I'm currently reading "Humility: True Greatness" by C.J. Mahaney. This is the second book I've read by him, and he's fast becoming one of my favorite authors. (Me, who claims to never have a favorite author…until now. ;)) His style of writing is spiritually deep, but simple, painfully honest, yet loving. 

This particular quote jumped out to me in chapter 5.

"We also want to continue throughout the day expressing gratefulness for the innumerable manifestations of God's grace. It's as if God is placing sticky-notes in our lives as daily reminders of His presence and provision. They're everywhere. How alert and perceptive of them are you? Are you a thankful observer of the countless indications of His provision, His presence, His kindness, His grace?"

I love that, especially "…as if God is placing sticky-notes in our lives…" What a perfect description of my own life lately. My eyes have been opened to all the little sticky-notes that God has been placing, showing me He's there and that He cares. It could be through a note in the mail from a friend, a close parking spot at the store, an unexpected smile, or a fresh thought on scripture during devotions.

All these seemingly little "happenings" are no accident; I cherish them as love notes from my Lord, as gentle assurance that every detail of my life matters to Him. Though I am so unworthy of anything, God delights in making my heart smile by pointing me back to Himself.

So today, remember to look for God's sticky-notes in your life.  They're there, because He is. :)

Thanks for the feedback on my sidebar…everything should be appearing correctly now for those of you with IE. I figured out (rather, my bro suggested to me) that it was my radio giving me the problem, so I re-arranged things a bit and that seems to have worked. Yah! :)

My blog template has been acting up, so I need your help to get a better idea of what the problem is. Please (anyone & everyone) tell me what browser you're using (netscape, explorer, firefox, etc) and whether or not the sidebar on my blog is showing up on the right side (where is SHOULD be :roll: ) or waaaaaaaaaay down at the bottom of the page (where it definitely should NOT be… ).

Thanks! :)

My friend Britt has written a poignant and powerful post about the events of Easter from the view of an eye-witness.

When Morning Dawned

Read it with your heart…you might just catch a glimpse of something….amazing.

Welcome to my new blog! :) It’s been a long time in getting around to making the switch, so I’m very happy to officially launch it into the open! Please make yourself comfortable, and be sure to check out the new About page (I had some fun there ;) ) as well as the new posts I’ve been quietly writing while no one was around. :lol:

My opening theme was inspired by this picture when I was looking for header ideas. The pitcher struck me as such a beautiful representation of what Jesus said to the woman at the well, as recorded in John 4:13-14.

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

This is the essence of what God has been showing me more than ever in my own life. That He is the source of everything. It seems as if everywhere I go, the road signs are pointing back to Christ. The heart of every single issue we face (there are many swirling in my head), and every facet of the human life ultimately traces back to God and our need for only Him.

It may seem cliche to say that “He is enough”, but He is. Sometimes we just don’t want to believe that; it means letting go of everything else we’ve been trying to quench our thirst with. The water of sin will only dry us out, no matter how many times we go back to drink. It is the source of death, not life, the source of bondage, not freedom.

Imagine standing before the Lord. He tips a pitcher over your head, full of everything that He is, and pours. Over you. Into you. Until you are full to overflowing…and yet he keeps pouring…a never-ending stream of water, of love, of joy, of forgiveness. Joy that never runs dry. Joy that fills you up when everything else just drills holes in your cup. It’s freely available to us…we only need remember it is there.

Get your Source right -nothing else is of consequence.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Matthew 27:46

As I read these words, I was struck anew by the desperate helplessness behind Jesus’ cry. My eyes hung on that sentence, pondering what those nine words truly meant. Why would God’s only son ever utter such heart-rending words? If God was near anyone, loved anyone, heard anyone’s cry, surely it should have been him! What Father forsakes His child during such a horrific event as was taking place?

Yet so it is that in this hour, Jesus was indeed alone. Hanging on the cross in agony with people yelling insults at him from all sides, and the spiritually crushing weight of the whole of mankind’s sin upon his shoulders.

“He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf.” – 2 Cor. 5:21

Can you imagine? Jesus became sin itself – everything ugly and vile – all the hateful deeds done in darkness since the beginning of time and for all time to come. God in all His pure holiness cannot accept sin. Sin creates separation, therefore, He could not accept or be near His son in the moment on which He placed on him the sin of the world.

If God ever shed tears, I think this would’ve been the time. They both knew it had to be this way, that there was no other course for the final sacrifice of sin. “For God so loved the world” can have no deeper meaning when you realize what it meant for both the Father and the Son. The Son could’ve called for ten thousand angels. The Father could’ve sent ten thousand angels. But He didn’t.

He didn’t because He is Love. Love that let His son be killed that humanity might live. Love that turned His back on His pure delight, and left him alone that we might never be alone. Jesus felt the full force of his forsakeness, and he faced something that you and I will never have to face – total separation from God. To One who was part of God Himself, there can be no greater anguish. And he cried, yea, shouted, something that many men down through the ages have asked of God, but never experienced the actual realization of as he did – “Why have you forsaken me?”

He was doing the Father’s will, and he did it without hesitation, knowing full well what it would require. He knew God would not allow His Holy One to see decay (Acts 2:27) and that it was not the end. But the sheer emotional, not to mention physical, pain was very real. And what brings a pang to my heart is the knowledge that he did it for me. For me.

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20

No matter what, we will never, ever be alone. Never forsaken by God. Jesus guaranteed this by his death, paying the awful price of sin and offering us forgiveness, which invites us into the presence of God rather than casting us out as our just due. He endured suffering to the point of being forsaken by His Father, and dying all alone.

Because He is Love as His Father is Love. Love that was nailed on a cross, alone, that I today I might walk in freedom and forgiveness, never alone. Forsaken by the Father that no children of God shall ever be forsaken again for all of eternity.

This is the in-comprehendible mystery of Love….Love that knows no boundaries and has no limits.