"But God" ~ the answer to our need!

"But God shows his love for us in that

while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us."

{Romans 5:8}

"And such [see verse 12] 

were some of you.

But you were washed,

you were sanctified,

you were justified

in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ

and by the Spirit of our God."

{I Corinthians 6:11} 

God's Amazing Love

"Preaching the Gospel to myself

is a great way to keep

God's amazing love

before my eyes, so that I might

experience its power to produce in me

a passionate love for Him in return.

Captured by His love in this way,

my smitten heart

increasingly burns

to do His will and feasts itself on doing so."

{Milton Vincent

A Gospel Primer}

Happy Resurrection Day!

May I never lose the wonder of the cross...

I stand redeemed...

I've been washed in the blood, I am clean and whole...

Hallelujah! What a Savior...

When I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died...

So many wonderful words to sing.

~ ~ ~

On "good" Friday, we went to a Darkening service, centered around the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross. After the finish of each section, another light would dim and in the background was the noise of a hammer on a nail. Last night we remembered the anguish...

And tomorrow we celebrate the victory!

But in the joy and awe, never forget that there was a high price paid for me...for you. I love this thought-provoking quote from the Mahaneys.

HAPPY EASTER!

Once Guilty...Now Holy

I love the contrasting picture these words give...the "before and after" of salvation. Without Christ, even my best efforts are worse than nothing. But with Christ, I am presentable. I am clean and whole. I am holy and righteous because of Christ's holiness and righteousness.

{The actual song is "Not What My Hands Have Done" by H. Bonar, but this chorus part I believe was written by Aaron Keyes.}

These guilty hands are raised,

filthy rags are all I bring
And I have come to hide beneath your wings.

These holy hands are raised,

Washed in the fountain of your grace
And now I wear your righteousness.

Post-dated...

...because sometimes my Saturdays get busy, too. :)

Randomness from the last few weeks...

Sometimes there's this thing called fun and games.
Only sometimes.

*Enjoying a beautiful, early Spring.

*A paper discussing a philosophy of ministry.
*A paper on suffering in the New Testament.

*Unearthing joy-robbers and being amazed at what God does without those distractions in my life

*Floating through a "finals week" busy, a tad sleepless, and yet at peace...feeling the prayers of many who have said they'd pray for me.



During my all-nighter, this butterfly randomly
spent the night in my basement with me ;)

*Resting in Jesus and learning to die to self.

"Indeed, on the other side of each layer
of dying lie experiences of a life with God
that are far richer, far higher,
and far more intimate than anything
I would have otherwise known."

{Milton Vincent

A Gospel Primer}

"Understand that

the gospel

is not something

we believe when

we first

become Christians

and then

outgrow;

it is something

we need

every moment

of every day."

{Philip Graham Ryken

City on a Hill}

March: The Gospel Throughout Life

"The Gospel isn't one class among many

that you'll attend during your life as a Christian--

the Gospel is the whole building

that all the classes take place in!

Rightly approached,

all the topics you'll study and focus on as a believer

will be offered to you 'within the walls'

of the glorious Gospel."

{CJ Mahaney,

The Cross-Centered Life}