Furry Feline Friends

Its been a while since I even pulled my blog up on my computer.  As I sit and type right now, its funny, because the newest member of our family is sitting on the arm of the couch watching me type.  Actually, she's sleeping.  Its so sweet because she's either sitting next to me like shes is now or curled up on the back of the couch behind me.  You see, we decided to get my daughter a new kitty for Christmas.  It was a last minute decision.  I'd seen on a friend's Facebook page, wehre they had some kittens to give away.  By the time I'd discussed it with my husband, all the kitties were gone.  I was heart broken.  Not for just my daughter but for myself.  We use to have a big fat white cat that my sister gave us a few years ago.  He was just a baby when we got him.  I've always wanted a big fluffy kitty.  And he was perfect.  One big ball of fluff!  We tossed names around a lot and we were going to go with Boomer, but went with Stoops instead. Why Stoops?   Because my husband is a DIE hard OU fan.  My daughter was just beginning to talk when we got the cat, so when she said his name, it didnt come out Stoops...but Poots instead.  She'd call him Pootsie or Poops. Turned out the name POOPSIE fit him well.   We ended up having to put him outside not long after we got him though.  He refused to use his litterbox.  He would use the floor instead.  I would clean up the mess, move the litterbox and then he'd find a different location to use.  I'd had enough.  So out he went.  He seemed to be more content outside too.  He was always a bit moody from the start.  And dont ever try to pet him anywhere--except just behind his little ears.  Other wise, CHOMP--he'd try to bite ya.
Through the big snow storm we had a few years ago, to the miserable heat 2 summers in a row, he survived outside.  But sadly, we discovered he was missing a few months ago.  And then about 3 weeks ago, my husband found what was left of the cat, in our back lot.  Just a pile of fur and bones. =(
My assumption is that a dog got through the fence from neighbors behind our house.
I miss that grouchy old fat cat. He may be gone, but he won't be forgotten.
And so, thats where the story of the new kitty, CoCo, comes about.  She's about 12 weeks old.  And she's got a super sweet personality.  She was a bit skittish at first when we brought her home but thats understandable.  My daughter keeps her in her bedroom with her.  We've managed to get her introduced to the dogs.  Our big dog, stays outside most of the time and its a good thing, because he'd squish her!
Our little dog..she's pretty curious about her still.  She won't hardly leave her alone and insists on pestering Coco to death!
She's a pretty good fit for our family.  Im so thankful that my husband found the ad when he did for her.  She was already litter box trained and that was a HUGE plus, especially considering the issues with our other cat and his NOT using the litter box.  That lil turkey.  Its been nice to have a cute curious little kitty around the house-especially one that will play for a while and then settle down and just snooze next to ya.

What is WOF?

How many of you have seen the letters WOF in the last few days?  What do those letters mean?  Just what do they stand for?  Well, I'll tell you.  They stand for WOMEN OF FAITH. Women of Faith is a faith-based women's organization encouraging women of all ages and stages in life to grow in faith and spiritual maturity through a relationship with Jesus Christ and an understanding of God’s love and grace.

This is the first year since the conferences started, 16 years ago, that I've been able to attend.  And I hope that its not only the first, but the first of MANY that I am able to attend.   I saw the posters talking about it at church WEEKS ago and I wanted to go as soon as I saw the line up.  I was all set to sign up to go and it turned out that I was not going to be able to swing going.  I just couldn't do it financially b/c some various things came up.  Seems like that always happens to me.  I was very disappointed, but didn't dwell on it too long.  And then a couple of weeks ago, while I was taking a lunch break at work, I found out that I had been given the chance to go anyway.  That was a pure gift from the Lord!  In fact, I told my husband and my parents that "God knows I NEED to go, and He's provided the way."

I was so excited about going.  I'd heard several girls talking about Patsy Clairmont in the past and what an amazing and hilarious woman she was.  OMG--I have not laughed quite so hard in so long.  Thank you Jesus for the gift of laughter.  I've heard its one of the best medicines there is.   She has over come so much in her life, emotionally and its because of her faith in Christ.  As I listened to her speak this weekend, there were several times that I thought to myself, "Im not alone.  There really ARE people who understand." 
Anxiety and depression--they are very real.  They are not just made up.  They are not issues that can just be turned off with a switch.  They can be very very serious.  I know--I've dealt with both, and still do to some extent.  One comment she made this weekend was in regards to taking medication for it.  She basically stated, that if you have to take medication to help you deal with these kinds of issues, and to help you get through your day, then do it!  And dont let ANYONE make you feel badly for it--afterall, the good Lord is the one who gave someone else the ability and brains to become doctors to treat illness and diseases.

Brenda Warner:  Talk about an awesome testimony.  I was in awe of her as I listened to her. She gave her life to Christ when she was 12.  She joined the Marine's when she was 18.   She got married and had a baby boy.  His name was Zack.   When Zack was 3 1/2 months old, he had accidentally slipped from his birth father's hands and landed on his head in the bathtub. Brenda and her husband were told that the baby had suffered traumatic brain injuries and probably would not live through the night. And if Zack did live, Brenda was told, her son would be profoundly brain-damaged and most likely unable to live anything resembling a normal life.  The little boy did live. And although his brain had been badly damaged--he is nearly blind and his motor skills are minimal--Zack is also a happy and loved child. 
She said one day her mamma was trying to get her to get out of the house.  She'd been avoiding it basically.  She shared with us that, "I decided to tell God what it was that I wanted.  After all, isn't that what we all do?"  All of us women at the conference just laughed.  She went on to tell the rest of the story with how she met her husband, NFL's own Kurt Warner.   She met him one night and the very next day he showed up on her doorstep.  He wanted to meet her kids.  And that was it.  Their love story goes on from there.  He loved her kids immediately.   She said it gain:  "He loved and cared about my kids."  Her story didn't stop with Kurt.  She lost her parents to a tornado that destroyed their home.  She was only 25 when that happened.  She spoke about the phone call she recieved from her sister, letting her know about her folks.  She went through SO much between the ages of 18-25--how can you not be in awe of someone's faith through so much?   She never gave up.  She never lost her faith in the Lord.  Brenda and Kurt have 7 kids.  And the Lord continues to bless them each and every day. 

Lisa Welchel:  LOVE her!!  Loved the fact that she brought clips from The Facts Of Life with her to share with all of us at the conference.  I've always thought she was SO pretty!!  I kept thinking the entire weekend, 'wow, its Blair!!'   However, it was not Blair Warner....it was Lisa Welchel.   She became a Christian when she was 10.  She knew that how easy it is and can be to go down the wrong path in life like many do, but she chose to go down the path  that followed the Lord.  I don't know about anyone else, but when I was a kid, I never really thought about 'people on tv' being Christians.  It was humbling to me to watch her yesterday as we sang and praised our Heavenly Father.  It was cool to sit and listen to her speak of her faith.  She spoke about prayer, the importance of friendships and the power of prayer.

Sandy Patty:  What I knew about her, was that my mother and sister have always loved to listen to her music.  I knew she had an amazing singing voice, but I have never gotten to hear it in person until this weekend.  She wanted to work at Disney Land, singing and dancing.  She auditioned when she was 18.  She got out there, sung her heart out and noticed that one of the judges dog-eared her papers.  She said she thought to herself, that had to be a good sign.  They told her they'd be calling to let her know something.  She waited, and waited and waited.  She finally decided to call and see what was going on.  They told her they loved her voice and that her singing was fabulous.  But that she hand't danced the way they had hoped she would.  The next words that would be spoken, were crushing.  "Im sorry, but your carrying a little bit too much weight."  But she didn't let that stop her from pursuing her dreams of singing.  She headed to Indiana and studied music there.  She eventually started traveling with Bill and Gloria Gaither and her singing career took off from there.  One thing she stated yesterday was that she can look back now at various things she's dealt with over the  years and instead of seeing them as disappointments, she clearly sees the Lord's hand in everything. 

Marilyn Meberg: When I first saw the poster at church for Women Of Faith, I'll admit that upon seeing her picture and even when we got to the arena yesterday, that I thought to myself, "She looks so serious.  She'll be the 'boring' one to listen to."  Quite the opposite.  She was as fun and spunky as Patsy Clairmont.   Its clear that she's a genuine dear friend to the rest of the girls on the Women Of Faith 'porch.'  She's become like a mom to a couple of the girls.  She reminds me of my grandma actually--probably because she's tall and thin.   She's got a book called, What To Do When the Roof Caves In that talks about what to do emotioinally in tough hard times.  I can't wait to get my hands on it to read.  Oh...and she loves chocolate! :)
Who doesn't?

Mandisa: What a wonderful voice!  I love to hear her sing.  She's gone from singing in her bathroom using her curling iron as a microphone, to being a finalist on American Idol, and overcoming mountains, with the Lord's help.  She's genuine and real and lets everyone know that you don't have to wear a mask.  Just be yourself.  Don't try to hide or cover anything up.  Just because your a christian doesnt mean that you don't have problems.  If your struggling, let someone know.  If you need prayers, ask!  Don't hide your feelings and emotions.  If you need to cry, CRY. Don't keep it locked up inside.  Whatever we are dealing with, God will bring us out of it and use it for His Glory.

And....Andy Andrews.  I may be mentioning him last, but he is certainly not least.  He's hailed as New York Times best selling author, a modern day Will Rogers, he has been asked to speak at the White House by 4 different US Presidents.  He lost both of his parents when he was just 19.  That in itself broke my heart to hear.  He took that bad situation and made it worse, and he eventually became homeless.  He asked himself the question, “Is life just a lottery ticket, or are there choices one can make to direct his future?”  He headed to the library and began to read various biographies.  The rest is history.  His bio can be read here:
http://www.andyandrews.com/pages/about-andy-andrews/biography/

What do all of these people have in common, other than the fact that they were all at WOF?  They are people.  And they are human.  Just like you, just like me, just like everyone.  They have good days, and they have bad days.  They go through trials and have mountains they must climb.  They have triumphs and they have disappointments.  And through each and every one of their lives, God has remained in the center. 
Each of them has a testimony of what the Lord has done in their lives, and they shared those testimonies this weekend.  All of us laughed and we cried, and we laughed some more. 
Just because someone is famous, doesn't mean that they don't have a story to share.  And it might be a story worth listening to, because it just might help someone else to know that they are never alone...because Jesus is ALWAYS there. 

OH!! I almost forgot.  We also had the privilige of hearing the fabulous Amy Grant!  No, sorry, Vince didn't make an appearance with her.  But she shared her heart through some wonderful songs. 

Feelings

This is not the first time I've decided to write about feelings. After all, we do all have them. At least I think we do. I guess there are those out there who are so stone cold to everything that they don't know how to crack a smile, shed a tear, or have a good laugh.

The last time I wrote on feelings, it was simply titled "Compassion". What is that? Here's the definition of compassion: Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy (for the suffering of others) are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.

I'll give you a few seconds to ponder and chew on that one. Go back and read it over again if you need to.

Most who know me, know I have a very tender heart. It doesn't take much to make me teary eyed. And it doesn't always have to be something sad. I have shed many tears that were happy tears. Is that a problem that I have a soft heart? It shouldn't be. I'm not blind, I've seen the look on some people's faces when I start getting teary eyed about something. Its a look of "Oh good grief, here she goes again!!!" Well, to that I say...."WHATEVER!" That's just who I am. Its the way that the Lord made me and wired me to be. It simply means that he gave me a compassionate heart.

I don't have to know someone to show compassion for them. I don't have to KNOW what they are dealing with. It does help to know though, so that I know what how to lift them up in prayer. I myself have been known to have a conversation with people and I can see the tears well up in their eyes. And then of course, here come the water works for myself. But that's what we are to do. Listen, have compassion, and love one another.

New International Version (NIV)Luke 6:31
31 Do to others as you would have them do to you

.Is that really so hard to do? Believe me, its NOT hard. I've had people in the past that I have had words with, and just not gotten along with them. I prayed and asked the Lord to help me with that. I have gone to that person, apologized for the bad attitude and asked for forgiveness. Was that hard? Uh, YA..its called letting go of pride and letting your guard down. But it goes along with Luke 6:31..b/c you treat others the way you want to be treated. I've heard people quote that, and they certainly don't practice it.

The whole point in me writing about this again, is because of the fact that as I have already said, I have a very tender heart. And when I hear of someone losing their battle, with the same disease that my son fights every single day, the compassion doesnt just go away. Instead it explodes.

Since June of 2000, I have met several families, who are also the parents of kids with diabetes. They are the ONLY ones who REALLY understand what its like to have a child with diabetes. The doctors don't understand--they say they do, but really? Do THEY really? Unless you live with it in your home, its really hard to know just what its like. I'm very thankful to have these people in my life--its not an accident. God places people in our lives for a reason.

Every minute across the world, 6 people die of diabetes… Either directly, or indirectly as the result of a complication. In total this disease is therefore the cause of almost 4 million deaths per year! Which is as many as those caused by AIDS. These are the figures put forward by the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation (the IDF). It’s a genuine massacre which shows no sign of stopping http://www.destinationsante.com/

In the last 24 hours, there is a family who is hurting, and grieving for the loss of their loved one. Parents have lost a son, a sister has lost her brother, kids have lost their daddy and friends have lost a friend. That my friends, is sad. Although at the same time, we can take comfort that he is resting in the arms of Jesus and that he has a new body that is whole and he is no longer in any pain.

I have been talking to this young man's mom for a few weeks now, thanks to Face Book, I was able to find her and get in touch with her. I'd been wanting to get in touch with her for some time and wasn't sure how to. I found her on FB and was thrilled. I do not think it was an accident that I was able to find her on facebook. You see, this mom is a mom just like myself--she has fought the same fight that I fight every day, the same fight that I have fought every day since June of 2000. She knows how I feel. She knows the hurt that I feel and the anxiety that I have as I watch my kid grow up with something that I can't take away from him. I can't fix it for him. What I can do is be there for him, pray for him that he will just accept his health. I was given this child, to take care of, for such a time as this. The Lord KNEW before He gave me my son, just what road lied ahead of us. He knew. He's not going to give us anything more than He thinks we can handle. IT takes a special person to be the parent of a child with diabetes. Its a tough job, and obviously the Lord thought I could do the job. :)

Am I trying to take the sadness and heartache and turn it around on myself and my own family? Absolutely NOT. The whole reason for me to even write this is because of the fact that my heart truly ACHES for them. When I first heard he was so seriously ill and in the hospital, my heart just hurt for them. He had a stroke that was the result of Juvenile Diabetes. Just a few weeks ago, I learned of another young lady, who is the same age as my son, who went to bed one night, seemed fine, and never woke up the next morning. I learned yesterday of THREE other people just this past week, who have passed away, due to complications from diabetes.

A parent should never have to bury their child. I've heard that said several times since I was a kid growing up. We know that this world is not our home. Our life here on earth will not last forever, and that is the way that the good Lord intended things to be.

While you might think this was just a lot of jibber jabber, to me it was not. Its simply stating how I feel about things. And I as I was telling someone else earlier today, I am not going to apologize for my feelings when it comes to my son, or anyone else. As I have said, I have a soft tender heart, its a virtue that the Lord has given to me.

While chatting with another friend last night she shared this with me: I have another friend whose child has diabetes. I have seen what they have gone through and my heart bleeds for them. Their daughter has to have an insiline pack on her belly all the time and inject it at different intervels during the day. She has been in the hospital and almost lost her. I can't imagine the fear they must feel in what could happen. But that is what friends are for... to cry with us and to feel our pain. We need each other. And when we have compassion for one another that is when we are most lilke Jesus.

Good Friday

For the last several years, our church has a Good Friday service for those who want to attend it. What happens is the church is set up with different 'stations' and those who choose to take part in this go from station to station and to reflect on those last days of Christ.  This year, was the first year for me and my family to do this.  


Why?  Why now?  Why not over the last few year when we've had the chance and time to experience it?  I myself know that at one point I found myself saying, "I dont want to go by myseslf!"(b/c Kyle was working)  I made up my mind early in the week that we were going this year.  1) Because I WANTED to 2) Kyle was off.    I am glad we went.  I mentioned leaving Tobi at my folks while we went, but Kyle said, "Why?  She can go, and see what its like?"  So, she went.  I must admit, that even though she didnt understand that she needed to be quiet she didnt do too badly.  The 'problem' we encountered was with Colton.  Kyle asked him to read about each of the stations to Tobi, since she can't read just yet.


You would have thought that he'd have said, "Sure, no problem."  But no, instead it was, "What??? Why do I have to read it to her?"  And it didnt stop with that.  I was not thrilled at all and in fact, I was mad.  All he had to do was to sit down next to his sister and tell her about each section we stopped at.  Thats it.  But instead, he was selfish, and only thinking of himself in what he wanted to do.  He finally ceded in doing what he was asked, but it was not immediate and by the time that he did, I was so upset--all I could think of was "why is he so selfish!"


Was he going to get anything out of what we were walking through?  Was he going to just read and walk through and get nothing out of it?  IDK  and I do not know exactly what he thought about it all.


I myself--it was an amazing experience.  And Im glad that we did go through it.  I actually wished I'd have gone back through it by myself.  To just sit and look at each and every thing, and know that each thing represented something from Christ's last days/hours/minutes/seconds.  Im going to take a moment and describe what we went through--taking information out of our guide that we had as we entered into the service.


First we read that in Old Testament times, God used the tabernacle  to teach the people how to approach Him, a holy God.  Priests were completely washed and consecrated to God only once, but every day when they approached God, they were required to wash their hands in the laver of the courtyard of the Tabernacle before they came before Him.


In our New Testament times, we who have accepted Christ are completely washed once and consecrated to God, by Jesus' sacrifice.  Thats our salvation, something HE alone can do for us.  Every day we can come to him symbolically, just as the priests did, washing our hands as an act of cleansing and fellowship.  Ephesians 5:26


Stop 1: pieces of silver--The Bible tells us in Matthew 26:14-16 that one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?"  They counted out 30 pieces of silver.  Afterwards, Judas watched for an opportunity to hand Christ over.
In the OLD TESTAMENT times, the price of a slave was 30 pieces of silver.  Thats all the people were willing to pay Zachariah for his prophetic message--an insult to the living God whose words he brought.  That exact price is all it took for Judas to agree to hand Christ over to his enemies.  


As I sat and reflected on those pieces of silver, that last sentence above is exactly what I thought.  "30 coins.  30 coins is all it took.  One small simple bag of coins. Have I been willing to trade Christ away because I wanted something more than Him?  We all do this, every single day.  Its easy to do.  And every single time we do this, what we are saying is "God, I know you want something different from me, but not this time.  I want my own way, not yours"  What we have to stop and realize is that whatever the trade is your making, its not worth it.  Not for 30 pieces of silver.  Nothing--no amount of money, popularity, or other deals that make turning/running away from Jesus worth it.  What is worth it?  Your soul's healing and peace of mind is more precious than that.  HE certainly is.


Stop 2: His Cross
John 19:16-18 tells us of Pilate handing Christ over to be crucified.  The soldiers took charge of Jesus.  He carried his own cross, as he went out to the place of the skull--in Aramaic is called Golgotha.  There, they crucified him.
John 10:11, 18: I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep..No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.
1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree....


A tree.  A simple tree.  The wood from a tree can take on many forms and functions.  Wood formed the cross.  The place where Jesus was crucified.  The wood of this cross is also an alter.  Alters are where sacrifices are offered, where and ugly death makes ugly sin gruesomely apparent.   Stop and think about Christ's body that was mangled and bloody, hanging on that cross.  It was real then and its just as real now.
The wood of this cross is also a wall.  Back in the Old Testament, at the time of exodus, the children of Israel put blood on the door posts to their homes, so that the angel of death would pass over them.  That blood soaked wood protected them from righteous judgement.  The blood soaked wood of the cross also protects us from that same righteous judgement.   And the wood of this cross is a door frame.  The sacrifice that Christ made upon the cross opens eternity to you.  The forgiveness it provides brings you to heaven, and opens the doorway to a relationship with God while we are here on earth.


I read the words above and then I stood in front of the table that two pieces of wood were on.  These pieces of wood--symbolize the cross.  We were encouraged to touch it--and to feel the texture of it.  To take in and realize just how much and how deep Christ's love was for me.  His love was SO deep--that this wood that I stood there and ran my hand over, that wood became my sacrifice, protection and passageway.  I stood there for a few moments actually.  I reached out and I slowly ran my hand along it.  As I stood there, tears ran down my cheek.  


Stop 3: spike and mallet
Ps. 22:16: They have pierced my hands and my feet.
Isaiah 53:5: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 49:16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..
The IRONY of the Christian life is that new life comes out of Jesus' death; that suffering is somehow not the end; that whatever hell and human treachery thrown at God, He somehow absorbs it and makes a new beginning out of raw evil.  Thats how your new life was bought.  All of the events of that Friday..called "GOOD".  The scars on His hands from the nails--an engraving of love.


A mallet and a spike lay on the table.  A mallet and a spike just like what was used to put Christ on the cross.  What was meant, was for us to pick those up and imagine what it would have been like to be the one who drove the nails into Christ's hands.  In a way, thats what happened, because ALL of our sin sent Him there.  But one of the miracles of that day was that Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them."  He did not want any of that guilt to stick.   Not only were we to pick up each of those two items, but we were to also imagine what it would have been like to have been there and heard those words--if we were to have been His executioners.  And then hearing those words, feel what it was like to be released from guilt and shame.  
I picked up each item--the mallet was made out of wood.  Not too heavy--fairly light weight actually.  But the spike, it was heavy and it was rusty.  And it was 3 spikes, just like that, that held Christ to the cross.  And again, tears ran down my face.


Stop 4: lord's supper
Luke 22:19-21: And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.  In the same way after the supper, he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant of my blood, which is poured out for you."
GOD'S LOVE for us is sealed by His covenant.  In this binding agreement, He pledges His love.  He doesn't just write His name on the contract: He spills His blood to make its seriousness--and permanency--unmistakable.  This is forgiveness we can count on, a relationship that will not be terminated on a whim, No escape clause--its for keeps.
God gave those of us who have given our lives to Him and accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior a very special way to remember His sacrifice for us. That way of remembrance is by taking the Lord's Supper elements. Not only to remember what He did but so that those elements become a part of us. The bread quite literally binds to the very cells of our body. This process contains a wonderful symbolic truth, b/c God nourishes our spirits in the deepest places through his covenant with us.  The union between God and us is mystical.  We are joined by  God through WHAT Jesus did.  Grace connects His body and blood being the price paid through history, powerfully symbolized here.  


At this stop, it is a true privilege to take part in this.  When I was about 9, I accepted Christ as my Savior. But, I didn't get baptized right away either.  Why?  Isnt that what most people do?  They accept Christ and then follow in believer's baptism?  Yes, thats the order that most do those two things in.  But I didn't.  A LOT of the reason, was that I have a huge fear of water--or anything--being in my eyes.  All I could think of was, "I am not going to be dunked in that baptistry and freak out b/c of the water in my face."  And so, I never got baptized.  The next several years as I went through each school year, the guilt of not having done that weighed heavy on my heart.  And everyone, or so it seemed, knew that I had not followed through with believer's baptism.  Finally, at D-Now my SR year, I made the decision to follow through.  Only the kids in our host home knew I was to make that public on Sunday morning.   When Brother Bill was done with the sermon, and we got ready for the invitation I knew what I must do.  I had not spoken to my parents yet either--so they had no idea what they would see at the end of the invitation.  Taking that step of faith was one of the most important ones in my life I would ever make.  And it was NOT until I made that very important step, that I would be able to sit and take part in the Lord's supper.  I think back to all of those years that I never made that decision and took my relationship with the Lord just that much further, and I know the heartache my parents felt as they watched and waited for me to make that decision.  And I know that heartache because thats where Kyle and I are with Colton.  He has never taken that first step and made a profession of faith.  He has never been able to participate in the Lord's Supper.
And that, as a parent, is hard for me, as his mom, to know.  I have to continue to pray every single day that the Lord will speak to him and just break his heart so completely, that he is finally willing to give his life to Christ.
And at this stop, knowing all of this, it was hard to hold back even more tears.


Stop 5 the curtain
Matt. 27:50-51 When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth shook and the rocks split.
GOD IS HOLY, and if sinful people were to wonder unprotected into His presence, they would die.  One solution would be for God to compromise His holiness, wink at sin, make no demands, become corrupted.
In other words, become like us.  
But then there would be no hope for goodness and truth to prevail.  Where would ultimate justice come from?  Thankfully God's holiness has never diminished.  Yet He provided a way for us to be with him. That way is Jesus Christ.
In the Temple, a curtain separated people from His presence.  Only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies and then, only once a year.  But something happened the day that Jesus died.  His frayed flesh opened a "new and living way" to God.  The curtain barrier was taken away, ripped from top to bottom--thus unmistakably indicating who did the ripping! Flesh torn by human hands..a curtain torn by God's.


To stand in front of what was to depict the Temple and see the curtain ripped--jagged and torn...wow!  As I stood there, I could imagine as if I was there that day, and I could almost feel the ground as it shook.  Course, it helped too that Ive seen "The Passion" and it portrayed a pretty good pic of how things unfolded on the day that Christ died.  


Stop 6: oil and spices
John 19:39 Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds. Taking Jesus' body, they two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.
SOON AFTER JESUS was born, He was visited by Wise Men from the East.  They brought him gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.  And at the end of his life, he again received those gifts: a tomb, burial clothes, and (as before)myrrh.
The amount of spices brought to embalm Jesus is significant--SEVENTY FIVE POUNDS--was as large quanity, on a par with royal burials.  This was a lavish display of love.  Like the Maji who gave gifts at Jesus' birth, those who prepared Jesus' body for burial were doing so out of deep affection and respect.
If we were to be honest, we would have to admit sometimes we dont bring Jesus our best. We give left over time, a few dollars that dont impact our lifestyles, a heart that is present but not passionate.  But He gave His all for us.  How can we do any less?


We sat and we read again, the words above.  Then we were able to see all of the things that were mentioned above, that were used when Christ's body was prepared for His burial.  The incense was burning, there was a huge jar of oils and salts and there were strips of cloth.  Smelling those scents and touching those cloths--He paid a price and remembering the price He paid on that day...those who buried Him so honorably.
The most precious, most valuable thing and most desired by Him, is your heart.  All you have to do is surrender your heart solely to God. 


Stop 7 our cross
Luke 9:23-24: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
1Peter 2:20-23: But if yo suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  To this you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps...When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
FOLLOWING JESUS is not about better, faster, stronger higher.  Its about daily doing what is required of us.  We must surrender to Him daily.  When we do that, we find ourselves led to a more fulfilling life.  He showed us things that are upside down in His Kingdom: the first are the last--the greatest are the servants--we give and find that we're receiving.  The paradox outshines them all is one He most graphically demonstrated--we take up our cross daily, and live.


What does that look like in your life? What self directed activities and personal preoccupations are keeping you from living fully for Him? What sins are you holding on to?  Whatever they are, let them go--b/c they are holding you back.


The Cross.  Christ died for us--to take all of our sins away.  He went through every single thing on that day, because He loved us enough to do this.  He knew full well exactly what was going to happen, and yet He was obedient.  He was made fun of, and mocked and bruised and broken for YOU AND ME.  He endured all of the pain of being whipped and beaten and bruised and a crown of thorns being placed on his head for US.  What does that mean to you?


It means eternal life for me.  It means that this world that we live in right now is only temporary.  It means that one day, I will be able to run to Jesus and give him the biggest hug that I can give him.  It means that I will see my grandparents and other family members again.  It means that I KNOW that He will never leave me or forsake me.  I am here and I have life because of Him.  All you have to do is trust Him as your personal Lord and Savior and you too, can have confidence in knowing Christ's unfailing love.
Its pretty amazing.  My love for Christ is why I can't sing and worship on Sunday mornings, without being so overcome with emotion.  And there have been too many times that I have been in the car, listening to the radio and at just the right moment, a song came on and I knew it was a gift from Him, to me, reminding me that He's always there.  
You can have that too...all you have to do is ask Him into your heart.