Jesus Loves You

We are a hurting world.  We are a sad world. We are a sinful world.

We want peace. We want our politicians to be the hero and make everything ok.

There is only one who can bring peace to our nation.

The One True God.

Do you know Him?

God wants a relationship with each of us.  He wants us to be fully devoted to Him.

He doesn't give us a list of rules and regulations. He wants us to admit our need for Him due to our sinful nature.  He wants us to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He wants us to confess our faith in Him.  He wants us to place Him at the center of our lives and live for Him in each and everything we do.

And yes, that may mean giving up some things.  That may mean a lifestyle change. That may mean the loss of relationships.

But you know what?  God gave His Son for us.  He loves us and He wants us to love Him.

Our world will never know true peace unless every single person on this earth knows and loves and serves Jesus Christ.

Our world will never know true peace until every knee bows and prays to the One True God.

A life lived for Christ is so much more glorious than a life lived for anything else.  We are not promised tomorrow. We are not able to take our possessions with us when we pass from this earth....and we will pass from this earth.  Our bodies are tents for our souls. One day our tents will serve us no more. Our souls will move from our bodies to eternity......either heaven or hell......eternal peace or eternal turmoil.

Jesus loves you so much that He gave his life so that we can spend eternity in heaven, eternity in peace.  Why would we not accept that gift?  If you were starving would you deny the food and water placed before you?  If your house was burning, would you deny the hoses that would extinguish it? Then why would you deny Christ who offers you more than this world ever could?

In June of 2004, 12 years ago, I made a life changing decision. I chose to live my life for Jesus.  I admitted my need for him. I was a sinner. I still am, but now I'm forgiven. I chose to believe that Jesus is God's son, that he died for my sins and rose from the grave so that I would not have to face eternal death in hell.  I confessed my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior in Lord. I told of my salvation, I stood before the church, I followed Jesus in baptism.

Every day I am growing, changing, and learning.  I am not perfect. I am a sinner and won't be perfect until I reach my heavenly home.  But Christ lives within me.  He is my one desire.

Yes, I love my husband. Yes, I love my children.  But I can NOT be the wife and mother they need me to be without putting Christ first in my life.  Jesus loves me and I love Him.

And He loves you too.

Oh, I pray that each of you who read these words would know and love Jesus the way that I do.....

If we all, each of us that walk this earth, if we all knew and loved and shared Jesus......my, what a different world we would live in.

Do you know Jesus? Do you love Him?

Jesus loves you!


If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior,  and you are feeling Him tug on your heart, you've pushed him to the side long enough......don't deny him any longer. Open your heart to Him now!

If you do know Jesus, share Him with others.  God commands us to do so.  We aren't meant to keep Him to ourselves.  When something good happens to us, don't we share it?  Don't we rush to Facebook and Instagram and post away?  Well, why not flood social media with the greatest news of all??? Can you imagine logging on to Facebook and seeing nothing but the love of Jesus instead of the hatred and trickery of Satan????

Y'all, this world scares me.  I think of how it has changed since I was a kid and what my children are witnessing and what they will experience in their lifetime.  But this world will not change unless Christians stand up and share Christ.  We must pray without ceasing instead of praying when disaster strikes. Imagine a world where we are united in Christ.  Right now we've let Satan divide us through gender, race, sexuality, politics, and religion. We need to be united in Christ.  We must be united in Christ.

Jesus loves you. What are you going to do about it?

Five Minute Friday: Good

I anticipated this week's word to be FINISH, but I was wrong.  I'm ok with today's word.  It's really good.

There is so much wrong in the world. So much negative. I loathe watching the news. Hate it with a passion.  There's never anything good.

Recently, I wrote a blog post about a bad week I was having and then making the choice to focus on the positive.  Each day, that is what I will try to do when things don't seem to be going my way.

Why?  Well, because of Jesus.

You see, I have this relationship with Him.  He has been so good to me, and I owe it to Him to be the best I can be....for Him.

He loves me.

On this Good Friday, as I read scripture with my children, I am reminded that, although brutal, Jesus' death was good.  It had to happen. It was in God's plan.  Had Jesus not died for me that day, I would have no hope.

For me, looking for the good, having that hope, is a way to honor Jesus. It is pleasing to him. When I can praise Him in my storms, that can show others that my faith, my hope is in Him.  Jesus is my all in all.  He made the ultimate sacrifice for me.  The least I can do is look for the good and help others to see that regardless of what's wrong in the world, that there is still hope. There's still Jesus.

Thank you for sharing this Good Friday with me.  I pray that you and your family focus on Jesus. If you don't know Him personally, seek Him. And remember. A lot can happen in 3 days.

Five Minute Friday: Glue

It's that time of the week again. The time to inhale the word that Lisa-Jo throws out there and let whatever is stirred pour out from your fingertips...Yes, Five Minute Friday.  You can head over to Lisa-Jo's to find out how to join in or just read some amazing words.

Today's word: GLUE.

Go.

Sometimes it is just hard to keep it together.  You feel as if you are about to become unglued, and the pieces are about to fall apart.  But still there is something deep inside holding it all together. 

How do you keep it together when you Skype with your husband and he must take cover because his compound is under attack? 

How do you keep it together when the doctor tells you your baby stopped growing? 

How do you keep it together when your preteen hates you because he hates everything and doesn't understand the changes that are occurring within, that crazy thing puberty?  

How do you keep it together when you are scared of 9 year olds in your classroom? 

How do you keep it together when you are tired, and frustrated, and well.....tired?

Jesus.

Sweet, sweet Jesus.

He is my glue.  He keeps me together.  I could sing that He is my sunshine after the rain. 

My sweet Jesus.  The best thing I have ever done is admit that I am nothing but broken without him.  He keeps me together. 

My Rock. My Salvation. My Everything. 


STOP

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I'd love to hear what GLUE has stirred in you.

There's Just Something About that Name

As parents, we put a lot of thought into naming our children.  We consider family names along with names that we just like.  As a teacher, it gets a little tricky.  You don't want your child to have the same name as the kid that you have to call down a million times a day.

Names mean something to us.  They are special. My children have first names that are family names and middle names that we liked.  They all go by their middle names, but that first name is still special.  I like to remind them often the importance of their names.  Carson, for instance, is named after my grandfather.  He was such a special man to me (always made me feel like I was his favorite even if I wasn't).  But when I look at this picture, I am reminded of my grandfather, not just because Carson is named after him, but because of his mannerisms.

With a name, there comes an expectation. An expectation of character and performance.  In the Bible, there are so many instances where a child was named based on the expectation that was set for that child or based on the circumstances surrounding the child's birth.

But the name above all names: Jesus.  That name, saying it, hearing it, reading it, singing it, that name just does something to my soul.  There is such power in the name of Jesus. This morning in church as we sang There's Just Something About that Name, my heart softened, goosebumps spread across my body, tears filled my eyes, Jesus was felt in my soul.  My whole being just opened up to his holiness, his awesomeness, his glory, and his power.  There is nothing better than feeling the presence of the one true King.

Take a moment today to soak yourself in his presence.  Let his glory fill your soul and feel the power in his name.

Arise My Love

Sometimes a song says it all.

Today, it was every song we sang during our worship service.

Steal my show

This is probably my favorite song right now. Can you imagine if we all had this attitude?

Are you a good sheep?

John 10: 1-16 NKJV
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
⁷ Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who ever came before Me^[a] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. ¹² But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. ¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Today's Sunday school lesson was over the above passage.  I had a really hard time preparing for the lesson.  I don't know if I wasn't as prayerful about it or if it was because I waited until the last minute, but I did struggle with the preparation.  The message just didn't click with me.

But then we had class, and I was moved.

Isn't God just so cool?!?

As we started discussing the scripture, there were a few things that really stood out:

First, Jesus is the door to heaven.  He doesn't tell us that He is a door or one of the doors. He tells us that He is THE door.  That means not all paths lead to heaven.  Many people think they are good enough to get to heaven. Some religions think you buy your way in to heaven.  Some believe there is no guarantee you will go to heaven.  Others believe there is no heaven.  Jesus is the one and only way.

Another thing was the scattering of the sheep part.  Satan is so deceptive. He is really good at it.  He can make things look really good to where we don't think anything is wrong with it.  That is how Satan scatters the flock (how he makes us backslide or turn our backs on Jesus).  Satan is a liar. He is a thief.  He is that nagging voice that tells us we aren't good enough, we aren't forgiven, there is no hope.  How then do we win the battle? It isn't our battle to win. It is the Lord's.  We must lean on Him. We must feed on His Word.  We must spend time with Him.  He will provide us with the armor needed to defeat the devil. 

Along the same lines, I wonder where all the Christians are.  I am disturbed more and more everyday by things that I see, hear, and read.  I loathe the news.  I try not to watch or read much of it.  But somehow, I came across an article about Hobby Lobby and how the company is in trouble for not providing the health care coverage that would allow their employees to have access to the morning after pill.  They don't want to provide it because it goes against their religious beliefs.  The company is being fined and sued for not supporting a morning after pill.  Another thing that I learned today was that in a World Religion class being taken by teens, Christianity is not included. Seriously.  I don't understand that.

So, where are we Christians?  What is is going to take for us to stand up and say, "We've had enough. We are tired of being pushed to the side because of what we believe. We are tired of  our religious freedoms being taken away because we believe in Jesus."  Am I the only one who sees it?  Christians can't speak up for what is biblical because people don't want to be told what is right and wrong. They don't want to be told what is moral or immoral.  They don't want to be told about Jesus.  If we do those things, we are infringing on the rights of people who don't believe what we believe.  What about our rights? Why is it that we have to stay quiet just because we believe in the Bible?

Another thing about today's scripture that touched me was verse 10.  Just coming out of the Christmas holiday with shopping and Santa Claus, it was good to talk about gifts.  I can list what packages were opened and what they contained, but those aren't the gifts that Jesus is talking about. He isn't talking about the abundance of stuff. 

When we discussed our favorite gifts from this Christmas, one class member talked about how the family was really dreading Christmas because her father passed away on Christmas day of last year.  She knew it would be a struggle. However, the family spent time watching old home movies and reminiscing. They felt a peace. They knew they would one day see their loved one again because of Jesus.  Another class member talked about the gift of just being still, being together.  Those, my friend, are the gifts that Jesus gives. That is the abundance He is talking about. 

If we are stressing over having to buy the next big screen plasma HD TV or iPod touch or whatever else, we are missing the point of living an abundant life.  When we focus on all the stuff, and not just at Christmas time, but all year, when we focus on all that, we lose focus of the real gifts.

The gift of salvation.

The gift of joy.

The gift of hope.

The gift of peace. 

The gift of love. 

When you find joy in cuddling on the couch with your loved ones, that is an abundant life.

When you find the peace of knowing you will see your friend, mother, father, loved one again in heaven because you both have a relationship with Christ, that is an abundant life.

When you feel the peace and comfort from spending a sleepless night in prayer over a situation you have no control over, that is an abundant life. 

When your six year old has a prayer request or stands ups and sings in church, that is an abundant life.

When you can't get enough of Jesus, that is an abundant life. 

Jesus is the Good Shepard.  I want to be a good sheep.  I want to allow Him to lead me and guide me. I want to allow Him to protect me and guard me.  I want to allow Him to feed me and nourish me.  He loves me, and I love Him.

Wives of Faith Christmas Blog Carnival: Day 7 - Jesus is the Reason for the Season

As a kid, I knew about Jesus.  I played Mary in our Christmas program at church.  I knew we celebrated Christmas because it was Jesus' birthday. 

As I have grown older though, the whole Christmas season just touches my heart more and more.  As a kid our mentality was, "Give me, give me, give me."  Now, I have the mentality of, "Give to, give to, give to."

I teach my children that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ.  That He was God's gift to us. God gave us the gift of Jesus because he loves us.  I tell them that we give gifts to others to show that we love them, but we could never give a gift that tops the gift of Jesus. 

I try to teach my children to give.  To love. To think of others. 

Recently, we took the children from church to shop for a child in foster care.  As I tucked Carson into bed that night, I told him I was proud of him for helping out and caring about others. Carson said he didn't help out because he didn't give his opinion about what to buy.  I told him that he did help out.....How he wanted to know. 

By the 3 gold dollar coins he put in the Salvation Army bucket. 

"Really, Mama? That helped somebody?" 

"Yes, Honey. That helped somebody." 

A mere 30 seconds later, I hear, "Wait guys. We need to wait for Colin."  I had to turn to see what my oldest was doing to hold up his group.

He was putting money in the red bucket.

Red.

Bucket.

Love.

So that our joy may be full. 

I was proud of my boys. They gave on their own accord. Nobody told them to. Nobody else in the group did.  They gave out of love (even if Carson didn't understand at first). 

Jesus gave of His own accord.  He had the power to change things. But He didn't. He came and gave out of love. 

Please join me and Wives of Faith by joining in the Christmas Blog Carnival. Today's topic is:  Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. Share about a time when you have witnessed this in a miraculous way.

he was after me

I absolutely love VBS. Today at Calvary we started our Big Apple Adventure.

My day didn't start out as a great adventure though.

As I was finishing up getting the boys ready, hurrying to get out the door, Colin's friend that was going with us called to make sure I knew I was supposed to pick him up. If you aren't sure which friend, click here. So then on our way to get our friend, Colin lied to me about his Poptart, yes, his Poptart. When we got to church, I had found that some things in my room had been messed with. I spent a couple of hours Friday getting that room ready, so having things out of place added to my frustration. Then Hilarie comes in and said "they," whoever that was, moved furniture out of her room so she needed the cushions I was using from the couch she wasn't planning to use. Several little people found their way to my room and started getting wild so I had to kick them out.

Finally, I began to take deep breaths before I lost my temper. Yes, in church, on the first day of VBS.

I started feeling better until my 5 year old decided to suffer from ODD. For those of you non teachers, that means oppositional defiant disorder. Usually it is diagnosed by a doctor, but I have had lots of experience with it, so I know it when I see it. Said child was miraculously cured when I threatened a spanking, yes, a spanking in church.

Whew! Breathing deeply again.

Morning Bible study goes well. My 11 kiddies are well behaved and much smarter than me! So after rotation of extra classes we head back for closing Bible study.

There are youth in my room setting up a ping pong table! Yes, a ping pong table, in my room, at church, on the first day of VBS. I informed said youth we were having Bible study. Their response, "Oh."

Oh.

Breathe.

All in all it was a great day. I stayed as calm as possible and didn't let things discourage me to the point of forgetting the POINT of the day. I know Satan was after me. He knows my weakness and knew it was a prime time to attack me. But God is stronger. He kept me calm. He allowed me to keep my mind on teaching my 3rd and 4th graders today.

I love VBS. Not only do I get to teach children about Jesus, but He reaches my heart too and draws me closer. I am thankful he stood by me this morning so I would be my best for my kids.

He was 33

This year I will turn 34 years old.

As I get older, I realize more and more that my life is but vapor. I am not guaranteed tomorrow. Therefore, I must make the most of each day.

Jesus did.

When he died, Jesus was 33 years old.

My age.

He ministered for 3 years before his death.

Yet he left a legacy.


So, I pause to think about my life.

I've been a Christian for 7 years, more than double the length of Jesus' ministry. I ask the question, "If I died today, would I leave a legacy?"

Sure I want people to remember me as a good person, but more than that I want to leave behind a Jesus loving generation, people who love Him because I radiated his love to them.

Sometimes I find myself being more patient and loving toward strangers and losing my temper with my household. Sometimes I find myself caring more about my family's needs than the needs of the lost.  Sometimes I find myself totally lost in the shuffle of life, not knowing whether I'm coming or going.  At all of these times, I am convicted. 

I thank God for conviction.

It makes me STOP and look at MYSELF. 

It makes me STOP and think about HIM.

It makes me STOP and remember that I AM NOT PERFECT.

It makes me STOP and realize that I WANT DESIRE TO BE MORE LIKE HIM.

I am thankful that the conviction touches me in way that I don't run away, but run toward Jesus. That my eyes are truly opened to the fact that I messed up, that I wasn't following his lead, that I wasn't be "very Christian."

I am 33.  I am a sinner. I have a great love for my Jesus. I have a great desire to be more like him and follow God's plan for my life. I pray daily that he will make me the woman he has planned, that I would be open to his will and not shy away from what he wishes for me.

He was 33. He lived a simple life. He loved.  He was betrayed.  He was beaten. Humiliated. Crucified.  He died for me. For you.

I thank Jesus for the love he shows me all the time, not just when I do good.  For the patience he has for me (he knows I need it). 

Are You Prepared.

At lunch today Monday (this is one of those 3 day posts CrazyMum), we were discussing the events going on in Japan. I am so saddened by the devastation. Because of my husband's job, we know some Japanese people. Although they live in Japan, they are away from the destruction. Jeffrey is supposed to be traveling to Nagoya in the coming weeks. I am so not wanting him to go.

Anyway. Back to our lunch conversation....

We were talking about being prepared for an earthquake here. Yes, here in south central Kentucky. We had a small one a few years back. I remember waking to the sound of rumbling. I was in the bed with the boys (they weren't feeling well), and Jeff was on the couch (no he wasn't in trouble).  I thought it was thundering until it kept on and I realized the house was shaking. I remember thinking how cool it was. Weird right?  Anyway, we practically live on a fault line. Our area has small tremors every once in a while.

Ok, back to being prepared....

Honestly, as far as being prepared for an earthquake here, we really aren't.  We do earthquake drills at school along with other emergency drills. I've talked with my own children about what to do if we have one (don't lay in bed thinking it is cool like mama).  But really, what can we be prepared for?

I took lamaze classes with all of my pregnancies to prepare for birth.  However, each experience was different and things happened that I wasn't prepared for.  I pushed for 3 hours with Colin and they almost had to use alternate methods to get him out. Carson was rushed outof the room because of his lungs, plus my own oxygen level was low (didn't know that until I was in labor with Carter). Carter came FAST. 

When I got married, I planned for months to have a perfect wedding.  We made changes to decorating the night before. It was actually a warmer day, and I had to turn on the air in the church so I wouldn't pass out.

I prepare for each school year. But I never know how it is going to go until I actually get to working with the children.

I am preparing for my future by saving extra retirement money.

With any of these circumstances, anything can happen to change things. 

The only thing we can prepare for is our eternal destination.  So that is when I said during our conversation at lunch, "I'm glad I know Jesus."

You see, because I know Jesus, I know where I will spend eternity.  Do I want to die? No, but I don't have to fear death. I don't have to fear earthquakes, tornados, cancer, or a heart attack.  I don't want those to happen, but I don't have to fear. I know Jesus. I know where I stand with Him. I know He will take me to my heavenly home when it is time.  I am prepared for eternity because of my relationship with him.

Can you say that?

Can you say that if you died today, right this very minute as you are reading these words, that without a shadow of a doubt, you would spend eternity in heaven?

If you can't, PLEASE do something about it.  Please, I beg you. 

We are NOT promised tomorrow.

We are promised an eternity with our King if we know him.

Do you know Him?

Prepare today if you don't.

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16


Thank you, Father, for loving me that much.

New Bible Study

So you see, a very LLLLOOOOOONNNGGG time ago, I purchased this book:

I had planned on starting this new Bible Study then, but I failed. I haven't even made it through the introduction. It is a 90 day study about JESUS.


I desperately want to start this, but I'd like for some of you to join me, making me accountable and to share how this study touches your (OUR) lives.

I will create a post every evening/night (Beginning Monday, January 10) to share my reflections on that day's study. If you are a fellow blogger, I'll have it set up to where you can link up and allow others to view your reflections. Those that aren't bloggers, can leave a comment with your reflections.

How does that sound?

If you are interested please let me know.

Facebook Birth Announcement

I saw this video at CrazyMum's blog and just had to post it here.

BUT it wouldn't fit for some reason. Crazy Blogger settings.

Any, you can check it out here.

He is Risen!

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”

And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

Luke 24:1-12

Jesus Loves Me

This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the LORD directed me."


Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.


Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.

While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”

Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”

Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”

But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”

When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”

And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.


Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.


Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

“ They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots."

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS
THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.

And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.


Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.

The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.


Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.


On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night' and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Matthew 27 NKJV

The story does not end here however........

Back into the swing of things???

How how nice it was to go back to church today! Although I still feel quite terrible, I was able to make it to church to teach my Sunday school class and work the nursery. There was only one darling in the nursery.....the same darling that was my teacher's assistant during Sunday school because he didn't want to go to his class! With Carson's pneumonia, Colin's headcold, and my sinus infection, we had to miss church for the last couple of weeks. The last time I went was for Colin's Christmas program. Last Sunday night was our candlight service. I spent the entire day on the couch.

I hope everyone has been enjoying their Christmas. Colin got up yesterday morning and said, "Merry Christmas, Mama. Oh, Christmas day is over so I probably shouldn't say that." I told him that was ok. We should celebrate Christmas everyday! He liked that.

What a sweet season Christmas is! Growing up, I knew that Christmas celebrated the birth of Jesus. However, as a Christian, it is even more special. God gave us His son as a gift. What an amazing gift! Having opened my heart and received that gift personally, makes Christmas even more special. I savor the sights, smells, and sounds of Christmas. I'm in no rush to take my trees down and put my decorations away. I guess if it wasn't considered to be so redneck, I'd keep them up all year! Yes, I did change my blog background, but I am hoping to see some snow before we head back to school on January 4. A girl can dream can't she?!?

Merry Christmas to you, everyday!

When is Your Birthday?

Unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:3

As a mom, I can attest to the miracle of having a child. The whole process from conception to birth is a miracle. The transformation from an infant to a child is also miraculous. Each milestone my boys reach is a miracle. With this baby growing inside of me, I am blessed to be part of yet another miracle.

However, being born again is perhaps the greatest miracle. When we celebrate our physical birthdays, shouldn't we celebrate our spiritual birthdays as well, the day we were born again?

My spiritual birthday was June 18, 2004.

My husband's spiritual birthday was June 20, 2004.

Colin's spiritual birthday was October 28, 2008.

Being born again is a gift from our Father through Jesus Christ. Because of sin, we are unfit for the kingdom of God. We are separated from our Father in Heaven. However, because Jesus humbled himself and came to earth to become the sacrifice for our sin, we are able to have our sin washed away to be bound for life to our Father.

There were times in my life I never felt good enough for anyone or anything. There were things in my life I was ashamed of and felt those things made me unworthy. But the more I learned about God and the love He has for me (and you), the more I saw and knew that I was good enough for someone.....HIM. He had a plan for me. I had to realize too that Satan had a plan for me. I had allowed him to control my life and it was difficult to turn away. It was so easy to believe I would be made fun of, ridiculed, and still be a fool. But on that Friday morning in June of 2004, I made a decision. I decided to let God have control of my life. Yes, it was MY decision. No one could make it for me. At the time, when I decided to make a visit instead of a phone call, I was unaware of what was ahead of me. God knew, and He gave me the wisdom to turn my car around and go to my pastor's office. I can't explain how it all happened. I don't know why that day was any different than any other. I just know that a battle was going on that day, a battle for my soul. God was victorious.

After I opened my heart to Jesus that morning, my life was different. I felt different. I saw things differently. I thought, spoke, and acted differently. Of course it didn't happen all at once. It was a process. Just like when we grow as children, that is a process. We have to grow and develop spiritually just like we do physically. We can't compare ourselves to others spiritually just like we can't compare ourselves to others physically. We are unique creatures. We are not like anyone else. God made us special that way.

What better way to show we love Him than to accept the gift of His son Jesus Christ? We have to humble ourselves which isn't always easy. For me, I feel like I'm a pretty independent person. I hate to ask for help or let people volunteer to help me. It is difficult to say sometimes, "I've messed up. Please help me." We feel like a failure if we do. However, in God's eyes, I think we are a failure if we don't. He wants us to tell Him we've made a mess of things and allow Him to work through us. That is nothing to be embarrassed about.

As you celebrate this Christmas, I pray that you may also be able to celebrate the fact that you have a spiritual birthday. If you have not yet asked Jesus to be your Savior, I pray that you would humble yourself and do that. It will be the greatest decision of your life.