Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Good Friday Thoughts

My father is a woodworker. His specialties are scroll sawing and wood burning. Some of his creations really are incredible. I especially like a covered bridge scene that he burned for me. It’s a very intricate work. And the wood that he used is from an actual covered bridge that was destroyed near my hometown.

If you would have shown me this piece of wood from an old bridge, I would have said, “That’s pretty worthless. Scrap it.” I would have seen no value in this piece of wood. But dad looked at this wood and he saw something different. He saw the potential within this wood…the potential to be beautiful. The wood submitted to his hand, and its beauty was unleashed.

Similarly, our lives once resembled a scrap piece of wood. Sin’s power had essentially destroyed our lives, rendering us worthless. And yet, God saw something worth saving. That is why Jesus died on a cross. And once we submit our lives to Him, His hand begins to burn away, to chip away, to cut away at our character. This process can be painful at times, but we need to be mindful that God is turning our lives into a work of art.

Springtime in Cincinnati

It was 85 degrees yesterday. Tonight when I ran to the grocery store, it was snowing. Gotta love it.

Almost

A group of inmates in Michigan recently tried to tunnel their way out of prison…and they almost succeeded. Their tunnel was discovered with only six feet left to dig. The tunnel had already cleared the prison's perimeter fence. The only thing left to do was to dig the "up" part of the tunnel. Sweet freedom…almost.

I'm not advocating a prison break, but you've still got to admit that the word, "almost," is a nasty word. These resourceful prisoners were almost free. Even the prison staff was impressed with the effort. The tunnel almost worked. Almost. I'd like to remove that word from the English language. "Almost" usually brings to mind squandered chances and missed opportunities.

-I almost went to college
-I almost started my own business.
-I almost sought help from a counselor.
-I almost took my son to that game.
-I almost took my little girl dancing.
-I almost made that phone call.
-I almost applied for that job.
-I almost asked my friend for help.
-I almost went on that mission trip.
-I almost offered to help my neighbor with that project.
-I almost apologized to my spouse for our fight this morning.
-I almost made a life commitment to Christ.

A life "almost" lived is not lived at all.

Opening Day Unfairness

You want proof that life isn't fair? Today was Opening Day in Cincinnati. The weather was tailor-made for baseball. And of course the best part was the Reds 5-1 victory over the Cubs. But in spite of all of that, I thought the whole day was rather unfair.

It was unfair because I had an APEX meeting in Cincinnati today. We drove right by Great American Ballpark as all the fans were filing in for the start of the game. I could have thrown a rock and hit the ballpark, yet I couldn't go in. I guess I could have bought a ticket from a scalper, but I thought my family should probably get to eat this week.

A totally, completely, absolutely unfair day!

Heroes of the Week

My servant-heroes this week are John & Julie Bach. We had the privilege of ordaining John as an elder in our church this morning. That would be reason enough to choose him as a hero, but that's not why I chose the Bachs this week.

Today was our annual church cookout and Easter Egg Hunt. The event was very well-planned and well-executed, thanks in large part to John & Julie's hard work. We had plenty of hot dogs, plenty of Easter candy (my son has been running on a sugar high all day!), and plenty of fun. I love this event and I'm glad it has become a staple for our church each spring.

There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that went into this event. The Easter Eggs had to be filled, the grill had to be hauled to church, etc, etc, etc. True servants are content to work outside the limelight. They just do the stuff that has to be done. And that's exactly what the Bachs did to make this event a success.

Thanks John & Julie! You're this week's ACC servant-heroes of the week.