Stephen De La Vega

  No survivors. If you weren’t on the ark, you didn’t survive. It’s the unfortunate truth. We have an ark today. Jesus built it with His life and it is life-giving. Think of it as the cross. In the past 6 episodes, we have seen how Noah’s Ark is the ride of our lives because the true story from ancient times is the same story for us today. Come to the cross. The door is open. Step aboard the Ark and live.   This post is Episode 7 of an 8-episode series about boarding and deboarding Noah’s Ark. If you’re visiting this series for the first time, you should start at Episode 1: The Story of Our Lives . Otherwise, sit back and experience Episode 7 .   Episode 7: Victory Over Death   As I mentioned in Episode 6 , Noah’s story didn’t end when his son found him naked and drunk. His other sons covered him through an act of honor and forgiveness and his story is remembered even today as a reminder of God’s judgment upon the unrighteous and His promise to all life ...

  The Scorpion Weed, also known as phacelia hastata, or Silverleaf Phacelia. I’m not a plant buff – not even in the slightest – but I’ve seen these plants in the wild. They boast pretty clusters of purple blooms 1 to 2 feet above the ground. The image above was captured a month ago, in late Fall, so the stems and blooms have died off. But the plant itself is perennial so it retains life, and it returns to vibrancy in the Spring. I spotted this Silverleaf where it can be easily trampled but it is a survivor, nonetheless. I expect it will endure the snow and flourish again after the winter. It even defends itself against human predators. Like poison oak, its hairy flowers, seed pods, and stems are equipped with rash-inducing oils. So, if we don’t respect this plant when we see it, we might respect it later if we touch it. Many of us respect life in nature, but not all of us. Many of us respect human life, but not all of us.   This post is Episode 6 of an 8-episode series about...

A darkness fell upon the land. It was noontime. Three hours later, a cry: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” No one would rescue him, his mouth so parched he scarcely swallowed. “I’m thirsty,” he pleaded, so they allowed a drip of vinegar – just enough to moisten his lips as he declared, “It is finished!” He gave up His spirit. It was his last breath. He bowed his head and died. But then the earth shook! Tombs opened! And all mankind gained the opportunity to interact directly with God as His children! You already know this is about Jesus. He gave up His life when He proclaimed, “It is finished” ( John 19:28-30 ). Some scoffed while He hung on the cross: “You were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in 3 days. Come down from the cross and save yourself!” But they didn’t understand that Jesus spoke of His own body. They didn’t realize that Jesus invited them to destroy His body 3 years before they crucified Him ( John 2:18-22 ). This happened according to God’s ...

  “Life is a mess.” “Things are spiraling out of control.” “We’re at our wit’s end.” “Nothing we’ve tried seems to work.” These are phrases we use when life becomes unmanageable. But we don’t usually express them as a nation, or worse, as a global population. Things got bad. We fight a pandemic. Its reach continues to haunt. We might hear the curve is flattening or trending toward healthy communities, but it doesn’t seem that way. We’re in this fight for a while. Racial injustice violates our screens and holds captive the tears and fears of all colors. We say enough is enough, yet it’s still not enough. We’re still at odds. It’s still us and them. We still perpetrate our agendas within our circles, our communities, and our societal systems. This is a letter to all of us who carry the banner of Jesus Christ. While we are eager for a new “normal,” have we spent enough time considering how God may be shaking us up for His greater purposes? Let’s reflect before we charge ...