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3 C’s – It’s Good Friday!

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Cares:
This time of year, we usually focus on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, as we should. Jesus Christ died a brutal death on an inglorious cross. He was beaten to a pulp – beyond recognition. He was stripped naked and hung to die. All for us, so we who are riddled with sin might spend eternity with a holy God. It was the biggest act of sacrificial love in all of history. Good Friday and Easter go together. You can’t have one without the other. The resurrection without the cross is powerless. The cross without the resurrection is hopeless. Together, they are everything.

So if Friday represents atonement, and Sunday represents redemption…what about Saturday? What do we do with this day in between? Because Jesus didn’t rise from the dead that same day, or even the next. He asked the world to wait. To trust. Can you imagine being one of the disciples? Can you imagine how confused, how afraid, how betrayed they felt? What do we do when we find ourself stuck in Saturday? How do we respond when God whispers, “Do you trust me?”

Concerns:
Ummmm….I can’t think of one and I’m sure not going to sit around trying to think one up. How about that? No concerns!

Celebrations:
Brogan is healthy! After 3 days of fever, 2 days of this scary rash, and all 6 days of one grumpy little boy, we found out he had Rosiola (no idea if that’s spelling right). He’s better now and back to his happy self.

There’s something about April and May. They make me happy. Maybe it’s because the weather turns warm or summer break is in sight, but everything somehow gets a lot easier. After the February/March doldrums, I’m enjoying my day-job again.

I made the changes to my third manuscript and sent them to my agent. Whatever happens now is out of my hands.

Question to Ponder: What are your cares, concerns, and celebrations today?removetweetmeme

Are We Listening?

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Do you think it’s harder for us, here in America, to hear the voice of God? Do you think, in all our busyness, in all our running from here to there, our chasing success and comfort, that we miss out on witnessing God move?

Sometimes I wonder.

Jesus came to earth and flipped the world on its head. The ultimate King, the Lord of Lords, the Creator of the Universe, all authority and dominion are his – yet he comes to earth as a man and washes the disciples’ feet. He saves a prostitute from stoning. He touches lepers. He ministers to the lowly. He uses the despised things of this world to glorify his name. Like an executioner’s cross to bring salvation to the world.

Then Paul adds to the confusion by saying, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” It makes no sense. Not in our world’s economy. How can I be strong when I’m weak?

This reminds me of Nairobi, Kenya. More specifically Kibera – the biggest slum in sub-Sahara Africa. I walked the streets of that place. The stench was unbearable. Imagine standing in the foulest of porta-potties. Imagine tin shacks crammed so tightly together they’re practically stacked on top of one another. Imagine streams of human excrement flowing past front doors, sometimes through houses.

I was there. A few years ago. Eager to offer encouragement and pray for these people who so obviously needed it. Only when I got there, I couldn’t think straight. We went into this woman’s home. A woman sick with HIV. A woman trying to raise six children in a tiny shack, three of whom were not her own, but her dead sister’s. I sat inside her home. Cramped. Hot. Uncomfortable. Craving America. Craving the comfort and peace of the familiar. And then something pretty unbelievable happened.

This woman started talking. Words poured out of her mouth. Words about Jesus, her redeemer and savior. She was positively glowing. I remember sitting there, tears streaming down my face, because this woman – this lowly woman – was encouraging me.

I think it’s so easy for us, here in America, to “do it on our own”. Who needs God when we have a roof over our head? Who needs God when we have jobs that pay the bills? Who needs God when we have cable, high-speed Internet, fast cars, recycling bins, comfortable beds, doctors, medicine, and plastic surgery?

God’s voice is so muted here. Not because He lacks power. But because we’re too busy and comfortable to stop and listen. But in Africa? In places like that woman’s filthy shack? God’s voice shouts. It shakes the walls with power and might. And I see with clarity His hand moving. Working miracles. Even now.

I think there is a special blessing for that woman living in Africa. She knew, with absolute assurance, that Jesus was enough. That He was all she needed. Of course she knew. Because Jesus was all she had.

In her weakness, God revealed His perfect strength. And all of a sudden, Paul’s words make sense.

Question to Ponder: Are you listening?removetweetmeme

3 C’s – It’s Friday!

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Cares:
Will I be able to improve my manuscript? I’m working on the suggested changes, but right now, it feels a little like trying to get my 17-month old to tell me why he’s crying. The manuscript is leaking tears, and I’m trying to figure out what hurts.

Concerns:
Brogan has a mysterious fever. I’m staying home with him this morning, then my dad is coming to pick him up at noon so I can go to work. As a teacher, missing work ends up being more work than if I’d just gone.

Celebrations:
I’m celebrating you! I’ve felt so supported and encouraged this week as I’ve read through the wonderful comments on Monday’s post. Each and every one blessed my heart.

I just started reading the Harry Potter books to my students. They are captivated. As a teacher, I can’t help but love this series. It’s helped millions of kids around the world fall in love with reading. There’s something so mesmerizing about the story. A neglected boy discovers he’s someone special. The world he knows isn’t as it seems. And he spends seven books fighting evil. As a Christian, I can’t help but make the analogy. Christ finds us and tells us we’re special – that we’re made in His image. We discover the world isn’t just physical, but spiritual. And an epic battle between good and evil rages every day, in every village, classroom, neighborhood, city street. As a Christ-follower, I know who wins the battle. As a Harry Potter fan, I know who wins the battle there too.

Question to Ponder: What are your cares, concerns, and celebrations today?removetweetmeme