Everything we’ve deemed “opposite” and “mismatched” is coming together in a place just beyond our vision.

In every age, there have been many legitimate reasons to be afraid. Those who belong to Jesus also have reasons not to be.

If the fasting of Lent is meant to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, then the feasting of Eastertide is meant to prepare us for life in the new creation where we will experience the fullness of the never-ending abundance and joy of God’s presence.

Behind our home, there is a dirt-paved, trash can-lined alleyway with power and telephone lines arching overhead. And in that dusty, tumbledown alleyway, there is an unexpected gift—a row of the brightest flowers, growing tall and wild, along a neighbor’s chain link fence.