Death & Resurrection

Today is the day that I fast until about 3 pm, like I've been doing for most of my childhood and adulthood. I do this in remembrance of Christ's suffering and death about two millennia ago, otherwise known as Good Friday.

I'm trying to meditate and ponder on three things this year:

1) Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice but He was not a martyr. His death was not a sad event; it was the supreme triumph. Oswald Chambers once wrote that in life or death, in time or eternity there is nothing more certain than Christ's achievement [my paraphrase]. The Cross gives us back fellowship with God.
2) Jesus came to die. His death and resurrection didn't happen by accident. Rather, His sole purpose was to die for us. His incarnation would have meant nothing had He not overcome suffering and death. Christ's death and resurrection was foretold with such accuracy in Isaiah 53 (circa 700 BC), Psalm 22 (circa 1000 BC), and others, that it would take intentional unbelief to not accept it.
3) It is a Cross of God, not a cross of man. This means I can never fully comprehend it with my human knowledge and human experiences. But I do understand this: it is so easy (too easy!) to receive the gift of salvation because it was tremendously difficult for God. Or how about this: the price of salvation is too cheap (free, in fact) because God paid such a high price. Either way, what a waste it would be to reject and throw away such a precious gift.

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Rain Delay

It's raining in Monterey, again. We've been getting a lot in the past several weeks, thanks to the Pineapple Express. Or, is it La Niña? Anyway, most are getting a bit tired of it and I'm dying to play some golf. For now, I've been confined to just watching golf. Guess it's not the worst thing ... this region could probably use the rain. Besides, I do need to keep busy with work and prepare for an important exam. It's interesting how a lot of rain can have the effect of changing a person's mood. It makes you want to stay in and have ramen noodles (라면, in Korean) while watching a movie. Or, listen to Satchmo (the great Louis, that is) and read a good book. But more importantly, I'm talking about the sense of solitude brought on by the damp greyness. To me, solitude means "just me and God," not necessarily feeling alone. In this sense, solitude is a very good thing.

They say the spring season began a couple of weeks ago. For me, spring is finally here now that baseball season has officially begun. There's nothing like taking in the sights and sounds while being at a ballgame. If only the rain would let up ...

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