Brad Daniel

Joseph of Arimathea pulled a corpse off a cross with his bare hands. Blood under his fingernails. The weight of a dead man sagging into his arms. He wrapped God in linen, pressed the fabric into wounds that were still wet. Nicodemus brought seventy-five pounds of burial spice. A king's funeral for a man the world just murdered. They carried Him into a hole in the rock and rolled the stone shut. And everything you've ever done went in with Him. Every night you can't sleep because of what you did. Every morning, you can't look in the mirror. The thing you did to her. The thing you did to them. The lie you've been carrying so long it feels like bone. The version of you that drinks alone and pretends tomorrow will be different. That man was buried with Christ. Stone sealed. Done. Not managed. Not in therapy. Not on a payment plan with God where you slowly earn your way back. Buried. In a tomb. Under rock. Gone. Three days of silence. Three days of a cold body in the dark. Then the stone moved. And when He walked out, the grave clothes were folded on the slab. He didn't stumble out tangled in death. He left it sitting there like a man who's done with the clothes he used to wear. Lazarus needed someone to unwrap him. Death still clung to him even after he was breathing. Jesus folded His own burial linen and walked out clean. That's the difference between religion and resurrection. Religion unwraps you slowly. Asks you to manage your sin. Attend the class. Read the book. Try harder next week. Resurrection says the man who walked into that tomb is dead. The man who walked out doesn't know him. You're not fixing the old you. The old you is in a sealed tomb in Jerusalem, and he's not coming back. The man reading this, the one who thinks he's too far gone, you're not too far. You're already buried. The funeral happened two thousand years ago. Now get up. The stone's already moved. The linen's already folded. Walk out.

Great story! I was able to perform Cole and Kiley’s wedding. What an incredible journey they have been on.

@SamMcDowell11 Great column, Sam. He is so much more than the numbers!

Cole Christiansen was named a Chiefs captain this week for the first time in his career. A teammate spent the week calling "Cap." Travis Kelce. Why the looming Kelce retirement-or-return decision is about more than the numbers inside this room: kansascity.com/sports/spt-col…

Haven’t had to say this before January in a long time but…Pitchers and catchers report in 67 days. Go Royals! #kcroyals

@drantbradley Message me. I’m a pastor in KC area

This is hard to read. It’s so rare to find siblings saying, ‘Christians please adopt us!’ To add to this, they want a Baptist family. There 1,367 Southern Baptist churches in Arkansas. They only need one family in one SBC church willing to save their futures. 1 out of 1,367.

Where’s the church? Blaydin & Olivia are brother & sister. Since they are Christians, they want to be adopted by a Christian family, preferably Baptist. No Christians should be orphans. Any Baptists in Arkansas willing to James 1:27 these kids? Contact Project in AR for info…

@JasonCurry Some “yes’s” are easier than others!

“Hey Dad, can we meet in Little Rock… and maybe you buy us dinner?”

@ChaseDaniel 3 different times

That tush push sure looked like a false start….

@Sean_McDowell I put “no”, but I can also see a “yes”. Ultimately, what part of that decision is dependent on why the person who killed him did so? While Charlie’s faith drove him, he wasn’t an evangelist like we would consider the apostles. Great question to think about.

I’m especially curious about responses because of my work on the fate/martyrdom of the apostles.

Was Charlie Kirk a martyr?

@JasonCurry @FinishEmpty

@BradDaniel @FinishEmpty Always in my corner!

Big day — the first draft of Finish Empty is officially complete.

Pitchers and catchers report Friday. #Royals

@JasonCurry In my sleep

Just being honest: if you’ve ever organized and run a week of student ministry camp, planning an inauguration would probably be easy.

@ChaseDaniel Buffalo. 100% If we win and go on to 3peat, we can say we beat every team we played. If we don’t win, I would much rather lose to Josh Allen than Lamar Jackson.

If you’re the Chiefs, who would you rather see?

@WesWeather from Kearney…it isn’t snow-more like sleet but very light.

@jasonkovacs The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop

Pastors who have gone on a sabbatical - what books were instrumental for you in encouragment & renewal?

My town is coming alive… #KCRoyals #BlueOctober

Most incredible baseball game I have ever been to! Can we start another run, @Royals ? It could be another really fun month. #huntforblueoctober

Blue October activated! Let’s go!

@jazayerli Hoz? Lightning in a bottle?

The Royals need OBP more than power, so in that respect Grossman works well. And they don't need a 1B, just someone to DH when Fermin catches (with Salvy at 1B). But he's a SHB who has hit LHP far more than RHP in his career (809 vs 686 OPS). They need one skill: damage vs. RHP.

@JasonCurry This is such a perfect response. The scene was blatant and not subtle in the least.

For the “be more educated” and “learn history” posts… Bacchanalia was a cult devoted to the Roman god Bacchus (or Dionysus for the Greeks). Initially, this cult was exclusive to women, and Bacchae priestesses would gather and perform rituals. Later, the cult was opened to men and grew to include the most sinful behavior you can imagine. In 186 BC, the Roman government ended the cult and only allowed these “parties” at particular times. Thomas Jolly (Director) correctly depicts Dionysus (Bacchus) with a fruit halo. If it were only Dionysus, it would be enough to send a message of sexual sin—which is Jolly’s primary aim. He says, “In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want, with whoever we want. In France, we have the right to believe and not to believe.” He correctly captured the message of the lust of the flesh with the correct false god. However, the large halo is not on Dionysus. It is on the woman at the center of the table. She is positioned with purpose along with those around her. The shot is intentional, staged, and paused. A Greek bacchanal does not have a central figure like the one depicted in this performance with the halo and stars. The earliest paintings depict lavish parties with wild abandon, wine, and bodies. Jolly’s initial intent was the Last Supper, and its connection is absolutely implied. Everyone in France (and Italy) who saw it immediately thought of Leonardo da Vinci. That is why the Bishops’ Conference of France, the national organization of Catholic bishops, denounced the performance as “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.” I think they are educated enough to understand the culture and historical context. The director, Jolly, could have clarified, but he did not. He has not said it was not The Last Supper. The Olympic committee is doing that—not him. He communicated exactly what he wanted. Don't buy the spin. It was as sinful and evil as you thought it was.