A King Dies.

As bloggers flee to their keyboards to peck a Michael Jackson story like vultures, and reporters sprint to the presses in hopes of breaking the ribbon of seeing their name in the headlines under that of a legend, I can't help but wonder if this is what it would have been like the day another King died. No, not the "King of Rock 'n' Roll", but the King of Kings. Jesus. What would the headlines read?

Would writers lace up their sandals and join the tabloid race to label him blasphemous and insurrectional? Or would they take a more positive spin and compare him with John the Baptist as they paired Jackson next to Elvis? We all know how far and fast Jackson's fame spread as he moonwalked his way into our culture, but what about the popularity of a man who could public speak the tie off another King, Martin Luther. And Jesus could heal people. He performed miracles. Did you hear me? He performed miracles! He made blind people see and paralyzed people walk!

And Jesus had no photographs or radio or TV or Internet to spread his fame mind you. All he had was a reputation that spread widely and people who flocked to him, following him around everywhere he went. They even planned on making him king. Not as cool as being the King of Kings. But it was a nice thought. A thought they apparently forgot about. Because a week before the Passover they paraded him into Jerusalem on a colt, spread clothing and palm branches on the ground in front of him, and only a week later chanted, "Crucify him!" And we thought our paparazzi was cruel. Today they throw around shameful pictures. Back then they thew rocks.

Whatever the headlines read, they wouldn't have been able to scribe words powerful enough to describe Jesus' life and sacrifice. He did so many things the last verses of John says,

"If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."

Wow. Just Wow. Think about that for a minute.

The word "king" signifies someone who possesses supreme power. And we've had a lot of King's. Martin Luther King, whose speeches and progress on civil and human rights will live on forever. Elvis, "the King of Rock 'n' Roll" and Michael Jackson, "King of Pop'", who left behind their music; sounds and moves that transcended time. But Jesus, THE KING OF KING'S, is the only King who died and rose again to tell about it. He is the only King who is still alive today!

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." 1Timothy 1:17

"...God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen." 1 Timothy 6:15-16

*Thanks to cameraphonejunkie.com for this amazing pic!

Rainbow for Me!

God is just that cool. He's the kind of friend who, while you're in the car talking about His promises and how the flood you've been trying to doggy-paddle your way through is just about to consume you, He sends a rainbow. A big, splendid reminder that He promised the earth and everything living on it would never again be destroyed by a flood. By a flood of emotions, a flood of failure, a flood of fear, a flood of anger, a flood of anything that overwhelms us and keeps us from God's goodness and grace.

What rocks about God is that he not only makes solemn promises to us, his creation, but he KEEPS those promises! Now that's the kind of authority I want on my side- the kind you know you can trust. Check out with me in Romans 8:28 what God does when we love him and accept that we are here for a reason...

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

Wow...when we are gasping for breath under a flood of doubt and circumstance, God will work it out. And, what's awesome about our Daddy is that he will work it out for our good. He doesn't just make things happen, he causes them to work in our favor! Now, I can work me some issues out, believe me, I've had plenty of issues, but I cannot, no matter how hard I try, work them out for my benefit alone, every single time. But God can. He benefits us, if we'll just love him. Even I can handle that.

So God, knowing my husband and I were smack dab in the middle of a discussion concerning our current flood, sent a rainbow! Just for us. It was perfectly timed. Like all things with God are, and was a magnificent reminder that he will not let us be destroyed. He is fulfilling his promise. Won't you let him do the same for you?

Your turn. Is there a time when God did something just for you and it was perfectly timed? Share your experience in the comments below. I'd love to hear about it!