this sums up how we should live our lives to honor Christ....

Where there is hatred. let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
And where there is sadness, joy.

~St Francis of Assisi

United in the power of the Holy Spirit....The Bride of Christ His Church, not ours

“May they all be one,” Jesus prayed. One. Not one in groups of two thousand. One church. One faith. One Lord. No hierarchies. No traditions. Just Christ.

From On Calvary’s Hill

He died in our place because we are loved by the Creator of this world!

Of all the scenes around the cross, the one that angers me most is when those in the crowds said, “Let this Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross, that we may see and believe” (Matthew 27:42). There’s nothing more painful than words meant to hurt.

1 Peter 2:23 tells us that “Jesus entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” He simply left the judging to God. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” he said. They were a crazy mob, mad at something they couldn’t see so they took it out on, of all people, God. Yet, Jesus died for them. How could he do it? I don’t know. Sometimes I wonder if we don’t see Jesus’ love as much in the people he tolerated, as in the pain he endured. Such amazing grace!

From On Calvary’s Hill
~Max Lucado

Luke 9:23 says, “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me.”

Help me to be Your hands and feet in a weary world full of chaos and destruction.

Blessings!

longing for spring!

1 Timothy 2:5 says, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.”

Our Lord and Savior
all God | all man...

who understands our trials because He lived in the body of a man and has compassion for us who had no shepherd.... 

God Himself provided One who alone has the power to save, Jesus Christ!

Praise be to our Lord God almighty!

and be blessed!

Max Lucado

“It is finished.” Jesus cried! Stop and listen. Can you imagine the cry from the cross? What was finished? The history-long plan of redeeming man. The message of God to man. The works done by Jesus as a man on earth were finished.

Had Jesus’ hands not been fastened down, I dare say that a triumphant fist would have punched the dark sky. This is no cry of despair. It is a cry of completion. A cry of victory. A cry of fulfillment. Yes, even a cry of relief. “Take me home.” Come, ten thousand angels! Come and take this wounded one to the cradle of his Father’s arms.

Farewell, manger’s infant. Yes, take him home. Take this Son to his Father. He deserves a rest. Bless you, holy ambassador. Go home, rest well. The battle is over! It is finished.

From On Calvary’s Hill

John 1:29 announces that Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Now we can go out and be His hands and feet to a love starved world!

Max Lucado

Scripture says, “And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.” (Luke 23:33)

Calvary’s Hill. Two thieves—gaunt and pale. With the cynicism of most of the crowd, one calls out, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself, and us too, while you’re at it!”

The other in defense says, “Don’t you even fear God when you are dying? We deserve to die, but this man hasn’t done one thing wrong.”

Lodged in the thief’s statement are what anyone needs to recognize in order to come to Jesus. Jesus is not on that cross for his sins. He is there for ours! And the thief on the cross makes the same request any Christian makes, “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom!”

From On Calvary’s Hill

Easter is coming...praise be to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

God has penned a list of our faults. The list God has made, however, cannot be read. The words can’t be deciphered. The mistakes are covered. The sins are hidden. Those at the top are hidden by His hand; those down the list are covered by His blood. Your sins are blotted out by Jesus. The Bible says He has forgiven you all your sins. He has utterly wiped out the written evidence of broken commandments which always hung over our heads, and has completely annulled it by nailing it to the cross.

He knew the source of those sins was you, and since He couldn’t bear the thought of eternity without you, Jesus Himself chose the nails. The hand is the hand of God. The nail is the nail of God. And as the hands of Jesus opened for the nail, the doors of heaven opened for you!

From He Chose the Nails

~Max Lucado

He was bruised for our transgressions and by His stripes we are healed...

Much has been said about Jesus’ “gift of the Cross.” But what of the other gifts? What of the nails, the crown of thorns? The garments taken by the soldiers? Have you taken time to open these gifts? He didn’t have to give us these gifts, you know. The only required act for our salvation was the shedding of blood, yet He did much more. So much more.

Search the scene of the Cross—and what do you find? A wine-soaked sponge. A sign. Two crosses beside Christ. Divine gifts intended to stir that moment, that split second when your face will brighten, your eyes will widen, and God will hear you whisper, “You did this for me?” Dare we think such thoughts? Let’s unwrap these gifts of grace– as if for the first time. Pause and listen. Perchance you will hear Him whisper, “I did it just for you!”

From He Chose the Nails

1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins to God, He can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.”

He is a good Daddy!

I am doing taxes today never a pleasant thing but I am very thankful that God has provided and I like to share those blessing with the privilege of living in the United States and the portion that aids those less fortunate by paying them!

Be blessed

~Max Lucado

The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity.  An odd choice, don’t you think?  Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. Its design could not be simpler. One beam horizontal—the other vertical. One reaches out like God’s love. The other reaches up, as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of His love; the other the height of His holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave His children without lowering His standards. God treated His Son as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.

Why would He? John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world.” Aren’t you glad the verse doesn’t read:  For God so loved the rich?. . .the famous? The sober or the successful? No, it simply reads: “For God so loved the world!”

From He Chose the Nails

Salvation is in Christ alone!

My last name has created some awkward moments. A woman said, “Max Lu-KAH-do—I’ve been wanting to meet you.”  I let it go thinking that was the end of it.  But then a man said to me, “My wife and I’ve been trying to figure out how you say your name.  Is it Lu-KAY-doh or Lu-KAH-doh! I felt trapped…as I looked at my new friend who had been mispronouncing my name.

On an infinitely grander scale, God faces with humankind a similar issue I faced with the woman. How can He be both just and kind?  How can He redeem the sinner without endorsing the sin?  From our perspective there are only two equally unappealing solutions. From God’s perspective, however, there is a third. It’s called the Cross of Christ!  And that is one phrase you want to say correctly!

From He Chose the Nails

64.......WHAT?

How could it be? Today is my Birthday and I am spending the night with my oldest daughter and her family and then tomorrow Timmy is fixing the whole family including the parents Brunswick Stew!

I doubt if any of them know the depth of my love for them but I do and I treasure it in my heart. 

Timmy and I were just standing at the kitchen counter talking Birthday talk when a "penny" literally dropped on the floor from no where..... maybe a 'penny from heaven' wishing Mommy Happy Birthday...I like to think so!

Have a blessed day and once again stay warm!

The Apostle Paul reminds us how God has been overseeing our steps from time into eternity.

“How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” Ephesians 1:3-4

~Pastor Ron Grubb 

what a nice weekend!

Kami spent the night on Friday and most of the day on Saturday and wow did we accomplish much
*scrapbook page complete with emailed animal pics from Mommy | check
*tie quilt at least 2 rows :) | check
*threading the sewing machine and sewing (thanks to Pooh) :) | check
*watched 2 movies: Alexander and the horrible day..Hero 6 | check
*made Brownies | check

Pooh had just left to meet up with her Mommy when they passed Ashley and Shelby in the driveway. Ashley wanted to say goodbye as she and Chuck were leaving for a weeks vacation to St Thomas at 3AM Sunday morning. It was 85* when they arrived after a 30 minute layover in Columbus for deicing the plane :( Enjoy the heat we had 6 inches of that white stuff ugh!

Ashley passed the Moloney's in our driveway as they were arriving with Irish Stew (Timmy made mac n cheese, Kami and I made brownies) to work on Ciarnan's Pine Wood Derby Car for 2015. Ciarnan, Pooh and Daddy worked on the car in the wood shop while the rest of us ate, played and watched "Hero 6"....they left about 8pm.

we slept well last night :)

We love our family!