Friday Snippets and Soundbites

• There's a traffic jam all the way to the International Space Station these days. Lately, the number of launches of shuttles and unmanned space crafts set to dock with the station have caused NASA employees and the station manager to joke that an air-traffic controller might be necessary to handle the onslaught of visitors. The space shuttle Endeavour returned to earth this week after a nearly 16-day flight. On April 3, the Jules Verne, an unmanned European cargo ship is expected to arrive at the station. A Russian cargo carrier, the Progress, will leave the space station on April 7, and two new crew members will start their journey to the station the very next day. NASA will launch its next shuttle on May 25. During that mission, the astronauts will deliver a Japanese laboratory to the International Space Station.

•The Jonas Brothers, a band (of brothers!) from New Jersey seem to be pretty popular these days. They were featured in USA Today this week, made an appearance at the White House Easter Egg Roll, and performed on ABC's “Dancing with the Stars.” What you may not know is that the boys got their start in Christian music and are the sons of a pastor. While they're current work may not be explicitly Christian, they do strive to make sure their music, lyrics, and performances are not offensive to their beliefs. In a January 2007 interview with ec, the guys said, “We believe our attitude is our ministry. We try to walk into a room and have people know we're different. And we are different, because of Christ.” What do you think about that? Sound off on our discussion boards on Facebook!

• Ready for some warmer weather? (No comment from you warm weather readers!) So is Joel N. Myers of State College, Pa. He has acquired what is considered the world's largest collection on thermometers—a collection of more than 4,000 items!

• Six Flags recently announced they were looking for a few good . . . cheerleaders! The theme park conglomerate is holding auditions for its first-ever professional cheerleading team, the Six Flags Thrilleaders. Those who make the cut will perform high-energy routines in the parks and act as ambassadors to theme park guests. Auditions will be held on April 19 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Doubletree Times Square in New York City. Interested? Pre-register for try-outs here of get more info at www.sixflags.com/thrilleaders.

Photo Credit: The International Space Station, seen from Space Shuttle Endeavour on March 24, 2008. Image courtesy of NASA.

Around the office

So maybe you want to know a little more about the people who produce ec. This post is your chance! Take a look at these photos of our offices and workspace and see what you discover about the team that shapes each issue of your favorite magazine!


Emily, ec's production editor, likes to make everything around her pretty. She pays attention to everything, down to the last detail. That's why ec needs her around!


Shh! It's a secret:Emily is also a big fan of David Beckham. (And her calendar is still turned to January!)


Jen, ec's graphic designer and guru of color, wasn't in the office today. (She has a fever!) But we snuck into her office anyway. A designer's desk is always full of ideas. Jen keeps lots of mags around so we're constantly evaluating what other editorial teams are doing!


We've also turned the hall outside of Jen's office into our own conference room/evaluation area. This is the ec redesign! Calm down, you'll see it soon enough! (October 2008, to be exact!)


One day, Mandy, ec's editor, thought her door looked a little blah. So she started taping pics of friends, family, and bands she liked to it. And now, it's more like a piece of art!



And finally, proof that we do work! This is a thumbnail of the September 2008 issue of ec. A thumbnail helps the team know what story goes on what page. Mandy is currently editing the writers' submissions for this issue. Jen will start designing it in about a month.

He Is Risen!

He is risen, indeed!

When Jesus died, His followers likely scattered. What could they do? They had staked their lives on Jesus, and He was dead. They had buried Him. It was over.

But it wasn't. Read the accounts of that Resurrection Morning in Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; and John 20:1-18. The tomb is empty. We serve a risen Savior!

Jesus' resurrection gives us life. That's what John wrote in John 20:31. It's what Paul was so passionate about in 1 Corinthians 15. Jesus' resurrection is essential to our faith and guarantees eternal life. Live in the power of that.

And go now, as Christ commanded in Matthew 28:19-20, and make disciples of all nations. He is with you. Always.

Good Friday

Yesterday's post ended with Jesus praying and agonizing in the garden. Sometime shortly after, Judas and a mob arrived. Judas kissed Jesus, his sign that this was the One they were after. The betrayal was complete. Jesus was arrested and taken away to face the Sanhedrin, a court of Jewish officials, then dragged before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, and Herod Antipas, who held jurisdiction over Galilee. Read the accounts in Luke 22:47-53,66–23:12; Matthew 26:47-68; 27:1-14; Mark 14:43-65; 15:1-3; and John 18:1-14, 19-24, 28-38.

When given a choice between releasing Jesus, who Pilate could find no reason to charge with anything, and Barabbas, a prisoner who had led a rebellion that had included murder (Mark 15:7). The crowds cried out for Barabbas' release and Jesus' crucifixion. Pilate ordered that Jesus be flogged and handed Him over to die a criminal's death.

The crowds mocked Jesus. As they flogged Him, laying open His skin, the guards spit on Him, made fun of Him, and smashed a crown of thorns into His temples. As if this terrible anticipation of the pain of the cross wasn't enough, the people seemed dead-set on humiliating Jesus and stripping Him of every once of dignity He possessed. Read the accounts in Matthew 27:27-31 and John 19:1-16. Now read Philippians 2:8. Jesus was God, and He didn't have to suffer this indignity, but He did—in obedience to His Father's plan.

He did it for you.

Jesus then carried His own cross down the long road to Golgotha, the hill where He would be crucified. More mocking and screams accompanied Him. Finally, He was placed on a cross between two criminals, one of whom also mocked Him. Soldiers divided Jesus' clothes and cast lots for them. Around noon, darkness came over the “whole land” (Luke 23:44) and around 3 p.m., “the sun's light failed” (Luke 23:45) and the curtain in the temple tore from top to bottom. Jesus cried out, saying “Father, into Your hands I entrusts My spirit.” And then He died.

It was over. He was dead.

The disciples dispersed, probably feeling like fools. The Teacher they'd followed was gone. What else could they do? It was all over.

A few followers took Jesus off the cross and buried Him in a borrowed tomb. They were stunned. They felt fear, despair, anguish, that strange hollow feeling you get when everything falls apart and everything you thought was true seems so messed up.

They didn't understand. Their grief overshadowed Christ's own reminder that He would rise on the third day.

Understand Christ's sacrifice for you today. Know that we do not have salvation without that sacrifice. But don't “grieve like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). Turn your thoughts toward Easter. Turn your heart toward Christ, our risen Hope.

Thursday of Holy Week

On Thursday of Holy Week, the events of Jesus' final week began to unfold in fast-forward. Yesterday, you read about the disciples finding the upper room and preparing it for their Passover meal, a meal that would happen at sundown tonight. But before the meal could begin, Jesus took on the task of a servant and began to wash His disciples' feet. Read John 13:1-11. Jesus was the Teacher, the most revered man in the room, and He was doing the job of the lowest servant. For us, the implication is clear: we shouldn't always be looking for what's best or easiest for us. Christians follow Christ's example, lay down our pride and our own best interests and serve.

When Jesus and His disciples sat down for that Passover meal, Jesus once again tried to tell them that His time of suffering was coming. As they ate the familiar bread and wine of the meal, Jesus added new symbolism, instructing believers to remember His sacrifice each time they participated in this meal. And at the same table that Jesus explained our hope of glory through His sacrifice, sat His betrayer. Read Luke 22:14-23. Think on these things.

In the Gospel of John, Scripture records that Judas left the meal early, following Jesus' instruction to do what he had to do quickly. After his exit, Christ issued a new command to His followers in John 13:34-35: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Could this honestly be said about you?

At some point after the meal, Jesus and His disciples went into the garden to pray. Read Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; and Luke 22:39-46. Jesus agonized in prayer, once again wondering aloud if this “cup” of suffering could be taken from Him. His closest friends couldn't even stay awake with Him in His anguish. That seems like a lonely moment to me. There was Jesus, anguished, tired, knowing what His disciples didn't understand. He knew what the next few days were going to involve, and when He got up from His prayer, His face was turned to the cross. He knew that His sacrifice was the only way for us to be saved. And He was determined to do it.

Think about Jesus' words to His disciples during the first Lord's Supper: "This is my body, which is given for you,” “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood; it is shed for you.” What do those words mean to you? Are they just things the pastor says at communion services? What difference do they make in your daily life?

Jesus gave Himself for you. And it wasn't easy. He was fully God, but He was also fully man. And He was anguished, exhausted, and grieved in that garden. It's easy to simply plot out the events in Jesus' life that week so long ago and say, well, Jesus was God. It gets more personal and intimate when we actually take time to think about Him as a person, alone in that garden, praying with drops of blood—for Himself, His disciples, for you and me—and willingly laying down His life for ours. Dwell on that today.

Read: John 17, Jesus' prayer in the garden. How does it make you feel to realize that Jesus prayed for you (vv. 20-26) before His crucifixion?

Listen: “The Silence of God” by Andrew Peterson (from the album Love and Thunder)

Wednesday of Holy Week

Jesus and His disciples came to Jerusalem that fateful week to celebrate the Passover, a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Exodus and the Israelites freedom from the Egyptians. Read Luke 22:7-13 today and consider Jesus' instructions to the disciples as they set out to find a place to have this special meal together. Then read what Matthew and Mark had to say in their Gospels about this preparation in Matthew 26:17-19 and Mark 14:12-16.

The Passover meal the disciples worked so hard to prepare for is significant. What they didn't understand was that it would be their final Passover with Jesus. Shortly after eating the meal, He would be betrayed, tried, and on Friday, crucified. They thought they were preparing to celebrate an important Jewish holiday, which they did, but at that Last Supper, Jesus would explain again that He was going to die and detail the significance of His death. He would institute a new practice, what we call the Lord's Supper, with the bread and drink symbolizing His broken body and spilled blood.

At Passover, Jews offered a sacrifice at the temple. At this last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus explained that He was going to be the sacrifice that would end the need for further sacrifices at the temple. Jesus alone—fully God and fully man, sinless—could offer Himself as a sacrifice that would cover all sin.

Dwell on that thought today. And like Jesus instructed the disciples, start preparing for Easter. What does it mean to you that Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for your sin? What things are you letting get in the way of truly experiencing the truth and joy of that this Easter?

Other Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11
Listen: “Behold the Lamb of God” or “How Deep the Father's Love for Us” by Stuart Townend. If you don't listen to it, at least read the lyrics. Also check out “Behold the Lamb of God” by Andrew Peterson.

Tuesday of Holy Week

The Gospel of John records that not long after Jesus' triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus began to talk to His followers about His coming crucifixion. Read John 12:20-36 today. Jesus is a Man embroiled in turmoil in these verses. He knows what is coming; the crucifixion is near. Read His words in John 12:27-28: “Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save Me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!”

Jesus knew His march toward the cross was coming to an end. He knew the sacrifice He would have to make so that we could live in relationship with God. It was the reason He had come to earth in the first place. He knew that He would be "lifted up” on a cross, that His death would draw all people to Himself (John 12:32). He knew that His sacrifice—His suffering, His death—was the one and only way to life.

So there Jesus was, sitting with His disciples and followers, trying to explain that He would only be with them like this a little while longer. I think these moments were bittersweet for Jesus. Like any of us, His human desire was to savor these last moments with the people He loved, yet His reason for being here called Him to action. He desperately wanted these people to understand what He was telling them, and for the most part, they didn't.

It must have been a lonely time for Jesus. He knew what was going to happen in the coming days. And the people closest to Him didn't get it. Scripture says He "went away from them and hid from them" (John 12:36). He just wanted to be alone with His thoughts, with His turmoil.

The week before the crucifixion wasn't an easy one for Jesus. It was an emotional roller coaster. He had been welcomed like a hero and cleansed the temple. Now He predicted His death, and no one really understood. Dwell on those emotions Jesus felt this week: disappointment, fear, righteous anger, sorrow. Understand the sacrifice He made for you. And spend time praying about it. Let God help you see Easter and Christ's sacrifice in a new light this year.

Monday of Holy Week

Yesterday, most Christians probably celebrated Palm Sunday in their worship services. Palm Sunday is usually a day of great celebration. Children sometimes get to march into the worship service waving palms, and you probably sing songs that include the word Hosanna.

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with His disciples. By Friday, Jesus would be dying a criminal's death on a cross, bearing all of our sin. This week between Palm Sunday and Easter is important for Christians, because without Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, we would have no hope—of glory, of relationship with the Father, of living life to its fullest.

So take some time each day this week to read about the events of Jesus' week in Jerusalem. Read Matthew 21:12-13 today. One of Jesus' first acts after His arrival in Jerusalem was to go to the temple and banish all the things that cheapened the worship. He overturned tables, drove out buyers and sellers, and displayed a righteous anger. God had called His people to be pure and holy, and they weren't. Their sin was greater than the sacrifices they brought (or bought). By the end of the week, Jesus would lay down His own life as the sacrifice, ending the need for the Jewish sacrificial system.

Think about your life today. What do you need to let God clean out of your life? What things need to be overturned and removed? What sins are you holding on to? How has your worship become less than pure? How are you trying to earn God's approval rather than accept His grace?

Other Scripture: Read the other Gospel accounts about Jesus cleansing the temple in Mark 11:15-16 and Luke 19:45.

Take a listen:"Jealous Kind” by Jars of Clay from the album Who We Are Instead. How does it make you feel to realize that God pursues you with a love of a jealous kind?

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

• A tall, non-fat mocha latte with whipped cream. . .and a kidney? On Tuesday (March 11), SAndie Anderson, a Starbucks barista in Washington state, donated a kidney to one of her regular customers, Annamarie Ausnes. Ausnes has polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder that caused cysts on her kidneys and finally, kidney failure. When she mentioned her health problem to the barista, Sandie Anderson didn't hesitate to have a blood test. Read more about this amazing story of selflessness here.

• Comedian Billy Crystal found an interesting way to celebrate his 60th birthday. He put on his pinstripes and made a one-game appearance with the New York Yankees, his favorite team, in an exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday. Crystal was penciled in to the lineup as a designated hitter and led off the bottom of the first. He struck out on six pitches. He watched the remainder of the game from the dugout. Crystal signed a one-day contract with the Yankees (approved by MLB commissioner Bud Selig!) and worked out with the team on Wednesday. He turns 60 today.

• The PBS kids competition show “Design Squad” begins its next season on April 2. In the first challenge, teen engineers are tasked with creating eco-friendly cardboard furniture for display at IKEA, a home furnishings store. Inspired by that challenge, the show is also sponsoring the Trash to Treasure contest at www.bkfk.com. The contest challenges teens and children to recycle and reuse items from their recycling bins to create "the next big thing." There's a chance to win $10,000 and a trip to the development lab at an awarding-winning international design firm. The contest begins April 1 and runs through June 30, 2008. Find out more here.

• Want to be a part of an international mission trip but don't have a passport? How's about a virtual mission trip with International World Changers? Starting tomorrow, March 15, the International Mission Board media team will be traveling with a group of International World Changers on mission in Athens, Greece. For one week, they'll be covering everything the 60 teens are doing—with video, photos, audio, and stories. Be sure to stop by the Web site and see what's happening and join the group on mission through your prayers. Visit www.iwcstories.com for more information.

Wanna write for ec?

Want to see your name in print in an upcoming issue of ec? So do we! Every few months, we publish something called "dispatches: an ec blog." It's a short little piece, only about 250-300 words. The idea is that you just write about your life and how God relates to it, what you're learning about God, maybe how you've seen Him at work. Past "dispatches" have been about the issue of modesty, a call for Christians to live out their faith more authentically, one was the story of how a reader's uncle came to salvation. The point is, we want to hear your voice in ec. So start writing and send it our way. E-mail it to us! We can't wait to see what great things you're going to send our way!

Palm Sunday

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the day Christians celebrate Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with His disciples. As He arrived in the city, crowds met Jesus, shouting and cheering. Days later, Jesus would be arrested, beaten, and crucified. And crowds would shout for His death, just as they'd shouted and celebrated His arrival.

We urge you to prepare for Palm Sunday by reading the accounts of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Scripture sometimes refers to this as the "Triumphal Entry." So check out Matthew 12:2-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-38; and John 12:12-19. Ask God to help you learn something new from these familiar verses.

Statement of (non)Faith

This weekend, I found out a friend of mine—a guy I'd gone on mission trips with, discussed Scripture with, and sat beside at church—had decided he no longer believed in God.

His declaration shocked and hurt me. Why, in the middle of his doubt, couldn't he talk to me or someone else he counted among his Christian friends? Why did he pull away from us all, shut us out, then make this declaration?

I don't know. Part of me says he didn't reach out to me because he didn't want to hear what I had to say; he didn't want to be talked out of this ultimate act of rebellion he'd already decided upon. Part of me wonders if I could have let God shine through me a little more—if my failures contributed to his denial.

These days, his name is the first one on my lips in all my prayers. And since he's open to discussing things with me, I feel I have a opportunity to let God work through me.

But this experience has reignited a deep desire in my heart, that you, the readers of ec, understand something that seems very simple. Faith does not equal church activity, involvement, or attendance. When I talk about faith, I'm not just talking about believing there is a God and going through the motions and practice of church. I'm talking about relationship.

Know God, not just about Him. Salvation is dependent upon a personal relationship with God. Without it, you're completely separated from Him. (Romans 3:23;6:23) To have that relationship, you have to believe that Jesus Christ is God's Son and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. You have to recognize that you are sinful and take responsibility for it, confessing your sin and seeking God's free gift of forgiveness. Then, your life should be different. Repent; turn away from the way you used to be and the sin that used to control with you. With Christ in you, you'll want to live differently. (Luke 13:3; Ephesians 5:8)

Own your faith. Grow in relationship with Him. Live it out, not just at church or among Christian friends, but in your real, everyday life. At school. At the grocery store. On the highway. At the basketball game. On the weekend. Online.

Make your faith known. Share your faith in your words, actions, and the way you treat others. Get involved in service ministries. Go on mission trips. Support mission work with your money, time, and talents. When God is at work in your life, you shouldn't be silent!

That's what ec is about—a real live faith. Live yours out today!

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

• The Iditarod began in Alaska this week. The Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race covers more than 1,150 miles across mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forest, tundra, and coastline. The trail runs from Anchorage to Nome. When the race is run on even years, the participants take the northern portion of the historic Iditarod trail, mushing through towns like Galena, Ruby, and Nulato. When the year ends in an odd number, the race takes the southern portion of the trail, racing through the towns of Iditarod (now a ghost town), Anvick, and Grayling. For more information on the Iditarod, visit the official Website or go here.

• MTV has refused to air Gnarls Barkley's latest video and it has nothing to do with sex or violence. Instead, MTV nixed the video because it failed the Harding Test, guidelines established to prevent TV images from triggering epileptic seizures. The video, which includes a cameo by Justin Timberlake, also includes various strobe effects.

• It happens once in every 200 million births, and it happened this week. Identical triplets were born in Long Island, New York this week. Their mother and father had used in-vitro fertilization to have children and only implanted one embryo. It, in turn, split in half, then one half split again. The boys weighed in at nearly identical weights (around 4 lbs.) and are named Logan, Eli, and Collin. (Aside: Ec's editor is also a twin, though not identical. She is a fraternal twin, and her brother, Jason, is 2 minutes older. That doesn't stop people from asking if they're identical, though. Think about it.)

• Ec wants to hear from you! We need to hear your voice in the letters section of the magazine, in “Student Blog,” and “dispatches: an ec blog.” Get to writing! Also, take our March poll.

• According to Chinese officials, Beijing is the place to be if you have to go. They're claiming that with more than 5 thousand public bathrooms, the capital city has the most public toilets of any city in the world. Read the story here.

Personality shot

I have to be honest with you - working on ec is FUN. Not only is it fun to watch it go from being an idea to a final magazine, it's also a lot of fun to work with my team. A good basketball team wears the same jersey. But if everybody had the same talents and personality, it would be a very one-dimensional team. It's good for a team to have somebody who's seven feet tall—but it's also good to have a quick little guard who can zip around in the tall trees, right? I'm grateful that the ec team is multi-talented.

Yesterday, Mandy, Emily, and I were all pretty much dressed the same with brown tops and khaki trousers, but didn't take long for us to discover that we not only all had different socks on, they were all crazy-different. After I studied the picture a little bit I decided this is a pretty good personality shot of our team.

So here's a picture of our "team" - the hand knitted, crazy-bright socks? They're mine. My job is color and image and getting your attention visually. The super-cute peacock-blue argyles are Emily, our copy editor - she's organized and stylish with lots of clever takes on things. And the happy little cartoon-animal socks are full of surprises and belong to Mandy, who takes the same 60 pages each month and makes them different and interesting to read every time.



Ok, I just made that up. But all of the things I said about our team are true, even if we didn't plan to wear socks that reflect it. And there's a good lesson here, as well - not all of us have the same gifts. It takes our entire team to make ec what it is. A guy named Paul said something about this a long time ago; we can't all be feet or eyes or ears.

Find your niche - in God's kingdom and in your life. Being a little bit different really is okay.

March Poll

In this month's issue of ec, we included a poll in "Snippets and Soundbites." We'd love to hear what you have to say about senior pranks. So submit your answer to the poll below, and we'll print the results in an upcoming issue of ec.

Sweet Sacrifice?

”If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great
for me to make for Him.”
—attributed to C.T. Studd at Christian Quotes

On page 45 of the March 2008 issue of ec, we asked you to consider how sacrifice marks your life. If you're a Christian, you're called to give up yourself and your desires each day for Christ. But what does that mean? What does it look like in real life? We want to know—from YOU! Leave your stories in the comments section!