Been reading through the different gospels’ Triumphal Entry accounts. I have thought before how the first thing this King, humbly riding on a animal of peace, did when He reached Jerusalem was knock over tables, anger the religious leaders, and establish how His Father’s House would be a house of prayer for all nations.

But Luke includes a necessary scene before this Temple chaos: Jesus weeping over His beloved Zion.

“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes…” (Luke 19:41-42)

The Greek verb for weep means to wail aloud, “expressing uncontainable, audible grief.”

He deeply longs for Shalom for His people, His creation.

Make no mistake, I want – need – a Savior Who not only makes the clouds His chariots and rides on the wings of the wind, but Who created the clouds and causes the wind. But I desperately need that powerful King to choose a donkey over a chariot, a cross over a crown. I want to know He weeps when there is no shalom for His people. Even when we are the reason there is no peace.

Our King made sure to get Himself killed this week so many years ago, surrendering His life to His Father’s will. It’s the most significant week, leading to a Crucifixion that split history and the Veil in two.

Let’s worship anew.

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.'”

Nehemiah 2:17

Last time we looked at the all the people who would need to come together for the work ahead. Today we get a glimpse of what Nehemiah tells these men.

“You can see our adversity: Jerusalem is in decay, its gates were kindled with fire. Come, accompany me and let us rebuild and fortify the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in cherpah – disgrace, shame, contempt.”

The “come, let us” stuck out to me. Especially since this morning I read John 14:23: “We will come and make our home in him.” As Jesus was talking to His disciples about the future, He used a collective we. It reminded me of two Genesis references of “Come, let us”:

Make man in our image (1:26)

and

Go down and confuse their language (11:7)

Though good Jews would have recited Deuteronomy 6:4 (“The LORD our God, the LORD is one”) regularly, there are plenty of we references in the Old Testament to evidence a Triune God. And this three-in-One Creator lives in perfect unity. What the Father, Son & Spirit do, they do as One. In perfect humility with love eternal.

It seems this loving unity is the birthplace of ours. And Nehemiah rallies his men by speaking a “come, let us” over them.

It’s always good, isn’t it, when you have a mess in front of you that requires effort – but don’t feel alone in the task? Especially if shame or disgrace has been involved.

The nobles, priests, officials and all the rest had been exposed to contempt by the peoples around as a city with no defense against its enemies. It is likely the Jews had attempted before to repair the ruined walls and burned gates, but were attacked before it could be completed. Efforts thwarted and morale low.

Ever been there? Rallied the strength to pick up the tools of repair only to soon lay them right back down in defeat? Me, too. But some things can only happen in community.

What He wants to accomplish during our tenure here requires deep connection to Him and each other. The needs in our world are staggering. But unified prayer, knowing an alive and active Word, loving each other, and the unstoppable Gospel is everything we need to invest.

Come, let us.

2nd Saturday Time! Hit all the participating stores on Douglas with your 2nd Saturday bag and save moolah.

Want to learn more about Growing Herbs? Your chance is today at 5:30 at Rockwell Library and Tuesday the 11th at Alford Library. Homegrown basil is the best.

Women Investment Education Program through the Sedgwick County Extension Office begins today. This series of 6 sessions will teach you about investing and finances in a non-threatening way. Register here.

Watermark:

See Casey Pycior for an author talk and signing of The Spoils tonight, April 6 at 6:00 p.m.

And catch Paul Youngquist for a signing of his book A Pure Solar World on Tuesday, April 11 at 6:00 p.m. as part of the 2017 Wichita Jazz Festival.

WAM Goes MORP is this Saturday the 8th from 6-10. MORP is Prom spelled backwards, so if you’re a high schooler grade 9-12, prepare for artmaking with guest artists, music, dancing, food, and fun. Register here.

Then for Art on a Monday enjoy a look at “the behind-the-scenes-magic that brings five full-scale Broadway musicals to the Wichita stage in just 10 weeks each summer.” This Monday the 10th from 12-2.

Know about the Spring Cycle Spectacular? Hosted by Wichita Parks & Rec and Genesis Health Club, you can join others at Lawrence Dumont Stadium for a free Spinning Class. Plus, each participant receives 2 tickets to a Wichita Thunder game and 2 tickets to a Wichita Wingnuts baseball game! Register here.

And join the fun for the Annual Bunny Blast & Egghunt at OJ Watson Park. It’s this Saturday the 8th from 10-noon and just $5 per carload. Hunt eggs, see the Easter Bunny, and other spring fun.

Have you signed up for the Easter Sun Run yet? You can run (or walk), snag a t-shirt, win awesome prizes, enjoy a homemade BBQ lunch, and support an amazing ministry in the process.

This Saturday’s Tulips, Fairies & Forts will feature a Fairy Tea Party – plus, Tanganyika Wildlife Park and Sedgwick County Zoo

Enjoy chair massages, aromatherapy recipes, and discounts at Ladies Day at Green Acres Market at Bradley Fair this Saturday the 8th from 11-2.

And look into the Upcoming April Events at The Donut Hole.

Pop-Up Urban Park is hosting a Wichita Jazz Festival Kickoff Party this Monday the 10th from 5:30-8:00.

And come to the Mid-America All-Indian Center Museum Grand Re-Opening this Saturday, April 8. Special admission prices are $3.50 for adults (with children 12 & under free).​​ Enjoy activities with Exploration Place & Great Plains Nature Center. Make a pinch pot with Cherokee artist, Sheila Bazil, along with new museum exhibits.

Library:

And if you’re interested in finding out local businesses that are hiring, consider the Angelou Branch’s Spring Job Fair on Tuesday the 11th from 2-5.

The next Candid Conversation on Race is April 11th at Central from 6:30-7:45. The topic will be Voting Rights & Racial Justice.

Two more Young Artists Exhibit will be at Rockwell on Tuesday the 11th at 6:00 and 7:00.

And 2nd Saturday means Second Saturdays of Code for ages 8 & up. Register here for the April 8th workshop from 10:30-12:30.

Have a great weekend!

Cosmosphere Field Trip

Learning

The Crew

Glory

Your 7 Days?

“And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.”

Nehemiah 2:16

Last time we traced our leader’s path as he viewed the city’s walls and gates. And how his role was to tarry – but with hope. To shine light on the way forward.

Today we explore more of how this nighttime mission was a secret. He lists all the people this would affect: the regular Joes all the way up to the priests, nobles and officials. Teamwork would matter.

“I had not yet told the…nobles.” Nobles here is notable men of the clans who directed public affairs. The root word means free or fully from charar. “Pure from the cleansing power of fire (choriy) and therefore noble in rank.”

He is good to cleanse us, yes? When we walk through the fire and are not burned, it is still not without pain. He uses all means necessary to purify us so He can trust us with His plans.

“I had not yet told… the rest who were to do the work.” Work is melakah – article, business, craftsmanship. And told is nagad – to be boldly out, to declare, to expound fully.

Work here implies a craft. These notable men, priests, and officials were to be doing dignified work as they helped reconstruct the wall and secure Jerusalem’s safety and future. Likely they were not used to this type of labor and would need to see it as the craft that it is. Nehemiah’s job would be to boldly declare such worth and importance to those carrying out the mission of God.

If we back up a tad to the verb examining from last time, there is an interesting slice of commentary worth noting. “The Hebrew translated ‘examining’ is ‏sober, ‘breaking’. Rashi, the medieval Jewish commentator, suggested that Nehemiah was breaking the walls to bring conditions to the attention of the people!” Source

He is good to bring to mind my pride when I’m in times of transition. How I’m still clinging and trying to make things happen in my own strength. If indeed Nehemiah was busting holes in the walls to show their true condition, both he and those he was seeking to lead would need a hefty dose of humility to keep from fixing things in their own power.

What a task: boldly declare the worth of the work while challenging these men to rely on God through it all. To see it as a mission under Yahweh and in His strength.

How about us? The enemy is looking for anything he can to destroy the Church. All he has to do is get us out of the Word – or use it to turn on each other. Our walls of protection come from unity, from trusting in Him to move and work, vindicate and propel forward.

Let’s keep one hand on our Bibles and the other reaching out toward each other. Because the other thing happening in the Body right now is reconciliation. Understanding, discussion, healing & powerful prayer. It is dignified work, friends.

Let’s allow the prayer of the One Who set this dignified work in motion be answered through us.

Final Friday is tomorrow. Tour our city and catch local art, including:

The Workroom featuring their Spring Showcase. Plus, live music.

At Reverie catch 3 of our city’s “Rogue Photographers” who are in partnership with IGWichita.

At City Arts see 2017 Congressional Art Show, a special exhibition of artwork from area high school students and Myriad by Friends University senior art students.

Check out a map and more participating venues here.

Know someone seeking to beat cancer? Enrollment is now open for the Livestrong program at the Wichita YMCA.

Did you know Watermark was named as the bookstore to visit in Kansas by Real Simple? Yep.

Free Spring Gardening Classes coming up:

Raised Bed Gardening at Rockwell is tonight, March 30th,  from 5:30 to 7:00.

Landscaping with Annuals at Alford Library on April 4th from 5:30 – 7 p.m

And don’t miss the Sedgwick County Extension Office’s Tree Festival April 1st from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Or Budgeting Basics April 5 and 12 from 1:00 – 2:15 pm at the Downtown Senior Services Center. Register here.

Next week at Wichita Art Museum’s Senior Wednesday enjoy Natural Kansas with Jim Mason, director of the Great Plains Nature Center.

Make sure to get to the Spring Open House at Johnson’s Garden through April 2nd. Great deals including 25% off seed packets and $3.99 perennials.

And find out how you can win a free membership to Botanica.

Plus, the Kansas Wildlife & Parks Magazine is accepting entries for their Wild About Kansas photo contest. Share your favorite wildlife, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor photos.

Enjoy another Creature Feature on Monday, April 3rd at Great Plains Nature Center from 1-2. Deb will “whisper you through the world of animal noises.”

Yay! Outdoor Market Opening Day for Kansas Grown Farmers Market is this Saturday, April 1st from 7-noon. We have a nice season of local vendors and produce stretching before us.

And mark your calendars for the Community Benefit Concert featuring Billy Currington and Chris Janson coming up to raise money for the wonderful girls at Carpenter Place.

Library:

The next installment of Candid Conversations on Race will be this coming Tuesday, April 2nd, entitled Police on Racial Profiling: In Their Own Words. Listen to a well-researched presentation along with a Q&A session with Chief of Police Gordon Ramsay and a diverse panel of community representatives.

And you certainly won’t want to miss the Young Artists’ Exhibit at Angelou on Tuesday April 4th from 6:30-7:15. Enjoy a special storytime, refreshments, and art from children of nearby early childhood education programs.

And at Evergreen this Saturday April 1st, come to Community Health Screenings & Health Fair from 10-2.

Then learn more about Microsoft Publisher at Evergreen Tuesday April 4th from 2:30-4:00.

Have a great weekend!

Making Spring Wreaths

Bold

Art

Printable + Watercolor

Local Eating (Delish)

Boys and the Zoo

Feeding Pelicans

Pelicans

Majestic

Spring Break finale

Creation glory

Your 7 Days?

Still thinking about our city’s All-City Racial Reconciliation Conversation. And how if the way forward will indeed be through relationship, then those who have been most impacted ought to be leading the way. If there are those like me out there who know there is a problem, but we only understand it somewhat, our best bet will probably be to sit down and elevate the voices that most need heard.

As we earn trust with minority churches to invite us in and teach us, we can walk this way. Starting with some key points from Dr. Don Davis’ talk:

• As Believers, there are two identities seeking to bubble up: the particularities of Self – our family of origin, personality, and culture; and our identity as a Disciple of Jesus of Nazareth
• Difference was God’s idea. We can be who we are and in that difference be disciples of Jesus. In that difference we can worship Him. Christlikeness, not cultural sameness, is our goal
• Even in our redemption stories, God does not erase, shield, or obliterate our differences; rather, He acknowledges and rejoices in them as they show various aspects of Him and His beauty and character. We get to make the Gospel attractive in our differences
• The only time our differences and preferences are a problem is when we make them the standard by which other people must be measured. “Where did we come up with the idea that to be Biblical is to be just like us?”
• When we as a Church fail to do this well, we make it hard for the Nazarene to get the kind of glory He deserves

Good stuff, right? You can download the slides of Dr. Don Davis’ talk here.

I’d also love to point you to a few online resources I’ve found helpful.

I’ve mentioned this before, alerted to it from IF: Gathering. Latasha Morrison’s Be the Bridge is doing some real good around the nation. You can listen to a podcast about it here:

http://leadstoriespodcast.com/s02-episode-12-lead-voices-tasha-morrison

Poke around her website here:

https://beabridgebuilder.com/

And read an eye-opening article at Christianity Today here:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2017/january/latasha-morrison-church-is-only-place-equipped-to-do.html

As our eyes are opened, let’s let those who have always been aware lead the way.

“Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.”

Nehemiah 2:14-15 (ESV)

Last time we saw the beginning route of Nehemiah’s secretive nighttime excursion. Today we see the rest of it as he circles back and returns the way he came. I thought a map might help. (Actually, I just needed one.)

Source

Nehemiah originally leaves by way of the Valley Gate heading south (left on this map) around to the Fountain Gate. He does this to inspect the wall. The Hebrew for inspect is sabar – to view, tarry with hope.

Isn’t that what a leader does? Viewing a situation, seeing what needs to be done? Knowing when to wait, but waiting with hope?

Even the two verbs to describe Nehemiah’s arrival to the wall near the Valley reflect hope: hayah – to come, a beacon. And alah – ascend, climb. Leadership often requires being a beacon for others when the ocean is dark and shoreline inscrutable. Or climbing to a higher vantage point and calling back to others what’s ahead.

So grateful our Leader does this with perfect humility.

I keep thinking about the word behemah. There is a Hebrew word for horse. And specific nouns for donkey and mule. Makes me wonder why Nehemiah’s riding source is referred to as a mount. An unspecified beast.

Then we spent some time at the Zoo this week, marveling over God’s intricacy and variety. Viewing beasts, large and small, that are anything but unspecified to our creative God.

“A cavalcade would have attracted notice. Nehemiah probably rode a mule…rather than a horse. Riding over rough places by night he would require the most surefooted animal.”  Source

When God’s Word refers to a surefooted animal, it is the female deer. She can place her back legs precisely where her front have trod while scaling rugged terrain.

Isn’t He beautiful?

“He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    enabling me to stand on mountain heights.”

(Psalm 18:33 NLT)

And His beauty and power in our lives are not based on circumstances:

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights.”

Whether He’s asking you to lead or let go, press on or tarry with hope, may you choose to rejoice in the Sovereign Lord. The One Who climbed a hill to Calvary to call back to us His Father’s love.

Want to learn how to grow some veggies? Come to Basic Vegetable Gardening at Johnson’s Garden Center from 10-11:30 this Saturday, March 25th.

Tulips, Fairies & Forts is back at Botanica. Magical.

Bulletproof Revolution is coming up at Green Acres Bradley Fair from 7-8 pm, March 30th. Learn more about Bulletproof Coffee and snag some giveaways.

Did you know our Starlite Drive-In is open for the season? Grab a punch card for 7 visits, get the 8th free.

Live music coming up at Mead’s:

Kayley Renee Music Thursday, March 30th from 6:30-8:30 pm.

And Wednesday, March 29th, see Wood Chicken w/special guests from 8-10.

At Watermark Storytime this Saturday, March 25th, from 10:30-11:00 hear Bonnie Bing read from her book Pony Tales, benefiting Botanica’s Carousel Restoration.

Also this Saturday, March 25th, come to BBQ, Bread & Brews from 1-4 at Mid-America All-Indian Center.

Library:

SCORE: Essentials of a Business Plan will be Saturday the 25th from 1-2:30 at Central.

Then from 2:30-4:30 at Central on Saturday, enjoy Kansas Regional History Writers.

Then March 28th, Central Branch’s Tuesday Topic is Women and Homelessness. Come over your lunch from noon to 1:00 to learn about the challenges women deal with unique to their gender.

And glean from Resume Writing and Job Searching at Angelou from 6-7:30 pm on Tuesday, March 28th. “Learn about searching for jobs, filling out online applications, and making resumes. Using Microsoft Word, guidance will be provided on using the resume templates to build a resume.” Register here.

Have a great weekend!