Their testimony of 66 days that changed their lives forever.

Brian went to bed with a fever and was on life support soon after.

Where's God in the midst of struggle?

Deuteronomy 10:17-20 says: "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve Him and hold fast to Him, and by His name you shall swear." (ESV) Who could argue that God's love for us has been nothing less than astonishing?! Our Father, via the Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, bids us to become like Him with respect to the least, the last, the lost, the distraught, the downtrodden, the afflicted, the marginalized, and all those mourning souls in our midst. Why care? Because He does! If God makes, and Jesus demonstrated, that "The least of these" were His business, shouldn't by extension they become our business too--especially since He said so?

Mark 10:13-16 conveys an encounter with Jesus and His disciples concerning children: "And they were bringing children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, 'Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.' And He took them in His arms and blessed them, laying His hands on them." (ESV) Jesus boldly declared and displayed His heart towards Little Ones, affirming that they were indeed a blessing and by all means not a bother. The text implicitly encourages us to do the same, to consider ways we might be helpful and not a hindrance to Children whom Jesus may be drawing to Himself. And that goes for Children of all ages--those young in age and even those merely young at heart...

When a group of women went to honor the dead body of their beloved Rabbi, they encountered an angel. Matthew 28:5-6 records it like this: "But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.'" (ESV) We might wonder why they didn't expect Jesus' resurrection after He said several times previously that He would be crucified and then rise, but it's likely we would have been just as surprised as they were. Then in John 5:27-29 we have words from Jesus who said: "And He has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment." (ESV) So Jesus not only foretold of His own resurrection, but our resurrections as well! That said, Jesus indicates that everyone's post-resurrection experience won't be the same. How do you expect your's be?

John 12:13 tells us this about that first Palm Sunday: "So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (ESV) When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, many there thought the Roman occupiers were their core problem, their existential threat, their preeminent emergency. However, their real preeminent emergency was sin and death and eternal separation from God! And yes, Jesus was coming to their rescue; He was the answer! But Jesus' triumphal ride into Jerusalem wasn't just to be Israel's Savior and King, but to be the Savior and King of those from every nation, tribe, and tongue! Yay, even King of kings and Lord of lords! So is that what He is to you?

The brother of Jesus, explaining how genuine faith is affirmed by works, writes to us in James 2:25-26: "In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." (NIV) The account that James is writing about is found in the second chapter of Joshua and it's a fascinating read. Then in Hebrews 11:31, we find this woman's name again in what many call the Hall of Faith as the text reads: "By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace." (NASB) So how does a woman who is a pagan and a prostitute become so renowned among God's people? And we might also ask whether or not she remained a pagan and a prostitute or did our Lord have other plans for her life? And if indeed He had other plans for Rahab, might He not also have other plans for the likes of us?

In Romans 10:14-15, Paul profoundly writes: "But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, 'How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!'" (NLT) The apostle's last question in that passage was first inscribed in Isaiah 52:7, but in either context these pointed questions, rhetorical as they are, certainly demand answers from each of us. And so then we must ask, as it pertains to the Good News about Jesus, just how beautiful are your feet with respect to delivering this Good News?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." (ESV) Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs likewise, are books chock full of wisdom. While Solomon is attributed to be the author, these words are not just from a wise King, but words breathed out by Almighty God through the the Holy Spirit. While time is a part of God's creation, He's not beholding to it. He dwells, as they say, outside of it. At the same time He controls it. And because He controls every moment of it, He can never be accused of being late. Nor early. So it's fair to say God is always right on time. Romans 5:6 puts God's timing with regard to redemption like this: "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners." (NLT) The late pastor and theologian John MacArthur astutely said, "I believe that the most universal gift, the most universal blessing that comes from God’s common grace to humanity is time; time to repent, time to believe, time granted by God’s patience. He is patient because He is merciful." Have you considered and embraced God's gift, even at such a time as this?

John 3:16-18 are Jesus' words to that nocturnal Jewish leader, Nicodemus: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." (ESV) Four times in those three verses we hear the word, BELIEVE. In Greek that verb is, Pisteuō. The accompanying noun is, Pistis, which we translate: Faith, Belief, or Trust. These words are as important as any you'll encounter in the Bible. Exploring why this is so is both wise and vital. Plus we know that faith, that is believing, is a gift. Have you received such a generous gift as this?

King Ahaziah, son of the infamous King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, was one of a long string of Israel's kings who did evil in sight of the Lord. His idolatry contributed to his nation's continuing downfall as well as his own illness and injuries from which he would die. But in the midst of his suffering, Ahaziah sought Baal, a.k.a. "Lord of the flies," and not The God of All Creation. The consequences for the king, not to mention a hundred of his loyal soldiers, deservingly achieved God's wrath. We too were born with a terminal disease. It's called sin. But instead of dying with it, we revere and bow to The One who died to remove it along with God's wrath against it. His name is Jesus! 1 Peter 2:24 puts it this way: "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” (NIV) Paul adds in Romans 5:9: "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God." (ESV) Has what Jesus achieved in death brought you life, ending all fear of death and wrath and judgment to come? If not, don't you deep down want for that?