Ever try to sing a song that you could barely sing because the message was so powerful?  Recently our church choir has learned a new song written by Keith Getty – The Power of the Cross.  The first verse and chorus are as follows:

I think about a day when I have awakened from sleep and had a dread hovering over me.  Consciousness falls upon me and a reminder of that heavy thing comes to my mind.  It could be an unpleasant appointment ahead, the remembrance of bad news I’ve received the day before, or an unpleasant task awaiting my attention.  But can you imagine waking to the dawn of THE darkest day?  That day was the day Christ died for our sins.  For whom was it a dark day?

• For Christ.  He was headed to Calvary on that day.  He knew what was ahead – “tried, torn, beaten, nailed to a cross of wood,” yet He chose to obey His Father and carry out the plan for my salvation. 
• His disciples.  They didn’t understand what was happening.  They were torn with being faithful to their Savior, yet fearful for their own lives.  The grief must have been heavy as they watched from a distance, Christ suffering for their sin.
• The women who had followed the Lord and loved Him.  It tells us that they stood by the cross of Jesus.  One of those women was Jesus’ mother, Mary.  She was a sinner, Friends.  She conceived Christ by the miracle of the Spirit of God placing that babe in her womb, but she needed the Savior as much as the other women that stood with her.  She knew that this day was coming – she’d been told that He would be the Savior of the world.  This was the darkest day for her.

In reality, anyone who had followed Christ, been touched by Him and knew that He was the Son of God, had to have experienced a dark day on the dawn of this day.  But oh, the wonder of the joy that was just before them!  Did they have an idea of what was to come?  Were they putting the pieces together of what Christ had been trying to tell them?  Because you and I are on this side of the cross, we read the Gospels and want these sad-hearted people to be encouraged because we know that beyond the cross was great joy!

What darkness enveloped you when you woke up this morning?  If you and I could get a glimpse of what is just ahead for the child of God, we would understand the great joy that is just ahead for us, too!  Our sorrow would be turned to laughter, our heaviness would be lifted.  Read the “back of the book” and rejoice today!  Victory, joy and perfect peace is just ahead for all who know Christ as their Savior.  He’s coming very soon and all will be made right! 

I pray you’re ready for His appearing.  I pray you’re looking for Him to come.  It could be today that He will turn the darkness to great joy!

With expectation,

Some people make cooking at home sound like it’s so hard and that you can only do it if you have tons of time to prepare.  There are some things that do require more time, but if you need fast supper meals through the week, or a meal that needs to be ready when you get home from church, there are many ways to help that happen. 

For dessert this week I wanted Strawberry shortcakes, but looked for a low-fat version for the cake.  I have a wonderful recipe from Southern Living that I’ve used for several years, but since we’re watching our diets a little more closely these days, I wanted something that was a little healthier, but still delicious!  I found this one on Cooking Light and let me tell you – it’s fantastic!  I also used the recipe for the strawberry mixture, which adds a little orange juice, lemon juice and vanilla to the strawberries.  Wow!  Now that strawberry season is around the corner, I know I’ll be making this again very soon! 

Seafood and strawberries – what a yummy combination!  What’s been cooking in your kitchen?

With love,

How have you experienced God’s blessings in special little ways this week?

With love,

You know that I am a huge fan of the Andy Griffith show.  One episode I watched recently shows Floyd, the barber, caught in a lie.  Being a part of a Lonely Hearts Club, he portrayed himself as a rich millionaire.  In this episode, he gets a letter from the woman he’s been deceiving, saying she’s coming to see him.  He’s sick with himself for lying to her and keeps walking up to the mirror saying, “Floyd Lawson – I’m ashamed of you!  You’re nothing but a liar, cheat and a scoundrel!”

If we’re really honest about our selves, we could all look at our reflection and say the same thing.  Of course in the Bible we learn that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  We’re all sinful scoundrels, aren’t we?  I came face to face with this yesterday morning as I was reading John 18:38-40 and it was all so very plain before me.  The passage says,

“Pilate saith unto him (Jesus), What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. 

Reading that “Barabbas was a robber.” is like the Lord wanted us to see the stark contrast.  Here is Jesus – sinless and innocent, but the crowd wanted Barabbas released, but he was a robber.  What if my name was there?  It could be.  “No, don’t release Jesus – not this man, but release Denise.  Now Denise was a sinner.  A myriad of sins could be put on that blank.

Do you see yourself there, Friend?  Your name and mine could replace Barabbas’ because we stand just as guilty!  Oh, what a Savior to die in our place!  As you look to Easter, just ahead, take time to thank the Lord that you went free!

Ahhh, spring is here!  It brings with it rain showers, flowers, pollen, warmer weather, and the need to clean!  Spring and spring cleaning are synonymous, aren’t they?  After the house has been closed up for the winter, the house needs to a good scrubbing to get rid of dust bunnies, cob webs, and plain old dirt!  Right now I’m in the middle of taking winter clothes out of my closet and drawers.  I don’t have room to keep all seasons out, so I have to pack up the out of season garments.  It feels good to get things put away and the closet and drawers straightened up.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with spring cleaning when you sit and realize all that needs to be done, but if you take a room at a time it’s much more do-able.  I have always enjoyed Emilie Barnes’ approach to cleaning and organizing.  She sets a timer for 15 or 30 minutes and works until the timer goes off.  You could decide what needs to be done, look at how much time you have, and work on one project at a time. 

There are tons of lists available to help you see what needs to be cleaned in each room.  This one is from Martha Stewart.  You can print off the list and work in small time slots until your house is cleaned to your standard of clean.  I like using a list like these because it reminds me of those special areas that only get cleaned once or twice a year.

Have you heard of Fly Lady?  This is a secular site that give tips to help you clean your house and keep it that way.  She believes in working in small time frames as well.  You can even sign up for reminders of what needs to be worked on that week!  If you need a little motivation, this might be just the place to find it!

Getting things freshened up just feels good.  De clutter the closet when you put your winter clothes away.  Get a black trash bag and toss anything in there that you didn’t wear this year.  Shoes, purses, coats – go through it all and get rid of things you don’t use.  Take the bags to your car trunk and never peek into the filled bags!  The next time you’re going to town drop it off at Goodwill. 

De clutter “stuff” too.  Dishes you’re not using, kitchen linens that aren’t fresh looking, rugs that need to be tossed all either need to find the trash can or the Goodwill box.  Again, just go through one room at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Yep, it’s time to spring clean the parsonage, so I’d better get back to work!  Do you have anything that motivates you to clean and de clutter?

With love,