DaTiNg

Emotionally connected but
Physically detached

Visible lines of
Invisible boundaries

Two of one or
Two of four

Holding on to what I let go of
Letting go of what holds me back

Son of God

In the heat of the day Jesus was led to the hill where He was to take His final breath. As the young soldier threw Jesus to the ground these words he said to Him; "With this nail I call 'hate,' I pierce your wrist. With this spike I call 'death,' I break your spirit and finally, with this nail I call 'hopelessness,' I end your life and your pathetic beliefs." Jesus was then raised up, blood flowing freely and He died...
When Jesus came off the cross, He did not leave empty-handed. He held in His hands the nails 'hate,' 'death,' and 'hopelessness.' Looking at the your soldier, Jesus felt compassion. Taking the three spikes He went to work on the hard heart of the young man. With the first spike He started to chisel as He said, " I will name this one 'mercy,'" The second one He grasped and proclaimed, "You will be called 'grace,'" and He chiseled more of the hardness away. Finally, Jesus took the third nail and said, 'I call this nail 'love,'"and with that He pierced the heart of the soldier. His blood flowed freely as the soldier turned to the cross and said, "Surly this is the Son of God."

Romans 5:8 "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 3:16 "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."

What if God Really is Real?

What if God really is real? What if He really does what He says He is doing and what if He really can do anything? What would my life look like if I REALLY believed that?
Which would be crazier, to ask a ghost if you could walk on the water or to let go of the side of the boat yet deny that you ever walked on the water?
God is here and He is real, so why do we as Christians deny His power in our lives? We live as if there is no God because if there really is a God then our lives can never be normal! To understand salvation is to let go of the boat but to live a life of normacy is to deny you ever walked on the water! Once you have experienced the power and love of God then how can we ever go back? God is not a great idea, God is not something that is fun to call a fad but He is the most consuming force in the universe! To claim Him in word but not in deed is to lie to those around you, to yourself, and to God. But to claim Him in deed is to not only walk away from the life you have surrendered but it is also to walk into the life God has for you to surrender to.

WHAT IF THAT LIFE IS...?

Let go of the boat that you claimed to have walked away from years ago yet you still have dry feet.

Mary's Story

My heart fails me and my breaths grow short. Death would be welcome. For I have nothing to live for. These tears that sting my eyes and trace my face are my only companions. I don't think I can go on. My strength is gone, so I collapse on the hard, cold, earth. My face is buried in the dirt. Tears fall to the ground and make mud. The sky is blue but all is gray. The sun is bright but my eyes are dark. The flowers of this garden bloom but death surrounds me. Death becomes me.
Each time I open my eyes I pray that all would be made right. But each time an empty grave is all I see, a hole in the rocks, a void in the stone, a vacant tomb. Oh, if only I could fill that space. Let me craw in and sleep forever. All hope is lost and desire to live is fleeing. Why should life go on?
What evil has done this? What devil from Hell itself has wound me so? How could anyone be so possessed that they would steal the body of my friend? I called Him Lord and teacher but not just by name, I really believed He was Messiah. He really was the Son of God. I gave my life to Him. Where He went I went, when He ate I ate, when He slept I slept. At least when He died I had a stone sealed memorial to visit but now the stone is moved and the tomb lays empty. I have nothing left to hold on to, nothing left to remember. Oh, my soul is ripped in two.
Rising to my feet I stumble toward the entrance. One last look before I leave. Maybe God has heard my cry and has taken pity on me. Stooping down and peering into the eerie walls of death... My heart stops and my breath is sucked out as to my surprise, two glowing men sit in the tomb. One sits where we laid my Lords head and the other where we laid His feet. Do they mock me? Do they think this is a joke? My blood boils as they ask me, "Why are you weeping?" The only words that would form as I felt the tears stinging my eyes again were, "They have taken my Lord and I don't know where they have laid Him." Feeling as though something was approaching from behind I spun around to see the gardener. Why was he here? Had he come to cover the evidence? Anger rushed through me as I looked at him, intently watching me. I lashed out at him with all I had left in me. I shouted, "If you have taken Him tell me where He is and I will return Him, if I have to carry Him on my back!" With that I fell to the ground and wept from the inter most part of my being.
The gardener still standing over me knelt down and grabbed a hand full of dirt. Casting the dirt to the side I heard him sniff. Could this gardener be crying? Before I could raise my head I heard this man say my name, "Mary." There was something about how He said it. I had heard that voice many times before. Looking up I saw before me no gardener but a King, the King of Kings. "Teacher," I screamed as I lunged for Him. Dodging me He said, "Don't lay hold of me. For I have not gone to the Father yet. But go tell the others where I'm going and that I will return to them soon."
Like lightning I was to my feet. I felt as if I had wings on my feet as I ran down the path. The beautiful blue sky and the warmth of the sun was my focus as I ran through the garden. A song now rests on my lips and a hope settled in my heart. My Lord was dead but now He's alive, He was gone but now He is back to stay. Praise the Lord!

Little Herman

One early, cold and snowy morning, little Herman was a snoring. Herman's clock sang, "out of bed," "but I don't want to" Herman said. His closet was where he went first, "what to wear this part's the worst." "I don't know what I should wear." So he turned and walked out bare. In the kitchen he took a seat, and he said "mom, what's to eat?" "Whatever, you want, you decide." "How am I to know," he cried. "I just wont eat, that's no debate, I better leave or I'll be late." Still with no clothes he ran out the door, it was so cold he cried "help me Lord." Dressed like that and no food in his belly, it wasn't long till he was jelly. It's easy to see he didn't last long. It was that day that he ended life's song. Herman died that day without visions, all because of his decisions.

Oh what a great injustice, to kill an unborn

Oh what a great injustice, to kill an unborn.

One nation under God our allegiance was sworn.
How sweet it is to live and be.
To walk life's path or just to see.

Oh what a great injustice to kill an unborn.
An act made in such haste you're left to mourn.
It's a crime of greatest proportion.
Ending a life its called abortion.

Oh what a great injustice, to kill an unborn.
The controversy is so big, a nation is torn.
What controversy, please be a harsh joke.
How can we debate, a body is broke

Oh what a great injustice, to kill an unborn.
To throw out a precious life leaves me so forlorn.
They beckon us to give them joy.
They're the future, the girl and boy.

For Today We Fight

The battle rages on and yet I fight,
Though I am tired, my goal is in sight.

I dare not quit for to stop is to die.
My blood mixes with the tears that I cry.

I have decided to fight for what is right.
I will stand true, through this savage night.

Our trumpet has sounded and our banner is raised.
We press on and fight on for all of our days.

It's time to grab your sword and shield,
It's time to charge the battlefield

We may not be here to see tomorrow's light.
So grab your sword for today we fight.