It's not too late. . .

If you're an ec fan and happen to be somewhere in the Detroit, Michigan area tomorrow night, you can still join us for a focus group!

We'll be getting your feedback on culture, life in general, what you like to do, what you want to see in ec, and asking you to tell us (with absolute honesty) what you think about the magazine. Because we really do want it to be the magazine FOR you!

The info:
ec magazine focus group

Because we care what YOU say

Date:	Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Time:	6:00pm - 8:45pm
Location:	Community Bible Church
Street:	2148 Pless Drive
City/Town:	Brighton, MI

For more info, call Community Bible Church in Brighton, MI: 810-227-2255

You can also sign up here.

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

If today’s post doesn’t provide enough random-ness for you, check out “Snippets and Soundbites” on page 38 of the April (and every) issue of ec. We’ve always got more news of the weird to share with you!

• Earlier this month, Domino's Pizza served up 11,000 pizzas—for free. And they didn't actually plan to do so. It appears that the company had planned a campaign in December that would include great deals on pizza if the customer typed the word "bailout" in when ordering. An Internet coupon was prepared, but the ad campaign was never approved. But somehow, someone stumbled onto the scrapped promotion—that wasn't as scrapped as the company thought—and found that by typing "bailout" into the promo code was good for a medium pizza. News of the free pizza and promo code spread quickly on the Internet, meaning by the time Domino's got the code shut down, they'd already delivered 11,000 free pizzas. Oops! To learn more, go here. To learn more about what some people think are the best ad campaigns ever, go here.

• A guy who thought pretending to fall off a bridge was a good idea is probably thinking that was pretty stupid this morning. Because right after he tried to freak out his friend by pretending to fall, he actually did fall off the bridge. The 23-year-old man is in stable condition and fell off a bridge across the Minnesota River into a marshy area some 30 feet below. The man was with a friend, who called police. He said his friend had been drinking alcohol. Which is proof that alcohol makes you do stupid things! (So, avoid it!) Read more here.

• Last night was the 40th annual Dove Awards ceremony, the night when the Gospel Music Association hands out awards to CCM artists. ec magazine fave's Remedy Drive, Brandon Heath, Francesca Battistelli, Casting Crowns, After Edmund, and others were all up for awards. Artist of the year went to Steven Curtis Chapman, who gave a touching speech regarding the death of his daughter and the grace and goodness of God. Natalie Grant won best female artist, while Brandon Heath took home honors as best male vocalist. Ten Avenue North won best new artist and seemed utterly flabbergasted by it, and Brandon Heath and Jason Ingram's song "Give Me Your Eyes," a song about having the eyes of Christ for a world in need, won song of the year honors. Casting Crowns went home with numerous awards, the most of the night actually. They took home Doves for group of the year and Christmas album of the year, among others. For all the info on the night, go here.

• April is almost over! Don't miss your opportunity to sound off on our Question of the Month (Q:If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Why?). You can submit your answers here.

Friends: Don't take yours for granted!

Just as lotions and fragrance give [the senses] delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul. —Proverbs 27:9, The Message

Today’s my best friend’s birthday. (Happy Birthday, Kristy!) And she’s very far away, so I can’t even see her on her birthday. That makes me sad, but I know her sweet husband will make her feel very special in my absence.

Friends are such a good gift from God. I don’t know about all of you, but if it weren’t for my friends, life would just seem pretty pointless. (I guess that points to the whole “made for community” thing we’ll discuss in an upcoming issue of ec. Get excited!) My friends are the ones who encourage me, hold me accountable, make me laugh, and with whom I can relax and have fun. What makes you grateful for your friends? Have you told them why you’re thankful for them lately?

It seems I’m more aware of how great my friendships are when my friends aren’t around, especially all my college friends who no longer live near me. I guess I kind of took them for granted back when we all lived within five feet of each other in college. But now that we’re all out on our own, spread across the United States, I really miss those girls! I miss the open, honest communication. The jokes. The common stress and annoyances with school, professors, and projects. The camaraderie as we dealt with that stress. The meals. The guys. The laughter about the bad dates with said guys.

I don’t know about you, but I hope that you’re not taking your friends for granted. Don’t miss an opportunity to tell your friends how grateful you are to have them in your life. You do not know what tomorrow holds, so take today (and every day!) to be the kind of friend you’d want to have. You won’t regret it, and neither will your friends.

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

If today’s post doesn’t provide enough randomicity for you, check out Snippets and Soundbites on page 38 of the April (and every) issue of ec. We’ve always got more news of the weird to share with you! Actually, news of the strange seems to be abounding this week.

• Up first, a 138-year old piece of cake. That people actually want to buy! The cake is a slice from the wedding cake of Britain's Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria. She married the Marquis of Lorne in 1871 and apparently shocked the Prince of Wales by choosing to marry a commoner rather than a royal. The slice of cake in question is 1-inch think and wrapped in its original parchment. The seller is an antiques dealer who bought the slice from a private seller who is a descendant of a noble family from Kent.The piece of cake a tiny portion of the towering 5-foot (1.5 meter) cake served at Princess Louise's wedding. The entire cake originally weighed over 225 pounds and took three months to create. (Our question: was it still be good after 3 months?) The cake slice's previous owner kept it for generations in a gentlemen's "cabinet of curiosity," where men kept treasures to show off, such as fossils and pieces of Egyptian art. Bids opened for the slice at 145 pounds ($215) on Thursday at the Antiques for Everyone fair in Birmingham, England. For more, go here. 

• Snakes on a plane seem to be a recurring theme here in “Snippets and Soundbites.” This week, a Qantas (Australian) airliner was grounded after four baby pythons were reported missing from the cargo hold. When the plane left Alice Springs, the container held 12 baby pythons. When it arrived in Melbourned, only 8 could be located. The airline reports that the snakes had been properly packaged in a tied calico bag inside a Styrofoam box with air holes punched in it. A reptile expert suggested that the other pythons may have eaten the missing reptiles, but when weighed, the remaining snakes were no heavier. Experts can only guess that the snakes broke free and since they weren't an endangered species, made the decision to take the plane out of service and fumigate it.

• A Texas turtle got a ninja suit and can now stop swimming in circles. Allison, a green sea turtle, had lost three of her flippers in an accident. That left her with one flipper and a life of turning endless circles in the water. Workers at Sea Turtle Inc. strapped Allison, a five-year-old rescued turtle, on Wednesday into a neoprene "ninja" suit that holds a carbon-fiber fin in place on her back. The fin acts as a rudder, allowing her to propel herself forward with her sole fin. The success follows failed attempts last year to fit her with a prosthetic rear flipper. We're really happy for Allison! Read more, here.

• The ec team will be taking part in GMA next week, interviewing your favorite bands and up-and-coming artists—like Rush of Fools, After Edmund, Devyn, Joy Lippard, Andrew Peterson and others. Let us know what you want us to ask! Because we will! 

GMA Week: What do YOU want to know?

Next week is GMA week in Nashville, a week of interviews, concerts, showcases, meet-and-greets culminating in the Dove Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 22. And since the GMA extravaganza all takes place just down the road from the ec team's offices, we'll be getting to talk to some of your favorite bands and some up-and-coming artists.

And since we want ec to be the magazine you want and need it to be, we'd love to know what you'd like us to ask the artist we'll be interviewing. So, take a look at the list of artists and leave some questions you'd like answered in the comments!

Lanaé Hale
Joy Lippard
Rush of Fools
Andrew Peterson
Devyn
Manic Drive
After Edmund
Dreampilots

Resurrection Morning!

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

When Jesus died, His followers scattered. What could they do? They had staked their lives on Jesus, and He was dead. They had buried Him. It was over. They didn't know what to do with themselves, but they likely just wanted to get past this dark time and move on. They were scared—their Friend had just been crucified. What was going to happen to them?

But it wasn't over. 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. Even when you're doubtful, fearful, or don't feel close to Him. The God who loves like that doesn't desert His people.

Jesus loves you is a simple phrase in a simple song we sing as children. But it's true. And Jesus has displayed His love on the world stage in a moment that divides history. He is the Christ, Son of the living God, and He has made a way for you! Live in the power of that today.

Good Friday Thoughts

Good Friday is a holy day. It isn't a holiday to be celebrated, but rather a day to be remembered with reverence. Good Friday is good for us because it wasn't for Jesus.

On Friday morning, He was brought before Pontious Pilate, the Roman governor, and and Herod Antipas, who held jurisdiction over Galilee, on trumped up charges from the Jewish religious leaders. 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.

Pilate admitted that he could find no reason to charge Jesus with anything. But he put the decision to the crowds and when given the choice between releasing Jesus and releasing Barabbas, a prisoner who had led a rebellion that had included murder (Mark 15:7), they chose Barabbas. They cried out for Jesus to be crucified. So Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged and handed Him over to be crucified, a criminal's death.

The crowds mocked Jesus. Scripture says they scoffed and hurled insults His way. As the Roman soldiers flogged Him, 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 ounce of dignity He possessed. Prophecy had said that the Messiah would be humiliated (Isaiah 53); Jesus now had to live through the gut-wrenching reality of it.  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.”

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? He was dead. They'd failed. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

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.

The disciples understood one thing correctly that fateful day: nothing was ever going to be the same again.Understand Christ's sacrifice for you. 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 the day before the crucifixion, Jesus took the time to celebrate the Passover meal with His disciples. They'd gathered in an upper room, and Jesus Himself took on the role of the lowest servant and washed His friends' feet. Read about that in John 13:1-20. Then think about. Picture it: loud, boisterous Peter subdued by the Messiah's act of service. John allowing God Himself to wash the dust from his feet. Jesus, kneeling in front of men who didn't understand what was going to happen, loving them to the very last, knowing they would disappoint Him and let fear, doubt, and despair control their lives, but loving them just the same.

Then, Jesus and His disciples ate together. The friends listened as Jesus presented the bread and wine and gave new symbolic meaning to both. This is the moment we remember every time we take the Lord's Supper. It's why we call a memorial meal; it's all about remembering the God who was willing to sacrifice Himself so that we might have abundant life.

After the meal, Jesus and His disciples went to a garden to pray. Read Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; and Luke 22:39-46. Jesus then invited three of them—Peter, James, and John—to come with Him. He asked them to pray and He went even further into the garden to pray alone. There was Jesus, crying out to God, praying for the strength to complete the task the Father had set before Him, and His closest friends fell asleep.

That moment breaks my heart, because I know how often I have been asleep in my faith instead of striving to be the person God wants me to be. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human and in that moment, I can't help but feel his utter despair and loneliness. The people He loved didn't get what He was trying to tell them. He knew what was coming, and He couldn't make them understand. And in the one moment that He needed them to just be there for Him, they fell asleep!

Before long, a mob, led by Judas, another of Jesus' disciples, showed up at the garden. Jesus was arrested; His disciples fled; it all seemed to be coming to an end. Jesus was tried by the religious leaders in the middle of the night and accused of blasphemy. As the sun rose, Peter, who had said he'd never deny Christ, had done just that.

There's a lot of emotion in the events of this sad day during Holy Week. Peter who has done the one thing he said he would never do. Jesus who has grieved and anguished in the garden, praying for strength and rising from His conversation with God with His face set toward the cross. This moment makes me sad because I know where it leads. But I also know that Jesus is my only hope and this sacrifice had to happen so that I could have that hope.

It's easy to look at Jesus and say this was easy for Him. He was God, you know. But Scripture tells us He was also human. Here, we see a Man here who needs His friends to understand, to just be with Him. A Man who cries out to God in utter despair and honesty. A Man who understands your pain, doubts, and fears because He's been there. Jesus is the Man who fulfilled all prophecy and laid down His life for yours. That's the lesson of today. Remember it. Think on it. Thank Jesus for it, even through your tears.

Read:
• John 13:34-35. Could Jesus' command be used to describe you? Why or why not? 
• 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?

Going Beyond Bunnies and Baskets

In the April issue of ec, writer Leslie Ann Jones explored Easter traditions from around the world. She investigated the Eastern Orthodox tradition, examine Easter celebrations in other countries, and pointed us all to the truth that Easter is the moment when God displays the depth of His unconditional love to us through the sacrifice of His Son. We don't have to understand it, but we do have to decide what we're going to do with the truth of Jesus' sacrifice, death, and resurrection.

If you'd like to know more about all the stuff Leslie Ann discovered as she researched this story, she suggests these Web sites:

Sweden
http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/annualeventstraditions/qt/easterinsweden.htm
http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/Article____14465.aspx
http://www.thelocal.se/3525/20080320/


Norway
http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/annualeventstraditions/qt/easterinnorway.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/18802/symeaste.htm


France
http://www.frenchfriends.info/culture/easter_paques_traditions
http://www.easterbunnys.net/frencheaster.htm


Poland
http://home.aristotle.net/easter/world/poland.html.


Denmark
http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/annualeventstraditions/qt/easterindenmark.htm or
http://www.wonderful-denmark.com/Danish-easter-traditions.html

Australia
http://home.aristotle.net/easter/world/australia.html, http://members.optusnet.com.au/bilbies/Easter_Bilby.htm
http://www.easterbilby.com.au/.

Bermuda
http://www.bermudanationallibrary.bm/admin/uploads/bda_traditions_easter.pdf

Mexico
http://home.aristotle.net/easter/world/mexico.html
http://austin.about.com/od/lifestyle/p/cascarones.htm
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/easterindex.html


Czech Republic and Slovakia
http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_culture/czech_holidays/easter/.


Germany and the Netherlands
http://www.bartleby.com/196/154.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#Religious_and_secular_Easter_traditions

Russia
http://collectibles.about.com/od/companyprofiles/p/fabergeeggs.htm
http://www.russianlife.net/article.cfm?Number=733.

Eastern Orthodox
Greece and bier
Pascha eggs

Wednesday of Holy Week

Passover begins at sundown tonight. Jews around the world will gather to remember how God had worked in their history to rescue them from slavery in Egypt. They'll call to mind the plagues, eat symbolic foods, and look forward to a Messiah they believe has yet to arrive.

Yet all those years ago, Jesus, the Messiah, sat down to eat the Passover meal with His disciples. 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. He was their friend, their Teacher, the one they had seen do nothing short of miracles. 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—the sacrifice He gave so that we might live abundant life.

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
Mark 14:1-11 (the woman who annoints Jesus which He says is in preparation for His burial). What praise can you bring to Jesus today?

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.

Meanwhile, the religious leaders began making plans to get rid of Jesus, who they had begun to see as a problem who was disrupting their way of life. They wanted Him to say something they could use against Him. They questioned His authority. Read Mark 12 and consider the things Jesus was teaching in these final moments. He knew what was coming, and He still wanted the world to hear His truth. He wanted us to understand who He was, but He still took the time to answer questions about taxes and to exhort us to live like the widow who gave an offering of all she had. He wanted us to understand that what He was talking about wasn't religion ruled by rules and acts. It was relationship. It was admitting we need God and we need to give every bit of ourselves to Him.

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. Spend time praying about it. Let God help you see Easter and Christ's sacrifice in a new light this year.

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

If you need more news of all things random and strange, check out “Snippets and Soundbites” on page 38 of this month’s (and every month’s) issue of ec. We’re always on the lookout for random bits of strange news to send your way! Like these . . .

• Think turtles aren't all that smart? One sea turtle seems dead-set on proving us wrong.  Why, you ask? Well, the sick loggerhead sea turtle  swam nearly to the front door of the only veterinary hospital licensed to treat—you guessed it—sea turtles exclusively. The  turtle, who weighs in at 73 pounds, was suffering from a bacterial infection and staff members initially ignored him when he swam up to the facility in the Florida Keys. Eventually, though, they checked him out, treated his condition with medicine, and gave him a blue tank to stay in until he's completely better. Read all about it (and see the turtle's pretty little face) here.

• Did First Lady Michelle Obama make a  mistake in etiquette when she —GASP!—touched the Queen while in conversation? The president and first lady are in London for the G-20 summit currently being held. During a reception this week, the first lady and Queen Elizabeth II were chatting and it appears Michelle Obama briefly placed her hand on the Queen's back. The first rule of etiquette regarding the Queen: Don't touch the Queen!  Well, there are exception to that rule. If the Queen offers her hand, you should return the gesture. Just don't give her a good ol' American handshake; simply touch her hand. It appears Mrs. Obama only put her hand on the Queen's back after the Queen had placed her own hand on the first lady's back during the course of the conversation. The Queen did not seem bothered by the action. For more information on that situation, go here. For more information on etiquette and the Queen, go here.

• Pink's a nice color, right? But what if the water coming out of your tap at home was pink? That would throw you for a loop, huh? Well, it happened in Painesville, Ohio, last weekend.  An official with the Lake County Department of Utilities northeast of Cleveland said the problem stemmed from a malfuction with a  chemical feeder that released too much of a chemical used to improve taste and control odor. No health problems have been reported due to the glitch and the system was completely flushed on Sunday. The wat over-treated water  has been completely cleared out of the filtration plant and water has returned to its normal color. But can you really say water has a color? Learn all about the pink water here. 

•  Finally, April is here! Meaning there's a new Question of the Month for you to answer. This month, we want to know what you would change your name to if you could.  Submit your responses here at the blog (look over in the sidebar!) or at our fan page on Facebook.

Ec needs your help!

We're hard at work on an upcoming issue and would like to include some quotes from you! So tell us your name, hometown (city and state), favorite Major League Baseball team, and your favorite ballpark food (and why). You might see your answers in the April 2009 issue. Leave them in the comments or mail them to ec's editor, Mandy Crow.