life has come!

we have not been abandoned at Jesus' tomb. we have not been left with sin and guilt and shame.

God is the God of LIFE!

when all seems dim and lifeless, He loves to bust in, tear down walls, restore, and speak life into dry, dusty death.

when all seems lost and we sit on the floor crying, that is when God loves to step in.
"I AM HERE!" He shouts.

when we hear one too many discouraging words, and our inner voice says, "give it up; you're no good," that is when God gathers us into His arms.
"I love you," He whispers.

the ultimate proof of His love to bring life and hope into the impossible came after Jesus had been lying completely dead in a tomb for days. He was wrapped up in burial cloths, put in a cave, and a huge rock was sealed across the entrance. the Romans even stationed guards in front of the rock, in case those rebel disciples tried something fishy.

Jesus was dead and gone... or so they thought.

but God wasn't done. He ripped through the clouds, quaked the earth, flung aside the stone, knocked out the guards so that they 'shook and became like dead men', and raised Jesus from the dead! (Matthew 28:2-4) in the earth's darkest hour, when evil thought he'd won, GOD rose victorious!

the core thing that Jesus did while He was on earth was conquer death. he destroyed our ultimate fear. He killed the scary in life.

we need only to accept His victory to cover our shortcomings, and we will gain that same resurrection Jesus had. amazing because when we look honestly at ourselves, we can only truly find guilt. each one of us is personally responsible for nailing Jesus to the cross (see my previous blog, Good Friday). and even though we jumped eagerly into our sins, God provides the way out. He says, "I am the Way out; follow ME." and if we are willing to turn our back on our self-love so that we can take His hand, He will lead us to life.

and He reminds us of His love for life everyday.

how many different ways does God say, "I LOVE YOU!" and prove to us that He is the author of LIFE?

one way we get to see glimpses of His face is in the world He created. i particularly love the detail and diversity of flowers. each one screams, "i was made by a God who loves LIFE! i was hand-crafted here in a field, or here in the forest, by a God who loves to create beauty where there should be nothingness!"

so here are some photos i've taken over the years of God's expressions of Himself:

hearts, from God to us...

actually taken by my parents - roses in Nigeria

the same roses as above, a few days later...

and a few days later - a gorgeous transformation!

amazing - this is how we found this rose - looks like a butterfly!

looks like a heart to me!

"The God who made the world and everything in it 

is the Lord of heaven and earth and 

does not live in temples built by human hands. 

And He is not served by human hands, 

as if He needed anything, 

because He Himself gives all men 

life 

and breath 

and everything else... 

'For in Him we live and move and have our being.'"

Acts 17:24-25, 28a