Sunday's Coming

Palm Sunday evening we had our church Easter cantata. The entire service was just amazing and I was blessed to be able to sing with the choir and worship through music. Half the time I was so overwhelmed with emotion, I had to lip sync and pretend because I was so choked up. My favorite part of the service (okay, ONE Of my favorite parts) was this video. It is a sermon by well-known civil rights era Baptist preacher, S.M. Lockridge. I'm not fibbing either when I tell you his initials stand for Shadrach Meshach Lockridge. Scouts honor. It's like he had no choice; he was destined to be a voice for Jesus!

Anyway, our music director used this video, which incorporates one of Lockridge's sermons and footage from The Passion of the Christ, in our cantata. I'm telling y'all...I was just awed and inspired and all of those other words I'd like to use right now, but I'm just too tired to do so.

Take a few minutes and check this out. I encourage you to spend the week in meditation and reflection on what Easter is all about. I know I'm guilty of throwing around the words "crucifixion" and "resurrection" like they are so commonplace. But if you really meditate and think about what they mean, you will be overwhelmed. I know I have been. In the Sunday school class I teach (high school seniors), we talked last Sunday about not taking the Easter story for granted. I'm going to try my best not to this year.

Not Guilty

**UPDATE:  Tonight at choir practice, KW was giving away CD's, which he does occasionally.  Guess which one I got?  Uh-huh.  Mandisa!!  YAY!  

I've written before about how much I love and enjoy singing in our church's choir.

I love the people.

I love our music director, KW.

I love the talent of our accompanists.  

I love worshiping God in song and singing with all my heart and soul to Him.

I love harmony.

I also love finding a new song I've never heard before.  Choir practice and our Sunday morning performances are a complete time of worship for me.  When I connect with a song, I feel like I'm standing in the sanctuary alone with God and it's all I can do to not fall to my knees as I sing.

And, I'm sure it will come as no surprise when I say that many, many times I'm brought to tears as the choir sings.

This was the case last Wednesday at practice.  We had a few new songs to start practicing, one being Mandisa's, "Not Guilty."

This song spoke STRAIGHT into my heart.  How many times in our lives do we walk around with shame and guilt because of something we've said or done even AFTER we've asked wholeheartedly for forgiveness from God?  I know I do it all the time.  Thoughts flash into my mind, sent straight from Satan himself, and I'm instantly back in the moment when I said or did something I shouldn't have.  Cue the guilt and shame.  

OH MY...there are no words to describe these lyrics accurately, so I will leave you to read them for yourself and let them bless you like they did me.  Sometimes we just need to be reminded that ONLY because of His sacrificial blood, we are...

NOT GUILTY

(turn up your computer volume so you can hear the song play as you read the lyrics)

I stand accused

There's a list a mile long

Of all my sins

Of everything that I've done wrong

I'm so ashamed

There's nowhere left for me to hide

This is the day

I must answer for my life

My fate is in the Judge's hands

But then He turns to me and says

I know you, I love you

I gave My life to save you

Love paid the price for mercy

My verdict not guilty

How can it be?

I can't begin to comprehend

What kind of grace

Would take the place for all my sin?

I stand in awe

Now that I have been set free

And the tears well up

As I look at that cross

'Cause it should have been me

My fate was in the nail scarred hands

He stretched them out for me

And said

I know you, I love you

I gave My life to save you

Love paid the price for mercy

My verdict not guilty

I'm falling on my knees to thank You

With everything I am I'll praise you

So grateful for the words I heard

You say

I know you, I love you

I gave My life

I know you, I love you

I gave My life just to save you

Love paid the price for mercy

My verdict not guilty

Love paid the price for mercy

My verdict not guilty, not guilty

3 Things

1.) Have you seen Glee? If you are as big a fan of musicals as I am, you will LOVE this show! I heard about it but didn't actually watch an episode until last night. Oh. My. Goodness. I'm sure I will fall in love with it, only to have it canceled after one season, but I will enjoy it as long as it is around. Check it out, and let me know what you think. Wednesdays, 8:00 p.m. on Fox. Go here to watch this week's episode.

2.) Guess where my happy hiney was this morning at 6:15? Yeppers. I was at the gym. See the pic above? It could be me, I guess except for one small detail...that HUGE smile on her face. Me, smiling after getting up earlier than usual? Not so much. After a 3-month hiatus for a leg injury, I finally got myself out of bed and hit the treadmill. It was okay, but I've definitely atrophied, especially in my stamina and cardio. Hopefully in 3 weeks or so, it will be nothing and I will be back on my way to my first 5K. Around here that's chump change, so don't get too excited. We have people running 1/2 and full marathons like it's nuthin', so I try to keep my goal in perspective!

3.) You're gonna laugh, but between the time I started this post, and the time I got to #3, I have forgotten what I was going to write. Hmm...well, I can't remember, so I'll just tell you all that we're hosting 11th and 12th grade girls at our house for Disciple Now and I'm really looking forward to it. This is a great group of young ladies and I'm excited about what God is going to do with them this weekend!

Because We Believe

In choir, we're practicing a beautiful song called Because We Believe. You might have heard it before. It was released in 1996, so it is fairly contemporary. Anyway, we started practicing it yesterday, and I just love the narration, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

The song is based on 1 John 5:13:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.


Here is the narration:

That which is held sacred by the Body of Christ is revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures. Why do we believe the Scriptures are indeed the Word of the Lord? Because we refuse to believe that an Almighty, All Powerful, Omnipotent God is not capable of Almighty, All Powerful, Omnipotent deeds. God's Word is a miracle. The same hands that sculpted mountains and galaxies that were pierced by nails on our behalf--guided the hand of His servants, as the Spirit breathed into the language of Man the eternal Word...created by the Father, revealed by the Spirit and fulfilled by the Son.

There are those who claim that many paths exist that lead to whomever we believe or define God to be. However, we do not define God---He defines us. There is only One path to the Father and it is clearly marked by a bloodstained cross and an empty tomb. Those who claim the Master are reborn into a bloodline that does not trace its origin to a culture but to a cross...does not depend upon what we bring but upon what He freely gives...not based in trying to know about God---but actually knowing God.

How can we believe something so unimaginable? We take the courageous, cognitive leap of Faith...and by His power at work within us---this is what we believe.

My favorite part of this is at the end of the second paragraph where it says that our claim to the Master is not based in trying to know ABOUT God, but actually knowing God; this means we have a personal relationship with Him, and that we strive to grow this relationship, not just study and read books ABOUT Him.

It's Not About All That

February 25th started the Lenten season. I gave up Diet Sodas because that was a true sacrifice for me. But it's not about all that.

The candy aisles are stocked with many delectable treats; and just as on all the other main stream holidays, we will buy a few bags because who can pass up malted eggs at Easter? But it's not about all that.

The babes are all excited about hunting Easter eggs and what they will find when they pop open the plastic shells. But it's not about all that.

Every major department store will have major sales on sweet, smocked dresses and precious, navy pants so we, especially the kids, can look just perfect for Easter Sunday church. But it's not about all that.

We will, once again, practice the annual family traditions, especially the grub! But it's not about all that.

Here's what it's all about...

Do You Know What Today Is?

Yes, it is February 25th, but that wasn't what I was asking. Today is the first day of the Lenten season, which will last forty days, through April 11th, the day before Easter, the day of Christ's Resurrection. Many of you know, I was raised in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and am very proud of those roots. My ancestry goes back generations in the church, all the way back to its origin in Scotland. And, my parents were both raised Presbyterian, so it scales my genealogy on both sides of my family.

So, when I married a Southern Baptist man, and we decided to become part of the First Baptist Church in College Station, I was conflicted to say the least. That's an entirely different post, and I will get to it someday. The point is, I had to give up some of the observances and traditions I was so accustomed to in the FPC because they weren't part of the FBC.

One of these customs is observing the Lenten season. (There are some Baptist churches that do observe Lent, but the church, as a whole, does not). Most people associate Lent with Roman Catholicism, but this is not entirely accurate. So, I did some research and found several explanations of Lent, what it means, and who observes it/doesn't observe it and why.

I love the ancient tradition and the implications of the Lenten season. I like the idea of observing, just as our Christian predecessors did, the act of giving something up (in their case it was food in the form of fasting), for forty days. I always saw this as a way to sacrifice SOMETHING of myself, as Jesus sacrificed ALL of himself. I am not equating the two, mind you.

So, I am posting below the information I found and I hope it helps you to better understand, if you don't already, what Lent is all about and how it can be a time of personal growth.

Also, I am going to join a Lent Reading Plan on Biblegateway.com. It is a daily reading from the Bible (40 days total), starting in Matthew and reading through the Gospels and ending in 1 Corinthians. I am excited about starting my days reflecting on these passages in anticipation of the Resurrection, Easter Sunday! I encourage you to join, too!


Please read:

The information below was taken from Chris Bonts's blog, senior pastor at a Baptist church in Auburn, Alabama.

Isn't Lent a Roman Catholic thing? The answer to this question is Yes and No. Yes, Roman Catholics observe Lent, but so do Presbyterians, Methodists, Anglicans, and Lutherans. Just because the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) observes Lent, however, does not mean that we are somehow sacrificing the gospel or identifying with the RCC with our observance. Lent, as a church observance, actually preceded the formation of the RCC by at least 200 years. The early Christian theologian Irenaeus (who was a disciple of Polycarp, who was himself a disciple of the disciple John), wrote of the early church's observance of Lent in the mid-second century. At that time Lent did not last forty days, but it was a pre-Easter time of preparation and focus for the church. Granted, Baptists have not traditionally observed Lent (this reality is owed to our free church tradition and general eschewal of all things liturgical), but that does not mean that we should not or cannot take an extended period of time to prepare for our Easter celebrations.

The Who, What, When, and Where of Lent When Lent first began to be observed in the church, it was common practice to baptize new Christians once a year. The baptisms took place on Easter. All new Christians were discipled (catechized) from the time they trusted in Christ until Easter when they were Baptized. The early churches, in an effort to help these young Christians grasp the significance of both their baptism and Easter celebrations, required them to fast for forty hours prior to their baptism. The fast was then broken after their baptism when the church celebrated its Easter feast. Gradually the entire church began to observe Lent as a way to prepare for their church's Easter celebrations. The length of time gradually was extended from forty hours to forty days. The number forty was intended to remind the Christian of the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness and the forty days Jesus spent fasting alone in the desert prior to the public launch of his ministry that would carry him to the cross. The Israelites wandered because of their disobedience; Jesus purposely sought out the desert to fast and pray in preparation for his ministry, a ministry that would ultimately reconcile us to God the Father. The observance of Lent has remained forty days since that time.

But Why Lent? Just because we have answered the question of the origins of Lent does not necessarily mean that we should observe it. We first need to answer the question of why. There are two reasons why I desire for CrossRoad Church to observe Lent. The primary reason has to do with the original intent of the observance. The early church asked new Christians to observe Lent to impress upon them the significance of their redemption and the celebration of Easter. Eventually it became important enough that all Christians were asked to observe it. I want the members of CrossRoad Church to use the next few weeks as a time to accomplish the same objective in their lives. That is why we have chosen the specific Bible studies and sermon emphases we will be following in the next few weeks. The second reason why I desire for CrossRoad Church to observe Lent is because I want our folks to grasp the fact that we stand in continuity with early church and all those that have been redeemed by Christ in the past 2,000 years. The church did not start the day we were redeemed, it started the day of Pentecost. I want our church to develop a sense of their spiritual heritage.

Thanksgiving, Gravy, Jays, and Home Decor...How's That for a Post Title?

Our first Thanksgiving was the feast at church. I was blessed to be able to help with it and I truly had a great time (my only complaint was my poor choice of footwear)! The preparation started Saturday morning. The women on the hostess committee gathered to begin cooking and decorating. My favorite part of the whole day was getting to know some of the older women a little bit better. I asked the woman making giblet gravy how many times she thought she had made it. She thought and finally said, "Well, I was married in '48, so I'd say at least 65 times, but probably more." I was blown away! So, I sat and listened while she explained the process got after chopping up those livers, gizzards and turkey necks!

The gravy lady working away!

The table arrangements.

Our Thanksgiving was a lot of fun! We were able to see family and some good friends and of course eat tons of great food!

We headed out Wednesday afternoon and got home late Sunday night.

Here are some pictures from our trip...
My mother's beautiful Thanksgiving table setting! There's something about coming home and eating at the dinner table of your childhood, you know?

My grandma (l) and our good family friend, Dude. We've had every Thanksgiving since I can remember with Dude and Jack and their family. My dad's cousin married Dude's daughter, so in some ways they really are family!

We were able to spend some really good quality time with some of our best friends, Aaron and Jill, and Aaron's twin brother and sister, Caleb and Cara. We try our best to play games almost every time we are in Uvalde over at their house. This time, we were playing Charoodles. If you've never played, it is SO MUCH FUN! Here is Aaron cracking up as he acts something out.
All the girls...Kathy, Cara, Jill, me, and Sami! We had such a good time and it was so good to spend time with these great girls. I LAUGHED SO HARD that I literally wore myself out and slept so well that night! Sami just had a baby girl in October; doesn't she look so great in that hot pink?

My parents live out in the country and have lots of birdfeeders in the front yard. One of the walls in their living room is all windows, so we sit and watch the birds all of the time. It is so peaceful. Anyway, this year as we were birdwatching, we noticed this very unusual bird. Upon further inspection and some asking around, we learned the bird is a Green Jay (like a Blue Jay). The unique and interesting thing about them is they rarely, if ever, have been seen this far North. Most of the time they don't come very far into Texas from the Mexican border in deep South Texas. So, they were a few hundred miles off course and no one really knows why. All I do know is they were BEAUTIFUL and I was completely enamored. I couldn't get enough of them and just took picture after picture. Here are a few of the best I got of them.
I also managed to get some pictures of other birds in the yard. Here's a cardinal, all puffed up, sitting on the fence.

If you look hard, you can pick out a couple of whitewing doves in the shrubbery around the outside of the yard.

And finally, here are a couple of pics that have nothing to do with Thanksgiving other than I put these up just before the break. These are from the company, Uppercase Living and I just love them. I must admit, because of our textured walls it was quite a workout putting them up, but it was totally worth the final outcome!

In the entryway...

In the living room above my new-ish iron piece. I LOVE THIS!!!

To all my fellow Panhandlers...BUNDLE UP, IT'S GONNA BE A COLD ONE TOMORROW!