Living in View of Easter

"He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay." - Matthew 28:6 ESV

We are now in Passion Week and as the week progresses we are confronted with the terror and joy that this week brings. For Christ became sin, although he did not have any sin, so that those who trust in Him will be righteous before God (see 2 Cor. 5:21). Through the passion narrative we experience great love and community, betrayal, shame, distress, hatred, violence, death, but in the end, we experience victory. This victory is not a small victory, rather, it is momentous in the grand scheme of creation.

God, after bearing with a rebellious creation for a long time, has sent His Son to become a sacrifice in our stead. While movies like the Passion of the Christ make much of the crucifixion, it lacks in conveying the significance of the resurrection. Without the resurrection a good man would have been put to death, and perhaps some could even argue that a sacrifice was made. However, without the resurrection, sin and death would still reign victorious.

Jesus took upon Himself the wrath of God, which we deserve, becoming the perfect sacrifice. Through His death, payment for sin was made and God's wrath was appeased. By His resurrection, Jesus became victorious over sin and death. This is our hope as followers of Christ! No longer does sin reign over us, and no longer is death the end! Rather, we now have an eternal hope in Jesus Christ!

Let us use this Easter season to remember that we have died to sin, and therefore are not longer obligated to its reign in our lives (see Romans 6-8). Our hope is no longer based on our performance, rather in Jesus Christ alone.

May God bless you and yours during this Easter season!

Wanting to Write...

Lately I have been wanting to write, which is a good thing, especially since I have a paper due in a few weeks. However, I am realizing that my desire to write goes in cycles. My good friend Justin calls them 'rhythms', which sounds much cooler, but whatever it is I don't always feel like writing. This is fine, but my dear wife reminds me that if I do not post new blog postings, then people will stop reading my blog.

So, I feel more inspired to write and would like to start making a meaningful contribution to the blogospehere. However, I'm still undecided as to what I should blog about. Therefore, I am going to ask my friends who read my blog to leave a comment and give me some suggestions about things to blog about. It can be about anything. I have a few ideas, but I am hoping for you to provide me with some ideas and inspiration.

I'm in a season where I feel like writing, so, give me something to write about!

Pre-Teen Camp?!?!

A few days ago my good friend John Sherrill, who leads 220, called me and asked if I would be interested in preaching for his Pre-Teen Summer camp. He said he would understand if I was not interested, but wanted to ask me anyways. I told him that I would talk with Steph and pray about it.

When I talked with Steph and told her what I was asked she literally laughed in my face and said jokingly, "You've been demoted!!!" She said this because I have been camp pastor for 220 camps in the past for middle school and high school students. I told John this and he assured me that it was NOT a demotion.

The week he asked me to preach I am currently available. However, I have never preached to 5th and 6th graders before, so I wasn't sure if I would connect. Most folks that know me know that I connect well with High School and up. I also have experience with Middle School students, but that is 7th grade and up. A bit different than 5th graders!

With all of this in mind, I have agreed to participate in their camp if they would have me. It is not because I'm hard up for camps, rather, the honest thing in the back of my mind is that I have a 20 month old daughter who I desire to raise up in the Lord, but I am still learning what this means. So, I decided that moving towards younger ages gradually would be good practice. I know these kids aren't young children, but, hey, it's challenging, and it's a start.

Needless to say, I need your prayers. It will be great, or horrible, or a mixture of the two... We'll have to see...

Transform Ministries - NEW WEBSITE LIVE!

Well, after several months of planning, dreaming, designing, etc, our friends at Crate Media have done a phenomenal job with our new website!  Please check it out and let us know what you think!  

0-60 in under...

Our lives have strange rhythms.  For instance, my family goes from having nothing going on to me being gone every weekend, in school, and in and out of meetings throughout the week.  This rhythm is tough on us at times.  We get used to a settled pace (nearly unemployed) to a "we barely see each other in passing."  I am the first to admit that this is not the best, but this is reality.  

This raises the question, "If you know this is not best, then why do you do it?"  Well, to answer this hypothetical question, the reason is that we are striving to fulfill a calling on our lives.  The problem is not with the calling, the problem is with our intentionality in seeking to fulfill our calling and maintain health in other aspects of our lives.  However, this is easier said than done.  

I know for a fact that we are not alone in this struggle.  While most people have more normal life rhythms than us, they are still inundated with work, school, family, church, hobbies, etc.  The question that we should be asking ourselves are, "Is what I am doing right now consistent with the vision of my family?" and "Am I pursuing this calling in a way that honors God and cultivates intimacy with Him, my family, and my community?"  These may seem like easy questions on the surface, but are quite haunting, convicting, and compelling when contemplated for some time.

It is about this time that someone might throw in the good 'ol, "Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10).  However, am I the only one that sees the application of this verse as, "SLAM ON THE BRAKES!!!"  Perhaps we are too busy.  Perhaps we think we are too important.  Perhaps we need to be reminded that the exaltation of our life needs to be focused on exalting God, and not our own status.

Any thoughts?

Gotta Post More...

I realized today that I haven't posted very much on my blog.  I miss it, so I will begin again...

More coming soon.

I Can't Sleep...

I started back to seminary yesterday. It was great to see my friends and professors. However, I was reminded that when I am in seminary, I have homework to do. Seems pretty obvious, but I always seem to forget that until I get back into 'seminary mode.' Then WHAM!

I don't really have a good reason as to why I can't sleep tonight. I'm not upset about anything, but perhaps it was the coffee I drank today, and then the Diet Dr. Pepper I had with our late dinner. Steph made chili tonight, which was WAY better than the chili she made last night. I don't think it was all the beans, but I guess we'll see in the next few hours...

I wish I could sleep. Our church has a men's prayer meeting on Wednesday's (tomorrow!) at 6:30 am, so of all nights to be sleepless, this is not one of them. There are a lot of exciting things going on right now: new Transform Ministries site (COMING SOON!), lots of speaking opportunities, writing D-NOW curriculum, seminary, meeting new folks in Brenham, etc. One time I had a friend, who happens to be a shrink, tell me that "There is a fine line between excitement and anxiety..." Hrmph... So, for now I choose to be excited. : : smiles : :

Several people have gotten on to me the last few days about me not blogging more, so this is one attempt to provide some late night reading fodder for those friends (3 or 4) who actually read my blog. I go in blogging spurts. Steph, my dear wife, is a blogging champion. I'm not... Oh well.

So, I'm going to go waste a few more moments of my life before I try to sleep again... Talk with you soon... OR ... in a few weeks... I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Do for others...

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 7:12

My good friend Josh Phipps (pictured left) was recently featured in the Houston Chronicle for giving one of his kidney's to his boss. As I read the article I was reminded of the Golden Rule from Matthew 7. Talk about living out the truth of God's Gospel! I am proud of my friend and grateful for his godly example.

You can check out the article by clicking here.

A Convicting Reminder...

Context:

Judson was invited by a congregation in the U.S. to share after returning from 30 years in the mission field in Burmah. They were disappointed with his presentation, because he did not tell stories about his trip, rather he talked about Jesus.

Quote:

"My business is to preach the gospel of Christ; and when I can speak at all, I dare not trifle with my commission. When I looked upon those people to-day, and remembering where I should next meet them, how could I stand up and furnish food to vain curiosity—tickle their fancy with amusing stories, however decently strung together on a thread of religion? That is not what Christ meant by preaching the gospel. And then how could I hereafter meet the fearful charge, 'I gave you one opportunity to tell them of ME; you spent it in describing your own adventures!'"

- Judson, the missionary to Burmah as quoted by Charles Spurgeon in his sermon The Blood

Humility: The Chinless Wonder

A week ago (Friday, December 28th) Steph kindly reminded me that I needed to trim my beard. I guess it was getting a bit unruly...



So, as I normally do before I shower, I pulled out the trusty beard trimmers and began trimming the beard, well, hacking it really. I started with a 3 guard and things were going nicely. However, when I got to my mustache I wanted a bit of a closer trim with some detailing. The detailing went too far and my mustache became way too thin. So, I shaved off the mustache. That left me with a hefty Abe Lincoln look.

I decided then to go back to the chin-goatee, but as I was trying to form it the sides kept being uneven. I trimmed and trimmed. Finally I was left with a soul patch. It looked ridiculous. So, I shaved off my beard. MISTAKE!



I had not shaved my chin in over 5 years. I had vaguely remembered that I had a smaller chin, but was quickly reminded why I was given the nickname 'The Chinless Wonder.'

After this happened I heard Braelyn knocking on the bathroom door, so I opened it and she stood there looking at me like I was a stranger. She then began crying and she was scared of me the rest of the evening. Stephanie saw me and said, "I said just to trim it not shave it!" I felt like an ugly duckling... hehe...

So, here a sit a week later, growing back my facial hair and humbled by the reminder that facial hair for me is more than just a nice touch, but a vain necessity. Thankfully, I come from a hairy family, so here's to the new beard...

Sad News...

Steph and I had our first Dr.'s appointment today and we found out that our little baby was only developed 6 weeks and we were about 9 weeks. There was no heartbeat. This is our second miscarriage and it is tough. However, we do know that our God reigns, that Christ is faithful, and that we will allow this opportunity to stretch our faith and in the long run, to increase our joy in Jesus.

We welcome and covet your prayers. We love you.

HaMoreh Ministries - New Site is Live!

HaMoreh Ministries has just launched their new website! If you don't know who or what HaMoreh Ministries is, then go and check out the site! Click here!

Whoops, we did it again!

For the last several weeks Steph has been making statements like, "It is so hard to get up in the morning," and "Ugh! I feel so tired all the time!!!" At first, I didn't think much about it. I know she is not a lazy woman, but perhaps it was just a lazy season for her. However, a few days after Thanksgiving she asked me, "Do you think I could be pregnant?"

At first I was like, "Nah..." But... I remembered her symptoms when she was pregnant with Braelyn. Well... Sure enough, ladies and gents, we are pleased to announced that we have a bun in the oven! The baby should arrive mid-to-late July. Yes. Right in the middle of summer camp season... We are grateful, and prayerful!

Jesus, Turkey, and Miscellaneous Ramblings...

Jesus. There is no greater name. However, I wonder why I am so quick to forget? Stress, worry, frustration can sneak up so quickly. I am reminded that there is a thief who loves to "steal, kill, and destroy," yet I am too quick to forget the One who came that I might have "life abundantly." (See John 10:10) As I reach the end of another semester of traveling & preaching, pastoring, husband-ing, fathering, and seminary-ing, I am reminded that I can do nothing outside of the grace of Jesus Christ.

However, lately I have been "By the grace of Jesus" and "By the skin of my teeth..." I don't know if that makes sense, and it wasn't meant to be heretical, but whatever... This semester I have been studying Biblical Hebrew, and I am increasingly aware that my expertise will not be in Biblical Linguistics. It just doesn't click. I've overspiritualized it, underspiritualized it, accurately spiritualized it and I am content to know that I know and love some world class linguists, but I am just not like them. However, I have learned how to use some tools that help me understand the text better, so for that I am grateful.

Thanksgiving is upon us once again, here is a quick list of things I am thankful for:

1. Triune God & His Bible


2. Steph & Braelyn


3. Extended Family


4. Christ Church - all of it and everyone involved


5. Friends


6. Laughter


7. Transform Ministries - The Ministers and the Board of Directors Rock!


8. Provision


9. Preaching


10. Pals (There, I have achieved a good 'ol Baptist Alliteration)


11. Coffee


12. TV Series on DVD


13. Cool weather


14. Fixed automobile


15. My MacBook Pro


16. House, Cars, Etc.


17. Good Blogs


18. Bad Blogs that make me grateful for the good blogs.


19. Movies


20. Miracles (see http://www.prayforkyle.com/)

One last thought. For seminary, I am also taking Contemporary Evangelism, and part of the curriculum is sharing my faith with 3 non-Christians. I am kind of in a pinch, because on one hand I travel all the time and preach to hundreds of people each semester about Jesus, but this needs to be one on one conversations. So, if any of you reading this do not believe in Jesus and would be willing to let me share with you why I do, please let me know! 1) I would love to share you the greatest thing that ever happened to me. 2) I want to do so with integrity, that is why I am posting this. 3) I think this assignment is a bit silly, but I want to submit to the authorities placed over me...

Okay, one last last thought... Why is it that when I was a teenager I thought that every feeling I experienced = Truth? It seems that this is an ongoing issue with students (and adults). Feelings do not equal truth, however, in our culture it appears that we submit to our feelings, and thus become the sovereign to determine truth. Rather than allowing the Truth to subdue and direct our affections and feelings. Any thoughts?

My Wife Jacked My Blog...

Well, you know that it is time to blog when your wife hijacks your blog and tells you it is time to blog. I guess I was a little surprised because I didn't think many folks read my blog, but I guess I was mistaken.

Today was an interesting day of cleaning out our garage. Now that might sound like a small feat, but the individual who owned the house before us left us many treasures. It literally took us the whole day to clean out the garage, but it does look really nice now. Thanks to my mom for coming out and spending time with Braelyn so that we could clean. Mad props to my boy Blake Quimby for helping us out and hauling numerous loads of junk to the dump...

This fall has been a great season of ministry and I am satisfied with the time I had of ministry on the road. I will spend next month working on new sermon material and discussion questions for D-NOW's next spring. So, things have been great and I am doing well... Blog, Blog, Blog....

Well, that's all I have to say right now. My dear wife coached me that if I would start back to blogging by updating about my life, that I would get into the groove again... So, we'll see what happens...

Cheers!

Casey...I have Kidnapped Your Blog!

Casey,
This is your wife typing.
I have kidnapped your blog and I am making demands!

WRITE A NEW POST!!!!!

I am confident that I'm not the only As You Are Going reader to feel this way!

I love you. :)
Steph

My Girls on Fall Harvest Festival... :-D

SavingDownensky.com - Copied from Steph's Blog

A few weeks ago I came across our friends, the Ivey's adoption blog. They are adopting a precious little boy named Amos Dowensky from a rescue center in Haiti. To help with the adoption costs, the Ivey's are selling "Saving Dowensky" t-shirts. We love the Ivey's and want to support the wonderful thing they are doing. So here's the Cease family, sportin' our cool, new shirts.

The photo shoot proved to be more of a challenge than I expected.

Well, this is the best we could do.

To learn more about the Ivey's adoption journey, and how you can help bring their baby boy home, go to savingdowensky.com

Answered Prayer!!!

In an earlier post I let you all know that my 1998 Honda Civic had its air conditioning go out and I was concerned about the transmission. Well, God, once again, answered our prayers. My parents finally had enough of their little Pookie (me) driving without A/C, so they said, "Hey, we want to help you get that fixed..." And I let them.

So, I took the car to my friends Dan and Shawn Sickle over at Integrity Tire and Auto in Richmond, TX and the told me that they would take a look at it. I received a call from them earlier this week from them and they said, "Good news! We think we can just replace the clutch on the compressor instead of having to replace the entire compressor." This is great news because the compressor is really expensive.

However, when I spoke to them on Wednesday they let me know that the two clutches that they ordered did not work and that they were going to have to replace the compressor... BUMMER! However, they were able to find it after-market for a good price. Then, I went to the shop yesterday to pick the car up and they walked me through the invoice and then he said, "There you go..." I said, "How much do I owe you?" He then explained that God had blessed them and that they wanted to support our ministry. He waved and said, "Have a good one!" WHAT??!?!? Yes, that's right. They fixed my car and charged me nothing! Praise God!

So, needless to say, I highly recommend Integrity Tire and Auto in Richmond, TX for all of your auto mechanic needs. They have fixed my car on numerous occasions and charged me very fairly and have always done an amazing job!

Here's their info:

Integrity Tire & Auto
921 E Highway 90A
Richmond, TX 77469
(281) 633-8473

Just tell them that Casey sent you!

Amen...