Spike, the Imperfect Easter Messenger



We heard him before we saw him. Heads turned as his motorcycle pulled to a stop near the group standing outside enjoying the sun before the church service. 

Eyes discreetly followed as he made his way toward the gathering. His pointy white beard, black bandana, and leathers were a glaring contrast to the folks in their Sunday best. Pulling off his jacket, he exposed a full length cross tattoo on one arm and a crown of thorns encircling the other.




He extended a meaty palm and started shaking hands. Spike was a traveling missionary. And today was our “divine appointment”. He’d been touring the country, stopping to listen to stories and sharing some of his own. He kept track of people and places in a small leather journal.

 Around his neck he wore a spike. Fingering it, he said it was a daily reminder about the nails hammered into Jesus for him. The small group nodded quietly.  Jesus had taken the nails for us too, but none of us had a 4” spike to remind us. 

Just then the pastor came bustling up and shook Spike’s hand welcoming him inside. The rest of us just stared.

During the service, the pastor invited Spike to share a few thoughts. Some eyebrows rose. Parishioners followed his burly frame to the microphone.


"Forgiveness." He paused and let the word sink in.

"When you folks get to Heaven you might be surprised to see people that you condemned to hell. Why? Forgiveness.  Jesus took the spikes and the cross for everyone—even the thief on the cross next to him. It will never be about what we do for God—it’s about what He did for us.

I used to hate rules and broke them all the time, hurting others as much as me. When I was beaten up inside and out, I took Jesus’ offer of forgiveness. He showed me that life is about love not rules. What’s Easter? It’s when Jesus paid our way to God—no one else could or ever will.

 Jesus invites everyone—including those you’ve already shut out of your life—people that look like me, or people that live differently than you. Just ask Jesus. No restrictions, limitations, or eliminations. If anyone needs to change, Jesus can do it his way. If he changed a rebel like me, he can change anyone.

I’m an imperfect messenger, but serve the perfect Jesus."

Holding his spike, he finished, “Three nails plus one cross equals forgiveness.”

It was a one-minute message none of us would forget.


Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

Popular posts from this blog

Dreaming the Dream

Image
Dreaming big dreams about the future is easy for kids. The only thing standing in the way is time.  Kid’s dreams are not about skills, or opportunities, or even practicality. Those things come much later.  My grandson hopes to be professional soccer player when he grows up. This week, a small piece of his dream came true when his Boys and Girls Club was invited to participate in pre-game activities with the Seattle Sounders Football Club.  He got to suit up in a real jersey and walk on the field with a real pro player. Imagine a young soccer player looking up to who he hopes to be one day. If you haven’t taken the time to talk to a child about their future dreams—you should.  They believe. As we get older we sometimes forget that dreams fuel our hopes—and that's something we all need. So, do you still dream? Or have you left those childhood thoughts behind?  S pending time with children will  inspire you to believe agai
Read more

Sexy Selfies: Posting for attention

Image
We’ve all seen the “selfie” pix on Facebook—those self-taken images in varying forms of dress (or undress). Usually they’re female poses taken in public restrooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and lots of what used to be private space. Thanks to selfies and social media, it’s open season on privacy—and modesty. Do you have a social media “friend” who has become a serial selfie? Most often selfies are young girls sharing their sexiness with the world. Serial selfies post hundreds of pictures, so it’s hard to ignore the display. The question is why do they do it. While I don’t approve of the sexy display of serial selfies, insecurity is at the root. Selfies collect “likes” to boost morale. The attention received is like a balm to their broken spirits. But the dark side of exhibitionism is feeling used—not unlike the girl searching for love and giving away her body in hopes of finding love. Selfies seek approval. They're locked in a perpetual cycle of posting pi
Read more

Wild or Tame? Which One Are You?

Image
Finally! Research that explains why I act the way I do. Columbia University’s Motivational Science Center studied people’s activities and what brought them the most happiness. Even more telling were how those activities changed as they aged. Twenty-somethings tend to equate happiness with high-energy activities. Words like excited and ecstatic are usually attached to spontaneous things—even risky things—and living life full throttle.  Researchers labeled this Promotion Motivation —the urge to take chances, including career moves that may not work out. Happiness comes from happenings—the more happenings, the more happiness. By age forty, adults associate happiness with things running smoothly at work and home. It’s also about feeling secure in relationships. Keeping healthy matters more too. This behavior is called Prevention Motivation —and people are more concerned with preserving and maintaining the things they value. It appears that time ofte
Read more