Week, now is the time to choose to surrender the fight and say “yes” to God.

I had in mind that someone maybe will be reading this who thinks that they can’t come to God because of their past.  I recently heard the story of a girl who stated that she felt like she was the prodigal child from Jesus’ parable in Luke 15.  But in her case, she felt like she couldn’t even decide to go back to the father because of the guilt and shame.  She likened it to the father in the story going to find her with the pigs, picking her up, and cleaning her up.  Today, the peace and joy from God is evident in her countenance. 

This is a beautiful modern-day example of the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15 – a story told prior to the prodigal son.  Here Jesus said if someone had 100 sheep, but lost 1, he would go and leave the 99, find the 1, and “when he has found it, lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (Luke 15:4).  It’s never too late.  Perhaps you need to let Him come and pick you up, clean you up, and do His wonderful work on you.  Or maybe you’re a believer, but you need to come to back to Him, after running from Him after years of doing your own thing.  He won’t react to you with apathy or anger, but with love and open arms. 

One of phrases I’ve been saying a lot lately is life is chapters.  In conclusion, let me illustrate this statement: Two months ago, the Denver Broncos leadership team announced that they had finally found their newest head coach – the seasoned veteran, Sean Payton.  In the press conference, Payton used an analogy that has really stuck with me. He said,

“You come with your standards, but you’re not coming in indicting anyone else’s.  You’re just coming in with, ‘This is how we’re going to teach.  This is how we’re going to meet.  This is how we’re going to practice.’  And I’m not too familiar with maybe how that was [with the Broncos] in the last few years…you really knock the rearview mirror off the automobile.  We’re just moving forward"  (You can find his words at this link from you tube; the time stamp for the quote is about 34:33).

While it remains to be seen what will happen with this year's Denver Broncos (I remain optimistic; I say Denver made a great hire for their new head coach), one thing is clear: it is no longer the dumpster fire that was the Broncos of 2022, it's a new chapter.  In the same way, the life we led before Christ is gone; it's a new chapter, a new page, a new day.

Kevin

Holy Week (Part 3 - "He rose again the third day")

On Friday, Jesus’ disciples had lost their master, teacher, and friend.  That’s horrendous enough right there.  I’ve lost a loved one to death; it is the most excruciating pain.  But they were also mourning what might have been.  This Jesus, who had wowed the masses with His incredible words and miraculous power, had His life cut short – at least from their vantage point.  With His death, their dream of Jesus overthrowing the Roman oppressors seemed impossible.  But their sorrow turned to joy that Sunday morning!  Acts 1:3 sums it up: Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs.”  Jesus had walked out of His grave!    

I’ve often referred to Easter Sunday as the Super Bowl for Christians.  I once heard it from a worship leader, resonated with it, and have used it many times since.  It is the Super Bowl.  Without Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, Christianity is just a bad joke.  Why?  Have you ever stopped to contemplate the words Jesus said, that we easily take for granted?  I mean, Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). You and I don’t make statements like that.  If we did, someone would want say, to quote John Madden: “his elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top.”  Or how about this one…

“I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay down My life of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17-18).  It’s a bold, outrageous statement.  Jesus was actually claiming power over both life and death.  The onlooker might be tempted to ask Him what Lou Grant once asked Ted Baxter on “The Mary Tyler Moore show”; he asked, “Are you playing with a full deck, fella?”   But Jesus was.  He was telling the truth about His power and divinity; His resurrection proves it. 

Tim Tebow in his excellent book “Shaken” writes, “On the third day after Jesus was crucified, He rose from the dead.  The Christian faith is meaningless without this fact.  Former atheist turned apologist C.S. Lewis wrong that Jesus “has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man…Everything is different because He has done so.”"

I love 1 Corinthians 15; it’s an essential chapter.  I’d love to delve deeply into it, but I won’t.  Instead look at these words: “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand…that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas [or Peter], then by the twelve.  After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once” (verses 1,3-6).   

To conclude, Lauren Daigle has a great song titled “Thank God I do”.  She sings, “I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know You.  I’d probably fall off the edge.  I don’t know where I’d go if You ever let go, so keep me held in Your hands.  I don’t know who I’d be if I didn’t know You.  Thank God I do.”  I say the same thing for myself.  My life story, in a nutshell, is that God, by His amazing grace, transformed my life from darkness to light.  A few verses later in that chapter in 1 Corinthians, we read what might very well be my life verse: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not without effect” (1 Corinthians 15:10; NIV).

Kevin

Holy Week (Part 2 - "Hallelujah for the cross")

When it comes to the events of Holy Week, some want to quickly move from Friday to Easter Sunday.  Yet each are important.  But let me back up.  Days after the events of Palm Sunday, Jesus was betrayed, arrested, subjected to a kangaroo court, and ultimately He was condemned to die, by way of crucifixion.  The day Jesus was murdered has been come to be known as Good Friday.  Why in the world would it ever be referred to as good?  I submit that it was only Jesus’ sacrifice that would atone for the sins of the humanity. 

Discovery Series put out an extremely helpful little booklet called “Why did Christ have to die?”  I could spend the rest of April blogging about this phenomenal resource, but I won’t be doing that.  Instead I want to bring up two points that are presented under the heading of “the principles of the cross.”  By the way, in the introduction, Martin R. De Haan II, states that this content is from various authors.  And the section I’m quoting from doesn’t give the author’s name.  I actually find the anonymity refreshing, as it puts the focus solely on Jesus.  Anyway, this first principle is what is referred to as, “the cross provided an adequate sacrifice.”

“By His death on the cross,” this author writes, “the Lord Jesus provided a once-for-all sacrifice for all our sins (Heb. 10:12).  He was the complete and perfect sacrifice.  It satisfied every demand of a holy God, and it brings salvation to all who trust in Christ.”  Three sub-points are listed at this point: 1) Jesus became a member of the human race.  2) He lived a sinless life.  3) He remained God.  “He [Jesus] was fully God and fully man,” the author continued.  “His goodness is what gave His sacrifice infinite value, making it adequate to pay for the sins of all mankind.”

Secondly, “the cross provided a necessary substitute.”  Here an incredible story from American history is told.  This author says in a tribe of Indians someone was stealing chickens.  The chief decreed that the penalty for this was 10 lashes.  The stealing continued, and so the penalty was raised 20 lashes.  The thievery persisted.  Eventually the penalty was raised all the way to 100 lashes, which would basically be a death sentence.  One day, the thief was finally caught – it was the chief’s own mother!  What would the chief do?  The mother was ordered to be tied to the whipping post.  The chief took the whip, then he took off his shirt, revealing his massive physique.  He handed the whip to his warrior aide.  He wrapped his massive body around his mother, completely enveloping her.  Then he ordered the aide to give him the 100 lashes! 

The fact of the matter is I have sin – and you have sin too.  This truth is difficult to swallow; I know it can go down hard.  But it’s true, nevertheless.  Further, we can’t atone for that sin.  No amount of good deeds we perform somehow magically works off the bad deeds.  We are stuck.  A few months ago, for some reason, I had a dream that I was trapped inside a building as a result of a massive avalanche.  Not only was I trapped, but several others were as well.  And we had no hope of escape.  Suddenly, someone from outside miraculously intervened, providing salvation to us.  Let me ask the question again: why refer to the events of that Friday centuries ago as good?  Because that day, Jesus, through His death, intervened in mankind’s helpless situation with salvation in hand.

In conclusion, the old hymn titled “Hallelujah for the cross” expresses the worship I feel in my heart right now: “Up to the hill of Calvary my Savior went courageously.  And there He bled and died for me; hallelujah for the cross.  And on that day, the world was changed; a final, perfect lamb was slain.  Let Earth and Heaven now proclaim: hallelujah for the cross.”  This second verse caught my attention: “What good I’ve done could never save, my debt too great for deeds to pay.  But God, my Savior, made a way; hallelujah for the cross.  A slave to sin my life was bound, but all my chains fell to the ground when Jesus’ blood came flowing down; hallelujah for the cross.”  Amen and amen!

Kevin    

Holy Week (Part 1 - "Somebody save me")

I wonder if you have ever felt misunderstood.  As if someone thinks they understood your motives, mission, what you are all about, but they actually had it completely wrong.  If so, you are in good company: Jesus Christ has often been misunderstood.  Consider this episode in Matthew 20, for example.  The mother of James and John comes to Jesus and asks, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom” (verse 21).  Jesus flat-out says, “You do not know what you ask” (verse 22). 

Jesus’ mission was to give His life on a cross, or as He Himself stated a few verses later, “To give His life as a ransom, for many” (Matthew 20:28).  But, the majority misunderstood what Jesus had come to do.  Perhaps this was never more evident than when you contemplate the event commonly referred to as Palm Sunday.  In fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus rode in to Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-7).  Verse 8 describes it as “a very great multitude” who cried out “Hosanna to the Son of David” (verse 9)!  “Hosanna” is a Hebrew word that means “save us.”  They were expecting Jesus to throw off Roman oppression, but once again, they misunderstood Jesus.   Jefferson Bethke, in the foreword of Kristin Parrish’s book “No cape required” is helpful here. 

“There is this real peculiar moment toward the end of Jesus’ public ministry where he is talking to the gatekeepers of his day and he quotes a Hebrew psalm by saying, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’” (Matthew 21:42) …But what Jesus was getting at was they might have been extremely studied in the Old Testament and its prophecies about this messiah figure God had promised – but they couldn’t even see the King himself living, breathing, and talking right in front of them.

But to some degree you can’t blame them.  Everyone in their particular context was looking for an earthly political or military rebel leader to rise up and take down the pagan empire of Rome and establish God’s reign and rule.  They expected a hero.  What they got did not meet their expectations…They wanted Superman, but it looked like they got Clark Kent instead.  In that last sentence, though, lies the beauty of Jesus of Nazareth.  The beauty of Clark Kent is he is Superman.  And while people might have called Clark names and thought he really didn’t do much, he was also the one truly saving the day and bringing salvation to Metropolis even though he didn’t get the credit as Clark.”

I began with asking if you knew what it’s like to be misunderstood.  Take heart: Jesus knows what that’s like.  I love this line from a song by the Christian singer Carman – who is enjoying his reward in Heaven now: “Jesus Christ was wounded too, with wounds much deeper than ours.  That’s why no child of God should be embarrassed by their scars.”  While I plan to develop this more next time, the same crowd that cried, “Hosanna” to Jesus on Sunday, later on that same week, cried “Crucify Him” (Luke 23:21-24).  Ultimately, Jesus was murdered on that cross.  But it was ordained all along.  In fact, right after sin entered the picture, God gave the first Messianic prediction (Genesis 3:15) that one day Someone was going to come and atone for man’s predicament.  

In conclusion, the TV show “Smallville” ran for an impressive 10 years.  It ended back in 2011, but it is still quite popular to this day.  It featured a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) who heroically rescued others, with no thought of reward.  The theme song for that show was titled “Save me” by the group Remy Zero.  It has these haunting words: “Somebody save me.  Let your warm hands break right through.  Somebody save me.  I don’t care how you do it, just stay, stay.”  Like Clark did hundreds of times on “Smallville”, Jesus Christ is ready, willing, and waiting to save you; to provide you with salvation and forgiveness from sin.  The Bible says, “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  If you’ve never asked Him to do so, I pray you would today.   

Kevin

Healed from horrendous hurt

There are some things that I write, and I enjoy every single moment of it.  Such as when I wrote a five-part blog series on “The Flash” this month, that was something I thoroughly enjoyed.  But there are times when I honestly wish I didn’t have to write about something; today’s blog’s falls into that second category.

Speaking of “The Flash” there was an exchange in season 3 that came to my mind, as I begin today.  (If you are tired of this subject matter, bear with me, as it sets up what I want to talk about.)  Barry is speaking to his friend, Felicity, about some of the changes that have occurred in his world.  In the midst of laying all this out, he speaks of how there is also someone who doesn’t like him very much.  Felicity says, “Well, that’s impossible; everybody likes Barry Allen.  You’re like pudding; everybody likes pudding.”

While I never thought of it in terms of Felicity’s analogy, I can relate to it.  Like Barry, I try to treat everyone around me with kindness and respect.  I remembered how, several years ago, a coworker said that they wanted to tease me about something.  But even though it would have all been innocuous and fun, they said because I was too nice, they decided against it.  Now, understand I’m certainly not opposed to some good-natured ribbing.  The point is, even if you are Mr. Nice Guy, even if you treat others around you with kindness, you will still have detractors.  That’s the case for Barry Allen, and for myself as well.

I’ll do you a favor and spare you the gory details, but not long ago, my kindness was responded to with hostile words, they deeply injured me like I haven’t been injured in decades.  The Bible says the tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).  Words have incredible power, either to heal or hurt.  These particular words hurt me so deeply it felt like my heart had been stabbed with a knife.  I was left feeling like I’d been punched in the stomach repeatedly, trying to regain my breath and my equilibrium.

I had a choice to make: either let this deep hurt fester inside me, leaving me bitter and angry, or choose to practice the Bible’s proposed remedy: forgiveness.  I chose the latter.  Jesus, in the prayer He taught His disciples, said to pray: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4).  Colossians 3:13: “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so also you must do.”  Ephesians 4 instructs, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (verse 32; italics mine for emphasis).

Why am I bringing this up?  Because it’s entirely possible you may be reading this and you too have been hurt deeply.  I want to help you.  From firsthand experience I can attest that healing from a deep hurt is absolutely possible, but it is only possible through the power of forgiveness.  That’s not to say that it’s easy.  When those emotions rose up in me, I had to continually remind myself over and over – and over – of my decision to forgive; that I considered the debt paid, that I left the matter to God for Him to avenge (Romans 12:19), and that the chapter was closed.  Eventually, my emotions began to follow my will.

Let me conclude with this.  I love Gordon Mote’s song “Mercy Walked in”.  In it, he likens his salvation to being in a courtroom, condemned and guilty.  However, “Mercy walked in and pleaded my case, called to the stand God’s saving grace; the blood was presented the covered my sin.  Forgiven when Mercy walked in.”  I’ve easily listened to this song a hundred times, and shed countless tears at the joy of my own salvation, forgiveness, and personal relationship with Jesus. 

The song ends there, but imagine something with me.  Suppose the person released from the courtroom – the one completely forgiven – is subsequently hurt by another person, and hurt very deeply.  What else could the response possibly be but to choose to forgive the offender?  After all, since “Mercy walked in” and forgave, whatever this person forgives will pale in comparison to what he has already been forgiven. 

Kevin   

Previously on "The Flash" (Part 5 - Finale)

Today, I will be wrapping up this series on my reflections on some of my favorite moments from the TV show “The Flash”.  As I said back in part 1, “The Flash” is actually a spin-off of “Arrow”.  “Arrow” featured the adventures of Oliver Queen/the Green Arrow, a character played excellently by Stephen Amell.  “Arrow” ran 8 seasons, and went on to have several other spin-off shows.  There was “Legends of Tomorrow”, “Supergirl”, and “Batwoman”.  Even Jefferson Pierce, the protagonist from the show “Black Lightning” appeared with Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen and the others a few times.  Someone dubbed this shared universe of shows the “Arrowverse” and the name stuck.  So the conclusion of “The Flash” truly marks the end of an era.

Season 8 thoughts I left off with season 7; on to season 8.  I could go on and on with examples of why I think season 8 is quite good.  I could discuss the episode of just as Barry’s late dad’s – Henry Allen – birthday rolls around, a man is wrongfully accused of a violent crime; no one but Barry believes he is innocent.  He saw it in the man’s eyes, as he had in his dad’s years earlier.  Barry uses his keen CSI mind to solve the case, and exonerate the man.  Or I could detail the events that led to (spoiler alert!) the shocking death of one of Team Flash’s own.  I really should describe the epic two-part season finale; but suffice to say, Barry ultimately defeated Tom Cavanagh’s Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash in a gripping and satisfying way.

But it’s the five-part season premiere from season 8 – titled “Armageddon” – that sets the stage for this fine season.  A being from the future named Despero (portrayed superbly by Tony Curran) tells Barry that he has seen how, in the year 2031, future Barry went mad and ushered in chaos and destruction, that is Armageddon.  This mysterious figure warns that if he sees this tendency in the Flash, he will end him.  Stunning negative event after stunning negative event subsequently occurs; it all makes even Barry himself start to believe the prophecy.  As it turned out, it was all Eobard Thawne, in a brilliant, manipulative plan to make Barry doubt his own sanity.  He travels to 2031 to see the coming Armageddon for himself, and the full scope of Thawne’s plan.  It takes a whole episode to untangle it all. 

In the concluding episode of the Armageddon saga, Despero warns Team Flash that Eobard Thawne should not be permitted to live.  Some on the team agree with him.  They all grapple with what the right thing to do is.  This was compelling as it reminded me of the “why doesn’t Batman kill the Joker” question.  Ever the hero, even after all the pain and suffering Thawne caused, Barry chooses to save Eobard Thawne’s life, by taking away his speed.  It’s the noble choice.  But of course, doing so sets up their next confrontation, which occurs in the two-part season finale.  I came across this quote from Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A; he once stated, “Each person’s destiny is not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice.”

Season 9 thoughts I should mention for the record that I haven’t seen any episodes of the 9th season yet, but I am very much looking forward to seeing this final chapter.  I came across an intriguing article that highlighted the guest stars that will apparently return again in season 9 (the article I’m referring to can be found at this link.  I couldn’t possibly name them all here, but the names Tom Cavanagh and Matt Letscher in particular caught my eye.  Candidly, after witnessing the epic story in the season 8 finale, I confess I was surprised to learn of Cavanagh’s Thawne returning.  But, first of all, the writers didn’t know at the time whether there would even be a season 9.  And second, how could you conclude the show without Eobard Thawne?  He is the main villain of the entire series. 

As for Matt Letscher, he played a prominent villain periodically throughout the series.  In season 8, he appeared yet again.  He was portraying the same character as always, but he was actually a good guy.  Thanks to multiple existences of this character in the multiverse (and the love of a good woman) there was a version of him where he was good and decent.  This story was another example of a good story in season 8.  So it’s interesting Letscher will be returning as well.  Assuming he will play the same character again, I wonder if he will be the good version of the character or the villainous one.

In conclusion, I don’t know what season 9 will look like, but ultimately Barry Allen’s heroic legacy will endure.  Is Barry perfect?  Hardly.  He’s not perfect, just as the writing for the show hasn’t been perfect.  Even so, I thought of Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen when I read this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson; “The purpose of life is not to be happy.  It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well” (quoted by Tim Tebow in his book “Shaken”).  May those words be descriptive of you and me both.

Kevin