Yesterday, Easter 2012, was a beautiful day! The sky a glorious blue as the golden globe that is our sun made it’s march across that sky. It was, for us, a perfect day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.
And that’s what we did with our friends and neighbors at the country church a mile down the road from us. An early service was followed by breakfast. After that we had time to prepare for the 10 AM worship service, which was well attended.
We celebrated the Easter story in music, song and the spoken word. Many folks were involved in the retelling of the story. It was good to be there.
Afterward, Sylvia and I drove into the city. There, we enjoyed a special meal and an afternoon of pleasant conversation with our older son, his wife and daughter.
The three Bs.
All too soon it was time for us to return home. Briana left shortly after and returned to campus to be ready for tomorrow’s classes.
As we made our way through the country on the expressway that takes us home, I saw a cloud of very black smoke rising above the trees ahead of us. Soon the vehicles around us were slowing. I wanted to see what was ahead, but had to keep a sharp lookout for brake lights.
I suggested that Sylvia take her camera in hand. She did and soon captured this image.
Ahead, flames were visible at the side of the road.
It was a vehicle on fire. Emergency responders had not yet arrived. We drove slowly past the scene of destruction. Nothing that we could do.
We drove on home where we were greeted by one hungry pussy cat. Midnight seemed pleased with the catnip I brought in to him. (It grows beside the garage door.) He was even more pleased with his afternoon serving of canned cat food.
The fire? I don’t know any details. Come back on Wednesday and I’ll show you more pictures that Sylvia took as we drove by the scene.
So glad you had a joyous Easter. While we are grateful for our many blessings, it is well for us all to be mindful of the fact that people are suffering everyday.
Well, my comment is a whole lot less words:
I’m glad you had a nice Easter. 🙂 Any time spent with family and friends is a good day in my book.
Hope everyone got out of the car safely.
What a shame for the person who had the car fire. I hope no one was hurt. I’m glad you, Sylvia and the family had a lovely day
Easter…what a great reminder…
My brother sent an email to me that also rang true since I love donuts…
A very different approach to explaining Jesus on the stake…a bit of a read but well worth the time!
There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson , a studious man who taught at a small university in the western United States .
Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their first year, regardless of his or her major.
Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the Gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most of his students refused to take Christianity seriously.
This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Stephen. Stephen was only in his first year, but was studying with the intent of going on to seminary for the ministry. Stephen was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting quarterback on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor’s class.
One day, Dr. Christianson asked Stephen to stay after class so he could talk with him.
“How many push-ups can you do?” Stephen said, “I do about 200 every night.” “200? That’s pretty good, Stephen,” Dr. Christianson said. “Do you think you could do 300?”
Stephen replied, “I don’t know…. I’ve never done 300 at a time”
“Do you think you could?” again asked Dr. Christianson.
“Well, I can try,” said Stephen.
“Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it?
I need you to tell me you can do it,” said the professor.
Stephen said, “Well… I think I can…all right, I can do it.”
Dr. Christianson said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Now let me explain what I have in mind.”
Friday came and Stephen got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of doughnuts. Now these weren’t the normal kind of doughnuts; they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream in the middle and frosting swirls. Everyone was really excited that it was Friday, and the last class of the term. They were going to get an early start on their celebration with a party in Dr. Christianson’s
classroom.
Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want to have one of these doughnuts?”
Cynthia said, “Yes.”
Dr. Christianson then turned to Stephen and asked, “Stephen, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a doughnut?”
“Sure!” Stephen jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Stephen again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a doughnut on Cynthia’s desk.
Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe, do you want a doughnut?”
Joe said, “Yes.” Dr. Christianson asked, “Stephen would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a doughnut?”
Stephen did ten push-ups, and Joe got a doughnut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Stephen did ten push-ups for every person before they got their doughnut.
Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Stephen. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.
When the professor asked, “Scott do you want a doughnut?”
Scott’s reply was, “Well, can I do my own push-ups?”
Dr. Christianson said, “No, Stephen has to do them.”
Then Scott said, “Well, I don’t want one then.”
Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Stephen and asked, “Stephen, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a doughnut he doesn’t want?”
With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.
Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn’t want one!”
Dr. Christianson said, “Look! This is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my doughnuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.” And he put a doughnut on Scott’s desk.
Now by this time, Stephen had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down.
You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.
Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a doughnut?”
Sternly, Jenny said, “No.”
Then Dr. Christianson asked Stephen, “Stephen, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a doughnut that she doesn’t want?”
Stephen did ten, and Jenny got a doughnut.
By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, “No!” and there were all these uneaten doughnuts on the desks.
Stephen also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each doughnut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, and his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.
Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Stephen do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Stephen’s work for all of those uneaten doughnuts. He sent Robert over to where Stephen was so Robert could count the set and watch Stephen closely.
Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room.
When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room.
He started to worry if Stephen would be able to make it.
Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Stephen was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.
Stephen asked Dr Christianson, “Do I have to make my nose touch the floor on each one?”
Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, “Well, they’re your push-ups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want.” And Dr. Christianson went on.
A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!”
Jason didn’t know what was going on. Stephen picked up his head and said, “No, let him come.”
Professor Christianson said, “You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?”
Stephen said, “Yes, let him come in. Give him a doughnut.”
Dr. Christianson said, “Okay, Stephen, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now.
Jason, do you want a doughnut?”
Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. “Yes,” he said, “give me a doughnut.”
“Stephen, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a doughnut?”
Stephen did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a doughnut and sat down.
Dr Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Stephen’s arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time, sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; and there was not a dry eye in the room.
The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a doughnut?”
Linda said, very sadly, “No, thank you.”
Professor Christianson quietly asked, “Stephen, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a doughnut she doesn’t want?”
Grunting from the effort, Stephen did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.
Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a doughnut?”
Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. “Dr. Christianson, why can’t I help him?”
Dr Christianson, with tears of his own, said, “No, Stephen has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a doughnut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Stephen here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Stephen told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Stephen that none of you could come to my party and have a doughnut unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.”
“Stephen, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a doughnut?”
As Stephen very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.
Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, “And so it was, that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, on the cross, pleaded to the Father, ‘Into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ With the understanding that he had done everything that was required of him, he yielded up his life. And like some of you in this room, many people leave the gift of Jesus untouched. ”
Two students helped Stephen up off the floor and to a seat. He was physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.
“Well done, good and faithful servant,” said the professor, adding, “Not all sermons are preached in words.”
Turning to his class, the professor said, “My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. God did not spare his Only Begotten Son, but gave him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. If we reject his gift and walk away, the price has still been paid nevertheless.”
“Now, wouldn’t you be foolish and ungrateful to leave this precious gift untouched, just lying there on your desk?”
Share this with someone. It’s bound to touch their heart and demonstrate salvation and God’s grace in a very special way.
This is a very good time of the year to review the GIFT of forgiveness and eternal life that God has given us through faith alone in His only begotten son, Jesus Christ our Saviour.