Easter worship at Olympic in Forks

Jim Dixon and I traveled to Forks Saturday to provide worship, concert, and sermon for an unprecedented 37 men and two officers at the Olympic Corrections Center in Forks Saturday night.

Jim and I make this trip about four times a year. We go south through Aberdeen and Hoquiam and then north up 101.

Jim and I so much enjoy serving together.  Its a long trip.  Every time we start back home, we are amazed by His graciousness to allow us to serve Him there.

Next Saturday night, I'll be privileged to share ministry with "His Harmony," from Faith, our church, for three units of men at the Regional Justice Center in Kent. They are always so well received.  They have been serving in this way in jails and prisons with PFC for over 15 years.

At Forks, I preached from Acts 26:17-20--

"...I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’...performing deeds in keeping with their repentance."

I continue to be blessed by so many faithful family and friends who support this work in prayer and financially.  It is amazing to participate with so many incredibly loving people of God. 

I want to share with you this post from Tim Challies defining why we worship regularly on Sundays.

Every Easter Saturday, that day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, I find myself pondering what it must have been like for Jesus' followers on that day. What did they do? What were they thinking? How did they spend their day? What thoughts were running through their heads? 

Their leader was dead; their Messiah had been arrested, beaten, crucified, killed, buried. Miracles had attended his suffering--darkness and earthquake--and yet still he was dead. Confusion must have reigned. Bewilderment.

It's no wonder that Christians worship on Sunday. Muslims worship on Friday, Jews worship on Saturday, but Christians worship on Sunday because that is the day when Christ proved that he had conquered death. This is why we are Sunday Christians. 

We are not Friday Christians who serve a dead Savior, not Saturday Christians still waiting and wondering, but Sunday Christians who serve a living, breathing Savior--one who is alive and one who reigns. 

He died because he had to die. Our sin demanded blood and death. And yet he rose because he had to rise. He was the Son of God; how could death hold him? How could the Creator of all that exists be held down by death? It cannot happen and it did not happen. Christ is risen.

And for 2,000 years Christians have been celebrating Jesus' conquest. I could turn to hundreds of books and songs and poems today. But allow me to turn to one of my all-time favorites, a poem that gives just a glimpse of the hope Christ offers through his resurrection.