-Still Empty!-

The other day I got a text from a friend…with NOTHING in it. Most of us have received those. I’m sure, like me, you’ve gotten emails with no
content. I even got a package once…you guessed it…EMPTY!

There are a lot of things you don’t want to find empty: a bank account, your refrigerator, your gas tank, your memory during finals! On the other hand, there are a couple of things that I’m very thankful are empty.

The Cross is EMPTY: Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, 51 but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock Luke 23:50-53 NLT


I’m thankful Jesus didn’t stay on a cross. Someone had to take the penalty for our sin; Someone sinless! Jesus was the Sacrificial Savior. At His death He cried out, “It is finished!” The phrase in Greek was ‘Tetelestai’. It meant: ‘completed’ or ‘finished’, but was an accounting term that was affixed when a debt was settled & meant, “paid in full.” Our sin debt was paid on the Cross. To ‘seal the deal’, however, Jesus had to overcome death, hell, and the grave.

When the Apostle John (the Revelator) saw Jesus on Patmos, Jesus told him to write down things to come. John had fallen on his face in awe & fear. Jesus said,
I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. Rev.1:18
He didn’t just die, He overcame death!

I’m extremely glad the Tomb is EMPTY. When Jesus’ disciples came to anoint His, presumed, dead body, an angel was waiting to set the record straight for them:

“Why are you looking among the dead for Someone Who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again on the third day.” Luke 24: 5-7 NLT

Jesus was crucified almost 2000 years ago (accounting for the glitch in the Gregorian calendar that had Him born around 4-6 B.C. & the 33 years He walked on earth). He was placed in a tomb & on that Sunday He conquered death, hell & the grave!

I’m thankful that there is an EMPTY cross & an EMPTY tomb or else our faith, our hope, and our lives would be EMPTY!
For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
I Corinthians 15:13-19 NLT

Across the globe there are graves, mausoleums, sepulchers, & tombs encasing the bones/dust of dead religious rulers. Jesus not only claimed He would overcome death, He walked out of His grave! Because of what Jesus did for us-the empty cross & tomb-our lives can truly be full!


Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.

-Tale of the Tree-

I’m not a big horticulture guy, but I gotta say I love dogwood trees. This time of year there are dogwoods blooming all over town & are beautiful. There are several right outside my door & they are such a great picture of God’s redemption story.

I’m not sure if you’ve heard it, but there is a wonderful story behind the dogwood. It’s called the Legend of the Dogwood & goes something like this:
Legend has it that 2000 years ago, a tall, strong species of tree grew in the Middle East. Its thick, straight trunk was sought after by the Romans - the rulers of Jerusalem - for building crosses for executions. One day an officer of the Roman Court came to the forest and ordered the woodsmen to construct an extra large cross from the best of their trees. "Make it strong and heavy," he said. "The King of the Jews is to be put to death." It was soon delivered.

Shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus, the chief woodsman was alarmed to see that all those great trees had begun to whither and die. In several more years, an amazing transformation had taken place. The great oak-like dogwood trees were gone and in their place were thousands of flowering bushes with short, twisted trunks. You see, the once proud forest giant was mortally anguished. The crucified Jesus in healing pity said, "Never again will you grow large enough to be used for a cross. Henceforth, your trunk will be thin and twisted, with white blossoms having four petals in the shape of a cross. The outer edge of each petal will show nail prints stained with red, and the center will be like a crown of thorns as a reminder to all."

So ends the Legend. But as we know, at Eastertide, Dogwood blossoms burst forth in glorious beauty. In the Fall, the dogwood produces clusters of blood-red berries, each shaped like a drop of blood!


We’re not sure if that Legend is true. As with most legends, some argue either way. It’s still a poignant reminder of what Jesus did for us on that hill called Calvary some 2000 years ago. We all sin & have a broken relationship with God. A penance, or sacrifice, had to be made to redeem us back to God.
Jesus stepped forward to redeem us, or buy us back, with His own sinless life. He literally became the Sacrificial Lamb that had been symbolized all throughout the Old Testament of the Bible.

No one is perfect, so no one could live sinless enough to be good enough to go to heaven on their own merits. No one could satisfy a sin-debt except someone perfect: a God/Man. That was Jesus. He stepped from heaven’s halls into our world, and made a bridge to heaven using an ‘old rugged cross.’

Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Galatians 3:13 NLT

It’s amazing to me, legend or not, that dogwoods bloom at Easter. Easter is as late is it can be this year. Yet, the dogwoods are just coming into full bloom. It’s a simple reminder, in nature, of Jesus’ sacrificial death on a ‘tree.’

Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.

-Gadgets & God-

What’s your favorite gadget? Most of our lives are filled with all sorts of electronics & computerized gizmos. You are reading this on your computer or smart phone in: an email, facebook note, myspace or blogspot blog, or on one of the websites. If not, then you’re reading a hard copy composed on a computer, sent through a network & printed on a printer.

Think about all the technology we have now! We have climate controlled vehicles with GPS navigation, smart phones, computers with streaming video, I.M.’s, Skype, text, fax, email, SAT phones, handheld notebooks, Satellite TV, DVR’s, BlueRay players, surround sound stereo systems, and that’s just a few communication conveniences. Look around your house & think of all the techno advances we have in the past 25 years alone.

I was visiting someone in a surgical center today (another advancement) & nurses had a new wand type device they swiped across the guy’s forehead to find his temp. Reminded me of Star Trek or something. Can’t TELL you the medical advances I’ve seen in 30 years of ministry. I’m very thankful for all these.

So what does all this gadgetry have to do with God, anyway? Well, I mentioned several communication advances. There is one you may not have heard about that Mission teams are using across the globe to share the message of God with remote tribes & people without a bible: it’s basically a ‘Godpod.’ It’s a solar-powered or windup device akin to an Ipod. Missionaries can load an audio-bible or other messages to the device & it can be shared with locals. No particular charge or batteries needed as it is solar-powered or windup.

No matter how many gadgets we have or how much we advance in technology, we STILL have to hear from GOD. Just about the time we think we have THE latest device, no more than you take it from the store, it’s old news & out-dated. The only One that never changes, is never out-dated or out-moded is Christ. The writer of Hebrews said this, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Sometimes all this stuff actually overloads us with noise to the point we can’t hear that ‘still, small voice’ of God. Kind of like the Bing search engine commercials where folks have sensory overload! I do audio/video regularly & see the audio waves on screen before me. When there is a great deal of surround, or ‘ambient,’ noise around a recording is gets muddy. It is basically noise pollution that can almost cover the intended recording. Sometimes life can get that way. So busy & noisy we can’t hear God! It’s not particularly that we CAN’T hear Him, but rather we are not listening, perhaps.

I challenge you to go ‘unplugged’ some. Turn off all the noise & distractions around you. Pull out a bible & ask God to speak to your heart.
“…Faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
Romans 10:17 NLT

I’m definitely not against technology & all the cool gadgets. I’ve got tons of them. I just want to remind us to remember gadgets come & go, but God is eternal. He has an eternal message to us. My prayers go out to the missionaries who are utilizing gadgets to share the timeless word/message of God to a world that needs to hear!

Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.

-Embryo Soup-

Scientific innovations & discoveries have brought about some new, peculiar ethical dilemmas. I don’t claim to be a ‘bio-ethicist’ but can’t help but be concerned about where technology is taking us. Latest breakthroughs cause some to think science can help develop a child from a kind of ‘embryo soup.’ Allow me to
explain.

According to National Geographic World News, British scientists say they have created human embryos containing DNA from two women and a man in a procedure that researchers hope might be used one day to produce embryos free of inherited diseases.

Though the preliminary research has raised concerns about the possibility of genetically modified babies, the scientists say that the embryos are still only primarily the product of one man and one woman.

"We are not trying to alter genes, we're just trying to swap a small proportion of the bad ones for some good ones," said Patrick Chinnery, a professor of neurogenetics at Newcastle University involved in the research.

The process aims to create healthy embryos for couples to avoid passing on genes carrying diseases. The genes being replaced are the mitochondria, a cell's energy source, which are contained outside the nucleus in a normal female egg. Mistakes in the mitochondria's genetic code can result in serious diseases like muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, strokes and mental retardation.

Let me be clear, I’m by no means against technology & the work of alleviating sickness & disease; I’m simply given pause to look further down where the road might take. My wife & I had to wrestle with some of these spiritual/ethical implications when we prayed & looked into available infertility options years ago. At the time, the procedure involved fertilizing several eggs, implanting them & aborting any multiples that might be forming.

Another friend had a similar problem. They used his ‘sample’ to fertilize multiple eggs & then called later asking what he wanted to do with the extra eggs in cryonic storage! Hmmm.

While science has made giant leaps in technology & health care, ultimately all life rests in the hands of our Creator. And, while we have wonderful advances in health care & communication, so many people still feel alone, helpless & disconnected.

We all have a ‘God-shaped void’ in our hearts that only He can fill. We are more than simply a few dollars’ worth of chemicals. The sum of our whole is greater than our ‘parts.’ God knows our potential & worth & has a unique plan for each of us. When feeling alone & worthless, consider the words of Jesus:

“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 NLT

I don’t claim to know the answers for all these new ethical questions. However, I know this: you are more than an accident or experiment. You are more than an ‘embryonic soup.’ God loves you & has a plan for you. Simply seek Him & His direction.

Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.

-Clear Message-

One of the funny commercials during Super Bowl was by Chevy & drove home the thought that you need to have a clear message when trying to convey a point! Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5z57nAaPIA

Way too much like my house since the ears are on the blitz!

Many people watched puzzled as a news reporter in LA did a live broadcast that was several seconds of rambling jibberish. It has taken off in a viral fury on the net:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qTLUUSHx58

It seems the reporter was having some neurological problems & is now undergoing tests to determine what caused a, normally poised & articulate, reporter to jabber incoherently. Her message was far from clear!

While I might be talkative & wired up, I hope I make some sense in what I share! My prayer is that I communicate clearly God’s love.

I’ve shared some of the difficult journey this past year has brought. Last summer both of my eardrums blew. After several procedures,this week I await to see if a newly implanted eardrum works. It’s made music, singing, running sound, & pretty much ALL communication a bit difficult. It has driven home the importance of hearing God & of clearly communicating His love. This week people celebrated love on Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately, many don’t realize the greatest love ever demonstrated was found in Jesus. They either haven’t heard or didn’t listen. The message was just not clear.

When Jesus walked the earth He shared, repeatedly, the importance of having ‘ears to hear.’ Not enough just to listen, the message needs to be clear, and you need to HEAR!

For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them. ’“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. Matthew 13:15-17 NLT

I pray we hear & understand the message God is sending: He loves us & longs for a relationship with us. He’s articulated it for centuries & the message is clear, we just have to have ears to listen!

Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.

-On Time-

Have you ever been late for something? Rhetorical question. Of course you have. What about 76 years late? That’s just how late Mark McKee was in returning a library book. According to AP news, when Mark was 13 years old he checked out “A Dog of Flanders” from the Mount Clemens Public Library. Mr. McKee, now 89, came across the book recently & decided to do the right thing: return it. Fortunately for him the Michigan Library isn’t charging him a late fee!

That’s nowhere near the tardiness of an overdue book from George Washington. The first President checked out a copy of “The Law of Nations” in 1789. After the nation’s oldest library made the discovery of the absent book, the Mount Vernon estate of the late President returned a copy of the missing tome. Again, fortunately the overdue charge of $300,000 was waved!

The recent storm/snow fronts didn’t come in quite ‘on time’ either. They weren’t exactly as weather forecasts predicted, but just as God ordained. He’s never late.

While WE might be late for a class, job, meeting, or appointment, God is NEVER late. He might not be on OUR schedule or act as we would like Him to, but He is right ‘on time.’ Besides, He invented time!

This Sovereign God is ordering & accomplishing all He designs. That’s not always to our liking or even pleasant to us. It is, however, what’s best for all of mankind. I can’t imagine the chaos if we were to determine the order & execution of eternity.

Jesus, Who touched down & lived among us on this blue marble, will return for His people just as promised. I’ve heard that my whole life. Thing is, it’s closer to happening than ever before.

“At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and He lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach Him. No human eye has ever seen Him, nor ever will. All honor and power to Him forever! Amen.”
I Tim 6:15-16 NLT

I suppose the real question is, if He really is ‘on time’ at His return (assuredly He WILL be!), are we ready? I want to live as if Jesus were returning today. I’d say we’d be ‘on time’ to follow after God’s heart. We’d be right ‘on time’ to invest our lives in God & His purpose today.

Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.

-The Right Guide-

Most of us have been lost at some point. We either had incorrect directions, a poor guide, or simply took off in a way we THOUGHT we should go. Adam Potter took that to a whole new level this week.

According to the Associated Press, the 35-year-old mountain climber, is lucky to be alive. Saturday, Potter fell about 1,000 feet after he lost his footing near the summit of a Scottish mountain. Potter didn't just survive the fall -- when rescuers found him, the guy was "standing up and reading a map."

Potter was standing on an icy part of the mountain when he slipped and began his fall. The other climbers saw him tumble and quickly alerted authorities. While the search and rescue helicopter was being deployed, Potter was falling down a nearly vertical cliff at a high rate of speed.

When the rescuers found Potter, they couldn't believe their eyes. At the bottom of the cliff, the man stood on his own two feet, examining his map, as if to say, "Now, where did I take that wrong turn?" In fact, the rescue team thought they might be looking at the wrong guy. The rescue leader remarked, "We honestly thought it couldn't be him, as he was on his feet, reading a map. It seemed impossible." Amazingly, Potter, recovering in a Glasgow hospital, only suffered minor injuries, including some superficial cuts and bruises and a "minor chest injury."

It’s a given you should know your path when climbing a treacherous mountain. For that matter, in most of life we should have an idea where we’re headed. A family trip at Christmas brought that back to mind. My sister-in-law was driving us around Memphis. (In her defense she asked me if I would drive. I thought she knew her route so graciously declined. Wrong move.) We wandered around Memphis for an hour! Not a big thing to waste an hour of a holiday, but life…that’s another matter!

We need a right map, and, preferably, a right guide. Lots of ‘ideas’ out there about spiritual direction, so I’d strongly advise in reading God’s word to get the direct answers. The Psalmist wrote: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

As to a guide, if I’m going somewhere I’m not familiar; I want someone who knows the path or the way. Guides know more than the path, they know any dangers or information I might need on the journey. Last summer my family visited the Mayan ruins in Mexico. We had a great guide, who not only knew the area, his family was of Mayan ancestry! Now that’s a guide. When I’m trying to live a right life, or know HOW to live, it’s best to have the Guide for life! I want to know the right things to do & what to avoid. I mean, it’s LIFE we’re talking about! Check out this passage on how to live:



I don’t claim to be some great spiritual guru or guide for your life. But I do know the Author of life & Answer to all the questions we face. I’d love to share His word if you have some struggles. As I always share, love to pray with you & also love to have you return the favor & pray for me!


www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com