(Inspired by John21:15-25) The day had been long—and wonderful! Rock, Andrew, big James, young John, Thomas the Twin, Philip, and Nathaniel had gone out on Rock and Andrew’s boat and fished all night. By daybreak they were exhausted and frustrated because they had caught no fish…not any! But then Jesus showed up. He had told the disciples to cast their nets on the right side of the boat and they would find fish. As soon as they threw in the nets, one hundred and fifty-three large fish swam right in. It was amazing! They beached the boat where Jesus had been waiting for them with breakfast. The time with the Lord was delightful for all of them—except Rock. He and Jesus had a long talk as they all walked on the shore, and Rock hadn’t been the same since. After Jesus had left them, they ... Read More about 48 – A Broken Rock

(Inspired by John 20:30-21:14) “What are we even doing here?” asked an impatient Thomas to the eleven disciples and a few others scattered around the courtyard of Rock’s house in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. “The Master told the women that He would show Himself to us here in Galilee,” Andrew answered. “Rock’s place is the only house we know of that will hold all of us. So…here we all are…waiting.” “This waiting is getting old,” Thomas shot back. “Then do something productive!” Simon snapped. “Like what?” “Write a book,” Matthew shot back. “What?” Thomas asked incredulously. “Yeah, write a book,” Matthew repeated. “Who on this earth knows more about the Master than us? Just think about it, Twin. With all that Jesus said and did, you’ll never run out of material to write about. People ... Read More about 47 – So Much More than Fish

(Inspired by John 20:19-29) What a day! The sorrow and grief all of the followers of Jesus felt at His death was compounded when Mary of Magdala came running into the upper room early Sunday morning, yelling that someone had taken Jesus’s body from the tomb. The Magdalene loved the Lord. Nobody would question that. She had been absolutely devoted to the Teacher since He had cast seven demons out of her. Maybe it was living with demons for so long, or maybe it was just Mary, but there had always been something a little strange about her that caused most of the disciples to question her perspective on things. When she came running in announcing that Jesus’s body was missing, Rock and young John immediately went to check out her story. After they returned, the two of them confirmed to the ... Read More about 46 – Christ’s Greater Blessing

(Inspired by John 19: 31-42) Once Jesus had died on the cross, His mother and young John, His best friend, couldn’t leave. It was like they were nailed to the spot. They stood there for quite some time, staring at the abused body of the Lord, unable to mentally process what had been done to the Son of God and Savior of the world. “Orders from the procurator!” a Roman soldier, who had just marched up to the execution detail, shouted. “What are they?” growled the guard in charge. “The Jews’ Sabbath day is supposed to start in a couple of hours,” the soldier reported. “At the request of the chief priests, the procurator orders that the legs of the prisoners be broken to allow them to die quickly. He wants them all three dead and off the crosses before the trumpets from the temple signal ... Read More about 44 – Time to Take a Stand