Around 2,000 years ago, this was not a Good Friday for the LORD.  But for us, looking back on His resurrection, it is a Good Friday — as He paid the price for our sins.

 

JesusChristontheCross

 

As it is written in Isaiah Chapter 53:

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

———————-

Isaiah Chapter 53 (NIV version) in its entirety reads:

53 Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e];
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g]
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

Philippians 4:6-7

Philippians4-6-7

Photo by Bill Vriesema

 

bibleverses.com — A free version of the Bible created specifically for users with vision disabilities; with thanks to Mr. Rich Howard for this resource

 

bibleversesdotcom-march2016

 

 

 

1 John 4:11 & Zechariah 7:9

1 John 4:11 New International Version (NIV)

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

 

 

Zechariah 7:9 New International Version (NIV)

“This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.

 

 

 

 

Interactive app brings 4th-century thinker to life — from campustechnology.com by Toni Fuhrman
At Villanova University, a student-developed app version of Augustine’s Confessions brings contemporary vitality and relevance to a classic 4th-century work.

Excerpt:

Augustine of Hippo, who lived from A.D. 354 to 430, might be surprised to find his Confessions in circulation today, including a number of e-book versions. Still widely read, popular in great books programs and studied in university classes, The Confessions of St. Augustine is autobiography and confession, spiritual quest and emotional journey.

One of the most recent electronic versions of the Confessions is an interactive app developed at Villanova University (PA), the nation’s only Augustinian Catholic University. Released three months ago on Augustine’s birthday (Nov. 13), the Confessions app is required for all freshmen as part of a “foundation” course. Available for both Apple and Android devices, the app includes the 13 books of the Confessions, authoritative commentaries, photo gallery, timeline, map and text-highlighted audio, as well as search, note-taking, annotation and bookmark options.

 

“What better way to reflect on and update this struggle than for today’s students to use technology to bring the text to life through visual, audio and analytical components?”

 

 

 

Confessions-Feb2016

 

 

From DSC:
Love the idea. Love the use of teams — including students — to produce this app!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 New International Version (NIV)

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

 

Psalm 59:16 New International Version (NIV)

16 But I will sing of your strength,
    in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
    my refuge in times of trouble.

 
 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

DanielSChristian-Merry-Christmas-2015

 

From DSC:
I’m not sure where the item below ultimately came from, but it was in one of those emails that came to me via a family member.  It reminds me of how people come in and out of our lives — and that goes not only for parents, siblings, spouses, and other family members, but also for teachers, professors, coaches, mentors, pastors, managers, supervisors, etc.  They all help us learn and grow…and then we no longer have them in our lives.  It reminds me of a learning ecosystem — constantly changing and morphing.

So it’s very relevant not only to our personal lives, but a reminder to be thankful for those who have ridden a train with you, with me — if even for a brief period of time.

 


The Train of Life


At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel on our side.

However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.

As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant (i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of your life).

Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum.

Others will go so unnoticed that we don’t realize they vacated their seats.

This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells.

Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves.

The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down.

So, we must live in the best way, love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are.

It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

I wish you a joyful journey on the train of life.

Reap success and give lots of love.

Lastly, I thank you for being one of the passengers on my train.

 

Proverbs 30:7-9 New International Version (NIV)

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.

 

Thank-you-LORD---thanksgiving-time

 

Psalm 100:4-5 New International Version (NIV) — from biblegateway.com

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

 

 

Hebrews 4:12

Hebrews 4:12 New International Version (NIV) — from biblegateway.com

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

 

Deuteronomy 5:28-29 Amplified Bible (AMP)

28 “The Lord heard your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.

29 Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear [and worship Me with awe-filled reverence and profound respect] and keep all My commandments always, so that it may go well with them and with their children forever!

 
© 2025 | Daniel Christian