Daniel, the Prayer Pilgrim

04/12/2026

I hope to see some of you at Holy Spirit! If you are in the area and would like to join us, please introduce yourself!

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (John 20:29)⁣
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Like Thomas, we all have moments of doubt. But Jesus doesn’t turn away—He comes closer.⁣
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This Sunday, bring your questions, your fears, your doubts to Him… and trust that He meets you there.

04/10/2026

04/08/2026

Genuine question here... I lapsed from the Church for a while. During that time I went to several different churches and studied different takes on Christianity. On social media I see Protestants and Evangelicals stating that the Eucharist or communion is symbolic. If it is just a symbol and Christ Himself commanded that we "do this in memory of me"; why do so many not do it? Or worse, they have a basket of self-serve Lord and savior in the corner, or haphazardly pass out the little cups of grape juice with a wafer which you find all over the parking lot after services. Please help me to understand what I am missing.

04/07/2026

With Catholic Truth – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

04/04/2026

This is a great description of the Easter Vigil. Tonight's is especially special for me as it is the Easter Vigil that my wife enters the Church. I am so proud of you Joanna! I love you!

04/04/2026

04/04/2026

What happened on Good Friday?

Today is often called Good Friday, marking the day that Jesus suffered and died on the cross. There are a few reasons that we use the word "Good" today:

First of all, it is indeed good, because God's love of the world was on full display and humanity now had the opportunity to be reconciled with the Creator.

Secondly, the word 'good' in old English carried the same definition of 'holy'. Many other languages call today "Holy Friday", and "Good Friday" is mainly a semantic in English.

Finally, it is possible that today once was called "God's Friday" or Gottes Freitag, and after a while it evolved into "Good Friday". This is similar to how "God Be With Ye" eventually turned into "Goodbye".

Regardless of what we call the day, this is when Jesus gave His life for us. He was mocked, spit at, and tortured under the High Priest and then Pilate. He was then forced to wear a crown of thorns, along with a royal robe, and carry a staff while the soldiers bowed down and mock-worshipped Him.

After the flogging, Jesus was forced to carry His cross outside the city's gates to the place of the skull. He was nailed to the cross around 9am and would hang there for 6 hours. When Jesus gave up His spirit, the earth shook with a terrible earthquake and the temple veil was torn top to bottom. The centurion said "Surely this Man was the Son of God"

After He died, His body was taken down from the cross and placed into a borrowed tomb. He was wrapped in linen clothes, and a stone was rolled in front of the entrance. The women hurried home to make spices and perfumes to anoint the body of Jesus. After this, Good Friday was over and all was quiet.

But Sunday is coming!

Disclaimer: The Bible is not always written in chronological order, so it may be difficult to know exactly which specific days these events happened.

04/04/2026

What happened on Maundy Thursday?

The word "Maundy" comes from the Latin word, mandatum, which means "commandment". It is referring to both Jesus' command to "love one another as I have loved you" and also with regards to the communion: "This is My body, which is for you, do this in remembrance of me". Many churches observe Maundy Thursday and have special worship services that include observing the Lord's supper and washing each other's feet.

On Thursday of Passion Week, Jesus calls Peter and John to make preparations for the Passover meal. During the meal, Jesus breaks the bread and pours out the cup to represent His broken body and His shed blood. This ordinance is followed by Christians today every time we have communion.

During the meal, the disciples had arguments about who was the greatest. To resolve this argument, Jesus does something unexpected: He kneels down and takes on the role of a servant and washes the disciple's feet. This was to model for the disciples to have a heart of submission and service, rather than focus on being greater than others.

After the meal, Jesus goes to the garden to pray. The weight of the cross bears down so heavily, that Jesus' sweat turns into blood. The disciples have fallen asleep while He prays, and suddenly Judas the betrayer shows up. He betrays Jesus with a kiss, and then the soldiers and officers of the chief priests arrest Him and take Him away. The disciples all run away, in fear of their own lives. Jesus is now alone, and on the path to the cross in just a few hours.

Disclaimer: The Bible is not always written in chronological order, so it may be difficult to know exactly which specific days these events happened.

04/02/2026

What happened on Holy Wednesday?

It has been a few days since the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and things are changing quickly. The chief priests, the elders, and High Priest Caiaphas all meet together to solidify plans to have Jesus arrested and killed. We don't know exactly what they had planned, but it appeared to involve hiring a spy on the inside and getting Jesus alone away from the crowds. Judas would be that hired spy, who agreed to betray his Friend for 30 pieces of silver, which would be around 2-3 months of a worker's earnings.

While all of this plotting is going on, Jesus is at a house in Bethany and being anointed by a woman. She used very expensive spikenard, perhaps as costly as 1 year of a worker's earnings. Jesus told His disciples that this was not a waste of money, but instead a sign of preparation for His upcoming burial. As you can see, the fourth day of Passion week is when things really start moving in the the direction of the cross.

Disclaimer: The Bible is not always written in chronological order, so it may be difficult to know exactly which specific days these events happened.

04/02/2026

What happened on Holy Tuesday?

This week is sometimes called "Holy Week" or "Passion Week", and we remember the days and events that lead up to Jesus' death and resurrection. Today we are looking at Tuesday, which is the third day of this week, and there was a lot going on! Jesus spent much of the day teaching about a variety of topics, and also offering condemnation to the Pharisees for being hypocrites in their faith. Later that day and evening, Jesus teaches the disciples from the Mount of Olives about the events in the future. My little chart only offers brief summaries, so I recommend reading Matthew 22 thru 24 to get more of the details. Hope this is an encouragement to you as we study the life of Jesus this week!

Disclaimer: The Bible is not always written in chronological order, so it may be difficult to know exactly which specific days these events happened.