He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive

Back in the fall of 1997 when I had around 4 months left in the Marine Corps, my unit sent me and a couple other guys to the Big Island of Hawaii, to the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) near the Mauna Kea Summit as the forward party for the larger group that would come later. Honestly, we came over with all the gear and pretty much just sat around for 4 weeks until the rest of the unit came. Expecting as much, I packed my acoustic guitar into the storage bin...just in case. Well, I was right and was able to practice guitar for 6-8 hours a day with no TV, no phone, no computer, no radio to use there. I do remember them serving powdered eggs for breakfast and they would turn green after sitting for while in the warmer. Back to the story...

With nothing else to do, I went to the the small chapel building where I kept my guitar and would constantly play various worship songs and hymns. This is how I learned the guitar, self taught through intense repetition...like 6-8 hours a day on the side of a barren mountain on the big island of Hawaii, with nothing else to do... Then one day several Marines from another unit that had just arrived at PTA walked into the chapel, which had been previously vacant except for me the two weeks prior. These gentlemen were a little older, and one rank higher (Staff Sergeant) as I was a Sergeant at the time and 22 years of age. They were also believers and began joining me in the chapel for prayer, worship, and Bible study as their time permitted. Two of the Marines were African-American and were very outspoken about their faith. More than that, their confidence in Jesus was amazing. For those of you who know me, you know I am a pretty confident and outspoken guy. Yet there was something about these two men and their passion and fearlessness for Jesus which challenged me deeply. Now it is expected that as a Marine you will be all of those things, but for many this bravado gets lost in "Marineland" and doesn't translate well into other parts of life...not so with these guys.

One of the Staff Sergeants saw my passion and fervency and that motivated him all the more. He pushed me in my faith, challenged me in my courage for the gospel, and shared his distinctly different worship style with me during those times in that small chapel building. There was one thing especially he did and said that sticks with me today and is most appropriate today of all days...

A couple times when they would arrive at the chapel for our impromptu worship gatherings he would begin right away saying in his loudest of Marine command voices..."He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive...". At first it is always cool to hear a Marine belt out in their command voice. The sound would boom from his mouth and echo off of the walls of the building. As he would continue, it got a little annoying honestly...as it was unnerving in many ways and I wasn't about to ask him to stop. Then, I began to think about what he was saying"He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..." and the way he was saying it, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..." it began to really have an impact on me.

• Jesus indeed rose from the dead and is fully alive today, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• Not only did He rise from the dead, but He is on the throne of heaven as we speak, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• The fact that He overcame death, means that He conquered it and all of its power in this world, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• His being alive means that He is fully engaged in all that you and I face each day, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• His being alive means that He is presently offering us all of His power, the same power that brought Him back from the dead, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• His being alive means that He is always with me and I am not alone...ever, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• Since He is alive, He desires to be worshipped and glorified in our lives and in everything we do and say, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• His presence and His power is fully available to us if we will accept it by faith and trust it to be so in our lives, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• He will come and judge this world, and we will be held accountable for the lives we lived and what we did with the grace He has lavished on us through His death and resurrection, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• I can and should confidently and passionately proclaim that which is truer than anything else you and I will ever know or see, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."
• Nothing and no one is more worthy of my affections, my focus, and my life than my risen Lord Jesus, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."

I would think these thoughts and more as this Marine would continue repeating over and over. Eventually I would join him in declaring this ultimate truth, and in so doing, be transported from that dingy chapel building to a heavenly place, with a throne room, and an army of angels proclaiming the glory of risen and reigning Jesus Christ mentioned in Isaiah 6:1-8. And for several moments, caught up in the reality of what we were saying, we were in the felt presence of our Lord...all because one man with courage was willing to proclaim what is truer than anything else this world has ever known or seen. For several moments, this world truly did fade away and we caught a glimpse of what heaven is and how different things will be. Moreover, Jesus our Lord conquered death and IS ALIVE, so why should we care or worry what others will think about us when we love, and share of His love with others, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive..."

I pray for you, today, that this Easter Sunday would be special once again. And as we join together and say, "He's Alive, He's Alive, He's Alive," I pray we would also be changed and would dwell in a place of ultimate truth and ultimate reality...a world where Jesus is King, and Lord, and where He is actively ruling and conquering the world in which we live...even if our eyes may not initially see it as so. Be blessed and know that our God is alive today and every day and THAT my friends, should change us...every day.