by Randy Harp
One of my favorite Easter devotional books is Max Lucado’s Six Hours One Friday: Anchoring to the Power of the Cross. In it, he writes,
Six hours on one Friday. Six hours that jut up on the plain of human history like Mount Everest in a desert. Six hours that have been deciphered, dissected, and debated for two thousand years. What do these six hours signify? They claim to be the door in time through which eternity entered man’s darkest caverns. They mark the moments that the Navigator descended into the deepest waters to leave anchor points for His followers. What does that Friday mean? For the life blackened with failure, that Friday means forgiveness. For the heart scarred with futility, that Friday means purpose. And for the soul looking into this side of the tunnel of death, that Friday means deliverance. They were the most critical hours in history.
My life was changed by those six hours as I’m sure yours was too. I pray this Easter our focus will be on making much of those six hours and our Lord’s tragic triumph. As horrifying and humbling as it is to reflect on that Friday, I am reminded that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin” and I can celebrate “death was swallowed up in victory.”
I want to say thank you for all the encouraging words I received regarding last month’s Tribune. The theme of “Sin” made for a magazine that felt different than any other issue I have been a part of in my time at the Tribune. I believe the nature of the feature articles made it the most compelling magazine we have put together of late. If you or your church would like extra copies, just contact our office and we can provide additional magazines. You can also find the entire issue as a downloadable PDF on our website.
I also want to thank those who have financially committed to the Tribune’s annual offering. I was overwhelmed, at the Tyler meeting, by the rally of support for the Fellowship’s magazine and future of the Communication Office. At press time we have received $45,314 toward the $129,980 that has been promised. BBFI state representatives also pledged an additional $42,250 from their states. If you made a financial commitment, we could use it as soon as possible. For those who have yet to partner with the Communication Office, I ask you prayerfully consider us as one of your strategic partners moving forward.
As always, thank you for allowing me to serve Christ as I serve you. If I can ever be of service to you, please let me know.