Jesus’ visit to Bethany to raise His friend Lazarus spurred the final events that would lead to His crucifixion. Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22-39) Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, what we call Hanukah today. It celebrated the re-dedication of the Temple in 165 BC, which the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes had half destroyed and desecrated. Judas the Maccabee was the leader of the rebellion against the Seleucid Empire, no relation to Judas Iscariot! Jesus was in the Temple when a number of Jews surrounded him and told Him to say plainly if He was the Christ or not. So he did. They tried…

I’ve started a “Seasons of the Soul” ebook with a picture, verse, and reflection for every week of the year. I’ll add to it every week until I have a whole year’s worth. Here is the link for the first one: the 3rd week of March. It’s a PDF; just open it and download to your computer, or work with it online. Blessings!

God often tells His people to leave the place they are living. Now, I hope to live in Wrightwood the rest of my life. But the command is not only to leave physical places – it is to leave old ways. Remember two things: 1) that we are pilgrims in this land, and 2) God never leaves us. Command to Physically Leave (Gen 12:1)  The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. (Gen. 31:13)  [God said to Jacob] “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow…