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Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"John 11: 25,26 We spend a lot of time waiting, don't we? Waiting rooms are everywhere: doctor's offices, hospitals, the oil change place. We wait at stop lights and in checkout lines. ...
Keep ReadingWhen Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping,he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled (John 11:33). Every one of us has experienced "death" in one way or another: the death of a relationship, a job, a dream, even the death of someone we love. John invites us to recall those emotions as he tells a story steeped in the grief surroundin...
Keep Reading"Roll the stone aside," Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, "Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible." Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe?" So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I sa...
Keep Reading"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. Jesus said to her,"Your brother will rise again"(John 11:21-23). At some point in our lives, we have all faced or will face an impossible situation. When we are in the midst of it, we often feel that all hope seems lost, and it c...
Keep ReadingWelcome to our newest CD writer, LynneHunt! She is a retired UNC faculty member, lives in Briar Chapel and enjoys taking classes (art, writing), her book club, and playing with her two little granddaughters. John 11:1-44 Have you ever found yourself frustrated as you waited on God? You pray and pray and pray and it turns out God's answer and timetable often look radicall...
Keep Reading"One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" John 9:25 (NIV) A couple of weeks ago a magician visited our student ministry and put on quite a show. There were the usual card tricks and sleight of hand, and even one (sort of) disappearing act! During the show the magician told our students that one of his favorite things about magic is the astonishment the audience e...
Keep ReadingThen Jesus told him, "I entered this world to render judgmentto give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind." Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, "Are you saying we're blind?" "If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. "But you remain guilty because you claim you can see" (John 9:39-41 NLT). Br...
Keep ReadingJesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3). We are Stepping into the Story of Jesus' earthly ministry. Walking with Him on His journey to bring Light into the darkness. To set the oppressed free. To give sight to the blind. This scene in John 9 opens with a blind man on ...
Keep Reading"One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see" (John 9:25). As a writing instructor, I frequently railed against the use of clichs, those ready-made, oh-so-handy phrases that eliminate thinking about word choice. "But the clich says exactly what I want to say," students would moan. "Don't be lazy; use your own words," I would (kindly) retort. At the risk of losing all ...
Keep ReadingSome Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see,your guilt remains" (John 9:40-41). This story is a fun one to step into. Take a few moments to read through it (John 9:1-41) now, to make sure that you're in on the fun and get all the j...
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