This Easter I encourage you to drink deeply of the implications of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Through the various people involved in the biblical accounts of the Cross, many of the faulty human characteristics that show us our need for a savior are revealed. Here are a few of the people and thoughts on their flaws:

1)The religious leaders who plotted and stirred the people up to kill Jesus. These are like people today who use popular sway, secret alliances, deception and treachery as a means to manipulate and control. This is frequently a form of evil done in the name of good.

2)Both Pontius Pilate who knowingly condemned an innocent man because of political ease and Herod who passed the buck back to Pilate. This reveals the weakness we have to avoid our responsibility to defend the innocent and the lack of courage to stand for what is right in light of potential unpleasant fallout.

3)Those soldiers who who killed Jesus. These are the people who excuse themselves from guilt by saying, "I'm just doing my job," or, "I'm just following orders," without taking responsibility for the moral content of their actions.

4)John and the women at the cross: those who looked on as Jesus was killed. Helpless, powerless victims of circumstance. Brave enough to associate with Jesus in His suffering but powerless to make a difference.

5)Those who ran away when He was arrested. Most of the disciples fled as soon as there was trouble. A week before, they were proud to be associated with Jesus as He triumphantly entered Jerusalem, riding across coats and palm branches to the shouts of Hosanna. But as soon as things turned for the worse, they were gone. This is the timid fearful Christian of modern times; confident inside the church but invisible outside and gone whenever there is trouble.

6)The one who betrayed Jesus for money with a kiss. Judas loved money and was stealing from Jesus' ministry fund. In the same way, we can steal from Jesus' ministry fund by not giving tithes and offerings (see Malachi 3). Because of Judas' corrupt heart, he became so enraged at Jesus' use of expensive ointment that he betrayed Him for 30 pieces of silver. And he did so with an act of love... a kiss. Christians who do not participate in giving are always the first to turn and criticize. They will always boast of their great love for God, but very quickly betray their relationships.

7)Peter, the one who, under pressure, denies ever knowing Jesus and quickly deteriorates into a vulgar, cursing liar. Poor guy ran his big mouth and then stuck his foot in it. This is Christian who brags of his infallible faith among the Christians but not so much in the real world. Hmmmmm.

8)The mindless mob who called for His death. These people reveal the human weakness to think we know something when we do not. The pundits, preachers, prognosticators and politicians offer us irrefutable proof and evidence from every perspective and for every opposing opinion. We tend to follow the voices we find most agreeable like lemmings, without credible proof, and then close our eyes and minds to any contradiction. Christians must know why we believe what we believe in the spiritual stew of modern culture. We can no longer afford the bliss of ignorance like medieval gray-faced peasants.

9)The two thieves. What flows out when one is under pressure reveals the secrets of the heart. Both are thieves. Both are guilty of wrong. From one comes anger and accusation and from the other comes humility and submission. That we would learn to respond like the latter.

These are just a few of the characters involved directly in the Cross of Christ. Their flaws and weaknesses are no different than ours. As we consider Easter let us remember that Christ did not die for righteous people but sinners. The Father's great love was manifested toward us in paying the necessary penalty for our redemption and giving us the opportunity to forsake the old and embrace the new!

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1

My Testimony

I was born in the Bronx, NYC in 1956, the third of seven children, and raised by hard working parents in the rural upstate community of Earlton, NY where we moved when I was two years old. I graduated from high school in 1974 and went immediately to work for my father's printing company.

As a typical child of the seventies my main recreational activity was partying—partying to celebrate weddings, rock concerts, sporting events, holidays, weekends, birthdays, or for no reason at all. My friends and I were not serious illegal drug users although we had no reservations about drinking alcohol, which we did vigorously and excessively. The years between high school and marriage, though admittedly fun, passed in a blur of shallow self-gratification.

I married my beloved wife Nancy in May of 1977. She is the best thing (besides Jesus) that ever happened to me and marrying her was the only smart decision I made during those years. Besides being in love we were great partying buddies—that is, until she attended a Jack Van Impe evangelistic crusade during the summer of 1977 and gave her life to Jesus Christ. Soon after she received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and as she became more deeply committed to God, I continued to view partying as a harmless form of recreation—something I had no intention of giving up.

It’s not that I didn’t like God in those days. Having been raised in a church, I always believed in God and had even said a half-hearted sinner’s prayer at one point, ostensibly ensuring my salvation. I even remember nearly having a fight at a party once with a guy who was raised in our church and had become an atheist at college. His arrogance and shallow bitter arguments against the existence of God and his hatred for all churches disturbed me deeply and I let him know, in no uncertain terms how I felt. So, although I had some kind of twisted and hypocritical reverence for God in those days, Nancy’s newfound version of Christianity filled with prayer meetings, Bible studies and gifts of the Holy Spirit, was definitely not for me.

Within the first couple years of marriage I began to feel the pressure of life as our babies began to come along and bills piled up. Frantically groping to make up for the lost party years, I enrolled in night college and began working various part time jobs to augment our income. I also left my father's company before long and landed a better paying job at another printing house where I worked my way up to manager over several years.

During these years a shift took place in my drinking and partying habits. Whereas I once felt in control of when and where I decided to drink to excess, slowly it seemed that I had stronger desires to drink myself drunk more frequently. I also began to plan these events in advance, scheming and deceiving to create opportunities to get drunk. In the sport of wrestling there is a move called a reverse. It is when a wrestler is on top and his opponent quickly maneuvers to take the controlling position from him. That was how it felt to me. Whereas I was once in control of my use of alcohol, suddenly I was being driven by it.

I continued to spiral downward in my abuse of alcohol for several years making many classic blunders; from wrecking a car, to drinking away entire paychecks, to being ticketed for DWI. The greatest damage I rendered however was the pressure my failures put on Nancy and my children. Money was always desperately short because of my excesses and Nancy's family was secretly urging her to leave me. We fought incessantly and each time after I fell I was enveloped in a blanket of self hatred. I would make new promises, vows and commitments, pledging never to drink again. Always though, after a few days, weeks or even up to two months, my resolve would weaken and I'd begin to scheme my next outing.

By 1982 our marriage was severely frayed and hostile although Nancy's spiritual life continued to grow. In the spring of that year she began to be tutored in spiritual warfare by a woman friend. (This portion of the story is more her testimony than mine.) Under this tutelage, my wife began an ambitious prayer regimen specifically for me to be saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and set free from alcoholism. Very quickly, faith began to grow in her heart for victory and as it did I began noticing a change in her attitude towards me. She began to be very loving and compliant, verbalizing her love, commitment and confidence toward me and our marriage like never before. This really confused me because I could no longer justify my actions by reasoning that I needed this alcoholic escape because of my rotten home life. By Thanksgiving 1982 I was looking at her Christianity with more openness than I ever had before.

As was our custom, we traveled to Nancy's parents’ house that year for the holiday weekend. On the Saturday evening following Thanksgiving, Nancy, her mom and dad went out to a prayer meeting and I stayed at their house to watch our kids. When they came home later that evening they had an incredible story to tell. A woman at the prayer meeting, they said, had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. The woman claimed that Jesus had materialized and sat on the edge of her bed and comforted her because of a particularly distressful situation. Her husband apparently slept through the whole ordeal.

What was particularly unsettling to me was, not that Nancy or her mother believed this story, but that my father-in-law believed it. Having been a NYC police officer, my father-in-law was as street smart as anyone I have ever known. He could spot a scam a mile away. So when I saw how shaken up he was, how this woman's encounter had clearly impressed him, it really affected me. I remember wondering if this was possible. Does Jesus Christ really have the power to personally appear to a person? After years of hearing about God from the church, my wife and mother-in-law, and after months of my wife's constant prayer for me, a genuine thought finally penetrated my thick skull. If Jesus Christ cared enough about that woman to personally come to her, I wonder if He would come to me if I asked Him. That thought began to gnaw at me; it lit a flame of hope.

That Sunday evening we drove the two hours back home, arriving about 9:00 pm. After I got Nancy and the kids (three at the time) settled in I excused myself, telling Nancy that I had to go and check out the next days work schedule at the printing plant. I was really going to the plant for another reason altogether. I had decided that I was going to pray and see if Jesus would come to me.

Arriving at the plant, I went to the pressroom which was down in the basement of the building. After thoroughly checking that I was there alone and finding and old wooden pallet, I placed it on the floor as a kneeler. (Kneeling was from my church background.) I paced back and forth for a few minutes, trying to stir up enough courage to start. Finally I knelt, reached deep in my heart and very tentatively said, "God......Jesus... Will you please fill me with the Holy Spirit and give me the gift of tongues." (I prayed this way because for six years Nancy had told me that this was what I needed.) As the words were coming out of my mouth I began to feel a strange tingling sensation on top of my head. Immediately, I was so stricken with fear that I sprang off of the pallet and frantically ran to the other side of the building. Having never experiencing anything even remotely supernatural before, I was terrified at the presence I felt. Something was over there! Something I couldn't see!

After a couple of minutes I got my courage up a second time and decided to try again; only this time I resolved to see it through. I went back to the same pallet and knelt in the same way and tried to recite exactly the same words. (I had already started a new religion!) I said, "God...Jesus...will you please fill me with the Holy Spirit and give me the gift of tongues." This time when the tingling sensation started on the top of my head I didn't move as it increased in intensity and moved down my body. Some have described this feeling like that of hot honey or warm oil poured over you; all I know is that I was filled from head to toe with the most wonderful, warm, pure, and ecstatic feeling I had ever experienced. At the same time I felt a pressure pushing up from the inside of me and knew it must be the gift of tongues. I opened my mouth and began to speak as a beautiful new language practically gushed from inside of me. It continued to pour like a fire hydrant as I experienced wave after wave of this pure ecstasy. In fact, the tongues gushed out with such intensity that for several minutes I honestly could not stop my mouth from speaking this incredible articulate language complete with distinct words, phrases and inflections, all coming out of my mouth but which I could not understand.

I was so happy that I jumped and skipped like a little kid, spontaneously praising God. It seemed like every negative thing in me was simply gone. All the self hatred, guilt, shame and years of accumulated burdens were lifted. I felt like an untethered helium balloon. But the greatest thing of all was the knowledge that, just like the woman my father-in-law told me about, Jesus came to me when I asked Him. I absolutely knew for certain that He was real, that he was a living person and that He loved me. I also had a profound sense of what I later learned that the Apostle Paul said..."If God is for me, who can be against me?"

That day began the most wonderful adventure in my life. To say I turned on a dime is an understatement. I began running for Jesus with all my heart and although my take-off was somewhat shaky at times, God supernaturally delivered me from alcohol, restored my marriage and has given me a life of incredible abundance.

Since that day in November 1982 some of the evidences of this new life are as follows:

• Free from alcohol for 25 years in 2007 and counting.


• Marriage restored—married 30 years in 2007 and counting.


• Ministry education, Ravena Bible Training Center, Ravena, NY


• Prison ministry for five years in a maximum security prison, Coxsackie, NY.


• Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Ministry and Leadership, Antioch University International (AUI).


• Extensive pro-life involvement.


• Co-founder of a pro-life pregnancy distress center, 1984.


• Ordained Minister since 1989.


• Ministered on foreign missions to various nations including Belize, Ukraine, Dominican Republic, Kenya and Uganda.


• Senior Pastor, Catskill Mountain Christian Center, since 1991


• President of Greater Margaretville Area Interfaith Council, 1995-2000


• Senior leader of Catskill Mountain Christian Academy, 1995-present


• Produced and hosted weekly ‘On Fire Radio’ from 1995-2007


• Hosted daily live call-in talk radio show, an hour a day, five days a week for four years. With an evangelistic heart and airing on commercial secular stations, the show discussed current events and related them to Christian truths.


• Interviewed over one hundred Christian book authors for radio broadcast. Some notable interviews were Linda Mintle, Mike Yorky, Tommy Tenney, Elmer Townes, Thomas Trask, T.F. Tenney, Larry Keefauver, Steven Strang, Lee Grady, Jim Goll, Steve Gray, John Sandford, Loren Sanford, Francisco Contreras MD, Don Colbert MD, and many more.


• Founder and senior leader of the Family Table Community Assistance Program. This program distributes over $300,000 worth of food each year to low income people.


• Guest speaker at many men's conferences, leadership seminars and churches.


• Featured guest on 700 Club with Pat Robertson


• Published article in 'Ministry Today' magazine.


• Published two books in the Pure Gold Classics series by Bridge Logos Publishing.


• Third book in contract to be published in 2008.


• Member, Open Bible Faith Fellowship of Canada.


• Member, Your Ministry Consultation Service (YMCS).


• Member, International Coalition of Apostles (ICA).


• Member, International Foundation of Christian Wealth Builders (IFCWB), Ecclesiastical Leadership Council.


• Member, CitiHope International, Board of Directors.


• Member, National Association of Evangelicals (NAE).


• My wife has become a highly effective minister and is in (not only) my estimation, the top woman platform speaker today. She is in a class of anointing, power, honesty, and passion by herself. She leads the women’s ministries at our church, heads our Christian Academy and speaks at many conferences.

I frequently tell people about a trip I once took to Washington State and how overwhelmed I was at the beauty of Mt. Rainier. Rising fourteen thousand some odd feet into the sky, this snow capped peak is a magnificent spectacle of God's handiwork. The day I arrived the sky was blue and the majestic Mt. Rainier dominated the scenery. I found that I could not take my eyes off it. Its beauty, in a way, seemed to nourish my soul. As night fell on that first day I was looking forward to savoring the same spectacular view for the next few days. I was disappointed in the morning to find that Washington's famous rains had moved in during the night and low clouds and fog obstructed the view. So completely was Mt. Rainier cloaked that you would never guess in a million years that behind the flat gray sky was a dominating masterpiece of God's creation. I never did get to view that beauty again - but, I know what I saw!

That is how this experience with God affected me. People can argue faith, philosophy, doctrine or religion. They can believe or not believe. They can theorize and proselytize but the vast majority is doing so from the fog. They believe but have never seen. I know different. I've seen Mt. Rainier for myself. I know it's there. It's the same way I've experienced God. I called Him, He answered in a way that was more tangible than my eyewitness of that great mountain. I know Jesus Christ; I've met Him. And having been touched by Him I have been left with a residue of His presence on the inside of me. So now, when I read the Bible I recognize the same essence as the one who touched me that day. Men can argue over the Bible, whether they believe it or not, but I know it's true. I've met the author.

The Purpose of Pain

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. Psalm 119:67

Human hardship and affliction are generally accepted as unfortunate realities. Whether physical pain, psychological distress or spiritual disillusionment, affliction is an unwelcome visitor to every life at one time or another. But is there some kind of purpose or positive aspect to this down side of life?

Yes. Because affliction typically points to some problem that needs our attention it benefits us by moving us to action. If I feel sick, the affliction is a catalyst for seeking healing from a doctor. If I am poor, the affliction provides an impetus for me to work harder, improve my education or look for a better job. If I am too fearful, depressed or angry I will seek relief from the inner pain and turmoil through psychological or spiritual help.

One aspect of inner health that has been widely overlooked in our modern age is the peace of mind that comes from being obedient to God. The same God who constructed the natural laws of the universe also created spiritual and moral laws that ensure a person's happiness. If a person breaks the natural law of gravity and steps off a cliff, the affliction his body suffers is immediate and unforgiving. Sometimes, however, the effect of breaking natural law happens slowly, over time. For example, living near a toxic waste site may not show any effects for many years but the poisoning of the natural order will afflict slowly, just as certainly as gravity.

In the same way, people who have strayed from God's laws will eventually suffer a wide variety of unfortunate consequences. Psalm 119 goes on to make a surprising statement on this subject, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver." v. 71-72. The pain of the author's affliction caused him to reluctantly bend his will to obedience to God and in doing so, he received a massive treasure chest of true riches. That we might also use the inevitable afflictions of life to seek God and find true wealth!

Winter Wonderland

The new birth of springtime, the wholesome beauty of summer and the glory of autumn foliage inevitably submit each year to the bareness of winter. Cold and gray, the trees and mountaintops seem to lose their beauty to desolation until…snow.

The snow brings a beauty all its own, as a pure gentle blanket covers everything with a profound natural elegance. There is nothing like the quiet glory of a new fallen snow. At the time of the year that seems most devoid of life, overnight the world is miraculously transformed into a magnificent sparkling new creation.

We go through similar seasonal cycles in our lives. Springtime comes with new and exciting events, advancements and opportunities. Summer occurs as we become proficient and productive, working hard and long, feeling fulfilled. Autumn is a place of achieving goals, ending chapters and receiving harvest for what has been. Winters are those times and situations where we fail, fall short, lose heart and feel lost. These are lonely times where our weaknesses are uncovered and things get hard and cold.

It is during these ‘soul winters’ when God’s blessing power is most spectacular. Like a silent fresh snowfall transforms the world to beauty, so the Lord transforms troubled human souls from pain and hurt to love and life. Jesus Christ gave his life on the cross to end the season of soul winter for all people. To those who will receive Him, as the scripture promises “Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18

Warehouse Blues

Imagine if you were set loose in a huge warehouse where wonderful riches and treasures were said to be hidden among the other goods stored there and you could keep any treasures you found. The only problem is that the huge warehouse is completely dark; pitch black.

You might begin your treasure hunt with enthusiasm; groping clumsily around for a while and maybe even come up with a planned systematic approach and have a little success. But you eventually become frustrated, especially when you realize that the really valuable treasures are very well hidden and the warehouse is very large and filled with many distracting contents and obstacles.

Finally, after getting sufficiently banged up from falling from high places and bumping into sharp objects, discouragement sets in. You eventually find one or two of the most common treasures, enough to get by, but you will not keep looking hard forever. Your heart grows tired and angry over time and you become resolved that you have done the best you can and quit. You hear stories about other people who have found treasure but secretly it is a mystery to you.

This is how most people approach life; by trying to get life’s treasures by groping in the dark. They eventually find a little something to keep them going but it never completely satisfies their heart. It always feels like there must be more to life but most people cannot really seem to find it.

The secret to the warehouse is to first seek the light switch. This is a completely different kind of hunt than going directly for the treasure but when you find the light switch you also find the treasure. The light switch is harder to find because you have to take your heart off of the treasure and put it on the light. In addition, you know that when you find the switch, the light will illuminate not only the treasures but everything else as well. The light creates responsibility.

When the light comes on you see yourself and the rest of the world, not the way you thought you looked but how you really look, dirty and needy. You now become responsible to keep the light on and you cannot pretend to be in the secretive darkness anymore. Yes, you do get access to the treasures you desired but they do not hold the same fascination anymore because the warehouse is such a mess and you are now in the light. Some people turn the light back off because they do not want the responsibility, others pretend to still be in the darkness and a few use the light to help others find the light switch.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew5:14-16

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:4-5

"That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." John 1:9

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."John 3:19-21

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:10-12

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of theworld." John 9:5

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." John 12:46

Costly Mistakes

Twenty year old Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis reached down and grabbed her snowboard to add a little hot dog move as she flew off the final jump on the way to the finish line and a gold medal. Add a little showmanship for the people who had been sitting there in the cold. As it turned out, although she was far ahead of everyone, her simple hot dog move was just enough to throw her off balance and she fell upon landing. Before she could get back on track she was passed by another racer and finished in second instead of first place. "I was really, really excited," Jacobellis would say later. "I had fought so hard. I was definitely caught up in the moment. I forgot to race. I was having fun, and that's what snowboarding is. I made a mistake," she said. "Everyone knows that's not normally me."

Not only did Lindsay lose the gold medal but the news reporters seemed fixated on the mistake like piranhas after bloody meat. They didn’t care about the brilliant race she had conducted, the silver medal she had won or the series of victories she’d had before the final race—only the mistake. It seems cruel that such a little mistake could cost so much. But Lindsay has lost that moment in time forever. There are no ‘do-overs’ in the Olympics.

The same goes for life, there are no do-overs. The Bible teaches, “Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” Ephesians 5:15-16. We all get to live this life once and three things are important to remember: 1. Life is very serious business, 2. Foolish mistakes can bring about terrible consequences, and 3. Big opportunities do not come along every day.

Lindsay will undoubtedly replay that moment a thousand times in her life and hopefully learn from it. In the Bible, Peter learned from his mistake of denying Jesus and became a great apostle. It is far worse, though, when we refuse the lessons to be learned through failures and mistakes and continue to repeat them over and over. This leads to bitterness and a defeated attitude. Judas made a terrible mistake and then regretted it, but it was too late, the mistake was done and he hated himself for it. Mistakes can really hurt.

The good news for us is that Jesus knows our hearts and desires us to repent and confess our sins when we fail. He is always willing to forgive and teach the one whose heart is correctable. God says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

But even better than learning from our mistakes is learning to obey God’s word so we do not have to make many really painful mistakes in the first place. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25

Sometimes life is like a snowboard race. It comes at us so fast that we just react and do not think about what we are doing. It is in these moments when our inner discipline in and commitment to God’s word must be the strongest. Consider these words from Proverbs:

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 16:16-25 (NKJV)

Coloring Inside the Lines

“Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” Psalms 19:7-10

Suppose I were to give an unsupervised toddler a box of crayons and a blank sheet of paper. He/she will scribble pointlessly. On the other hand, if I give that same child a coloring book and offer some guidance on how to color inside the lines, coordination begins to develop and a sense of satisfaction is experienced. In time, the child learns how to create variations of beauty within the preset boundaries. In fact we learn as children that the prettiest pictures are the ones colored perfectly within the lines.

That is how God’s commandments work. God has established preset laws or boundaries for us to live within. We create beauty within those boundaries and thus color our lives many different ways. When we break God’s commandments, the result is ugly, like scribbling outside the lines. When our lives take on the form and function of God’s commandments, they become beautiful diverse expressions of love and life!

Sometimes a child will draw a wild scribble, one at a time, on an entire stack of blank papers, frequently with the same crayon. You can see that there is no sense of accomplishment or satisfaction other than to put a mark on as many papers as possible. Our lives are like that when we do not live within the righteous boundaries of God’s coloring book, the Bible. In fact, outside of God's Word, life is uncoordinated and ugly. We just mark each day with the same mark as the day before; no real lines to guide us, only what is right in our own eyes. Just a scribble. No unifying form, function, purpose or identity. We are all hoping to color a beautiful picture but really do not know how.

CMCC member Chris DiBenedetto made a good point. He said that before knowing Jesus, he used to feel confused about life. He described himself as a person going into a movie theater halfway through the show. He did not really get the ‘plot’ of life because there were some very essential details of the story missing.

This nicely illustrates a main benefit of us worshiping God together and committing ourselves to Jesus Christ. The Word of God clearly shows us the lines; our identity, purpose, responsibility and future. In God’s Word, we learn the ‘plot.’ We also discover that our family unit is a very important part of God’s team and we have been called by God to fulfill His plans and color a unique and wonderful picture. This is an incredible privilege!

Consider these coloring book lines from the book of Galatians:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:16-26 (NLT)