Pastor Offers Sweet Way to Announce Easter Truth

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on the Christian Daily Blog!

Pastor East Err Sundae didn’t limit his messages about the resurrection of Jesus Christ to Easter Sunday morning.

So it came as no surprise to Pastor Sundae’s congregation when he announced that his sermon topic for April 25 would be “Jesus Christ is Risen!”

Pastor Sundae read his text…Luke 24:1-7... “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

The pastor made eye contact with members and visitors alike as he read his text. He then asked everyone to bow their heads while he asked God to bless the message.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to preach your Holy Word,” he prayed. “Please help your Word to do its work in our lives. Send your Holy Spirit to bring the changes we need in our hearts and bless us to your service. In Jesus name. Amen.”

Pastor Sundae preached the most heart-stirring message his congregation had ever heard. He concluded his message by saying, “Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is alive forevermore. He lives in and reigns from heaven, and He lives and reigns in our hearts.”

As was the custom after the church’s Easter services, everyone stayed for a potluck covered-dish lunch. Pastor Sundae’s wife, Sister I. Scream Sundae, prepared her popular dish, Corn Ontopa SmashTaters Casserole.

The pastor didn’t cook very often, but he always enjoyed creating a special dish for the special Easter potluck covered-dish meal. This year, Pastor and Mrs. Sundae’s granddaughter, East R. Bonnit, was celebrating her 10th birthday, so the pastor baked a birthday cake for her.

In the icing, Pastor East Err Sundae swirled “Happy Birthday, East R. Bonnit.” Then he swirled another message, “Jesus is not here, He is risen!”

“Why did you put the message about Jesus on the cake, Dear?,” asked I. Scream Sundae.

“I believe we are to take advantage of every opportunity to tell people about Jesus,” replied her husband. “And I don’t know of any commandment in the Bible that says, ‘Thou shalt not say, ‘Jesus is not here, He is risen’ on a birthday cake!’”

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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Always Head in the Right Direction

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and be sure to contact him to let him know you saw him on Christen Daily Blog!

Motorcycle, Bicycle and Tricycle were motoring down the Highway of Life.

They had left the glory and power of Easter, and they were headed toward the National Day of Prayer.

Along the way, they saw many beautiful, natural wonders - waterfalls, forests, rivers and mountains. After about a week, Four Wheel Car joined the caravan.

The foursome sang songs of liberty and happiness and shared stories of God’s provision and protection. “One day, a little doggie ran in front of me,” recalled Motorcycle. “God helped me to stop so I didn’t hit the little fella.”

“I was rolling through my neighborhood one Sunday afternoon, and a huge car tired to run me over,” said Tricycle. “But God was watching over me, and I did an emergency U-Turn. Within just a few moments, I was safe at home in my driveway.”

Unicycle joined the group several days after Four Wheel Car became a member. “Most of the time, I’m a loner,” Unicycle aid. “But you guys sounded so smooth and mellow as you were singing your easy listening gospel music that I just had to tag along.”

“We’re happy to welcome you,” said Tricycle. “Life’s road is sometimes difficult, and we can never have too many friends.”

Eighteen-Wheeler was rolling by, and he heard Tricycle’s comments. “I’d like to join the group,” said the Big Rig. “I’m tired of traveling the road all by myself. And since I’m so much bigger and faster than some of you, if we ever need to get somewhere in a hurry, all of you can hop inside and we can arrive at our destination in no time.”

Two-Wheel-Scooter eventually became the group’s final member. “What took you so long to join?,” asked Four Wheel Car.

“I’m not one to join too many groups,” Two-Wheel-Scooter replied. “But I’m sure glad I’m joining this one.”

The group of vehicles pulled into the parking area of a service station. “Those of us with engines must fill our tanks with the purest fuel available,” said Four Wheel Car.

“And add the proper fluids to keep the windshields clean,” added Eighteen-Wheeler.

“Don’t forget to check the pressure in your tires,” said Bicycle.

Unicycle told the group’s other members that she had made an observation. “We are all different shapes, sizes, and colors,” she said. “We look at life from a variety of perspectives. Some of us can travel faster than others, and we have been given talents to use for God’s glory.

“But what’s the most fascinating to me is that everything will always turn out OK on the Highway of Life because all of us are headed in the right direction. And if we continue to head in the right direction, we’ll always know where we’re going when we get there!”

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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Associate Pastor Asked to Preach Easter Sunrise Service

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christen Daily Blog!

Pastor East R. Sunrize had begun planning his sermon for the 11 a.m. worship service on Easter Sunday.

The 40-year-veteran of pastoral ministry decided to concentrate on Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection during the sermon.

“When I talk about the Crucifixion, I’m going to focus on the fact that Christ’s death on the Cross was necessary to save mankind from sin,” Pastor Sunrize told his wife, Sunny. “And when I talk about the Resurrection, I plan to emphasize that Jesus’ coming out of the grave proves that He is more powerful than death.”

“Your messages are always so timely and inspiring,” said Sunny.

“That’s because I must depend on the power of the Holy Spirit,” said the pastor. “If I depend on myself and my own ability to preach God’s Holy Word, I know I’ll fall flat on my face.”

Pastor Sonrize decided to ask his associate pastor, Solar Sunraze, to preach the message at the church’s sunrise service.

Associate Pastor Sunraze had only been in the ministry for about three years, and he accepted most opportunities to preach. “It’s a blessing to stand behind the pulpit to preach God’s Holy Word,” he said.

He enjoyed preaching revivals, kids crusades, and Vacation Bible Schools, hosted the church’s radio and TV ministries, and wrote a newspaper column.

About two weeks before Easter, Pastor Sunrize called his associate pastor. “I’ve been thinking about offering a new ministry opportunity to you,” said the pastor. “I know how passionate you are about preaching the gospel.”

“Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood so that I could live forever with Him!,” said Associate Pastor Sunraze. “It’s a great honor to be called into ministry. So what is this new ministry opportunity you mentioned?”

“You know that Easter is coming up in a couple of weeks, right?,” asked the pastor.

“Yes, and I can hardly wait to hear you preach about the Crucifixion and the Resurrection,” said Associate Pastor Sunraze. “It was through the Crucifixion that Jesus shed His blood, and it was the Resurrection power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.”

“I would like for you to preach an Easter message for the sunrise service at the church,” said Pastor Sunrize. “It starts at 6:30 a.m.”

“I am so excited that you’re offering this opportunity to me,” said Associate Pastor Sunraze. “But I’m afraid I must turn down your request.”

“But why?,” asked the pastor.

“I feel I must always be fully awake when I preach,” said the associate pastor. “You see, I’m not a morning person.

“If I start preaching a sermon when I’m not wide awake, I might fall asleep while I’m preaching. And it would be the first time I’ve ever fallen asleep during one of my own sermons!”

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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The Weight of the Cross

As a writer, I'm always looking for article ideas, so I've set up several alerts on Google to notify me of new entries relating to my areas of interest. One such notification came through today from a news story in the Lehigh Acres Citizen, a local newspaper in Lehigh Acres, Florida.

According to this report, the ministerial association in Lehigh is planning a "Cross Walk" to commemorate Easter and kick off their combined Easter service in the park. Several of the local clergy will be carrying a huge wooden cross through the town, traveling a total of about five miles. Because of the size and weight of the cross, the clergy are considering how to transport the cross, some even suggesting that wheels or rollers be added because they may be unable to bear the cross without them.

Aren't we glad that Christ was able to bear His cross for us? The cross that would ultimately bring the salvation of the world was carried solely on Jesus' back. And while His walk down the via dolorosa (the way of suffering) was only about 1/2 mile, for the most part He carried that cross alone. Yes, Simon of Cyrene was forced to help for a bit, but the weight of the cross which would save humanity was on Christ.

Praise God for His salvation as we move toward Resurrection Sunday. Oh, what a Savior!