Write His Answer

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The crowd cheered and sang praises.
They waved palm branches.
and threw their cloaks before Him.
But Jesus was solemn as He traveled that road –
that road to the cross.

As God incarnate He knew all that was to come.
He saw not just His own death on the cross,
but the persecution of His followers
and the destruction of Jerusalem.
He saw nation rising against nation –
the madness of yet-to-be-born rulers.
And Jesus wept.

He would be wounded and bruised for our sins,
chastised that we might have peace,
lashed that we might be healed;
yet few would accept His gift of life.
The darkness of evil would continue to reign,
but the light of His love
would not be extinguished.

Entrusted to us,
His light will grow brighter.
A cloud of witnesses are cheering us on,
to daily take up our own cross
and follow Him closely.

Blessed is He who is coming – again!

Yes, I believe He is coming soon.

In one of my workshops at the Evangelical Press Association Convention April 6-8 in Lancaster, PA, I plan to quote Chuck Colson’s sobering words in Against the Night, Living in the New Dark Ages.

’Dark Age’ is a strong term. I recognize that. Yet in recent years I’ve had a growing sense of storm clouds gathering on the horizon . . .  The forecast is foreboding . . . We scan the horizon with unease.

     “We sense that things are winding down, that somehow freedom, justice, and order are slipping away. Our great civilization may not yet lie in smoldering ruins, but the enemy is within the gates.

     “The times seem to smell of sunset. Encroaching darkness casts long shadows across every institution in our land. . . . We do face a crisis in Western culture, and it presents the greatest threat to civilization since the barbarians invaded Rome.”

I feel such a strong sense of urgency to “write His answer” – now. I believe the day is fast approaching when we will not have the freedom to print or distribute Christian literature or to share our faith on the Internet. Father, please open our eyes to the “signs of the time” and help us to “Make the most of every chance [we] get. These are desperate times!” (Eph. 5:16 MSG).

Michael Gantt, a pastor from Vermont who keynoted some years back at both the Colorado and the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference and who is keynoting again at this year’s conferences, said something I’ve never forgotten. “It is very critical that you believe what God has to say is relevant to this generation. It is very critical that you believe, that you believe, that God will use you to bring His message to the world.” Please take 3.5 minutes to view the video at http://youtu.be/-qfhH5NH7XE.

Registration is open for the May 11-14 Colorado Christian Writers Conference. The next 7 people who register online and mention this blog post/email in the Comments will receive a free copy of my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers.

Father, please help everyone who reads these words not to doubt You or the gift of words You have entrusted to them. Move mountains to get them to the mountain in Colorado May 11-14. I know You will meet us there.

Just as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, I believe he weeps over our cities. And I believe He will also meet us at the August 3-6 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. Plans are underway. I am praising Him for all He is doing and will do.