Good Friday to Easter Sunday

I am stealing from another persons blog today. The person who wrote this is the wife of a guy who is a missionary here in Italy and had a stroke recently, and among other things, spent 50 days in the hospital. So she has a right to say what she says. Read it and praise God. HE IS RISEN!

Dear Friends,

"A blessed GOOD Friday to each of you!!

Just wanted to share with you a reflection the Lord gave me this morning in my meditations. Today is what we call in America “Good Friday”. In Italy this day is called “Venerdì Santo” (Holy Friday). I wonder if there are other countries that use the word “good” to describe this significant day. And I wonder when the idea that this day was “good” first came into being. I seriously doubt that anyone who was actually present that day would have called it good. At least not until Sunday. Sunday changed everything. Sunday made Friday “good”.

I have been thinking how “the end” explains “the before”. The Passion of Christ “ended” in the resurrection and ascension which “explained” the crucifixion. His coming again will give further explanation to all that comes before.

Our lives follow the same pattern. The events of “today”, without the commentary of “tomorrow”, are hard to evaluate. Even though these are difficult days for us we feel confident that the end will explain all that has come before. Perhaps that end will only come when we see Jesus face to face, but then we, too, will say it is “good”! And if in the end I will call it “good”, why not now?"

The Treasure Principle

I am working on stories from spring break to tell here but want to obtain permission from those involved before putting their names or pictures all over the internet. So in a brief break from my life here, I would love to let you guys in on a sweet book called "The Treasure Principle" by Randy Alcorn. I first read "The Treasure Principle" probably 4 years ago and of all the self-help or Christian literature I have ever read on giving/finances, it is still the best one I have read. Not only is it solidly based in what the Bible says (important for me as a Christian) but it is practical, with tips that you can actually apply to your life. At less than 100 pages, it is short and easy to read. This book truly will open your eyes to the JOY of giving, how it is something that is a blessing and not an obligation. I apologize that I can't give a more in depth summary right now because the books are at my parents house in the States, but I recommend this book as highly as I possibly can.

In the spirit of giving, I (thanks to the good people who publish this book) want to give away two copies of this book. All you have to do is shoot me an email at christopher.rule@gmail.com or leave a comment with your name and email (unless I already know your contact info... in that case, a name is fine) and I will draw out of a hat the two winners. So allow me to give away something that benefitted me. Enjoy.

Story Behind the Book
After years of writing and teaching on the theme “God owns everything,” in 1990 Randy Alcorn was sued by an abortion clinic (for peaceful, nonviolent intervention for the unborn). Suddenly he had to resign as a pastor and was restricted to making minimum wage. Legally unable to own anything, Randy gave all his book royalties to missions work and need-meeting ministries. He and his family have experienced the reality of The Treasure Principle—that God really does own everything, takes care of us, and graciously puts assets into our hands that we might have the joy and privilege of investing in what will last for eternity.

If you don't win in the drawing, you can buy the book for REALLY cheap at AMAZON.com

Mustache and Mullet March

Did I say that I celebrated the 6th Anniversary of Mustache and Mullet March? Check out the hair evolution (or should I say devolution?) from this year. Enjoy.

Two Worthwhile Articles

I know, I know, the blog has been languishing (for the few that actually have been faithful to check it out. That is about to change. Spring Break was crazy fun and busy and stressful here in Rome but we saw God do some HUGE things. So over the next couple days, I will be posting stories from that. In the meantime, here are two worthwhile articles to check out:

Cobain and Biggie: How We Misjudge Music - Thoughtful article on music... I especially likes the conclusion; "The only difference is that we have invented new rules for what’s “cool” (this year it seems to be putting odd, “progressive” sounds in your songs and ignoring traditional songwriting structure). I wonder what albums that we’ll listen to in 15 years and realize that they weren’t everything we built them up to be."

Staring into the Abyss: An article that is actually quite frightening. This article synthesizes some of Nietzsche's key ideas on a way that a simple guy like me can understand. Highly recommend checking this out