Every once in a while, something happens in my life that really fires me up. The kind of situation they had in Acts 2:43 where it says that “everyone was filled with awe”. Amid the chill of the past few weeks came Easter weekend at Grace. It started actually on Palm Sunday weekend when I proved my culinary skills with some great salsa made right there- yep right there on stage (see the Grace blog for the recipe). We got the universal truth that Jesus and His followers have to die (to our self, sin and stuff) if anyone is to truly live.

Anyway, then the sundown Good Friday service of darkness ended with a dark room full of people under a glowing cross taking communion and getting the death of Jesus etched on our souls. I love it.

The real fire-up came for me Sunday morning when after I taught about how the resurrection of Jesus “shredded” death, people jumped to their feet and came forward from all over the auditorium to shred their fears, sins and who knows what. It does not matter now. We left them there…shredded. As the shredding went on and on, I watched in awe and listened to that little machine whining away. It was a beautiful communion with the truth that Jesus won all this freedom and hope just for us.

And then it was silent. Over. Done. Shredded. Silent.

Something beautiful and God-sized is happening at Grace now and it fires me up!

Many of you have told me how you shredded something that morning and now you are done with it by the power of the resurrected Christ. Many of you have thanked me for the creativity and courage to put that shredder on stage. Actually, I thank YOU deeply for encouraging me with your willingness to leave all that stuff behind in the shredder. It is the power of God.

And it fired me up.

So…the Cubs got snowed out today (one less loss early in the season as I look at it!), skies are cloudy and all that. But I am sitting here at Espresso Royal with tears in my eyes giving thanks for what God is doing in your lives these days. I am warm on the inside with the love and presence of God and I thank you for that.

Your fired-up pastor,
Dave

PS- I didn’t even mention how KidStuf is firing me up…what a miracle! Hey, make a plan to invite someone you know to KidStuf this week. The whole gang will be back on stage this Sunday at 10:15 with more of this great focus on RELATIONSHIPS. Go for it, you KidStuf team!

Now we all know that everything we eat has to die before it nourishes us.

Thanks to Rob Bell for a great object lesson.

Here is my salsa recipe:

2-3 Roma tomatos
a little handful of cilantro
handful of little carrots
salt
pepper
1/4 onion
1 jalapeno
a bit of mango
1/2 bell pepper
a squeeze of lemon and lime

Blend it and you are there.

The letter Zac read Sunday at Grace comes from www.frrme.org.

I can send you the script if you want.

Dave