Tag A View From the Nest

Who’s Guarding the Tomb of Jesus?

Allen Frederick Leave a comment
A Call for the Church to Return to the Living Christ

The Borrowed Tomb and the Fear Surrounding It

“And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.” Matthew 27:59–60

Jesus was laid in a borrowed tomb cut from stone — a place meant for the dead, not for the Lord of life. Wrapped in linen and sealed behind a stone, He appeared to be at the end of the story, yet fear still lingered around Him. Herod feared His influence, the chief priests feared His promise, and Rome feared His followers. So they posted guards, sealed the tomb, and tried to contain the One who had already said, “I will rise again.”

They feared His body might be stolen and His resurrection proclaimed. They feared a rumor, a movement, a miracle. But no fear, stone, soldier, or seal could hold the risen Lord. Death could not keep Him. The grave could not restrain Him. The tomb could not silence Him. He walked out of the place they tried to secure.

Yet today, the church often attempts what Rome could not do.

We carve out our own “tombs” — leather-bound, gold-leafed, printed, indexed, and wrapped in doctrinal linen — and call them the canon. We treat Scripture not as a witness to the Living Word, but as His container. We wrap Jesus in pages and call it reverence. We seal Him behind interpretations and call it orthodoxy. We post guards named Tradition, Control, Suspicion, and Fear, insisting that God speaks only in the past tense.

Still, the angels’ words continue to answer every attempt to confine the living Christ:
“Why seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” Luke 24:5–6

The Danger of a Past-Tense Christ

Jesus warned the Pharisees in words that still speak to every generation:

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:39–40

They studied the text but missed the Person. They honored the words while ignoring the voice. They revered the scroll but rejected the Savior. The modern church repeats that error whenever it says, “We know God only by what He has said,” as though the risen Christ stopped speaking when the apostles died.

Yet Jesus promised the continuing ministry of the Spirit:

“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth… He will speak… He will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13

The Spirit has not retired, the Shepherd has not gone silent, and the Head of the Church has not stepped aside.

The living Christ still leads, speaks, knocks, and calls His people into fellowship with Him.

Sewing the Veil Back Together

When Jesus died, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom — not by human effort, but by God Himself.

“And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” Matthew 27:51

The torn veil declared one thing: access. Through Christ alone, the Father opened unrestricted, unmediated, unguarded access to Himself.

But religion often tries to sew the veil back together. The Pharisees did it by laying unbearable burdens on others:

“You travel land and sea to win one convert, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” Matthew 23:15

They wrapped God in rules, rituals, and requirements; they wrapped people in expectations, traditions, and fear; and they wrapped truth in layers of human authority.

Today, we can wrap Jesus in the burial cloths of catechisms, doctrinal statements, theological systems, Reformation language, dissertations, and denominational fences. We stitch the veil with academic thread and call it faithfulness, placing barriers between God and His people that neither we nor our ancestors could bear.

But the Gospel remains simple:
Jesus died for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus alone opens the way into the Holy of Holies.

The way into God’s presence does not rest on catechisms, confessions, doctrinal precision, theological pedigree, denominational loyalty, or intellectual mastery of Scripture.

Jesus Himself is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6

Not merely the Bible about Him — but Christ within us.

Christ in Us — Not Christ Confined to the Pages

Paul did not say, “Christ in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is the hope of glory.”
He said:

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27

Reading about Jesus is not the same as walking with Him, studying His life is not the same as hearing His voice, and knowing His teachings is not the same as knowing His presence.

The Gospel was never meant to remain a museum exhibit; it was meant to become a living encounter with the risen Christ.

The Closed Door of the Church

One of Revelation’s most sobering images is not a rebellious world, but a closed church:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Revelation 3:20

Jesus is not knocking on the door of unbelievers; He is knocking on the door of believers. He is not outside the world in this image; He is outside the church that has shut Him out. He is not asking for a platform from which to be displayed; He is asking for a table where fellowship can be restored. He is not seeking a pulpit for performance; He is seeking communion with His people. He is not offering a lecture from a distance; He is offering the shared intimacy of a meal.

The risen Christ desires to tabernacle with His people — to dwell, dine, speak, guide, comfort, correct, and commune. Yet He will not force His way past the guards we place at the tomb, shout over our programs, or break through the stone of our fear; instead, He knocks, calls, and waits.

Return to Your First Love

The church at Ephesus had doctrine, discipline, endurance, and order. Still, Jesus said: “Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Revelation 2:4 Although they possessed many marks of religious faithfulness, they had lost the One who mattered most.

That is the danger of a tomb-guarding church: we can honor the Christ of history while neglecting the Christ who is present, defend the Word of God while resisting the voice of God, and preach the resurrection while living as though He remains sealed behind stone.

But the risen Lord calls us back — not to a memory, doctrine, or system, but to Himself. He calls us to open the door, welcome His presence, hear His voice, dine with Him, and return to our first love.

The Final Call: Stop Guarding the Tomb

The question is no longer, “Who guarded the tomb then?”
The question is, “Who is guarding it now?”

We must ask whether we are the ones keeping Jesus sealed behind tradition, wrapped in doctrinal linen, locked inside the pages, held outside the church door, and prevented from speaking, leading, interrupting, and reigning among us.

And perhaps the deeper question is this: Where did you bury Jesus? Have you buried Jesus beneath your fear, your theology, your suspicion of the Spirit, your comfort with silence, or your preference for control?

The risen Christ will not remain boxed, sealed, scheduled, or scripted; He walks into gatherings rather than graveyards, breathes on disciples rather than doctrines, knocks on doors rather than pulpits, and speaks to hearts, not only through pages.

And He is knocking now. The final word belongs to the risen Christ Himself: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20



This has been “A View From the Nest,” and that is the way I see it! What say you?

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Shaken, Not Forsaken: God’s Warning in a Wobbling World

Allen Frederick Leave a comment
If the Earth Is Shaking, Perhaps God Is Knocking

Reading the Times Without Panic

This is not a call to read every headline as a code to be cracked. It is a call to read the times with spiritual sobriety. Scripture does not invite us into panic, prediction charts, or fear-driven speculation. It invites us into discernment. When the world shakes, the question for the believer is not, “How frightened should I be?” The better question is, “What is God revealing, and how should I live in response?”

Jesus once told His disciples that the world would experience a season He called “the beginning of birth pains.” He was not giving them a newspaper checklist so they could sensationalize every crisis. He was teaching them how to interpret upheaval with sober eyes and steady hearts. There would be wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, and convulsions of every kind. But He also said these things were not the end. They were contractions before arrival, tremors before transition, shaking before revealing.

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:7–8 (ESV)

Birth pains are not random. They have rhythm. They increase in intensity. They point to something coming that has not yet fully arrived. That is why Jesus chose the image. Birth pains are not gentle, and they are not quiet, but they are not meaningless. They tell us that history is not spinning loose from God’s hand. It is moving toward His appointed conclusion.

And lately, the world feels like it is groaning.

A headline can inform us, but it cannot disciple us. A storm can interrupt our plans, but it cannot interpret itself. The believer must learn to bring the shaking world back under the steady Word of God. Otherwise, we may either dismiss every warning as coincidence or turn every disturbance into hysteria. Neither is faith. Faith listens, tests, watches, prays, and obeys.

We do not have to search far for reminders. Earthquakes rattle places that once felt settled. Volcanoes sleep for generations and then remind humanity that the ground was never ours to command. Hurricanes redraw familiar coastlines. Tornadoes touch down in places that thought themselves outside the usual path. Heat waves, floods, tsunamis, lightning, hail, and violent storms keep reminding us that creation is not a tame machine. It is a created order under strain, waiting for redemption.

It feels as though creation itself is raising its voice.

Paul said it plainly:

Creation Is Groaning

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Romans 8:22 (ESV)

Creation groans because something is wrong, and creation shakes because Someone is still speaking. Paul’s language in Romans is not poetic decoration. It is theology. The world is beautiful, but it is also burdened. It bears the marks of sin, decay, frustration, and longing. Every groan becomes a reminder that this present order is not final and that redemption must reach farther than human souls alone. God intends to renew all things.

What the Shaking Reveals

Hebrews gives that groaning another layer of meaning. When God spoke in the past, His voice shook the earth. Now Scripture points to a greater shaking — one that reaches beyond the ground beneath us and exposes what cannot last.

The shaking language in Hebrews reaches back to Mount Sinai, where the people trembled before the voice of God. The point was never that God enjoys frightening people. The point is that His voice exposes what is temporary and establishes what is eternal. When God shakes, He is not being careless with His people. He is separating what can pass away from what must remain.

“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” Hebrews 12:26 (ESV)

And the writer explains why:

“This phrase ‘yet once more’ indicates the removal of things that can be shaken — in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:27 (ESV)

In other words, God is not shaking the world to destroy it. He is shaking the world to distinguish it.

He removes the temporary so the eternal can be seen. He exposes the fragile so the faithful can stand. The shaking is not meant to make believers frantic; it is meant to make foundations visible.

The Foundation That Remains

As the storms intensify, as disasters multiply, and as the world trembles under the weight of its own instability, people are discovering that many things they trusted were never as solid as they seemed. Wealth can vanish. Institutions can crumble. Leaders can fall. Nations can shake. Systems can fail. That is not a reason for the believer to gloat over the world’s insecurity. It is a reason to offer a better foundation. The Rock remains, and His name is Christ.

“He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.” Psalm 62:6 (NKJV)

The question beneath the shaking is deeply personal: What are our lives really built on? If our peace depends on stable markets, predictable weather, friendly politics, personal comfort, or the approval of people, then every tremor will feel like the end. But if Christ is our foundation, the shaking can clarify rather than consume us.

Jesus said that when these things begin to happen, we should not panic — we should look up.

“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28 (ESV)

The shaking is not abandonment. It is approach. It is not permission to panic. It is an invitation to awaken. God is still near enough to speak, merciful enough to warn, and patient enough to call people home.

The Church’s Witness in an Unstable World

And as the world grows more unstable, the need for something unshakable grows more urgent. People are searching for refuge, for rest, for truth, for hope, for something real — something that does not collapse when the earth groans.

That refuge is Christ.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way.” Psalm 46:1–2 (ESV)

So when the storms rage, when the ground trembles, when the sky darkens, when the news cycle screams, and when the world shakes, perhaps God is knocking. Perhaps He is calling His people to stand firm without becoming hard, to shine brightly without becoming loud, to speak boldly without becoming careless, and to live faithfully without retreating into fear. The church must offer the world more than commentary. It must offer witness.

Because the world does not need another echo of the news cycle. It needs a living witness to the One who does not move.

Those who wait upon the Lord will not be shaken loose from His hand. They will rise. They will run. They will endure. They will soar.

“But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.” Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

Along for the journey.

Discover RESTS That Take Your Worship to the Next Level!

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Take your worship experience to new heights by incorporating the use of powerful RESTs! Let’s explore the most effective ways to incorporate RESTs into your worship routine. These insights will help you connect with God on a deeper level. Create a more intimate atmosphere. Draw closer to the Holy Spirit. Discover the secrets to elevating your worship. Take it to the next level. Whether you’re a worship leader, musician, or simply a passionate worshiper, this post is for you! Get ready to transform your worship and experience the presence of God like never before.

Learning to play the rests



Have you ever felt like your worship experience is just going through the motions? Like you’re singing the right songs, but your heart isn’t really in it? I think we’ve all been there at some point. The good news is that there are ways to break free from that rut. You can take your worship to the next level. That’s where RESTS come in. These are moments of pause. They allow for reflection and create a connection with God that can transform your worship experience.

We face a significant challenge as worship leaders and congregants. It is about creating engaging experiences. These experiences should truly connect us with God. I’ve personally faced this struggle. It’s easy to focus on the production side and lose the heart of worship. Sometimes it feels like we’re just trying to get through the service without any major hiccups. But that’s not what worship is about. It’s about creating a space where we can encounter God in a real way.

So, what holds us back from having those kinds of experiences? For one, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. We keep doing things the way we’ve always done them. We are afraid to try new things or take risks. Or maybe we’re just not sure where to start. Whatever the reason, I believe that incorporating RESTS into our worship can help us break free from those limitations.

Another challenge we face is finding ways to keep our worship fresh and exciting. As musicians, we love to play our instruments. We express ourselves through our instruments. But anyone who has ever played in a band or orchestra knows there are times you are not playing. You experience measures of rests. While you are not actively playing, you are still contributing to the total performance and overall experience. Your silence allows the other voices to be heard more clearly. There might be a nice quiet violin movement. Or an oboe lament could be played. The soaring sound of a piccolo might be featured. An acoustic guitar might be included in a worship band. The effective and deliberate use of rests add, not subtract from a musical experience. So why don’t we pause more in our time of worship? Why are there no rests in our services? Why must there always be some sound and no time for silence?

1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV
[11] The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. [12] After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Elijah had hid himself in a cave for fear of retaliation from Jezebel. While hiding in the cave the Lord came to him and asked him why he was there. Elijah offered some lame excuse. He started to pity himself. He thought he alone was responsible for the people to obey God’s Word. The Lord instructed him to go out and stand on the mountain top. He was to be in the presence of the Lord, for He was soon to pass by.

Elijah did as he was instructed. First, there was a strong wind. A rock and roll show was taking place. The whole mountain was shaking but the Lord wasn’t in the bluster. Then came an earthquake but the Lord wasn’t in that either. After that a raging fire but the Lord wasn’t in that either. After all the bluster a gentle whisper. Worship sets can be exuberant with thundering drums and raging guitars. Oftentimes, God is not in it. The preacher preaches a rousing fire and brimstone message but heaven remains silent. Perhaps we need to rethink our need to be seen and heard. Instead, we should stand in silence. We should wait to hear a gentle whisper.


I’d like to share a powerful testimony with you. I know a church that was struggling to connect with God in their worship. They felt like they were just going through the motions, and their services were feeling stale. So, they decided to try something new. They started incorporating more RESTS into their worship – moments of silence, reflection, and connection with God. And you know what? It completely transformed their services. People were encountering God in a real way, and their worship experience was taken to a whole new level.

That testimony is a great reminder of the impact that RESTS can have on our worship. By incorporating different moments of rests in our worship time, we can create a more dynamic atmosphere. This approach makes worship more engaging. So, I encourage you to consider how you can apply this principle in your own life and times of worship.

Thanks for joining me on this journey of discovery! If you’ve been inspired by this message, I’d love to hear about your own experiences with RESTS in the comments. Don’t forget to check out my other posts for more worship insights – I think you’ll find them really helpful.

This has been a View From the Nest.

Do not forget to comment, like and share so others can receive a blessing. Selah

Worship Is Our Warfare: Reclaiming Praise with Purpose

Allen Frederick Leave a comment
Worship is more than a song. It is a weapon we wield.



In a world noisy with distraction and heavy with unseen battles, worship remains one of the most powerful weapons God has placed in our hands. Not a soundtrack for Sunday. Not an emotional indulgence. But a deliberate, Spirit-anchored declaration that God is God — and we are His.

📖 More Than a Melody — A Battle Cry

Throughout Scripture, we see worship wielded like a sword:

King Jehoshaphat sent singers ahead of soldiers (2 Chronicles 20:21–22), and God Himself set ambushes.

Paul and Silas sang in chains (Acts 16:25–26), and the foundations of the prison trembled.

The psalmist spoke of praises paired with a double-edged sword (Psalm 149:6–9), symbolic of divine authority.

These weren’t acts of passive praise. They were bold movements of faith that invited divine disruption.

🎺 Jericho Jazz & the Wall-Fall Waltz

Now imagine the folks in Jericho watching this parade of priests and trumpeters circle their city. Day after day, they see the same scene: a mariachi band of misfits marching in silence, save for the occasional trumpet blast.

At first, they might have laughed, pointing and jeering from the safety of their walls. But as the days wore on, perhaps their laughter turned to unease. What kind of army fights with music? What kind of strategy is this?

And then, on the seventh day, the music swelled, the people shouted, and the walls that had stood for generations crumbled like sandcastles under a tidal wave.

This wasn’t just a battle won; it was a divine declaration. Worship wasn’t their weapon — it was their witness.

🌊 Noah and the Ark: A Parallel of Faith

The story of Jericho harkens back to Noah, who built the Ark of safety while his neighbors mocked him, believing he had lost his mind. Just as Noah’s neighbors trusted in their own understanding and dismissed the warnings, the people of Jericho trusted in their man-made fortress, believing their walls were impenetrable.

But when the Shout came, their sense of security crumbled along with their walls. They were unprepared because their trust was misplaced.

Thus is the power of praise. Worship centered on God’s might and not on our own creations is our weapon; it is our warfare.

🙌 Worship with Intent, Not Emotion

Vibrant worship is heartfelt, yes — but it is also directed. It honors God not merely in volume or vibe, but in posture:

A posture of surrender, where we relinquish control.

A posture of dependency, where we declare, “You alone are my shield” (Psalm 3:3).

A posture of remembrance, where we reinforce our identity as conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37).

Lip service may sound sweet to ears, but it does not shake kingdoms. True worship is not a performance — it’s a positioning.

🕊️ Where Praise Dwells, God Defends

When our praise rises, God defends.

Psalm 22:3 reminds us that God inhabits the praises of His people. This means that when we worship, we invite His presence into our battles.

Consider the walls of Jericho. They didn’t fall because of brute force or military strategy. They fell because God responded to the faith-filled worship of His people.

In the same way, our worship today can dismantle strongholds — not just physical ones, but spiritual ones.

Reflect & Respond

What walls are you facing? Take a moment to identify the barriers in your life that seem insurmountable.

Where is your trust? Are you relying on your own strength, or are you placing your faith in God’s power?

How can you worship intentionally? Consider ways to make your worship more than a melody — a deliberate act of faith.

As you reflect, remember that worship is not just a song; it’s a stance. It’s not just an expression; it’s an invitation for God to move.

So lift your voice, raise your hands, and let your praise rise. The walls won’t stand a chance.

Let’s Hear Your Voice

Testimony of God’s deliverance, shout your praise, sound your trumpet of triumph, and join us in marching together as we worship the King of Kings. Share your thoughts and comments — we’d love to hear from you!

This has been a View From the Nest. Be sure to like and share! Until next time, be blessed!

🪨 Shelter in the Storm: Anchored in the Rock Before the Winds Rise

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

The winds howl. The headlines scream. Homes are shattered, hearts are heavy, and the world trembles beneath a thousand storms—natural, emotional, spiritual. And in the middle of it all, an old hymn whispers with unwavering faith:

Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm.

This isn’t just poetic comfort—it’s spiritual survival. A Shelter in the Time of Storm, written in the late 1800s by Vernon Charlesworth, was born out of a world worn down by hardship. It became a lifeline sung by fishermen steering into stormy harbors, echoing through orphanages ministering to broken souls, and later reimagined by Ira Sankey to stir congregations across oceans. Its refrain is timeless—because the Rock it speaks of is eternal.

Storms will come. And when they do, it’s not doctrine or dogma that saves us—it’s Christ Himself. Scripture declares:

“The Lord has been our dwelling place in all generations… He is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.” (Psalm 90:1, 18:2)

But in the middle of the storm—when thunder drowns out reason and lightning blinds perspective—it’s difficult to fix your eyes on anything but the chaos. That’s why it’s vital to know the Rock before the storm hits. Calm seas are the classroom. Quiet days are the training ground. Every peaceful moment spent abiding in Him becomes a spiritual anchor when the winds rise.

When you know Jesus in the stillness, you recognize Him in the storm.
He’s not just refuge; He’s recognition.
Not just shelter; He’s strength.
Not just security; He’s sovereign.

And as the world reels from wildfires, floods, wars, and heartache—this hymn becomes a holy declaration: we are not unmoored. The storm may be raging, but the Rock is not shaking. In Him, we find not just protection—but peace.

So today, as tempests swirl around us, let this truth settle deep into your spirit:
Jesus is sure, sound, safe, and secure. He is your Shelter. He is your Storm-Calmer. He is your Rock—now and forever.
This has been a View From the Nest, please like and share and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date when new posts are added. Thank you for stopping by.

Allen Scott