ARTICLE ONE:

“HE IS ALIVE!”

"It is finished."

Darkness bellowed across the sky. The earth began trembling slightly and then grew into a jarring that shook the earth from its axis. Boulders split where they sat. Tombs fell open and the dead walked among the living.And finally, man fell to his knees. A broken body was taken from a crude, bloodstained cross. Roman nails were left in the wood as a witness to horror. The crime had been revenged, but not by the criminal.

Tenderly, and veiled through tears, the Crucified was wrapped and taken to a borrowed grave where it was sealed and left in silence.

After three days of waiting, the earth groaned and again shook its foundation. The seal to the tomb was rolled away by arms ordained. A radiant face, a rejuvenated body greeted those who came running. Death was now the broken one.

Rocking back and forth to the earth's triumphal roar, the cross creaked powerlessly. Fear. Envy. Denial. Mocking. Scourging. Thorns. Robe. Cross. Vinegar. Spear. Blood and Water. Forgiveness. Darkness. Waiting. Victory.

He is alive!

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ARTICLE TWO:

“CARING FOR SPARROWS”

Fifth grade was not easy for me. Mentally I couldn't keep up with myself physically. When I started wearing those blue, pointy glasses it got worse. When I started having trouble with arithmetic, life got darker still. "Ugly". "Four-eyes". "Dummy". No sir, I didn't lack for names.

Then in sixth grade along came Mike. Mike was one of the best-looking, smartest, most popular guys in school. I sat beside him. We became best friends. Mike didn't see me the way other kids did. He always chose me first to be on his team even though I was a girl. I beat him at tether ball, but he didn't mind. And when I had to stay in at recess to finish my arithmetic, he would stay in with me. Mike is the one who finally made long division make as much sense as it was going to make. He never laughed at me and in sixth grade, because of him, no one else did either.

Life went on and mine got better. My body finally quit all of that awkward stuff, glasses were traded for contact lenses, and I even passed Modern Math.

I haven't seen Mike in over forty years, but for one brief moment in time, he was the most important person in my life. He befriended a frightened sparrow and made her proud of who she was even in blue, pointy glasses.

Is there a Mike in your past or present? If so, know that it isn't just luck. It is a promise. God takes care of His own, even sparrows. ###

ARTICLE THREE:

“COMES THE MORNING”

We thought we were crazy. Recently, as the winds howled and the rains came, we found ourselves heading north to go camping. The closer we got to our destination the blacker the sky became. Should we turn around and go back home? Were those motels proudly displaying NO VACANCY signs really that full?

Putting tents up in the dark is very much like putting your clothes on in the dark. You have that nagging fear that everything is either upside down or inside out or both. Stakes were pounded, rain flaps secured and another layer of clothing was applied.

The only way our camp fire was going to keep us warm, was if we stood in it. Smoke followed whatever direction we moved. "Are we having fun yet?" was the unspoken question.

As I sat on top on of my sleeping bag mustering up the courage to slip into that ice cold tube, I tried not to think of my nice warm beddie at home. Cold nose. Cold feet. The night was long.

The morning broke. The wind died. Zipping a small opening in the tent I got a glimpse of blue skies and sunshine. The day held promise. Walks in the woods, a picnic by the lake, laughter, solitude.

The beauty of the morning made the bleakness of the night worth it. I've just quit talking about camping and touched a bit on life. Hang in there. All storms are followed by morning.

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