God's Gracious Protection

I am writing this blog post months after the event but I've back-dated it for the sake of the blog timeline. Therefore, it's not going to be too detailed...

On August 9, 2010 (8/9/10), Trevor accidentally pushed out a screen on our 2nd-floor dining room window and fell 13+ feet to the concrete patio below. The whole family was home and we heard him crying immediately. I've never been more agile/athletic than those moments when I rushed to my little boy's side. I told Amy to call 911.

[Considering the location of the window and the concrete, it seems impossible that he would land anywhere other than on the concrete. But when I got to Trevor, he was laying facedown and while his body was on the concrete, his head and neck were on the grass and dirt. We are incredibly thankful for God's gracious protection!]

When I got to Trevor, there were significant abrasions on his face and some blood from his mouth. I most feared for injury to his brain. However, in spite his pain and crying, I was very encouraged when he was able to respond to my questions and he knew his name and other stuff. He was obviously uncomfortable laying there so I remember him just wanting to get up and go inside. However, I knew that he probably shouldn't move. So until EMS arrived, I was able to soothe him and keep him laying down.

An ambulance and fire engine arrived soon after and took over for me. While I was obviously pretty shook up during that whole experience, I was thankful that the Lord gave me enough calm and clarity to deal with the situation... not only taking care of Trevor but doing what I could to comfort and reassure Amy and Kaylin.

Amy rode in the ambulance with Trevor to Rady Children's Hospital here in San Diego. Kaylin and I followed shortly after in my truck. Gary and April, our pastor and his wife, met us at the hospital and hung out with Kaylin so I could be with Amy and Trevor.

I only took 2 pictures that first night in the ER. Here he obviously still upset and hurting. But the next picture I took only a few minutes later is of him sleeping peacefully after some pain meds.

That first 24 hours was scary as we waited on the results of x-rays, and MRI and doctor examinations. However, despite that crazy accidental fall, his injuries were relatively minor. His head injury was not much more than a mild concussion... a couple of subdural hematomas in the brain. He also had 3 fractures in his pelvis but those were just small chips that required no casting, etc.

Here he is the next day watching Toy Story movie while holding his Buzz and Woody! =)

He only had to spend 2 nights at the hospital... We praise God that his injuries were not worse! Here are a couple more pics:

Family and friends all over the country were praying for Trevor and we were so thankful for all the love and support we received. After doing the best we could to send out prayer requests and updates via text, email and Facebook, the following video was the best update of all... Trevor back home safe!

Then, a few days later, it was fun to teach Trevor this expression and bring some humor to the situation! =)

Although he left the hospital without so much as a band-aid, he did continue to have some discomfort in his knee. So a couple days after the hospital stay, he went to an pediatric orthopedist who suspected a problem/possible fracture in the growth plate (a type not visible in the x-rays). Therefore, Trev did end up wearing a cast for 5 weeks. It was more of a splint... cast just on back side of his leg and we used Ace bandages to secure it. He was able to take it off for baths. After 5 weeks, he was good to go... pain-free and walking fine!

Then, the last hurdle he cleared was 3 months later when one last set of x-rays showed that his growth plate was still producing new bone as it should! A clean bill of heath... praise Jesus!

Jesus is Risen!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3)

My amazing (and cute) family!


Cousins!


"Bunny Bread"

Good Friday

Good Friday or "Friday of the passion and death of the Lord" is the anniversary and commemoration of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Click here to read today's entry from the Our Daily Bread devotional. This article refers to Rembrandt's work, "Three Crosses," seen here:


Also, here are a couple of Good Friday posts from previous years:
"He Gave It Up" (2006)
Good Friday (2007)

Jesus is Risen!

“For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

“For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” - Romans 5:10

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" - 1 Peter 1:3


Happy Easter to all our friends and family! We wish you all a blessed day celebrating Jesus' resurrection! He is Alive!

Love,
The Olsons - Derek, Amy, Kaylin and T.J.

Good Friday

Today we remember Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross. God's words through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 53, verses 5-6:

"But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all."

Jesus took the heavy burden of the sins of the world upon himself and paid the ultimate price, the price of death and the penalty that we deserve, so that we could be reconciled to God!

Merry Christmas!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Isaiah 9:6 -

Christmas Eve - "Revolution" Style

Amy and I enjoyed and were blessed by an excellent Christmas Eve service this morning at Revolution Church. Our friends Brent & Lynelle and their kids attend Revolution. Also, some of you might remember that Amy and I had lunch with a Talbot professor and his wife a couple of months ago. Brent & Lynelle introduced us to Dr. & Mrs. Johnson, who also go to church at Revolution.

Anyway, today's service and message were a good reminder to all of us that Christmas is a busy, busy time and we can be doing lots of great things, hanging out with lots of great people, planning a great Christmas celebration... but if we forget Jesus, we're missing the point! Christmas is a celebration of Christ's birth. Revolution's production provided a humorous look at what the classic nativity scene would be like / look like if we forgot to put the baby in the manger at the center.

Worship of the shepherds, by Bronzino

We all know that Jesus is the "reason for the season" (sorry for the cheesy expression =) but let's make sure that, like the nativity scene, He is the centerpiece and focal point... not just an afterthough!

Merry Christmas!

God Among Us...

Translations of John 1:14

• The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (NIV)
• And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (NKJV)
• And the Word became flesh and lived among us (NRSV)
• So the Word became human and made his home among us (NLT)

When we think of “The Word,” we might usually think of God’s written Word, the Bible. However, in this verse, we can understand that “The Word” refers to Jesus. Jesus is the living, incarnate Word of God... God in the flesh, God in human form. The Greek word often translated as "dwelling" or "dwelt," can also mean "to pitch a tent" or "to tablenacle."

At Christmas time we are celebrating the fact that God loves us so much that he came and "camped out" among us!

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." - John 8:12

To our friends and family... May God bless you as you celebrate the Light of the World coming to live among us!

Merry Christmas with love,

The Olsons (Derek, Amy, Kaylin and T.J.)

Jesus & the woman at the well

John 4:4-9

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Verse 4 - We know from verse 3 that Jesus is headed from Judea to Galilee and the most direct route would be right through Samaria. However, the Jewish people of that time considered the Samaritans to be an impure, mixed-race people. In order to avoid the Samaritans entirely, the Jews would usually travel the long way around instead of going through Samaria. So since Jesus could have traveled by a different route, perhaps he "had to go through Samaria" because that was God's mission for him!

Verses 5 & 6 - Scholars and historians suggest that the town of Sychar would have had it's own well in the middle of town in addition to this well out by the road. The "sixth hour" refers to 12:00 noon, which is an unusual time for the woman to come draw water. This woman's poor reputation, which we find out more about later in this chapter, has caused her to go to a well outside of town in the heat of the day in hopes of avoiding the other women of the town.

Verses 7-9 - This situation presents many reasons why Jesus need not or should not talk with her:
- She is a Samaritan and we see it noted that "Jews don't associate with Samaritans"
- She is a woman and Jewish religious leaders of that time rarely spoke to women in public
- She has a bad reputation... which of course Jesus knows about (because he's God! =). Plus, later in the chapter Jesus reveals that he knows all about her and her past.

Jesus doesn't let any of these supposed boundaries stop him from engaging this woman in conversation! We'll see that later in the passage he begins to share with her about the amazing gift of eternal life that he can offer!

Are there cultural, societal, personal or other restrictions that stop us from interacting with and loving people who are different than us?

Taking Jesus with us wherever we go...

Check out this newspaper article... classic!

"That's My King!" - An Amazing Sermon

The video above features highlights of a sermon by Dr. S.M. Lockridge. Dr. Lockridge was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego, CA from 1953 to 1993. He went to be with the Lord in 2000. Below is the full sermon text. Click here to listen to an mp3 of the full sermon.




"My King" - Dr. S.M. Lockridge

My King was born King.

The Bible says He’s a Seven Way King.
He’s the King of the Jews – that’s a racial King.
He’s the King of Israel – that’s a National King.
He’s the King of righteousness.
He’s the King of the ages.
He’s the King of Heaven.
He’s the King of glory.
He’s the King of kings
and He is the Lord of lords.

Now that’s my King. Well I wonder if you know Him.
Do you know Him?

Don’t try to mislead me.
Do you know my King?

David said the Heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament show His handiwork.
My King is the only one whom there are no means of measure can define His limitless love.
No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shore of supplies.
No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing.

Well, well,
He’s enduringly strong.
He’s entirely sincere.
He’s eternally steadfast.
He’s immortally graceful.
He’s imperially powerful.
He’s impartially merciful.
That’s my King.
He’s God’s Son.
He’s the sinner’s saviour.
He’s the centrepiece of civilization.
He stands alone in Himself.
He’s honest.
He’s unique.
He’s unparalleled.
He’s unprecedented.
He’s supreme.
He’s pre-eminent.

Well, He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy.
He’s the supreme problem in high criticism.
He’s the fundamental doctrine of proved theology.
He’s the carnal necessity of spiritual religion.
That’s my King.

He’s the miracle of the age.
He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him.

Well, He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously.
He supplies strength for the weak.
He’s available for the tempted and the tried.
He sympathizes and He saves. He’s strong God and He guides.
He heals the sick.
He cleanses the lepers.
He forgives sinners.
He discharged debtors.
He delivers the captives.
He defends the feeble.
He blesses the young.
He serves the unfortunate.
He regards the aged.
He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek.
Do you know Him?

Well, my King is a King of knowledge.
He’s the wellspring of wisdom.
He’s the doorway of deliverance.
He’s the pathway of peace.
He’s the roadway of righteousness.
He’s the highway of holiness.
He’s the gateway of glory.
He’s the master of the mighty.
He’s the captain of the conquerors.
He’s the head of the heroes.
He’s the leader of the legislatures.
He’s the overseer of the overcomers.
He’s the governor of governors.
He’s the prince of princes.
He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords.

That’s my King. Yeah. Yeah.
That’s my King. My King, yeah.

His office is manifold.
His promise is sure.
His light is matchless.
His goodness is limitless.
His mercy is everlasting.
His love never changes.
His Word is enough.
His grace is sufficient.
His reign is righteous.
His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Well. I wish I could describe Him to you,
but He’s indescribable.
He’s indescribable.
Yes.
He’s incomprehensible.
He’s invincible.
He’s irresistible.

I’m coming to tell you,
the heavens of heavens cannot contain Him,
let alone a man explaining Him.
You can’t get Him out of your mind.
You can’t get Him off of your hands.
You can’t outlive Him and you can’t live without Him.

Well, Pharisees couldn’t stand Him,
but they found out they couldn’t stop Him.
Pilot couldn’t find any fault in Him.
The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree.
Herod couldn’t kill Him.
Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him.

That’s my King. Yeah.

He always has been and He always will be.
I’m talking about He had no predecessor
and He’ll have no successor.
There’s nobody before Him
and there’ll be nobody after Him.
You can’t impeach Him
and He’s not going to resign.
That’s my King! That’s my King!

Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.
Well, all the power belongs to my King.
We’re around here talking about black power and white power and green power,
but it’s God’s power. Thine is the power.

Yeah.
And the glory.
We try to get prestige and honour and glory for ourselves,
but the glory is all His. Yes.
Thine is the Kingdom
and the power and glory,
forever and ever
and ever
and ever.

How long is that?
And ever and ever and ever and ever.
And when you get through with all of the evers,
then, Amen.

Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31)

Earlier today I was taking a look at the three instances where those two principles (love the Lord and love others) are prominent in the Gospel accounts:
Matthew 22:34-40
Mark 12:28-34
Luke 10:25-37

When I think of those two principles, I mostly think of them as Jesus' response to the question, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Which is the case in the Matthew and Mark passages. However, it's the 3rd instance that got my attention today...

Luke recounts a different conversation with similar content. In this case, an "expert in the law" attempts to test Jesus with the question, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" So obviously, this is a much bigger, more important question... it deals with eternity! This is more than just getting Jesus' opinion about the commandments that it's important to follow, this is about what is necessary in order to be in God's presence forever!

Those of us who have opportunities to teach in various settings should note how Jesus handles the situation. He puts the issue back on the asker (student) by asking His own question... "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"

The expert responds well by quoting Duet. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

Jesus' response is "You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live."

So the answer to both questions, the question about the most important commandment and the question about eternal life, is the same! I know it's a simple realization on my part, but I'm struck by fact that these principles are not only "rules" that Jesus thinks we should follow, these are principles by which we, as believers, should live our lives.

To spend eternity with God, we must love God. We must be totally (heart, soul, mind and strength) devoted to loving our God! And loving our neighbor, those around us, will be a natural byproduct of our desire to love and know God.

He Gave It Up!

With the Easter weekend starting tomorrow, I took a few minutes to read the apostle John’s account of Christ’s death. When I did, the following verse really stood out…

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” – John 19:30

I’m sure I’ve read over this verse and even studied it many times. The amazing thing about the Scriptures though is that no matter how many times we’ve read a verse, the Holy Spirit can show us something new or give us an important reminder each and every time! Reading the verse above this morning brought a couple of those important reminders for me. The following tidbits may not be news to you, but I hope they'll be helpful reminders to you and reason enough for us to pause and consider what Jesus has done for us.

First of all, Jesus’ words “It is finished” are always interesting. God wants us to be in relationship with Him but, of course, our sin separates us from Him. With Christ’s death, the penalty for our sin was paid and we gained access to God! So with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, God’s plan for our redemption was “finished.”

“’It is finished!’ is one word in the Greek text – tetelestai. The word was a common one and was used by merchants to mean ’The price is all paid!’ Shepherds and priests used it when they found a perfect sheep, ready for sacrifice; and Christ died as the perfect Lamb of God. Servants, when their work was completed, would use this word when reporting to their masters. Christ, the obedient Servant, had finished the work the Father gave Him to do.” (Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament by Warren W. Weirsbe)

The part of the verse (John 19:30) that really struck me though was second part, “With that, (Jesus) bowed His head and gave up his spirit.” He gave it up! That’s definitely not a very typical description of someone dying. Listen to Christ’s words…

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” - John 10:17-18

No human method would have had the power to kill Jesus… but He obediently chose to die. He chose to die for us. He chose to die to pay the price for our sin. He chose to redeem us. He chose to save us. He loves us that much!

Of course, Jesus’ death is not the best part of the Good News. Jesus said, “I lay down my life – only to take it up again.” This Sunday we celebrate the fact that the tomb was empty, that He conquered sin and death, and that He is our risen Lord and Savior!

We pray that you all have a blessed Easter weekend!

Love,
The Olsons