We all get news we like to hear and some news we don’t. Whenever we get good news we just want to share it with everybody. It could be a job promotion, a new baby, a great tax return (What’s that?), a date to the prom, a great report card, or good news from the doctor.

Let me share some good news that came my way last week. You all have been faithfully praying for our Mom because of her epic war with cancer for the sixth time (yes, #6!). Well, on Friday, March 7, 2008 at exactly 2:38 p.m. (cell phone) Mom called and said she had just gotten the reports from the doctors and they told her she no longer had cancer. Yea Baby! Her response was that she didn’t have cancer any more because of all the people who were praying for her. No, the doctors didn’t get the praise...she gave the glory and honor to her heavenly Father! In any book that’s AWESOME!!! Nobody, but nobody can tell us that God isn’t on the throne controlling every microbe in the universe. He has chosen to heal Mom and to me that is “good news.”

It took me awhile but in time I remembered what Solomon wrote,

Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country. (Proverbs 25:25)

Now I realize that not all news is good news, sometimes it’s bad. What do we do with bad news? The same with what we do with good news…we share it. Paul is very explicit in his teaching when it comes to any news we have. He writes,

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

The Swedish Proverb that says, “Shared joy is double joy and shared sorrow is half sorrow” captures exactly what Paul was trying to communicate. God never intended for us to go it alone in this world. He knows how tough it is to make it all the way to the end. To keep our “sorrow” bottled up is not good. We must share our pain and sorrow with each other. It helps us through. God created the church to be a community…a family that shares both joy and sorrow.

My hope and prayer for all of you is that your “news” is good news, but if it’s not…still share it. Calvary is a family that wants to hug you and cry with you when your news is bad or good! Got news?!

Love Ya,