Reading the title, political elections come to mind, but this isn’t about that, exactly. There’s some devotional thought regarding who’s the leader – we’ll hold that until November.
First, the updates… my parents and I are vertical and in reasonable strength. Mom’s recent adventure (Aug-Nov ’23) seems to be behind her. My balance, blood pressure, sugar, and eyesight seem to be well in hand. Dad’s adventure of Summer ’22 is still an unsolved mystery, but he’s hauling wood pellets & working construction, so it seems he’s over that too. Recently, we’ve added something new – testing & more testing before we get solid news on Dad’s health. Only Jesus knows for sure – the rest are just trying to catch up.
The Deaf Kids Connect team, and several other deaf ministry teams worldwide, are headed for Texas this week. It was my intent to spend several days visiting family & friends before returning to the currently soggy east, but priorities often adjust our plans. I’ll fly out with the team, visit a cousin overnight, and ride home on a train & a bus before driving to Ohio for a bit. It was neat to recently find out that cousin’s home and conference site are in adjoining neighborhoods.
The big event in Texas, in addition to the Deaf Missions conference that happens every two years, is the premier of a long-awaited film of Jesus’ gospel years. Like the unique Job movie before it, all communication happens in American Sign Language (ASL). The theater release is scheduled for later this year, but we’ll get an advance look. The peeks I’ve had before now were promising. Finally, signing audiences can know what’s going on, intrigue and all, and the purpose behind the action, without needing to read captions or a small interpreter window. Beyond that, several ministries, including Deaf Kids Connect, have been writing curriculum for families and small groups to go deeper into the message. More news to pray for.
Which takes us back to the title… The Week that Divides the World. I’m certainly not the only one to notice that Easter Sunday was on the last day of March this year, followed by the first day of April. Resurrection Sunday followed immediately by April Fool’s Day. Something to think about.
The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’…”
Ps 14:1, Ps 53:1
…and on the other side…
…everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…”
Acts 2:21, Joel 2:32 (or 3:5 in Hebrew texts)
There’s plenty of commentary on both sides, and each presents evidence to support their perspective. As in another article, it comes down to who you’re inclined to pay attention to and what you decide to believe. Faith, hope, and love wouldn’t be what they are any other way, and who really wants a world without them?
From 11:59pm to 00:01am, while many were sleeping, we switched calendar pages and social commemorations. What time is it for you?