Love is Sacrifice

Six hours, one Friday. Mundane to the casual observer. A shepherd with his sheep, a housewife with her thoughts, a doctor with his patients. But to a handful of awestruck witnesses, the most maddening of miracles is occurring. God is on a cross. The Creator of the universe is being executed.

It is no normal six hours. It is no normal Friday. Far worse than the breaking of His body is the shredding of His heart. And now His own Father is beginning to turn His back on Him, leaving Him alone. What do you do with that day in history? What do you do with its claims? They were the most critical hours in history.

Nails didn’t hold God to a cross. Love did. The sinless One took on the face of a sinner so that we sinners could take on the face of a saint!

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).


It's Friday...But Sunday's a coming!

LIFE:
John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
DEATH:
Luke 23:44-45 “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”
Matthew 27:46, 50 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”…” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.”
PURPOSE:
1 John 2:2 “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

I Believe

• I believe in a God flowing with an endless supply of love, mercy, and grace.

Psalm 13:5 (NIV) But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
Nehemiah 9:31 (NIV) But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

• I believe in a God who sent us the perfect gift, His only Son, who humbled himself and came as a servant , not robed as a strong and mighty king

Luke 2: 6-7 (NIV) While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 
Matthew 20:28 (NIV) "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

• I believe that Jesus has suffered and feels our pain, and knows personally our temptations of the flesh, but lived a holy and perfect life without sin.

Matthew 4:1 (NIV) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.
Matthew 4:10 (NIV) Jesus said to him, "away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only."

• I believe that Jesus spent his time with the sinners (the homosexuals, prostitutes, tax collectors, and those with repentant hearts who need to be save (me), not the "righteous").

 Matthew 9:9-13 (NIV) As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the  tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and are with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

• I believe God the Father is the ultimate judge, we are all sinners and have no right or ground to judge others, all sins are equal.

Luke 6:37 (NIV) "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
James 4:12 (NLT) God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?
John 8:2-11  At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group  and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.  When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  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.”

• I believe in a savior who died a brutal and horrible death for my sins, so that I may have everlasting life.

John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Matthew 27: 27-44 ² Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

• I believe in a savior who conquered death and rose again. The enemy has been DEFEATED!

Matthew 28: 1-7 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

• I believe we are called to give thanks daily, love one another and love well, and be the blessing to others as Christ has been a continuous blessing to us.

Romans 12:10 (NIV) Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
John 13:34-25 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
*They will know we are Christians by our LOVE!
Luke 10:27 He answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself."
Matthew 20:28 (NLT) For the son of man came not to be cared for. He came to care for others.

Then and Now

Then...My little sister (spunky, creative, smart, marches to the beat of her own drum), then, 13. We spent many a day arguing over our vast differences. Me the oober girly one, her the free spirit and peace maker. I never thought the day would come that we would get along. She was the talkative one, "I don't know you, but let me get to know you," I was the quiet, keep to myself type. She was the artistic, creative one, I was the music one. I loved fashion, she could care less. We were total opposites!

Today and Now, she is 22 years old and an absolutely beautiful woman of God. God has placed a passion in her heart to serve Him and His people in Brazil working with the poorest of the poor. He opened the doors and her heart to meet the man of her dreams who also shares that same love and passion for the Lord. She is still creative, spunky, smart, and a free spirit. Today I notice as age no longer seems to be so distant that we have more in common than I ever imaged possible and a friendship has begun to bud into something wonderful.

Elizabeth, I am so proud of the wonderful woman that you have become. I am blessed to be your older sister. I look forward to what the future and God have in store for your life. Have a very happy and blessed 22nd birthday!

Meal Planning Monday

Monday- Spiced red lentil, tomato, and kale soup
Tuesday- Ladies bible study (Drew fends for himself)
Wednesday- Red lobster for my sister and her husband's birthday
Thursday- Grilled salmon, sauteed kale with garlic, and sweet potatoes
Friday- Good Friday service/ Pepper bomb casserole
Saturday- Dave and Busters
Sunday- Easter dinner

Snack Time

I am really, REALLY trying to be healthier with my eating habits. I am attempting to eat WAY less processed foods and more whole foods that make me eat clean. My start is adding more fruits and veggies, then I will attempt to lower the meat consumption.

Wednesday night I turned into Martha Stuart (you know the cooking and baking side...no illegal actions done here), and made a couple snacks. My food processor was a busy little guy.

The first thing I made was kale pesto. I'm learning what a super-food kale is for you. Did you know that kale is one of the healthiest veggies on the planet? It can protect from cancer, lower cholesterol, it is high in antioxidants. It is a good source of Vitamins A, C, and K and contains a source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

 Kale Pesto:
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale (about 12 ounces) washed
2 cloves raw garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. lemon juice
pinch of kosher salt
black pepper, a few grinds.

Instructions
1. place all ingredients in a food processor. Puree until pasty and well combined, 30-60 seconds.
2. scrape into a lidded container and store in refrigerator until use.

*Washing the kale
especially if you have picked it from your back yard, where aphids hang out, wash the kale under very hot water to dislodge critters. This will begin to soften it slightly, and it will turn bright-dark green.

I eat mine with multigrain chips and the above a delish...they are gluten free and all ingredients are easily pronounced!

I found this recipe on pinterest from Shockingly Delicious


My next snack of the evening was vanilla cinnamon almond butter, and it is yummy. It adds just the sweetness and flavor to my apples that I'm looking for. Plus it adds protein and good fat, I say that's a win- win.

Ingredients
2 cups roasted almonds
1/2 Tbs. vanilla
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 Tbs. olive oil

Instructions
1. place almonds in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground.
2. add the rest of the ingredients and blend for a few minutes at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of the food processor bowl frequently (if mixture sticks).
3. process for about 5-7 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
4. store in a closed jar or container.

I found this sweet treat on pinterest as well from greatist{dot}com

I hope you enjoy these tasty super-food snacks!

Then and Now

I have decided to come back to the blogging world from my long and unannounced hiatus. In my decision to do so, I came up with a series of blogs that I will call then and now. They will range from changes in my life, my dogs, the house, and our world. In my inauguration then and now blog post I will show they amazing affects of using dry shampoo, a round brush, and a blow dryer. Be prepared to be amazed.

Ever wake up with crazy, bad hair? Maybe you fell asleep with wet hair, or you woke up late and didn't have time to tame the beast with a shower...If you wake up like this (a product of showering at night) have no fear!

Then...

With dry shampoo, a blow dryer, and a round brush, you can turn that into...

Now

 Thanks to my friend Amber who is a hair dresser, I learned this technique and I will no longer have ponytail days when I can now do this! It's so quick and easy!