Intersections

The Bible is full of big stories, and how they can get done through what God can do. From Noah and the ark, Joseph and his ability to decipher dreams, to Daniel in the lions' den; God is capable of doing amazing things.  Pentecost is one of these stories. Let me set up the scene, Jesus had just died and before his ascension to heaven, told the disciples - stay in Jerusalem until they receive "the gift that the Father promised", and that soon they will be "baptized with the Holy Spirit", in chapter 1 of Acts.  Since they were followers of Jesus, they decided to wait. It may have been like hunkering down at the beginning of our pandemic. They knew something awesome was going to happen, they just couldn't know WHEN it would. We don't know what time of year it is when Jesus tells them to wait, but we know now that is the time of Pentecost.  Pentecost is also known as "the Festival of Weeks" because it happens fifty days, or approximately seven week...

School’s out! My kids just finished up their last in their respective classes, and I’m sure they are excited to be out for a couple months. I know especially that the teachers are ready for a break. My favorite memories of summertime were being able to ride my bike through my neighborhood and playing games with my friends - whether it was baseball, basketball, street hockey, or whatever - we’d take advantage of all of the daylight that we could. There’s something about this time about this time of year that everything feels a little looser, like our spirit gets reinvigorated. Not sure if it’s the sunshine, the warm weather, or more things to do, but I’ll take it, especially since the COVID restrictions have been lifted most places. We feel like we can travel if we want, even if it’s to a state park or lake for some camping.  This aliveness reminds me of Pentecost, which we will be celebrating on  June  5th - the day when the Holy Spirit came down to live in the hearts of ...