What’s So Good About Good Friday?

That is when Jesus’ substitutionary (for you and me) death opened a pathway for penitent sinners to be reconciled to God, without Him invalidating His own law.

Back in the garden of Eden, God told our first parents, Adam and Eve, not to eat the fruit from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity”. Genesis 2:17 Amplified Bible Classic Edition.

The penalty of sin — disobedience to God — is death, which is eternal separation from God.

Now here was God‘s dilemma.

He loves us so much that He did not want to destroy any of us, even though we all of have disobeyed Him – sometimes deliberately and defiantly – rejecting God's authority, ignoring the Holy Spirit's voice, speaking quietly to our conscience, when we are tempted to do wrong. 

God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit came up with a master plan to save repentant sinners, even before they created Adam and Eve. Ephesians 1:4-7

The penalty for sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Romans 6:23

Jesus, the second Adam, lived a perfect life on earth, by depending on His Heavenly Father, in precisely the same manner that we can. His sinless life was accomplished solely by using the avenues that are available to each of us.

• Prayer
• Worship
• Bible study
• Meditating on spiritual themes
• Fasting
• Fellowship with other committed believers

Jesus was foreshadowed by the lambs, goats, cows and doves that ancient Jews once sacrificed daily to atone for their sins.

Each one of those offerings, where the physically perfect animal’s life was taken were like cheques, written on the bank of Heaven.

The sinless Jesus, Who willingly shed His blood for us, covered the cost of those millions of sacrificial withdrawals. Those offerings all symbolized Him.

Since Jesus did nothing worthy of death, His Father resurrected Him on Easter Sunday.

When we confess, repent then forsake our sins and accept His perfect sacrifice, He gives us eternal life.

For skeptics

If you believe that the historical Jesus and Christianity are myths, fairy tales or the “opiate of the masses”, let me refer you to the calendar.

Why is Friday, March 29, 2024 referred to as Good Friday?

Why is Sunday, March 31, 2024 referred to as Easter Sunday?

What is the significance of 2024?

Who was born 2,023 years ago? There is no year zero.

We have 2 BC, 1 BC, 1 AD then 2 AD.

BC = “Before Christ”

AD = “Anno Domini”, Latin for “in the year of our Lord”

If the dating system of our calendar plus one Friday and one Sunday each year (when Jesus was in the grave) bear the imprint of His life and death, is it that far-fetched to consider the theoretical possibility that God, the Son, came down to earth, lived, died and rose again to save you and me?

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Photos of the Good News Bible, published by the American Bible Society

Recovering from Emotional or Mental Exhaustion

The Downward Spiral

Nobody is immune or exempt from life’s challenges and trials. Leaders, including spiritual leaders sometimes get burned out or stressed to the point that they lose hope.

Fact no. 1: Leaders are people too. They, like the rest of humanity, are subject to the natural recurring emotional cycles of life on this side of Heaven (a never ending series of ups and downs).

Fact no. 2: Nobody gets out of life unscathed. Stress, trials, triumph and disaster will frequently meet all of us during our lifetimes.

Fact no. 3: Every person eventually faces a crisis or a situation in their life that overwhelms them (where you are no longer in control).

Fact no. 4: The promises of 1 Corinthians 10:13 are still true today. God measures your trials. He will never put more on you than you can bear with His help. He will not allow the dEVIL to overwhelm you with calamity, crisis or any set of circumstances that he (the evil one) custom engineers for you — so long as you depend on Him (your Heavenly Father) to enable you to ride out the storm.

Read Job chapters 1 and 2. God will enable you to endure and eventually grow, directly as the result of this almost overpowering crisis.

How much time or distance is there between losing hope and losing faith?

Not much, in my opinion.

A season of hopelessness will lead to despondency and despair. If allowed to run its course unchecked, it will eventually result in depression. In this negative emotional state, the mind will deteriorate, along with the desire and ability to continue fighting.

How far and how long does the mind detiorate before the body also begins to break down?

The gastro-intestinal system and the nervous system are probably the first two physiological casualties of longterm stress. Negative thinking leads to the increased production of stress hormones (catecholamines, cortisol, etc.) and excessive stomach acid. The longer you remain in this state, the greater and longer lasting will be the harm to your body.

The heightened physiological state triggered by negative stressors is meant to prepare your body for physical combat or a speedy escape. The endogenously produced chemicals, released into your bloodstream in response to the imminent threat that you face (or believe that you face) enable you to achieve greater physical exertion than you are normally capable of. In the absence of great physical exertion, these chemicals increase to toxic concentrations in your body and begin to harm you at a cellular, tissue and organ level.

Chronic, poorly managed stress damages the body. There is also a significant negative impact on one’s emotional, mental and spiritual well being, in addition to the injury to your body.

Sleep either becomes a stranger or your lover. Similarly, food becomes either an enemy or a constant, intimate companion, a caloric source of comfort.

If the downward spiral continues long enough, it may eventually cost you friendships, relationships and even employment, in addition to further damage to your health.

The emotional cloud that surrounds you during this dark season, combined with any or all of the following additional physiological conditions further amplify and accelerate the downward spiritual, emotional and physiological spiral that has already begun.

• chronic low blood sugar due to a loss of appetite.
• severe dehydration for those with a very low fluid intake.
• poor concentration and significantly diminished cognitive function for those who have difficulties sleeping.

Only those who have walked, crawled and wallowed in the valley of despair understand how this debilitating, oppressive, ever present, uncomfortable darkness can become your intimate companion. Those who live or have lived with a family member, close friend or a spouse who has languished beneath this emotional cloud for an extended period of time have some understanding of this plight.

Those tender, gentle, loving, compassionate and caring souls to whom are entrusted patients who are battling emotional demons or who have given up (ceased fighting) are familiar with the emotional, psychological, physiological, psychosocial and relationship breakdown that results when one falls down this rabbit hole or is dragged down by a sequence of unfortunate circumstances.

How do you get up?

How do you get out?

How do you turn your life around?

Once you have sunk or been ground down to this spiritual, emotional and mental dark place — to the point where it takes an enormous exercise of will power to get out of bed or to take  a shower, is it possible to climb out without external assistance?

In most cases, I believe that the answer is no. Once you sink this deep in despair, someone else, or maybe even the gentle physical nudging of a loyal pet, is required to start you on the road to recovery.

A Good Woman Will Transform a Prince into a King — or USA President

 A good woman will increase and enhance your happiness.

A good and godly woman will be a catalyst, whereby the Holy Spirit brings both of you greater joy!

A good woman will make you feel better about yourself.

A good and godly woman will make you look so good that you barely recognize yourself!

A good woman will be a key determinant and vital contributor to your (plural) career development and socio-economical impact and growth.

A good and godly woman will take the raw materials of an astute, quick thinking, good looking, slow talking summer associate at the law firm where she practiced law, and transform him into the president of the most powerful nation on earth.

Michelle Obama, thank you so very much for introducing planet earth to Barack. Oopsie [We’re not on a first name basis].

Thank you for transforming him into my president, Barack Hussein Obama II.

Now that’s what I call some serious mentoring!!!

Written on June 16, 2019

Tweaked slightly on July 23, 2023

Embracing Life Fully After Death Robs You of a Loved One

Grief resulting from the death of a loved one, never leaves you entirely — even after emotional, psychological and spiritual healing occurs. The journey of recovery will never end on this side of Heaven.

When you suffer a deep cut, that partially severs a muscle, the healing and recovery process requires significantly more than a band-aid — a surface level solution.

It requires proper wound care, optimum nutrition and rehabilitation — doing specific stretches and strengthening exercises that are designed to correct range of motion joint limitations and weakness of the injured and damaged muscle tissues, in order to make a complete functional recovery.

Similarly, after grief knocks at your heart’s door, you must bravely

• Face your loss.
• Find coping strategies during the short term.
• Do the hard work

in order to become a healthy individual once again. This frequently requires counselling or joining a self help group, as you move through the stages of grief.

When children face early trauma, they have an even more difficult road back to wholeness, because they have not lived long enough or had the life experiences needed to develop the coping strategies and resilience necessary to recover from this type of trauma.

When you lose someone that you love dearly, in a very real sense, part of you is forever buried with them, in their grave. The greatest challenge that you may face, during this season of life, is to resurrect the will to live again.

Embracing Constructive Criticism

 Even when an insecure, hateful or adversarial person spits their criticism at you, with the intention of causing you embarrassment or emotional harm, a wise, mature self-controlled individual, will do their best (on a good day), to filter out that which is destructive, while searching for kernels of truth.

We all have blind spots. Each of us has character flaws and bad habits. There will always be aspects of our lives, where there is room for improvement. Self knowledge and self awareness are essential for our personal growth, in every dimension of our lives.

 I believe that a willingness to seek out and to accept constructive criticism (ideally, dispensed gently and respectfully) from others, is one of the key factors that will enable an individual to progress the farthest, in the shortest period of time, with the fewest missteps and the least amount of stress.

 Having a teachable spirit is an important determinant of future success.

 If you do not easily become hostile or defensive, your spouse or partner, as well as loving and supportive family members and close friends, will feel at liberty to enlighten you about your weaknesses, character flaws and idiosyncrasies which will become obstacles to your personal development and future career advancement.

 Those who are thin skinned do themselves a great disservice by cutting themselves off from the insights of those who know them best.

New Compatibility Twist on Dating after covid-19 began

Several years ago, Dr Neil Clark, Warren, founder of the eharmony, matchmaking web site, identified 29 Dimensions of Compatibility that are scientifically proven to predict happier, healthier relationships.

Your viewpoint on covid-19, its origins or how best to protect yourself and others from exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus could actually become a relationship show stopper -- compatibility dimension number 30.

So-called anti-vaxers or those who are fanatically opposed to mask wearing could never coexist with a love interest who has an opposing perspective.

If I believe that it is prudent or essential to wear a mask in indoor spaces, except when with individuals who are part of my bubble, how could a romantic relationship with someone who is comfortable breathing recirculating air in a crowded indoor worship service or indoor concert progress to marriage?

These two behavioural choices are irreconcilable. 

Love and Loss at Christmas II

As you start to get into the "Ho, ho, ho" mood as Christmas approaches, please be aware that many of your family members, neighbours and friends are hurting -- even more than usual during pandemic 2020. The emotional pain and heartache of those who have lost loved ones is most keenly felt just before, and during special occasions — especially during the first 12 months immediately following the loss of a spouse, partner, mother, grandma, daddy or papa [father figure], ... or the most tragic and devastating loss -- your child.

When your birthday comes and they are no longer here to share it with you, ...

As your wedding anniversary approaches, ...

Whenever you walk, cycle, rollerblade, or drive near the venue of your first date or first kiss, ...

... the grief is probably most palpable and keenly felt, particularly as Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa approach.

Also be mindful that single folks (even those who are married to their careers) will frequently feel a longing for something more; someone with whom they can share Christmas Eve, Christmas dinner or a New Year's Eve countdown.

There is nothing like having a "partner in crime"; someone with whom you can safely dream out loud -- someone with whom you can share your goals and plans.

Someone with whom you are completely open emotionally; someone with whom you can safely share even your insecurities and your fears. And we all have them.

Someone with whom, you can take a spontaneous week-end getaway.

As Pastor T.D. Jakes states, a confidant is someone with whom you don't have to pretend. You can be yourself, knowing that they will love and accept you just as you are, flaws and all.

How much effort does it take to pick up the phone or open an app and make real time voice to voice or, even better, video contact with a friend or a loved one? 40 minutes Zoom calls are FREE. Better yet, FaceTime and WhatsApp calls have no time limit.

Humanity's greatest loss since early 2020 has been significantly diminished in person, face to face human interaction; the inability to enjoy a warm embrace, rubbing your grandchild's back, Grandma taking your face in her hands, ... without fear or concern that one of you could be transmitting the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the other.

Young people (and older adults behaving like teens), short text and other written messages are impersonal. Just make a call until it is safe to visit again. Hearing a warm, friendly voice can be so comforting and reassuring.

Mind you, there is nothing like reading and rereading a handwritten five- or 10-page letter from someone who cares about you. Sigh. Oh, the good old days.