Isn’t springtime delightful? The landscape seems to go from ugly and barren to beautiful as new life emerges. Practically every day, I go outside to my garden, pushing aside dried leaves to see what is coming back up from the ground after the cold winter. The contrast from the ugly barrenness of winter to the beauty of new life emerging in the spring inspires worship. Easter belongs in the spring, doesn’t it? Spring reminds us that God makes ugly beautiful.

Racial injustice. Color blindness. White privilege. Reparations. Christian unity. Woke up. Systemic racism. 

A few years ago these were terms that I as a white woman knew little about and rarely even considered, much less understood. I grew up in the Jim Crow South surrounded by people who looked just like me. Although Brown vs. The Board of Education had demanded an end to school segregation years before, the reality was that my schools were as segregated as ever until high school. My parents were strong Christians who had been taught that white people were superior. But I noticed the inconsistency of their faith and actions and wondered.

Concerned for one of her elementary students, a young school teacher bought a coat for her refugee pupil. Her concern in action eventually became a ministry with her husband and a large staff that helps thousands of refugees yearly. Another woman continues to care for her disabled son as she has for more than 3 decades. Yet another friend is a refugee from an African nation who mops hospital floors to help support her family, while she continues to study in hopes of a better job. Another believer raises her children to serve God and others.

Seana Scott and I are at the national conference for the Evangelical Press Association. Tonight we saw a pre-release showing of the faith film "Breakthrough" starring Chrissy Metz (This Is Us). I invited Seana to contribute a guest post, and she offered the following good words: 

I’ve noticed many people struggle with having assurance of their salvation. This occurs for numerous reasons, but sometimes it’s a result of placing too much emphasis on our actions.

Title: Moses, called by God to deliver His people
Aim: To remember that God is concerned with and involved in our struggles.
Scripture: Exodus 3:1–12
 
God gets Moses’ attention, Exodus 3:1–3
 

Do you know who consistently appears in all Gospel accounts of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection?

Was it the apostle Peter? No.

How about the beloved disciple, John? No.

Then it must have been Jesus’s half-brother, James? No again.

Soon people across the globe will participate in Easter egg hunts. South Africa heralds the world’s largest, hiding over 100,000 eggs and tiny treasures. Soon, people of Jewish heritage will participate in the Seder as part of their Passover celebration. Adults will hide a piece of matzah called the afikoman  and kiddos will hunt it down for some splendid prize. Soon people across the world will attend resurrection services, many trying to understand the fascination with hiding.

Do you feel Jesus is hiding? Life’s gotten rough. Infertility persists. Bankruptcy hit. Addiction ravages. Abuse resumes. Unemployment continues. And it feels like Jesus is playing heavenly-hide-n-seek to test your sincerity and spiritual maturity.

In 1985, Richard Ramirez, a Satanist, killed fourteen Californians. Ramirez claimed evil spirits made him mutilate the elderly, women, and children. His savagery even terrified his trial judge.