MJ says she is refreshed. I feel the same. Church is refreshing! The message of Christ has to be lived…to be believed. His word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path…we have to turn the light on. A messenger can switch on the light.

We walk about as if there is nothing to be done… nothing we can do. We have a platform that we will use. ‘A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. We are on our way to the Via Dolorosa. The way of suffering…the way of sorrows. All of us are on a Pilgrimage.

It is 88 degrees today. Summer at the beginning of spring. Change is in the air. We breathe in hope and exhale despair. This is our day! We are like the Blues Brothers…we are on a mission from God. It is our place to be a representative of Christ in the midst of the ashes and potsherds. We must create beauty in the face of degradation. A kind word brings hope to the hopeless. A smile is a cool drink of water in the desert.

Neva J had little yet gave much. She loved the unlovable…those who society had forgotten…the folks on the side of the road that the religious leaders passed by on the other side of the street. If you were hurting or shunned…Neva J loved you and became your friend. Neva J was proud to be seen with her friends in the town square. Her friends held their heads high when Neva J accompanied them in Eldorado. No one had to tell her that empathy for the less fortunate was the right thing to do…she lived it with every fiber of her being. Neva J was a truth teller. She spoke truth to power. The Word of God was implanted in her soul. She understood that Jesus loves the little children…all the little children of the world.

‘We are here to make a difference,’ Chet said. ‘Tommy L sits by himself at the lunch table every day…he needs someone to eat with,’ Chet noted. ‘Tommy L has some physical challenges but is a wonderful person…he is bright, and his writing is insightful,’ Chet continued. ‘He greets me each morning and asks how Mom and I are doing since Dad’s death,’ Chet offered. ‘Tommy L told me he lost his Dad not long ago, and he understood the pain of such a loss,’ Chet said. ‘He said that we must stand for what we believe in to offer hope to those who have none,’ Chet said softly. ‘Easter is coming, and new life is upon us,’ Chet danced on one foot and then the other. ‘Christ came for the forgotten…we must remember that this was his primary focus,’ Chet admonished.

‘The preacher sweat as great drops of blood,’ the Chronicler wrote. ‘He wondered why he had been called upon for such a terrible mission,’ the Chronicler said. ‘A convincing voice spoke to him,’ the chronicler continued. ‘The Smooth Speaker spoke of kingdoms and rule over all of them, the Chronicler noted. ‘He promised friendship and camaraderie,’ the Chronicler continued. ‘He promised paradise without the suffering of attaining it,’ the Chronicler said in a whisper. ‘Reward without work…a payday without investment…a plan to forget others and think of self,’ the Chronicler said.