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"Jesus' Hands"

Revelation 1:4a, 5b-6, 9a, 10b-11a, 12b, 13b-18 - John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come ... To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ... I, John, your brother ... was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches ..." Then I [saw] ... One like a Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest. The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the Living One. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades."

One of the difficult things about living with God is that He's just too much for us. Look at John here—he sees Jesus and falls at His feet as though dead. And I don't blame him—I couldn't cope with someone who is like a flame of fire, like the roar of many waters, like the sun shining in full strength. That's just terrifying!

And knowing He is good doesn't help a whole lot. Because I'm not good, and I know it. To be in the presence of perfect goodness and holiness—well, it makes all my own darkness stand out, and I want to hide.

Maybe that's why Jesus lays His hand on John to strengthen and comfort him. Because what does that hand look like? Right. It has a nail hole in it—the mark of His crucifixion. This same holy, perfect, terrifying God is the One who "loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood."

This is the same Lord Jesus who lived among us as an ordinary human being, serving and caring and being patient with sinners like us, day after day—putting up with our arguments and complaints, even our outright lies, and why? Because He loves us. Because He knows exactly what we are, and He still wants us, so much that He will do whatever it takes to bring us safely home to the family of God—rebels no longer, but now beloved, forgiven children of the Father.

That's why we don't need to stay terrified by His goodness and holiness. We can stand before Him, even in His glory—because He came to us first, to forgive and to save and to heal us. And if ever we forget that, we can look at His hands. They are marked by His love for us forever.

WE PRAY: Lord, when I'm afraid of You, remind me of Your love. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

sparowe

"Distractions"

Acts 5:12a, 14-15a, 16b-20, 25-26, 27b, 29-32 - Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. ... And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets ... and they were all healed. But ... filled with jealousy, [the chief priests] arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life." ... And someone came and told [the council], "Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people." Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. ... And the high priest questioned them ... But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

This whole story cracks me up. The chief priests discover that crucifying Jesus has not stopped the movement He started, much to their surprise and jealousy—so they throw the apostles in jail. God lets them out by miracle and sends them straight to the temple, where they start preaching about Jesus again—and somehow the chief priests utterly miss this—where are they meeting, that they didn't notice? And when they do find out, they ignore the miracle completely. Well, I suppose they couldn't keep their dignity if they stopped to ask about it.

It looks like the apostles didn't say anything about the miracle, either. Peter just goes straight to the point and preaches the Gospel to the court: "The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."

It's easy for us to get distracted by the showy bits of God's work—by miracles, visions, mountaintop experiences. But Peter knows better than to focus on that, now. He focuses on Jesus. Because that's who it's all about—Jesus, who is God Himself come down from heaven to become a human being, to give Himself into suffering and death for our sake. Jesus, who rose from the dead and has become the Source of everlasting life for everyone who trusts in Him. Jesus, who loves you and me so much that He continues to speak to the Father on our behalf, keeping us safely in God's family until the day He comes back and we are with Him forever.

There is no God like this one, who loves people so much He gives us Himself, and makes us His own. Peter's got it right. Who cares about miracles when we can have Jesus?

WE PRAY: Lord, give me Yourself forever—and take my heart in return! Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

sparowe

"JOYFUL"

That very day two [believers] were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem ... Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, "Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And He said to them, "What things?" And they said to Him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth ...." (Luke 24:13, 15b-19a)

Picture these two believers, so earnestly explaining all about Jesus' suffering and death, to Jesus Himself, not recognizing Him at all. How did they miss the nail holes in His hands?

And what of Jesus? Why does He let the confusion go on for hours until He breaks the bread for dinner—and vanishes, as they finally know Him?

I think it was joy. I think it was love and happiness and a sense of humor, as Jesus enjoys an afternoon relaxing with two people He loves, who are stubbornly refusing to believe He's alive again. They won't trust the women's testimony. And so Jesus gets to exercise His sense of humor, hiding His identity, teaching them what the Bible says about Him—and waiting for the truth to dawn.

This is the kind of God we have, One who loves us so dearly that He dies and rises again for us—all so He can enjoy, not just an afternoon, but all eternity with us, His people. And it starts today—now—for all of us who trust in Him.

WE PRAY: Lord, draw me closer to You every day, and bring me to know You indeed. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

sparowe

"GOOD NEWS!"

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early ... And she saw two angels in white ... They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She ... turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to Him, ["Teacher!"] Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'" (John 20:1a, 12a 13a, 14b-17)

Of course Mary is crying. She thinks she has lost Jesus forever, and she is heartbroken.

But then Jesus calls her name: "Mary." And she recognizes Him! Of course she grabs Him—hugs Him and won't let Him go! I would, too. But Jesus says to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I haven't ascended to the Father yet." There will be plenty of time for clinging to Jesus in the future. Right now, there is work to do. "Go to My brothers," Jesus says. Tell them the Good News!

And she does. And we do, too, every time we tell the story of Jesus to someone. We tell them how God loved us so much He became our Savior through His death and resurrection, setting us free to be God's own children.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for dying and rising to bring us home to God in peace. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thankful

annathepiper

I’m so severely behind on getting ESO posts done that I’m giving myself another round of amnesty, and am going to get some posts up that are just high-level summaries of stuff that interested me across spans of play.

So here’s a post to summarize stuff with Gyllerah from April through June of 2024.

Read the rest of this entry »

"TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN"

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission ... Nicodemus also ... came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So ... they laid Jesus there. (John 19:38a, 39-41, 42b)

What a day this is! The Son of God is dead. How can that be? The Source of life, about to be laid in a tomb?
And by whom? Two respected members of the Jewish council, the very group that condemned Him! Pilate must have been amazed. And at Passover time, too, when handling a body guarantees they will not be able to participate in public worship for the rest of the week! But they don't care.

Normally caring for Jesus' body would have been a task for women. But Joseph and Nicodemus have taken this service on themselves, the last gift of love they can give Jesus. Who cares about gender roles?

Jesus whom they loved is dead, and their world has been turned upside down. Nothing else matters to them. At least, until their world gets turned right-side up, on Sunday morning—when the women in turn take over the men's job and preach Good News to the disciples.

WE PRAY: Thank You, dear Lord, for turning my world right side up by Your death and resurrection. You have saved me and everyone who trusts in You. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

seleneheart

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Blurb:

In 1977, four preteens and a dog--Andy (the tomboy), Nate (the nerd), Kerri (the bookworm), Peter (the jock), and Sean (the Weimaraner)--solved the mystery of Sleepy Lake. The trail of an amphibian monster terrorizing the quiet town of Blyton Hills leads the gang to spend a night in Deboën Mansion and apprehend a familiar culprit: a bitter old man in a mask.

Now, in 1990, the twenty-something former kid detectives are lost souls. Plagued by night terrors and Peter's tragic death, the three survivors have been running from their demons. When the man they apprehended all those years ago makes parole, Andy tracks him down to confirm what she's always known--they got the wrong guy. Now she'll need to get the gang back together and return to Blyton Hills to find out what really happened in 1977, and this time, she's sure they're not looking for another man in a mask.

I've had this on my wishlist since it was published in 2018 - how could I not? A riff on Scooby Do?

But a grown up Scooby Gang where Fred went to Hollywood and OD'd in a motel room, Shaggy is in a mental institution because he's haunted by Fred's ghost, Velma has so many anger issues that the even military thought she was too much, and Daphne lives in an unheated tenement in Brooklyn with Scooby's great-great grandson. The whole premise is amazing.

I struggled which bingo square to use for this book. I thought it would be the crime/mystery one, and they do solve mysteries. Then I thought about using a substitution for horror/paranormal because that could also apply, but I'm a fraidy cat, and this book didn't scare me at all. I finally settled on thriller/suspense because this book reads like an action movie.

Literally. This was my biggest problem with the book - it randomly switches from paragraphs to script format, complete with stage directions. Sometimes it includes stage directions in the middle of the paragraph. It constantly breaks the fourth wall, destroying any of the tension that had built up. The author uses words that I don't recognize and that don't really fit what he's using them for. Sort of like the guy in The Glass Onion.

I also struggled to figure out how to rate it because the writing was so frustrating but the overall plot was good. There's the central mystery of centuries old pirate gold, someone accidentally raised an ancient underworld god, an army of amphibian monsters, and a scientifically plausible natural disaster. ( Read more... ) It would make a great movie.

Current Mood: frustrated
Current Music: Lana Del Ray - Video Game

sparowe

"FINISHED"

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst." A jar full of sour wine stood there ... When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished." (John 19:28-29a, 30a)

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!" And having said this He breathed His last. (Luke 23:44-46)

Such short and simple words: "I thirst." "It is finished." Jesus was at the point of death, and He could barely breathe.

But He could say the important things. He could ask for the sour wine that would complete the final prophecy in Psalm 69:21. He could commit His spirit into the hands of the Father who loved and sent Him to be our Savior. And He could announce the good news to all of us standing at the foot of His cross, trusting Him: "It is finished."

Jesus' work of suffering and dying and saving and remaking us to be God's children—done, all done. The devil is defeated and his slaves set free. Even death itself is about to be destroyed—because next comes Jesus' resurrection.

And we will share in it. In His great love, Jesus has bound us so tightly to Himself that our death becomes His death, and His resurrection becomes our resurrection. We cannot be separated from Him. From now on, where He goes, we will go. Because He lives, we will live. He will be our life forever.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Father, for giving us Your Son as our Life. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: grateful

annathepiper

I am very pleased to announce here that I’ve joined the team for Tuxborn, the Skyrim modpack, as a contributor! This is the result of my presence on the Tuxborn Discord channels and the assistance I’ve been giving other players there.

My contributions to the Tuxborn team will be focused on tracking useful information for other players to help them in their playthroughs, such as what followers are available in the modpack, what player homes, what armor and weapons, and such. And also, how to launch various important quests such as Legacy of the Dragonborn, Wyrmstooth, and others.

I will be contributing material on Tuxborn’s wiki, now live on its Github here:

https://github.com/Omni-guides/Tuxborn/wiki

I’m also assisting the Tuxborn devs with playtesting, since I own an OLED Steam Deck. Tuxborn is specifically intended to be performance-friendly to Steam Decks in particular, although it is definitely not limited to that device, and can be enjoyed on PCs and other handhelds as well, such as the ROG Ally.

Because of this, I’ll be giving Tuxborn a bit more visibility on this site moving forward! Look for a new page focused on Tuxborn to go live here very soon.

And, sneak preview: Tuxborn’s official final release version is very, very close to going live. So I’ll be announcing here as well when it does!

"WITH US ALWAYS"

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28)

It reassures me to see how carefully Jesus has planned for the comfort and strength of those who love Him. This is the night before His death, and how they will need His help to get through that time! And so He gives them one last gift of love—He gives them Himself. Here, in the broken bread and the cup of His blood poured out for many—here, we have Jesus Himself, to be our strength and our hope. Even death cannot take Him from us; He has promised to be with us forever (see Matthew 28:20). And in Communion, we have Him most intimately—in a form we can handle, taste, and touch. And He uses this gift to forgive and strengthen us.

I don't know what the disciples thought of it at the time. They had not yet seen Him nailed to a cross, giving up His life so that we might be forgiven, remade, and restored to God. They had not seen Him risen from the dead, standing with us alive and joyful, now the Source of life for all of us who trust in Him. But we have seen these things through the Gospel of the Lord; and so we treasure His gift of closeness and love.

WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, thank You for giving us Yourself. Amen.

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

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The Little Review

Reading

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 23 April 2025

"Jesus' Hands"

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 22 April 2025

"Distractions"

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 21 April 2025

"JOYFUL"

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 20 April 2025

"GOOD NEWS!"

ESO catchup post: Gyllerah in early April 2024

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 19 April 2025

"TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN"

Book Bingo: I5 | Thriller/Suspense | Meddling Kids

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 18 April 2025

"FINISHED"

Joining the Tuxborn team as a contributor!

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 17 April 2025

"WITH US ALWAYS"

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April 2025

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