Female in Motion

  John 12:1-3 Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Full of meaty meaning, this portion of Scripture has been discussed and debated since it was originally written. I love to read it over again, and consider all the facets of this jewel. The alabaster box was costly, and likewise the spikenard it contained. This was an extravagance, unheard of in this situation. Similar gifts would likely be offered to kings or other dignitaries, never an ordinary man, a carpenter. Mary anointed Jesus as her king, the King.  I think all of us are like that alabaster box. We are merely a shell, a vessel for th...

You can tell spring has sprung in rural Kansas when the farmers and ranchers start their spring burning. As I drive back and forth to work on weekdays, I see smoke plumes dotting the horizon, and scorched earth along the roadways. Fields must be cleared for new growth. After the fires have died down, the remains are black and charred. No life to be found. And then, merely a few days later, tiny green shoots spring forth from the blackened pastures. Death into life. Within a month, there is a verdant prairie where once a burned plot laid. This is regeneration. After Jesus' crucifixion, when Joseph of Arimathea placed the body of Christ in the tomb, there was no doubt that He was dead. Otherwise, what would be the point of it all? Our Savior gave up His life here on earth, so that we might have eternal life in Heaven. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead. Death into life. The empty tomb was proof. We are all assured new life in Christ. Regeneration--it's our cho...

I teach third through fifth grade Sunday School at my church. And I love it. They are bright and fun and inquisitive and challenging. I have to make sure to prepare and study to stay ahead of them. They are little sponges, at this age. Yesterday, we started reviewing the colors of salvation. This is a simple teaching tool. Gold is for the kingdom of Heaven, and Revelation 21:18 says, "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass." Black represents our sin, and the corresponding Bible verse is Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Red stands for the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." White is for the pure gift of salvation, and Romans 10:9 assures us, " That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in t...