Archive | April 2017

I Wonder

Apr27

You know, Lord, how I serve You
With great emotional fervor
In the limelight.
You know how eagerly I speak for You
At a women’s club.
You know how I effervesce when I promote
A fellowship group.
You know my genuine enthusiasm
At a Bible study.

But how would I react, I wonder
If You pointed to a basin of water
And asked me to wash the calloused feet
Of a bent and wrinkled old woman
Day after day
Month after month
In a room where nobody saw
And nobody knew.

—Ruth Harms Calkin

Just for Fun…

Apr21

‪Zelda had so much fun sharing her story last Saturday at Hillside Community Church. She was a hard act to follow… Could it be the outfit?‬IMG_5816

It’s About the Cross

Apr16

This song says it all… Happy Easter!!!

It’s About The Cross – The Ball Brothers

It’s not just about the manger where the baby lay
It’s not all about the angels who sang for him that day
It’s not just about the shepherds or the bright and shining star
It’s not all about the wisemen who travelled from afar

It’s about the cross
It’s about my sin
It’s about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again
It’s about the stone that was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life someday
It’s about the cross
It’s about the cross

It’s not just about the good things in this life I’ve done
Its not all about the treasures or the trophies that I’ve won
Its not about the righteousness that I find within
Its all about His precious blood that saved me from my sin

Repeat

The beginning of the story is wonderful and great
But it’s the ending that can save you
and that’s why we celebrate

It’s about the cross
It’s about my sin
It’s about how Jesus came to be born once
So that we could be born again
It’s about God’s Son nailed to a tree
It’s about every drop of blood that flowed from
Him when it should have been me
It’s about the stone that was rolled away
So that you and I could have real life someday
So that you and I could have real life someday
It’s about the cross It’s about the cross
It’s about the cross It’s about the cross

 

Hallelujah for the Cross

Apr15

Recently I’ve read a few articles about Easter Saturday, and when something crosses my path more than once it is cause for pause. Easter Saturday…a dismal day in the life of the grieving apostles who had no idea they would soon be so amazed on Sunday…even though Jesus had told them He would rise again. And would we have been any different?

Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”  ~Luke‬ ‭24:6-7‬

Before the reminder, I’m pretty sure they were not singing ‘Hallelujah for the Cross’ that Saturday. And, I must admit, it is an odd day for us in the twenty-first century as well, even though we know about Sunday. But if anyone felt the full depth and thrust of that Saturday long ago, it was Jesus Himself. I’ve heard a few opinions addressing what Jesus did during that time, but for simplicity sake let’s just say it was the day in between…in between death and life.

What is in between? For us it is nothing, we are either fully alive or fully dead. However, we can be living and feel dead inside. Maybe you’re there today…only, as with the apostles, instead of feeling like one day, it seems like an eternity. A dream has died…you’ve lost your job, your family is falling apart, you’re falling apart, you’ve lost a loved one, your health is failing, you’ve fallen back into an addiction , your house is in foreclosure, the lease is up on your car, you have a wayward child, or maybe, just maybe you are lonelier than you’ve ever been in your whole life. Easter Saturday touches us all.

But then, oh yes then…we must not forget Easter Sunday! The stone rolled away, the grave clothes lay flat, the tomb is empty…our Savior is alive! This fact, and this fact alone, is what gets us through every Easter Saturday in our lives. Because He lives, we can put every broken dream into His most capable hands. We can trust Him with every person, problem and situation…our jobs, families, deepest grief, health, addictions, finances, possessions, wayward children, and yes, even our own loneliness.

When my dad – my earthly hero, my Superman – died, that Easter Saturday lasted quite a while…until one day when the God-side of the plan arose and shined forth. Through my very emptiness, The Father of all time revealed Himself to me in a whole new light. I had a wonderful earthly dad, and his loss left a huge void, but God is an AMAZING Father!!! And I have to say this…HE is a way better Dad than my earthly father could ever be. He has used the grief, the void, the emptiness to draw me closer to Himself…closer to Jesus…than ever before! And of course, it is that first Easter Sunday that offers us the hope of seeing our loved ones again, so I hold on to hope, I hold on to Jesus. Where else can I go?

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ ~John‬ ‭6:68‬

As with Simon Peter, I have no need to look any further because the cross was not the end, nor was Easter Saturday…not then, not now. Easter Sunday is a REALITY! And we can truly thank and praise God for the cross, the tomb and Easter Saturday because we know what happened on Easter Sunday! In light of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Living Savior, we can confidently say (and sing) “Hallelujah for the Cross!”

I hope you enjoy today’s video offering… Hallelujah for the Cross by the Newsboys…

Hallelujah for the Cross by The Newsboys (Lyrics)

Up to the hill of Calvary
My Savior went courageously
and there he bled and died for me
Hallelujah for the cross

And on that day the world was changed
A final, perfect lamb was slain
Let earth and heaven now proclaim
Hallelujah for the cross

[Chorus:]
Hallelujah for the war He fought
Love has won, death has lost
Hallelujah for the souls He bought
Hallelujah for the cross

What good I’ve done could never save
My debt too great for deeds to pay
But God, my Savior, made a way
Hallelujah for the cross

A slave to sin, my life was bound
But all my chains fell to the ground
When Jesus’ blood came flowing down
Hallelujah for the cross

[Chorus]
Hallelujah, hallelujah
And when I breathe my final breath
I’ll have no need to fear that rest
This hope will guide me into death
Hallelujah for the cross

[Chorus x2]
Hallelujah for the cross
Hallelujah for the cross

http://www.metrolyrics.com/hallelujah-for-the-cross-lyrics-newsboys.html

All Scripture quoted from NIV® Copyright 2000 by Biblica, Inc.®

©Celebrate His Love, 2017

Because He Lives (Amen)

Apr11

When did Mercy call your name? The stories vary as much as do our place of birth and our height and weight…but no worries, I won’t go there! There are several pictures in the New Testament where Jesus called people by name… I think of Zacchaeus, a short man who climbed a tree to see Jesus, and as Jesus passed by He called him by name.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”  ~Luke‬ ‭19:5‬

Zacchaeus knew he did not deserve such a visit, he was the chief tax collector, a sinner and judged harshly by religious leaders of that day. But Jesus sought him out and salvation came to him and his house. Mercy had called his name!

Then there is the woman caught in adultery. We don’t know her name but Mercy met her in the very midst of her sin and shame. It was a set-up, the Pharisees brought her to the temple courts where Jesus was teaching and said they had caught her in the very act of adultery. They had stones in the their hands, ready to kill her.

The law stated that both the man and the woman caught in adultery were to be stoned… Where was the man? The Pharisees weren’t concerned about the woman, they just wanted to trap Jesus. But Jesus was not concerned about their trap…He was only concerned for the woman.

He then stooped down and wrote something on the ground, He did it twice. We have no idea what He wrote, but we do know that every accuser dropped his stone and walked away. Then Mercy called her name, He only used her formal name, Woman, but it was the tone of Mercy that mattered most.

Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  ~John‬ ‭8:10-11‬

This woman could truly say, “I’m alive, I’m alive because He lives!” …and so can you and I! Amen?

I hope you enjoy today’s music video…

Because He Lives (Amen) – MATT MAHER

I believe in the Son
I believe in the risen One
I believe I overcome
By the power of His blood

Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives

I was dead in the grave
I was covered in sin and shame
I heard mercy call my name
He rolled the stone away

Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends

Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
Every fear is gone
I know He holds my life my future in His hands

Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends

Amen, Amen
I’m alive, I’m alive
Because He lives
Amen, Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because He lives
Because He lives

SONGWRITERS
MATT MAHER, JASON INGRAM, ED CASH, CHRIS TOMLIN, DANIEL CARSON, BILL GAITHER, GLORIA GAITHER

PUBLISHED BY
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., ESSENTIAL MUSIC PUBLISHING, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP

Song Discussions is protected by U.S. Patent 9401941. Other patents pending.

Luke 19:5; John 8:10-11 – NIV® Copyright 2000 by Biblica, Inc.®

©Celebrate His Love, 2017

Forever

Apr10

Palm Sunday, the subtle reminder that Easter Sunday – better referred to as Resurrection Day – is next week. Yesterday a lot of Christians commemorated Palm Sunday, the day of Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. Some handed out palm leaves…I even saw one little guy on his way home from church toying with some palms formed into the shape of an elaborately woven cross. Elaborate, a good word to describe what happened that day…

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! ” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” ~John‬ ‭12:12-13‬

It was an elaborate display of passion and worship, and yet, less than a week later the same crowd passionately yelled “Crucify Him!” So what changed? We know it was not Jesus. So it had to be the hearts of the people. Jesus brought change, a new way of thinking…a ministry of love, compassion, grace and mercy that the keepers of the law did not exercise, nor understand.

If we think that living a moral life, doing what is right by our own standards, and loving people every day is going to earn us peace in this life and a place in heaven, we will be sorely disappointed… Not because there is anything wrong with any of that – believe me, those are all GREAT things – but we are fallible, we will never do it right 100% of the time. We (yes I!) mess up! And sometimes, to be frankly honest, I can do it BIG…a slip of the tongue, or should I say attitude? Insecurity? The old self? Oh my! 😱

Bottom line, we need a Savior, a Perfect, Flawless Sacrifice to take our place. We need someone who was successful at living the perfect life when our lives fail. We need mercy! We need grace! We need Jesus!

He came to take our place on the cross of suffering, the suffering we so deserved, knowing we could never ever accomplish perfection in ourselves. No matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we work, salvation always has been and always will be a free gift offered from the hand of the Father…the ultimate sacrifice of His One and Only Son.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  ~Romans‬ ‭6:23‬

As we get closer to the day we most commonly refer to as Easter Sunday, AND as we ponder the cross and the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior, AND as we contemplate all Jesus came to do for us, I plan to post a few songs that minister to my heart. Music has always had a powerful affect on my Christian walk and worship, and I sincerely hope these song choices will bless you as well.

Forever, sung by Kari Jobe, stood in the forefront today as I was pondering not only the short-lived worship the people of Jerusalem offered our Savior, but also my own weakness, and often short-lived spurts of righteousness. How thankful I am today that the love, faithfulness and righteousness of Jesus stands in deep and powerful contrast to our sin. And it was for this reason He came and overcame…for you and me…FOREVER!

KARI JOBE
Forever Lyrics
New! Tap highlighted lyrics to add Meanings, Special Memories, and Misheard Lyrics…
Play “Forever”
on Amazon Music
The moon and stars they wept
The morning sun was dead
The Savior of the world was fallen
His body on the cross
His blood poured out for us
The weight of every curse upon him

One final breath He gave
As Heaven looked away
The Son of God was laid in darkness
A battle in the grave
The war on death was waged
The power of hell forever broken

The ground began to shake
The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever, He is glorified
Forever, He is lifted high
Forever, He is risen
He is alive
He is alive

The ground began to shake
The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

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Forever, He is glorified
Forever, He is lifted high
Forever, He is risen
He is alive
He is alive
Forever, forever

You have overcome
Your resurrected King
You have overcome the grave
You have overcome

We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
The Lamb has overcome

We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
The Lamb has overcome

We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
The Lamb has overcome

We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
The Lamb has overcome

We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
The Lamb has overcome

We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
We sing Hallelujah
The Lamb has overcome

Forever, He is glorified
Forever, He is lifted high
Forever, He is risen
He is alive
He is alive (Forever)

Forever, He is glorified
Forever, He is lifted high
Forever, He is risen
He is alive
He is alive

SONGWRITERS
ORLANDO JOHNSON, WRITER(S) UNKNOWN

PUBLISHED BY
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP

Song Discussions is protected by U.S. Patent 9401941. Other patents pending.
Terms of Use

John 12:12-13; Romans 6:23 ~ NIV® Copyright 2000 by Biblica, Inc.®

©Celebrate His Love, 2017

Toby the Turtle

Apr3

This is well worth the read… you will love the analogy and message! I guarantee…

Unknown's avatarMitch Teemley

452212-5220-2

Two True Fables: Part Two

(To read Part One, click here)

Nearly every 60s family had a turtle. Some flushed theirs down the toilet (resulting in an outbreak of sewer-dwelling ninjas). But our neighbors the Cartingers couldn’t bear to part with their too-big-to-flush tortoise Toby, and he eventually grew to be the size of a dinner plate.

There was no containing him. He would wander incessantly, so the threat of stepping on him was ever present–he was visibly nervous about living amid a herd of sneakers. So Mr. Cartinger drilled a hole in the corner of Toby’s shell and tied a length of hot-pink yarn to it. The other end he tied to the foot of the stairs.

Toby was now free to roam, and whenever anyone wanted him they would simply “follow the yarn.” Things went swimmingly. One moment Toby would be on the third stair and an hour later…

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