There was a song recently written by John Ondransik about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky which asks the question, "Can one man save the world?" Right now, we don't know the answer, but we're praying for the protection of the Ukrainian people, that those who would destroy them would fail, and that peace would prevail.

The lyrics include the line, "In a thousand years, will anyone know your name?" And the answer is most likely no. It is estimated that the world population around the year 1200 AD was about 390 million. I only recognize the names of two people from that period - William the Lion, king of Scotland, and Genghis Khan. There was a great little book called "The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan," but I'd have to check with Wikipedia to find anything about William the Lion. So for them, the answer is yes, your names are remembered by Phil Routly. But that's about it.

Paul could have given Timothy the entire description of the full armour of God he wrote in Ephesians, and I'm certain he wasn't saying, "Timothy, when I wrote that circular letter to the churches, I gave a list of six things - the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. Really, the only ones you need are the shield of faith and the breastplate of righteousness (which leads to a good conscience)."

The Johari Window is a tool to help better understand relationships. Believe it or not, it was actually created by Joseph Luft (Jo-) and Harrington Ingham (-hari), two psychologists who were born in 1916.

The original idea was to think of a four-pane window in which the horizontal axis has "Known to self" on the left side, and "Not known to self" on the right. The vertical axis has "Known to others" at the top, and "Not known to others" at the bottom. The four quadrants are labeled Arena, Blind Spot, Hidden and Unknown.

Paul writes, "Timothy, by recalling these things that I have previously commanded you, you will fight the battle well, hold on to a good conscience, and reject what has led others astray."

Fighting the battle well does not fit in to our modern western vocabulary.

A few weeks back I wrote a post on why I love music. The other day I saw a car commercial featuring the squeaks and strains of a high school band, selling the quiet interior of an Infinity WX60. It reminded me of a movie.

Saturday was a day of mourning, reflection, and fear. A day of silence.

Sunday started that way, but became a day of celebration!

The Sabbath is over, so the travel restrictions are lifted. Two Mary's saw where Jesus had been buried, and along with Salome wanted to be the ones who finished the burial ceremony - to complete what had been started on Friday afternoon. They had seen the stone rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb, but they must have been hoping that someone would be there to help. Had they heard about the Roman guards being placed there, so maybe they would help while keeping watch?

The Sabbath - Saturday - was a day of mourning, reflection, and fear. A day of Silence.

We don't know how many of the disciples were at the cross when Jesus breathed his last. The only one we can be sure about is John, the "disciple whom he loved," since Jesus said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son," and to John, "Here is your mother." They must have mourned together.

After celebrating the Passover meal, Jesus and his disciples left the upper room, and walked across the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane where he spent some final hours with them, and in prayer with his father.

He was there because he had an appointment with Judas, a large crowd armed with torches, swords and clubs, officers of the temple guard, all sent by the chief priests and elders of the people, and a detachment of Roman soldiers.

I have a feeling that Jesus never stopped teaching.

Before arriving in the garden, Jesus seems to cover a lot of material. This is his final conversation with his closest followers now that Judas has gone, and they are slowly making their way toward Jesus' destiny. I don't think anyone is in a hurry.

On the night when Passover began, Jesus knew exactly what was what about to happen. Following Jewish tradition, he would gather with those closest to him to remember God's deliverance of his chosen family from slavery in Egypt, as they began their 40-year pilgrimage through the wilderness to the promised land. Jesus gave direction to Peter and John about finding the right place, an upper room, furnished and ready for them to celebrate there.