Was Reading “Six Hours One Friday” written by Max Lucado.

In it he says…

“Six hours. One Friday.

Let me ask you a question: What do you do with that day in history? What do you do with its claims?

The people stood yelling, “Crucify!”
and it breaks our hearts every time.
For Jesus’ death occurs every time
someone is ignored, mistreated, oppressed.

“Crucify!”
tears away at God’s Beloved.

After the church service, a young boy told the Youth Pastor: “When I graduate and get a job, I’m going to give you some money.” “Well, thank you,” the youth pastor replied, “but why?” “Because my dad says you’re one of the poorest preachers we’ve ever had.”

I ran across this story in my my email archives today. I had saved it as i thought the message was quite powerful. As it is getting close to Easter, I thought I’d share it with you as well. Use it with your youth or adults for a great message.

• I was at the beach with my children when my four-year-old son ran up to me, grabbed my hand, and led me to the shore, where a sea gull lay dead in the sand. “Mommy, what happened to him?” the little boy asked. “He died and went to Heaven,” I replied. My son thought a moment and then said, “And God threw him back down?”

• 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made for Easter each year.
• Each day, five million marshmallow chicks and bunnies are produced in preparation for Easter.
• 16 billion jelly beans are made for Easter
• 63 percent of Americans would most like to receive a chocolate bunny on Easter morning, followed by marshmallow bunnies (10 percent).

Bill Keane, creator of the Family Circus cartoon strip tells of a time when he was penciling one of his cartoons and his son Jeffy said, “Daddy, how do you know what to draw?” I said, “God tells me.” Jeffy said, “Then why do you keep erasing parts of it?”

Over the massive front doors of a church, these words were inscribed: “The Gate of Heaven”. Below that was a small cardboard sign which read: “Please use other entrance.
“

Rev. Warren J. Keating, Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Yuma, Arizona, USA, says that the best prayer he ever heard was: “Lord, please make me the kind of person my dog thinks I am.
“

On a very cold, snowy Sunday in February, only the pastor and one farmer arrived at the village church. The pastor said, “Well, I guess we won’t have a service today.” The farmer replied: “Heck, if even only one cow shows up at feeding time, I feed it.”