Help Is On The Way

I was reading my Bible last night, and came upon a passage in Daniel that reminded me of a rough patch in the past...and gave me hope for the one I am going through currently.

Do you ever fell like your prayers go unanswered? Or that God is for some reason withholding from you? 

There are times that I am dedicated to sincere, heartfelt prayer - and I'm not too vain to say that these times are often concurrent with a rather difficult trial. I want help/answers/relief, and I want it now!

After all, who likes to suffer?

I don't know why sometimes we get our prayers answered as almost as soon as they pass our lips, and sometimes it takes a while. A long while. 

It is not my job to know. Got is omniscient - He is all knowing. I certainly wouldn't want to be in charge of everything. Believe me, I try to handle it, but I quickly find that letting go was easier than holding on. 

So, back to the Daniel story. 

In Daniel chapter 10:10-14, Daniel had a visitor. Earlier in the chapter, to set up the story, Daniel explained in vs. 2-3 that "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself till three whole weeks were fulfilled."

Daniel was at his lowest low, and he prayed, and fasted, and had great devotion to God. He also was very disciplined! By human standards, one would think his answer and relief would be immediate. 

It wasn't. 

That brings us back to vs. 10-14. Look at this:

10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

Verse 12 is SO KEY! As soon as Daniel humbled humbled himself, his prayers were heard and answered IMMEDIATELY!

There was great spiritual warfare, though, and the forces of heaven joined to reach Daniel and encourage him.

I had a Pastor once tell me the Spiritual realm is much more real than the physical one - we go by the physical one because it's what we can understand with our physical senses. 

 It is so important to press into the Word, and to pray, because it puts our focus back on the Spiritual - we may not understand, but He does, and He will comfort us, assure us, strengthen us, and give us hope. 

If you are not getting immediate answers to your prayers, humble yourself.  

Then, realize there could be a lot going on behind the scenes in your behalf!

LAS

Missing The Path

We all headed down the path to matrimony with one goal - the elusive happily ever after. 

It didn't work that way. 

Maybe your spouse strayed off the straight and narrow. 

Maybe you did. 

Now you find yourself lost, alone, adrift. 

Or you've gotten back on track..you're just not sure it's the RIGHT track. 

You know there is hope out there, but how do you find it? Where is it?

Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) "There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death"

We don't trust ourselves.  We have a hard time trusting others.  

Who CAN you trust? 

Proverbs 3:5-6 has been a favorite of mine for a long time, for it says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Trust. 

In God. Who is Lord of your heart. (Is He?)

With ALL your heart. 

Don't try and figure it out yourself. 

Acknowledge Him in ALL your ways. 

That's a biggie...but the payoff is huge. 

And He will direct your PATHS.  

I know I don't want to go the wrong way again. I know I don't want to go around the mountain again, suffer from a lesson I should've learned. 

So I listen to the stIll small voice. 

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)

Do you know Him? Then His voice is still there....shhhh...still your mind. Get quiet with Him. Cry out to Him. 

He KNOWS you. 

Follow Him. He is the Way, the Truth, and the life (John 14:6). 

Tonight on the way home from work, a magnificent sunset was forming. I love photography, and I really wanted to capture the majesty I knew would be right around the corner. 

As I entered my neighborhood, the sun dipped below the horizon. 

Frustrated, I passed my street and headed to the ponds, where I was SURE I was going to get "the" shot, the perfect answer to my quest. 

I rounded the curve, and no brilliant hues were noted. Just grey clouds. I was frustrated. I knew something majestic was there. Disappointed, I went to turn home...then the voice of God said "go straight". 

So I did. Back to the front of the neighborhood.  I was turning to go home, when I looked to the left...and was transfixed!

The waning sun was reflected in the clouds, a wide open palette of pastel pinks and purples, ethereal in appearance. Like nothing I had seen! I hastily parked, jumped out of the car, and praised God! It wasn't the direction I thought it was going to come from. It wasn't what I expected. It surpassed my expectations!

In the few moments I stood in awe, another amazing scene was setting up behind me. 

I turned to go back to the car, and the second picture came into glorious view. I was surrounded by beauty - different in its manifestation, but awesome in its own way. 

I almost turned back. I thought I had missed it. 

Do you think you have missed the mark?

Gotten so far afield there is no finding the Light?

Seek ye first the kingdom of God - and HIS righteousness. And all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33). 

Never give up.

He will never give up on you. 

LS

Imprisoned by Circumstance

My husband and I were doing our nightly Bible reading and this passage literally JUMPED out at me. I knew the Lord had a message for us from this. 

Acts 16:16-24 (NKJV)

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

16Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and  us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." And this she did for many days.

But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour.  But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe." Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.  Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Paul and Silas were out doing what they do - serve the Lord.  They were being hassled by a possessed girl.  They did what God called them to do - got the evil spirit to leave the girl.  The local yocal that owned her didn't believe in God and didn't appreciate their service to the girl.  

So they were beaten for doing what they were called to do.  Then they were put in the inner prison.

According to www.mpumc.org, this kind of prison was "dug out of solid rock and were underground.  Prisoners, their guards, and their provisions were lowered through an opening the size of a manhole.  This manhole was the only means of entrance and exit.  Rain and debris from the market and from the animals easily dropped into this "house of darkness".  Neither animal waste nor that of the prisoners found it's way out easily."

I don't know all your individual stories- but I know at one time you were doing what you thought you were supposed to be doing in life.  Suddenly you are thrust into these circumstances.  Regardless of the reason for the situation or the separation or divorce, I think we can agree that it is a dark place, indeed.  We are shackled - by litigation, by poverty, by laws, by our obligations, by sin,  etc. etc. etc. 

Those who don't know God will point the finger and harass you.  You are a Christian - why are you getting divorced? Why are you divorced?  Etc. On the inside, we ask ourselves the same thing.  We are in a dark place, and we don't want to be there.

BUT GOD...

Let's continue with Acts Chapter 16 (NKJV)

23

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.  And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.  But Paul called with a loud voice, saying "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."

Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.  And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes.  And immediately he and all his family were baptized.  Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

That's a lot to chew on.

First off, despite being in a hole in the ground, filled with excrement, dark and dank - they were not complaining.  They were singing hymns.  Singing - in their dark, smelly, shackled condition. HELLO!  Boy does that convict me. I'm not afraid to say I've been guilty of stinkin' thinkin', not praise.

There was seemingly NO way out.  By mans estimation, there WAS no way out!! Then GOD!  They could not predict what was going to happen - and SUDDENLY there was the earthquake, doors opened, chains were loosed.  I'm sure no one predicted that happening...except Paul and Silas, perhaps.

PAUL and SILAS were so critical: in the midst of the mess, they praised God.  Then, once they were released, they cried out to the jailer and saved his life!  Both physically and spiritually. Then the jailer brought the good news to his family - and who know who else!

There are people desperate in your life - desperate to know God, desperate for Hope, desperate for the smallest kindness.  YES - you are in a dark, dank, smelly, seemingly hopeless place.

BUT GOD!

God sees you in that place.  AND He sees those around you.  Do you?   Do you realize that, even in the place of confusion and sadness and despair, there are those in your life that are looking to you.  Your children.  Your family.  Your friends.  People that you have a "random" interaction with.

The bottom line is this - God sees all, and He knows what to do.  We need to trust Him - and praise Him, keeping our eyes on Him, even in our despair.  

And then ask  Him how, even in this lowly state, we can serve Him by being a servant to those around us.

Have a blessed week...I challenge you to think on and study this passage.  Let the Lord speak to you...wherever you are!

In A Fog

Today I opened the garage door as usual at 0420 to begin my 62 mile commute to work. It's a drive I make every week, full time, and I have made this trek since 2006.  I think if I let my car go, it would drive itself there.

As I got on the interstate, my Jetta was soon enveloped in a thick, smothering fog. I got off of cruise control and slowed to a safer highway fog speed, and gripped the wheel with both hands, becoming extra alert, tense, looking for any hazards that might be in my very limited visual field.

Although I know the path well, suddenly I was disoriented.  I squinted to see the mile markers, looking for a sign that I was where I should be on the commute.  There were no street lamps to light the way, and I knew the next lights would not be until my exit.  The fog pressed agains my windows, and my headlights sliced through the grey vapor, sending it off in streams over and around me.

My senses were heightened. I was uneasy, though - even though I had been down this road before, this was an experience that had to be handled today.  In the moment.  It appeared without warning, and it could just as easily dissapate quickly.

Eventually a dim light appeared in the near distance, and I relaxed a little.  It was amazing how much that little hint of yellow light at the top of the hill gave me comfort.  For a minute, I knew where I was, and I knew there was a way out of the darkness.

Divorce is a lot like that.

One day you are just cruising along, and then suddenly, the air is sucked out of the room.  Everything is changed.  In a moment.  Or maybe it was over a period of time.

Once you start the journey of separation or divorce, though, then you are on the foggy path.  The way things were done before are not the same.  The landscape of your life is no longer something that is familiar to you.

You become anxious, sensitive, looking for direction or hope.  You cling to anything that looks familiar to you, that makes sense.  Your mind becomes foggy with lack of sleep, anxiety, emotion - the whirlwind of situations, legalities, and emotions that rushes over you.

In the mean time you careen down a road that you didn't expect to be on, and you can't see where it ends.

There is a light - there is a hope.  It's so important to surround yourself with safe people that care about you.  Family, friends, church family.  The divorce recovery program is so vital and effective because there is someone who has been down the road, knows it well, and knows that there is an exit off of it.  Knows that the fog will lift when the Son appears.

Know that we are praying for you.  Know that God loves you - and He wants you to trust Him.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said "Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

The first step is toward God.  Telling Him everything.  Crying out to Him.  Giving your life to Him...and trusting that He will put you back on the right path.

The sun WILL come up again...

LLS

Changing Course

Changing Course 

Good morning, good afternoon, or good day! 

I'm writing this from the Atlantic Ocean, heading to St. Thomas today. I know the course, I know the itinerary, and unless there is a storm or other unforeseen event, I know where my life will be heading for the next few days.

The Carnival magic was not so lucky. She sailed with a destiny of Mexico, and then it was discovered that there was a passenger onboard that may have touched the blood samples from the deceased Ebola patient. So the ship sat outside the coast of Mexico, unable to move forward or back, stuck by a situation beyond it's control. Eventually, it was sent back to Texas, full of frightened and disappointed travelers.  They had left for a fun filled vacation, and it turned into a nightmare. 

When I was a little girl. All I wanted to be when I grew up was a wife and mother. I didn't aspire for a career - I wanted to take care of my family, which is the highest calling.

Yet five years into my marriage, I had a wayward spouse who was living with  another woman, and I had a baby, a five year old, and I was sitting at the bedside of my 11 year old son, who had a chronic health issue that had him admitted to the hospital more time in a year than I could count. I was a high school graduate  with a semester of college behind me, working a barely over minimum wage job.

Certainly I didn't plan that.  When I got married, I wasn't even thinking that one day he would leave me for another, especially when I had a new baby, and a sick child.  But leave he did, and with no financial support . I was too overwhelmed to even consider what to do .


As I sat at my sons bedside, I glanced over my shoulder and looked out the window. I took in the trees, the cars passing on the street below...and then I noticed, for the first time, the building outside the room. 

It was a college of nursing. 

My mind began to work.  If I became a nurse, I would certainly always have a job. I would always have health insurance. For the first time in a long time, I had a glimmer of hope.

Of course I had no idea how I was going to accomplish this. That story is for another letter.  Through the support of my friends and my church, and through hard work and Pell grants, I graduated from nursing school in May of 1997. A divorcee with a 2 1/2 year old, a six year old, and a 12 year old struggling with a lifelong autoimmune disease. 

I didn't know how I could do it.  I didn't know if I could stand the sight of blood! I had no idea what I was getting myself into. 


God knew.  I know it broke His heart when the marriage was destroyed, but He knows the beginning from the end. Nothing takes Him by surprise. 

I had no idea what to do, but I threw myself at His feet, and He directed my course. 

He is the captain of my ship . In Proverbs it says His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. His plans are for my good - Jeremiah 29:11. 

Sometimes we get off course. Sometimes we make decisions that we know are wrong for us. Sometimes things happen to us beyond our control, and we deal with the fallout. 

The solution to both those situations is to go back to where the Rock is - God.  Cry out to Him. Pour out your heart, your pain, your fear.  Ask for forgiveness if you need to, repent of anything you have to, get clean and erase  the course you were on. Grieve it...and then let it go.  

It's not what you had planned. You may have no idea what you're going to do. 

Put it in the capable hands of your Father.  Make Him captain of your life. He will never, ever let you down. He knows where you need to go. 


Trust in Him. 

My Glory And The Lifter Of My Head

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Day!

 

I don't know where you are in the world right now, but I am going to be vulnerable - it's been a very, very difficult month for me.  A bad clinical depression exascerbation, coupled with the death of young people I knew, and news of other death, and frankly, I am feeling quite a heaviness in my soul.

 

This is not uncommon - especially when you are facing separation, family strife, or divorce.

 

These situations can take us to low points.  That is normal.  BUT...don't stay there!  And don't listen to the lie of the enemy!

 

The One who keeps me going - the One reason I will never kill myself, is the Lord.  Although I can't wait to go to heaven, I can't wait to see Him, that Hope is what helps me hold on.  GOD and only God can determine my days.  I don't believe in suicide, I don't condone it.  BUT...I understand the despair that can drive people there.

 

If at ANY time you are feeling that depth of despair, call someone.  Call the church.  Call a friend or family member.  Call the suicide hotline 1-800-273-8255.  If you are afraid you are going to hurt yourself, call 911.  There IS help in those critical times.

 

Day to day, we must build ourselves up with the Word.  So here are some verses when you find yourself discouraged, or in dispair:

 

"You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head" - Psalm 3:3

 

"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.  You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." - Psalm 30:11-12

 

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.  But Jesus came that I may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). - John 10:10

 

"In Christ I have perfect peace and confidence.  In the world I have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but I can be of good cheer (take courage, be confident, certain, undaunted!)! For Christ has overcome the world. (He has deprived it of power to harm me and has conquered it for me.)" - John 16:33

 

"God comforts, encourages, and consoles me in every trouble.  He enables me to console others who need comfort." - 2 Corinthians 1:4

 

"When I am pressed on every side by troubles, I am not crushed and broken. When I am perplexed because I don't know why things happen as they do, I don't give up and quit." - 2 Corinthians 4:8

 

"God's gracious favor is all I need.  His power works best in my weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

 

Keep your eyes on the Lord!

 PLEASE share the ministry with anyone who you think may benefit from the blogs!

Just Ducky

It's been an eventful week for My hubby and I - culmunating yesterday
with going to a concert.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Steven Curtis Chapman -
he has been a Christian singer/songwriter since the late 80's.  If you
have not gotten into Christian music, pick any one of his CD's and you
won't be sorry.

Anyway, My husband's sisters went to high school with Steven - so he saw him
perform as a teen.  The last time I saw him perform was 20 years ago -
it was a great concert, a big venue, very encouraging.  He was a young
performer, I was a young Christian, etc.

Well, flash forward to last night.  I'm 20 years older, with a lot of
experience under my belt - a lot of life has gone by.  I couldn't even
begin to tell you all that has happened. I thought about it last
night, though.  I was running through the hard times that the Lord has
brought me through - the really tough times I thought I wasn't going
to make it.  And I was glorifying God for my husband - I feel doubly
blessed after all that has happened.

But looking at me - well, I used to sing on the praise team, and
people are ALWAYS shocked when they hear my testimony.  For some
reason, when you are up on stage, or ministering, people think you
have it all together.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

It's a big reason my husband and I do this ministry - because we have walked in some
version of what you are going through - we know the road.  We may not
have gotten on it the same way, we may have different outcomes, but we
are all on this journey.

That's what I was thinking about last night.  Steven Curtis Chapman is
the most awarded musician in the Christian music industry.  He was so
down to earth - I could see a different Steven than the one I saw 20
years ago.  Since then, he has watched his children grow, has watched
them marry, has adopted three girls...and tragically, 6 years ago,
lost one of those adopted girls in a terrible accident where his 17
year old son ran over her when she dashed behind the car.  Tragedy
beyond measure.

If I hadn't told you that story, if you didn't know it, you would be
shocked to hear it. He performs, he is full of joy, he continues on.

But here's the deal - all of us, each and every one of us, has our
journey.  We are all on this road called life, and we all have our
stories.  No one has arrived - no one WILL arrive until we either die
or Jesus returns.  Then and only then will we be finally free of
sickness, pain, separation, hurt, sorrow, depression.

EVERYONE has a story.  Everyone is either about to go through
something, is going through something, or is coming through something.

I remember when the Chapman's lost Maria - and I prayed for them.  I
still do.  We need to pray for each other.  We need to be real.  We
need to talk to each other - to remind each other that this is not our
home, that we are human, that we mess up, that we are hurting.

God loves you so much and He is here for you during this time.  Don't
kick yourself because you wish things were done differently.  Don't
dwell on it.  Square your shoulders, start the day fresh, and step
into the new day.  We all fall down.

Here's a song that I thought of last night - if you look it up on
YouTube, look up the Bob Carlisle version, which has these lyrics.
It's a great song.  Check it out. I have the YouTube link:
Bob Carlisle - We Fall Down  , and here are the lyrics:


We Fall Down
Written by Kyle Matthews

Cursing every step of the way,
he bore a heavy load
To the market ten miles away,
The journey took it's toll

And every day he passed a
monastery's high cathedral walls
And it made his live seem
meaningless and small

And he wondered how it would be
to live in such a place
To be warm, well fed and at peace
to shut the world away

So when he saw a priest who walked,
for once, beyond the iron gate
He said, "Tell me of your life inside
that place ..."
And the priest replied...

We fall down, we get up
We fall down, we get up
We fall down, we get up
And the saints are just the sinners
who fall down ... and get up

Disappointment followed him home
He'd hoped for so much more
But he saw himself in a light
He had never seen before

Cause' if the priest who fell
could find the Grace of God to be enough
Then there must be some hope for
the rest of us
There must be some hope left for us ...

Sunday's Coming!

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Day -

It's been a long, cold winter.  That's a strange thing to be typing
from the panhandle of Florida, but we have lived here since 2000, and
never has their been such a consistantly cold winter.

I did a 5K on Saturday, and it was cold.  46, wind chill of 41, NNW
wind at 12-15mph.  And I ran on the beach, half of the run into the
wind.  My feet were clad in my vibrams but since I wanted to run on
packed sand, that meant cold wet sand - and occasionally running in
the surf.  BRR!

I never thought I'd say this, because I HATE hot weather, but I am
READY FOR SUMMER!  The picture I attached is from 0600 when it was 41
degrees.  I was inside, looking longingly at the beach, the umbrellas
- and fantasizing about the time coming soon when the umbrellas will
be open to shade against the beating down of the sun, and the sand
will be hot, the waves warm.  Everything is there in preparation for
summer - it is just waiting. Once summer arrives, the umbrellas will
be open, the windows will be lifted, sunglasses will be on! We may not
feel it now, but we know it's coming.

It reminded me of something else - life is hard.  Right now, you all
are going through some mighty trials.  As am I.  It is hard not to get
discouraged.

That's when you have to pull out the Word and get reading.  Just read
any of the Gospels - I recommend starting with John - and when you get
to the garden with Jesus, you see what He went through for us.  He
knew there would be unimaginable suffering - but He willingly took it
on for us.  For me.  For you!!!

Why?

Because He knew what was coming next!

Sunday is coming!!

In the Jewish tradition, the first day of the week was Sunday -
Saturday was the day of rest.  Read the discription of the day our
Saviour arose!

John 20
New King James Version (NKJV)

The Empty Tomb
20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb
early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken
away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the
other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken
away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid
Him."

3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to
the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran
Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking
in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then
Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw
the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been
around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together
in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb
first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did
not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then
the disciples went away again to their own homes.

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord
11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she
stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in
white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the
body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you
weeping?"

She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not
know where they have laid Him."

14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus
standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to
her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?"

She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have
carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him
away."

16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!"

She turned and said to Him,[a] "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).

17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended
to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending
to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the
Lord,[b] and that He had spoken these things to her.

The hankerchief around His head was folded seperated.  In Hebrew
tradition, this meant "I will return".

SUNDAY IS COMING!!

Here's the lyrics to the song "Sunday", by the group Tree63.  Look it
up on YouTube if you have a chance:

Nothing's sacred, the days are cheap
Truth is thin on the ground
Still our prophets are crucified
Nobody believes we're stumbling
It's Friday but Sunday is coming

Someone's saying a prayer tonight
For hungry mouths to be filled
Someone kneels in the dark somewhere
Darkness is already crumbling
Yeah, its Friday but Sunday comes

Sunday, hallelujah
Its not so far, its not so far away
Sunday, hallelujah
Its not so far, its not so far away

Broken promises, weary hearts
But one promise remains
Crucified, He will come again
Its Friday but Sunday is coming
Yeah, its Friday but Sunday is coming

Sunday, hallelujah
It's not so far, it's not so far away
Sunday, hallelujah
It's not so far, it's not so far away

Darkness is already crumbling
Its Friday but Sunday is coming
Yeah, its Friday, Sunday is coming
Can you feel it? Here it comes

Sunday, hallelujah
It's not so far, it's not so far away
Sunday, hallelujah
It's not so far

Be encouraged, dear ones.  Sunday's coming!!!