The phone call came on a Monday. It was our dog’s veterinarian. He said, “Jerry, I hope you’re not mad at me, but your dog is still alive.”

Our dog (we called her “Domi,” short for “Dominique”) had a congenital liver issue. When she was about 2 years old, we had to put her to sleep. Our kids said their goodbyes, and I took her to the vet. Instead of putting her to sleep, the vet, without telling us, decided to try an experimental procedure over the weekend, to see if he could “revive” Domi (at his cost, and you don’t want to know how much). Three days later (on Monday), Domi was much better. So he called to tell me.

The vet wanted to wait another 2 weeks, just to make sure she recovered. So we did not tell our kids until we took her home. Our kids celebrated Domi’s return.

We thought our dog was dead, but three days later she was alive again. After that, we referred to Domi as “the resurrected dog.”

She had risen (sort of).

Our theme on Easter weekend is “He is risen!” When Jesus came back from the dead three days after He had died, that changed everything! It began a movement called Christianity that still is thriving 2000 years later.

But, more importantly, the resurrection can personally change you and me.

Because He is risen, I can change. Because He is risen, I am forgiven. Because He is risen, I have strength, peace, and purpose. Because He is risen, I have promise for the next life.

The message of Easter is a message of hope! Our promise to you is that we are praying for and planning our Easter services with your friends in mind. Invite your friends who normally would not attend church! Easter weekend is the best weekend of the year to do that.

We will give it our best shot at Easter, because your friends matter to God and to us. Be praying now about whom you can invite.

Whatever it takes,

Jerry