Tag: Jesus Christ

Praying in the Garden

On April 14, 2017

For Good Friday, I decided to post a drawing. A sketch I did this morning.

This scene has always meant a lot to me. I have also thought that the three prayers that Christ sends up to God is as much for us as it is for himself. Hundreds of years before the spirit of Death visited Egypt claiming the first born children of the land, passing over those who sacrificed and placed the blood of the lamb upon their doors. Now the spirit of death was returning and it had its eyes set on the entire world. There would be no stopping it, but God had a plan. His own first born would be sacrificed and his blood spilt on the lintel of the doorway of our lives. Upon the Cross.
He was praying that death would not come, but he knew it would.
“Yet not my will, but your will be done.”
The cross awaits him, but so does the empty tomb. For all of us.
Sunday is coming.

Walking the Plank with Christ

By kevinpsb4

On January 13, 2017

In Uncategorized

As a little child I usually attended Sunday School while my parents went to church and their own adult classes. For our group of kids we were taught through colorful Bible stories in ways that were understandable for little ones. Hearing about the animals on ‘Noah’s Arc’ comes to mind.

As fun as those stories were, they were the simple beginnings of my understanding of the Bible. This period of my young church life I look back on as the ‘Jesus loves me’ time; for we sang that song over and over. I was only starting to know what that truly meant.

My first Bible lesson that struck deep with true meaning probably came to me one Sunday while I was sitting on a pew with my family in church. I was probably no older than 7 years of age.

Our pastor was giving a sermon on Mathew 7:3-5/Luke 6:41-42

Luke (NIV)

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

The visual image of a plank (or ‘beam’ as used in the King James version) was something my young mind and vivid imagination could see.

Every child by that age has gotten dust or dirt in their eyes and knows just how uncomfortable that is. So to imagine what it must be to have this massive plank of wood stuck in ones eye is a horrifying thought. Then to think trying to get a dust out of another’s eye with this thing stuck in my own is equally horrifying.

This imagery embedded itself into my mind.

It was my earliest lesson in not to judge others and it has stayed with me ever since.

It seems like an easy lesson to learn; don’t make such a deal out of pointing out the flaw in someone else’s life and act like you are the only one who can fix them, while completely ignoring the major problem within your own life. Yet we do it all the time.

Though I try not to judge others, I would be an equal hypocrite if I said I never judge other people. It’s far too easy to do so. But I try very hard not to. I have to stop and realize that I could end up going through the same thing they are and if others point out my faults with such an attitude, would only make my situation worse.

If you can help me, great, but don’t treat me as a flawed and only you can help me. I won’t do the same thing to you.

However, in an attempt to not judge people, sometimes I imagine my plank is much larger than it truly is, or imagine it is there even when it is not. It can be too easy make your own flaws greater than they actually are. So in your attempt to not judge others too harshly, don’t judge yourself too harshly either.

The End of the World came on Good Friday

By kevinpsb4

On April 6, 2012

In Uncategorized

The End of the World came on Good Friday.

A million wings flaps and the sounds of thunder rolled across the horizon. The Heavenly Host was so massive that their very angelic presence blocked out the sun sending the entire world into darkness.

Each Angel drew their sword that sparkled like lightning and fire. The first of these flaming swords had blocked reentrances in to the paradise garden and access to the Tree of Life. Now a million more such blades were about to do the deed for which they were forged.

The world is full of sin. There was no one righteous, not even one.

For man had abandoned the ways of God, and even now rejected him when he walked among them.

The mission of the angelic army was to bring the Wrath of God upon the world and to destroy all sin.

This time they would not Passover, their command was irrevocable. There must be payment for man’s sin. It would be total, it would be ultimate, and it would be finished. It would be the end of the world.

The order was given, they moved out. Their very approach towards the world brought forth earthquakes.

One was sent ahead, it was the very same angel that had blocked the way towards the Garden, now used its burning blade to cut the curtain in the temple. Access to the holy of holies was now open but there was no longer anything inside. God was not there.

Their eyes burning with anger and wrath the angels approached the city, none would be spared.

But then a shout came from below: “It is finished!”

Suddenly their wings altered direction, and a million angelic torpedo’s with blazing swords ahead of them all dove towards one location; towards one man, one man hanging upon a cross.

Did they know that the man their blades were striking, one for every sinful soul upon the earth, was their own God who had sent them on this mission?

They could not hold back their blades, even if they wanted to.

In seconds, their mission was complete, the man was dead, sin and evil was defeated.

The world of sin came to an end.

A new world would dawn three days later.

Kevin Paul Shaw Broden