FEATURES

• "It's Suppertime," by David M. Best. Communal sharing of the Lord's Supper enables us to celebrate the righteous reign of God, both now and in the Kingdom that is to come.

• "That Long, Hard Road to Forgiveness," by Emmanuel Jatayna. In an effort to find forgiveness of sins, Filipinos make a Lenten pilgrimage of personal penitence up a difficult road to express their devotion to a wooden image of the Virgin Mary.

• "So What?" by Pat Stockett Johnston. Was the Garden Tomb the burial place of Jesus? A visit here prompts renewed joy of the Resurrection

• "Deepening Devotion During Holy Week," by Roger L. Hahn. The traditional liturgical services of Holy Week can increase the spiritual commitment of believers by reliving, reenacting, and remembering the events of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection.

• "Dividends from a China Investment," by Brent Cobb. Almost 2,000 years before Mao Tse-tung and the Communist takeover of China, Jesus Christ said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not stand against it." His words hold true for China.

• "The Easter Difference-One Person at a Time," by Steven Doerr. In a continent wracked with civil war, violence, and AIDS, the hope of Easter is at work in Africa, miraculously changing lives one at a time.

• "The Sign of Jonah," by Tom Nees. Resurrection in the New Testament is more than life after death, more even than the empty tomb on the first Easter Sunday. It is the beginning of a new way of living in this world that extends beyond the grave.

COLUMNS

• Touching: "Resurrection People," by Hermann L. Gschwandtner. Out of the deprivation and need of post-Communist Mozambique, a new life of joy and compassion has grown.

• Commission: "Peace for Impossible People," by James H. Diehl. What can we do about "impossible people"? Is there a way we can live without allowing them to steal our peace and joy? Is there any hope this side of heaven?

• Family Tree: "The Long Sadness Before JOY," by Rebecca Laird and Michael Christensen. Through their daughter's illness, the authors have learned to understand the essential matters-finding beauty in each day, taking time for laughter and learning new jokes, eating dinner together, giving hugs.

• Footprints: "Timothy Smith and the Recovery of the Nazarene Vision," by Stan Ingersol. No one tracked the footprints across the Nazarene landscape better than historian, pastor, teacher, and preacher Timothy L. Smith.

• Editor's Forum: This month's panel of experts answers questions about overseas missions, becoming a worldwide church, and the Apostles' Creed.

• Heartbeat: "A Celebration of Life and the Word," by W. Talmadge Johnson. Two thousand years later, the celebration that began on the Emmaus Road continues.

• Portraits: "Terry Patnode: And the Seed Grew," by Debbie Salter Goodwin. A mission-calling seed planted in a teenager takes root in Mexico/Central America.

• Foot Soldiers: "Brothers of the Kingdom," by Kaaren Witte. Meet Brian Postlewait. This unforgettable, 24-year-old, single Nazarene could aptly be described as remarkable. He forces even the toughest cynic to admit, "God is at work." There's simply no other explanation.

• The Deeper Way: "The Impossible Imperative?" by David A. Busic. Christian perfection is not determined by the personal height that we attain but by the breadth of maturity in our relationships. The New Testament makes it clear that we express love for God by expressing our love for each other.

• Essay: "Why I Am Not a Christian" by Ron Lush. "You're a Christian, aren't you?" In a "near-death experience," the life and teachings of Jesus flashed before me.