Perfect Timing -- The Corpse Flower Is Blooming on Easter!

Easter Sunday -- hours for visitation were published, although the flower began to open Saturday evening at the greenhouse on the campus of Ohio State University. This 5-foot, 6-inch tall monster from the Indonesian rain forest unfurled its 3-foot-wide dark purple flower early this evening, to wide smiles and a few grimaces by those who got close enough to take a whiff. "It's starting to smell!" said Joan Leonard, coordinator of OSU's Biological Sciences Greenhouse. "Isn't that great?" --- information from various sources, including The Columbus Dispatch

The "corpse flower" (amorphophallus titanum) is native to the Indonesian rain forest in Sumatra but is threatened with extinction due to illegal logging and land cleared for farming. A number of commercial greenhouses have the plant which is unpredictable when it comes to a blooming schedule. One just bloomed in Switzerland for the first time in 17 years.

But the one at Ohio State University is interesting for one main reason -- it started its bloom the evening before Easter Sunday. The university has scheduled visiting hours published for Easter Sunday afternoon and all day on Monday. Its bloom will only last about two or three days at most.

What is so special about that, you may ask. Well, let me tell you, as you bear with my bit of "speculation" on this unusual event and timing of the same.

Down through the centuries the literal resurrection of Jesus has come under attack. You could expect that from the heathen religions of the world such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism as well as smaller groups and those who have but a few dozen rallying around a crackpot leader with crazy ideas.

But the skepticism and raw unbelief about Jesus' resurrection has reared its ugly head within the ranks of Christianity over time as well. It's nothing new really due to the fact that in the New Testament mention is made of those who doubted Jesus' resurrection from the dead in literal fashion.

Scholarship and research into certain areas can be a good thing or it can be a curse, depending on who is doing it and what that person's relationship to God really is. In the centuries since it has happened, the resurrection of Jesus has had some wild interpretations spring up within the ranks of those professing to be Christian in faith.

It is of no profit to detail these at this moment other than to say that one of Satan's tactics is to plant the seed of doubt when it comes to the mighty works that God has done, and this includes the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God!

The unbelief has been spread by theologians, seminary professors, church leaders, and pastors much like a cancer spreads throughout the human body. This is not to suggest that all are guilty, but even one spreading his/her unbelief in the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ is one too many!

Now what does the corpse flower have anything to do with this? At least one started blooming Saturday evening before Easter and was in bloom on Easter Sunday at Ohio State University.

Perhaps God permitted this to happen as a fitting tribute to all those within the ranks of professing Christianity who cannot or refuse to believe that Jesus literally came back from the dead three days after being brutally put to death on a Roman cross! It would be appropriate to have the corpse flower placed in the home of every theologian, the office of every church leader and seminary professor, and the church of every pastor who do not believe in the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ Who holds the title, "King of kings and Lord of lords!"

The flower emits an odor that reflects the theology of these people -- it is the odor of death and that is the state of their theology which brings death and not life to all who listen to them.

If nothing else, when you encounter those who doubt the resurrection of Jesus, you can always respond in the words of a song sung in many churches on Easter -- "You ask me how I know He lives -- He lives within my heart."

I rest my case in regard to a living Savior Who has promised to see me through everything I have to deal with in this earthly journey and He has prepared a place for me in the perfect environment for eternity (John 14).

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is vain and your faith is also vain. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up; if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
--- 1 Corinthians 15:12-17

For a Few, Celebrating the Greatest Victory Ever!

He is risen!

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.".... And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." --- John 10:17, 18; 20:26-29

This is being posted a day early due to the fact that come tomorrow morning Jean and I will be off to a rather early start. We will journey 27 miles to the church we have been working with for over 8 years in Gipsy PA. If you want to take a look at it plus some other things we have posted there, slip on over to Gipsy Christian Church -- a Musings of a Maverick link is there to bring you back here.

We will be having an Easter Sunrise service at 7:00 AM. After that we will be having an Easter fellowship breakfast in our newly acquired church hall just across the parking lot from the church. We do more than the cinnamon rolls and coffee thing -- our men do eggs, potatoes, sausage, pancakes, toast with all the trimmings! Yes, there are some doughnuts too! So we have a great time of fellowship -- it's just like family!

Then we will go back to the church for our regular worship time at about 9:30 AM for more celebrating.

Our celebration involves the greatest victory ever won in the history of the human race. It was won by the Lord Jesus Christ over the human enemies of sin, death, Satanic forces, and Hell!

A gang of people thought they had finally gotten rid of Jesus that day 2,000 years ago when they saw Him die on a Roman cross -- bunch of blind fools! Three days later He came out of the tomb alive! What does it all mean?

By virtue of our true repentance from our sins -- the receiving of Him into our lives as our personal Savior and Lord we have not only victory over sin, Satan, death and Hell, but the "fringe benefits" which are a part of all that:

• His promised living presence with us always (Note this in the Great Commission statement in Matthew 28).
  
• His promised peace to give rock solid assurance as we continue our journey in this perilous world -- while the storms swirl around us, within is that still small voice saying, "Peace, be still!" Also, a reminder from out of the Psalms, "Be still and know that I am God!" (Also note His reference to peace in John 14 & 16).
  
• His promised power as imparted by the Holy Spirit (Note this in the opening portion of the book of Acts).
  
• His promised provision for the meeting of our needs as mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4.
  
• His promise of a prepared place -- so special in so many ways including the fact that it is totally free from all corruption, pollution, conflict, pain and sorrow. Something great to look forward to when our journey here on earth has ended, is it not? (Note this in John 14 and further details in Revelation 21).
  

Unfortunately over the decades past there has been the infiltration of one of the most deadly heresies within the ranks of the church ever perpetrated in the history of the human race -- those "scholars," theologians, professors of theology and pastors who say/teach that Jesus did not literally come back from the dead! Mention is made somewhere on the vast acreage of Circuit Rider's Range of a seminary student who was very excited about entering the ministry and while in seminary he had a professor who did not believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. This charlatan seemed dedicated to convincing students in his class that this was so. The student in question could not handle that -- dropped out of seminary -- abandoned what he believed had been a call to the ministry and his life ended up a disaster!

For a few of us -- let the skeptics, inside the church as well as out in the world, rave on in their blindness and their first magnitude ignorance that Jesus is still in the grave -- we know better, do we not? After all when you are in conversation and fellowship with Him each day you know that more than a corpse is necessary for such experiences!

I do often sort out the human race by using such terms as "few" vs. "many" -- the reason? Because that's how Jesus often did it when referring to humanity -- separated into two categories -- "few" and "many!" But more about that at a later time.

I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today; I know that He is living, whatever men may say......He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart. --- from song, He Lives, written by Alfred H. Ackley

Another Intentional Slap at Christianity -- But Then, What Else Is New?

Head honcho of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean, issued a press statement on March 30th which was titled, "DNC Offers Passover Greetings." The following was contained within the release:

"On Monday night, Jews around the world will begin celebrating Passover, a week-long holiday that commemorates the Israelites' freedom from persecution and slavery."

All well and good -- anyone familiar a bit with the history of the Jewish people from very ancient times knows it has not been an easy life for them much of the time through the centuries. Passover is a very special celebration dating back to the time this people was set free from their enslavement to the Egyptians through direct intervention by Almighty God in a series of miracles as He judged the Egyptians for their idolatry and holding the Israelites in bondage for a period of 400 years! The crowning work of His judgment was the slaying of the firstborn throughout Egypt and the sparing of the Israelites in every home where the blood of a sacrificed lamb had been applied to the doorposts and lintel of an Israelite residence. And later when Pharaoh and his troops tried to pursue the Israelites through the Red Sea which God had opened up for them, God then allowed the waters to return into that gap and all the Egyptians were drowned! When you don't listen to God and obey, you ALWAYS pay and the price is always high as the mighty Pharaoh and his people found out far too late!

Now come a few days later from March 30th to Easter on April 8th -- head honcho Dean on behalf of the Democratic National Committee issued another statement. You would think that this would make some mention of the significance of Easter as it pertains to Christians and their faith in celebrating the resurrection of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But here is what was said:

"Easter Sunday is a joyful celebration. The holiday represents peace, redemption and renewal, a theme which brings hope to people of all faiths. During this time Christians are called to remember who they are as people of faith, and that even the greatest of evils will not have the last word..."

Dean is about as far off base as some pastors and theologians who profess Christianity but at the same time are skeptical or just plain come out and deny that Jesus was literally resurrected 3 days later after the crucifixion!

For one thing the "joyful celebration" as he puts it is strictly limited to those in the Christian faith and to no other faith beyond Christianity. You can play with your jelly beans, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks all you want, and profess any one of a thousand religious "isms," but unless you have truly repented of your sins and have received Jesus Christ into your life as Savior and Lord, Easter is just another day with a few extra trappings!

Further, it is only through Jesus Christ that peace of lasting significance is experienced and the assurance of having been redeemed for time and eternity!

But the head honcho of the DNC made absolutely no mention of Jesus Christ and the reality of His resurrection which is at the very heart of the Easter celebration observed by Christians -- again, in effect by such statements God is given the obscene gesture and it is obvious that Mr. Dean couldn't care less!

Brace yourselves folks! Christians and their faith are going to come under attack more and more as time passes -- it's been predicted! And especially as God begins to deal with this country more and more for its massive shedding of innocent blood, idolatry, sexual immorality, false teaching of the young regarding the origin of life, and the cancer of greed! But the problem is, we don't want to believe it can really happen in this republic which makes a hypocritical claim of being "one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all!"

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me." --- Jesus speaking in John 15:18-21

PS: Don't try to say that I am a Republican because of the above remarks about the Democrats -- due to the condition of the Republican Party right now, the same statements could have come from some of their leadership as well! I am a non-affliated registered voter in Cambria County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the confession that entering the voting booth is one of the most frustrating experiences I have to endure throughout the year.

Have You Graduated Beyond the Bunnies & Eggs Thing?

Just as it is at Christmas time, the competition is fierce -- ads coming at you in all directions trying to persuade you to buy new clothes and lots of sweet stuff as you prepare for Easter. Of course those selling other kinds of merchandise are reminding you that it's spring time and you need a lot of their products for making it a much better spring than you've ever had before! And if you're hurting for some reason -- maybe you skinned your toe on your neighbor's uneven sidewalk, there's a zillion lawyers out there with repulsive ads telling you to sue and get "the money you deserve for your pain and suffering!" That way you can give your neighbor an Easter present he won't ever forget.

What is your reason for celebrating Easter, if you have managed to move beyond such stuff as that mentioned above? Are you able to lift your vision far beyond the little bunnies, chickens, and eggs -- the jelly beans and the flowers?

After gazing for a time on a central cross outside the city of Jerusalem with the body impaled upon it now removed, are you a bit excited? Does the excitement become more intense as you remember again that the grave was unable to hold Him in its deadly grip and that Jesus came out of that tomb three days after His slow and painful death on a Roman cross?


Even within churches claiming to be identified with the Christian faith there has at times been skepticism displayed when it comes to the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. For a few of us, that comes as no surprise -- each century has produced a number who seem to take delight in denying that Jesus is alive, but our response is simple -- "You are badly mistaken -- I'm in daily contact with Him and we have conversation about many things. You can't carry on conversation with a dead person successfully!"

Let the skeptics ramble on in their blindness and stupidity, we know better as we continue to walk in fellowship with Him Who is King of kings and Lord of lords! So this Easter, let's check our vision again -- how far can we see? Do we see Him Who was dead for a brief moment and placed in a stone tomb, but is now alive and some day in the future will return to rule this world forever?

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." --- John 14:1-6

If you are still at the bunny, chicks, eggs, and chocolate level, slip on over and take a look at How to Become a Christian -- you life just might be changed forever!