Holy Thursday - In Remembrance

"Maundy Thursday", or Holy Thursday, commemorates Jesus' last meal and meeting with his inner circle. There are many lessons set forth by Jesus at the Last Supper, which are documented in the gospels. Some examples that come to mind are humility, servitude, sacrifice, Passover Lamb, New Covenant...you can discover more by reading here: Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20.

I thought I would like to create a simple post today of the things that I am thankful for. Just some of what the Lord has done in my life and heart since I was saved. Tomorrow is Good Friday, the day we commemorate Jesus' death on the cross. What is so good about that? The "good" part reminds me of the good things He has blessed me with. Of course, the good news of Jesus' Crucifixion was that he paid my sin debt in full and and suffered the torturous, humiliating death penalty that I deserved. He rose from the grave, a conqueror, showing that I serve a living Savior. He did all this out of love, and so I could take hold of the the life God intended for me to live. I am most thankful for this! {John 3:16}

God has blessed me with:

~The divinely inspired Word of God - The Bible.
~Prayer. A two-way communication link between heaven and earth.
~The power of the Holy Spirit living within me.
~A Christian husband and leader of my family.
~The fellowship with and discipleship of the Body of Christ (Christians around the world).
~A biblically based church and pastors who lift up the name of Jesus and teach a message of hope.
~Peace that passes understanding when faced with worldly insecurities such as job loss and sickness.
~The "two biggest jewels in my crown" (as husband calls them), big kid and little kid. I am thankful for the opportunity to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They also teach me about the heart of God every day. {And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3 NIV}

The list goes on. It will continue as He reveals more of His plan for my life. What about you? Is there something you are especially thankful for today?

Day 42 Season of Quiet - It All Comes Down to Grace

I was given a large nail at church on Sunday. I'm turning it over in my hands and I start imagining Jesus on the cross - one nail-pierced hand in God's hand and the other reaching out to me. Bringing us together. So I could experience - so you could experience - true life.

Now that I've shared my testimony and my Season of Quiet intentions, you may be surprised by this little newsflash:
I'm still a sinner. *Gasp* I failed over and over in my good intentions these past 40 days. I'm still addicted to caffeine. I still sometimes hit the snooze button in lieu of my quiet time with God. I frequently lose my temper and yell at my kids. The list goes on. Yep, every day I fall in various aspects of my Christian walk. I keep striving to be more like Him, but it's only by His grace that I can do anything. That's the difference in my former sinful self and my new life in Christ - GRACE!

God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain. ~C.S. Lewis

Without stain. This was difficult for me to accept at first - my old tradition programmed me to believe that just one sin could keep me from heaven. Talk about pressure for perfection. Now, I confess, I repent, I pray for strength, and I pick myself up and move on! There has only been one perfect man to ever walk the earth. He took the death penalty for my mistakes and carried it up on beaten and bloody shoulders. He pushed it up a hill. He cried out in agony as my sin and your sin and every sin since Eve ate the apple was driven into His hands and feet, pierced through His side, pressed down upon Him and crushed Him. He who was without stain was tortured, bled, and died so that I could truly live. Why? Because God loves us that much and gives us that much grace.

What is grace? Grace is God's unmerited favor. It is kindness from God we don't deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift from God. Grace is divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration (rebirth) or sanctification. Grace reminds me of the bumper sticker I love that reads: "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven"!

Free gift? Debts paid in full? What a burden lifted!

I was at the top of my game in 2008. I had it all together, or so I thought. Big time job, new big SUV, etc. That's right, just one year before the perfect storm I told you about in my testimony. What I've learned is that nothing I could hope for in this world can give me peace and security. Governments will fall, material wealth fades. The world tells us we need to be more, have more, do more. We are needy, but true life is not promised us in anything of this world.

Consider this verse, emphasis mine:

1 Timothy 6:17-19 - Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

One out of one of us is going to die. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I'm going to be with Jesus when I die. Do you? Today we have a choice. There will come a day, when there is no longer a choice. If you are interested in finding out how to have more joy and grace in this life and life everlasting when you die, I encourage you to view this presentation and make your commitment today:

http://www.hutchcraft.com/yours-for-life/presentation/alpha

Palm Sunday Season of Quiet - My Testimony

According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4

Sacred Assembly. Time of Confession. My mind and heart rewind to a place where I am broken hearted. Failed. Drowning. Helpless. Up against the wall. Sick. We've all been there in some form or fashion. 2009 was a desperate time for me. And yet out of pain comes healing. Even joy. New life.

The highlight of 2009 was the baby we prayed for, who came mid-crisis and mid-year. Savannah - "treeless plain" unintentionally describing our barren table when she arrived that year. Middle name after her Momma's - Joy. The hope for joy around the corner.

Rewind 35 years more - I am born third generation Seventh-Day Adventist. My own strong Momma who carries Joy in her name, ensures that I am raised in church and observing every Sabbath for over 18 years. I am baptized at the age of ten. I attend church schools. Unfortunately, it is overall, a joy-less faith for me. Although it did provide Christian values that give me moral ground and conviction in the face of many worldly circumstances. Yet, as I strayed from my Christian tradition in my college years, I always felt there was "something more than this". It would take me many years and heartaches, a marriage, and two children to bring me to the something more. Real Joy.

Back to 2009. I have a friend and former co-worker, who in my estimation, is one of the "best Christian ladies" I have ever known. Not perfect. But, she was unafraid to share her faith and invite me to her church. Yes, I told myself! Church must be where I will find that "missing something" for me and my family. I took my big kid to their community children's events, we visited the worship hour a couple of times. Loved the service, the music, the message. Then, something surprising happened.

I, one who never shied away from a new job, a new opportunity, a fresh start...would not budge from my comfort zone. Of course, at this point, my husband was working many hours and multiple jobs to keep our new "cash only" budget in the black and was not open to attending church regularly. My comfort zone kept me from continuing to attend without him. So, after a few visits, I figured it was back to "church shopping" or sleeping in on Sundays. I'm still a Christian, whether I go to church or not, I told myself and the world. So, why did I still feel so empty?

If there's one thing I have learned, God has a plan. He works this plan out in His own time, His way. I remember a couple of years ago, posting to my social network status: "Doing it my way!" That sure was true, and I sure did fail! I talked about God and Jesus with my big kid, and as she attended church camp and began the school year anew, she told me - "Mom, I don't want to visit any more churches. Mount Zion is my church!" I told her Dad this, and he agreed to give it another chance. We inquired about how to join, so we could be official members. (Remember, we considered ourselves Christians. Even had a membership at another Christian church - in name only. In my mind, if anyone needed "saving"...it was my husband.) Ah, the beauty of His plan unfolds.

Pastor Jeff asked if he could meet with us outside of the church service, because he "likes to really get to know people who join his church". Ouch...comfort zone pain...no like. We agreed to meet with him (just a formality, we told ourselves).

He told us his background as a youth, which included his former tradition - Catholic. Okay, here's somebody we could identify with..."I'm ex-SDA", I say...Husband says his religious background is a confusing mix of "every Christian church his mom visited" and the Jehovah's Witness meetings he was forced to attend every summer with his dad. Top that Mr. Ex-Catholic turned Baptist, we thought. Oh, he did.

We asked questions like: What does it mean to be Baptist? How do you join this church? Can we just get a letter from our old church? Pastor Jeff likes to be sure people in his church understand what being a Christian means. Christian first, Baptist also. God placed my friend in my life to bring me to Mount Zion, a biblically sound church. In this church are people who care about my salvation, like Pastor Jeff and Miss Carol (who took hours of her time to explain to me their children's ministry - very important to my comfort zone). It had to be these people, this church, this day in late September. We had been broken, we had been desperate, and we were now seeking the joy that we saw these people had in their lives!

Here's what Pastor Jeff shared with my husband and myself that day. The three of us in his office. No, make that four of us.

God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life - abundant and eternal. {Rom.5:1, Jn.3:16, Jn.10:10} The problem is our separation from God (all of mankind chooses to go our own willful way). {Rom.3:23, Rom.6:23} People have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God. Such as: Good Works, Religion, Philosophy, Morality. <---THIS PART STRUCK A CHORD WITH MY HUSBAND AND ME! {Prov.14:12, Is.59:2} No bridge reaches God - Except One. Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for all of our sins. Past. Present. Future. He bridged the gap between God and people. {1 Tim.2:5, 1 Peter 3:18, Rom.5:8} We must TRUST Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation. <---WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LATER AND WE AGREED THAT HE HAD BEEN KNOCKING ON THE DOOR, THIS WAS THE DAY HE OPENED THE DOOR AND SAT DOWN ON THE THRONE IN OUR HEARTS AND LIVES. {Rev.3:20, Jn.1:12, Rom.10:9}

We prayed with the pastor, admitting our need, repenting, believing, trusting, and inviting the fourth "person", the Holy Spirit, to control our lives from this point forward. Amen and Amen. We were baptized on 10/10/10. Our spiritual birthday, the day we entered into a life of Joy.

It is rare for husband and wife to accept Jesus and be saved at the same time. It just usually happens a different points in each person's life. In the months since we were born again, my husband and I have worked out our faith together and I truly believe that "even then, God knew about today". Just as my friend, our pastor, all the people who have already ministered to us in our church were placed in our lives...He brought the two of us together as part of His plan.

There is so much more to the story. If you'll stay with me this Passion Week, I will share more about what Jesus saved me from, how my life is different because of Christ, and the good things the Lord has done for me. As we approach Easter, we will turn to what Jesus' suffering and death on the cross means.

Until then, please consider these scriptures and song lyrics for meditation in your quiet time:
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Rom.10:13. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know you have eternal life." 1 John 5:12-13

I’ve found his grace is all complete,
He supplies my every need,
While I sit and learn at Jesus’ feet,
I am free indeed.

What kind of joy is this?

It’s joy unspeakable: all you’ve done for me,
It’s indescribable, just a taste of your glory,
And it’s unnatural not to tell the story of all you’ve given me,
My words are incomplete,
It’s joy unspeakable.

I’ve found the pleasure I once craved,
It’s joy and peace within, within,
What a wondrous blessing,
I am saved from the awful gulf of sin.

It’s joy unspeakable: all you’ve done for me,
It’s indescribable, just a taste of your glory,
It’s unnatural not to tell the story of all you’ve given me,
My words are incomplete.

I’ve found the joy no tongue can tell,
How its waves of glory roll,
It is like an overflowing well,
Springing up within my soul.

It’s joy unspeakable: all you’ve done for me,
It’s indescribable, just a taste of your glory,
And it’s unnatural not to tell the story of all you’ve given me,
My words are incomplete,
It’s joy unspeakable.

Joy unspeakable,
What kind of joy is this?

~Todd Agnew

Day 15 Season of Quiet - Just receive it

Seeking quiet time is this noisy place is a struggle. The rest that is offered me when I seek the quiet is F-R-E-E. All I have to do is just receive it.

I love it when my kids sleep. I love the noise that we can create when we are making memories and enjoying family time, too. Oh, how I love the quiet though. When their little peepers shut, their breathing slows, and they drift off to dreamland.

I have a friend whose two kiddos are the same age as mine (under 6). She told me once that they take three-hour naps on Sunday afternoons. That would be heaven to me! My oldest doesn't take a nap unless we let her stay up late the night before, which is almost never because we pay dearly for that the next day (hence the need for a nap). My youngest takes two-hour naps at daycare during the week...I'm still trying to get them to give me their secret.

Most days (if I don't really wear them out for a couple hours at the park), they fight sleep. I'm not talking about a bedtime routine struggle. They fight letting go and receiving the rest their little bodies require. I've got a couple of prize-fighters, too. Sometimes it seems they literally "pass out" as they wiggle under the sheets up until the last bit of energy is expended. Then, my quiet time starts.

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

It gets wearisome looking for ways to squeeze quiet out of the hectic world. When the kids fall asleep at night, I am also exhausted. It would be so easy to roll over and turn out the light. I used to do that. And then I would lay there. For hours. Carrying my burdens to bed, fretting and not getting any rest at all really.

Now, in my evening quiet time, I give those burdens to Jesus. He teaches me how to let go of the heavy yoke and just receive the One that is easy to bear. He gives me rest for my soul when I just receive it. Sometimes I wake up in the night and there is a sick child, or a telephone ringing, or a storm outside my window. And Jesus is right there at the edge of my bed. Offering gentleness and a heart of love that has taught me how to respond to life the way I was designed to respond - peacefully.

Will you receive this rest today? When you have a break in the business of the day, before you mark off that next thing on your "To Do" list...just stop and take a moment to bow your head and close your eyes. Pray and ask the Lord to take your burdens and cast them into the sea. That is what He promises to do. Believe it, receive it, and claim it each day. Then you will find rest and the next time you seek quiet, you may just find it a whole lot easier.

Enjoy the quiet moments where you find them today - I'd love to hear how you are doing!

Days 12 & 13 Season of Quiet - Personal Quiet Time (Part 2)

Sorry if you came by looking for a post yesterday. I am on the mend from my weekend cold/hay fever (the pollen count is high already here in GA). Also, lots of personal distractions prevented me from sitting long enough at the computer to post. So, here are my thoughts for days 12 and 13 of my Season of Quiet.

You may be feeling the stress of the world creeping in, too. Earthquakes, tsunamis, wars and rumors of wars, all of these and more remind me of 1 Peter 5:8 which says, Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.(NLT) Also, Matthew 24:42, Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

We press on through each new day, in the middle of the devil's warfare. He does anything he can to keep us from finding Truth and Peace. His demons know they are running out of time to turn humans away from God. They swoop in when we are vulnerable, when we take our eyes off the heavens where the Master Designer is pulling His plan together with or without our submission. We so easily pluck the lies from the world when we do not have the Truth hidden in our hearts. (See Psalm 119:11. This is a great first scripture for memorization!)

Can you feel the Spirit tugging on your heart strings? Do you hear Someone knocking on the door of your heart? You can't put your finger on it, but you know there is something more than what you are living. I felt that way for years, not understanding that I didn't have to be in a church building to find what I was seeking. We are all separated from God by our sin, since God is perfect and can not be in the presence of sin. However, Jesus is our High Priest, and brings us closer to our Heavenly Father through his intercession. He intercedes night and day on our behalf even while we are still sinning. We simply need to humbly accept and trust His redemptive Grace to come to the Father and receive our inheritance in Heaven.

Recently, I did trust and accept Jesus as my Savior in the presence of my pastor. (I promise to present my full testimony before this journey is over.) Now, I seek God's face every day by meditating on His word (The Bible), and lifting my prayers up to Him in my daily quiet time. As I've said before, this makes a huge difference as I go about the business of my day. Anxiety lessens, peace settles in, I feel more than a conqueror! This is why we are intentionally looking for quiet in the days leading up to Easter.

I have been reading through the Bible since January of this year. In my Old Testament reading, I began to envy the children of Israel, with their visible direction of the Lord in a cloud by day or fire by night. We have something more than they had though. We have the life, teachings, and testimony of Jesus. Not only does that give us direction, but allows us to more fully understand the character of God. This is what we are intentionally meditating on in our personal quiet time.

How do we do this? I have given you a few suggestions so far in my Season of Quiet for beginning to focus on where and when you can start finding quiet in your day. These are different for everyone. You may be a morning person and get up early each day with your journal and a cup of tea before heading out into the world. You may be a night owl and like to relax after a long day in your easy chair with a good book. Maybe both morning and evening meditation sound appealing. If you can start and end the day with quiet meditation, kudos to you! If you are just starting out this habit though, a consistent and set aside quality time each day is most important.

Our model for quality time with God comes from Jesus. We find that Jesus prayed in "solitary" and "lonely" places (Mark 1:35 and Luke 5:16). He prayed in a posture of reverence and submission (Matthew 26:39). He gave us an outline for the words we should use when we pray in what we refer to as "The Lord's Prayer" (Matthew 6:9-13). In addition to meditating and memorizing scripture, prayer is how we seek God in our quiet time.

So, Part 2 of this theme on finding your personal quiet time has given you some ideas for What, When, Where, and How. We also reviewed Why intentionally seeking quiet in our daily life is important. The most important question is Who are we doing this for in the first place? Is it for ourselves? Not when you think about it. In quiet prayer and meditation, we recognize the Source of our strength, the Power behind our purpose, and the need to relinquish our plans to His plans. The resulting blessing to us is that He is an ever present help, our strong tower, a fortress when we're weak. And He came to redeem us and offer us an eternal life beyond this mortal one! A life where we will fully commune with Him face to face. Without "street noise". In quiet adoration and triumphant worship. Can I get an AMEN?!

As I seek out my own quiet times, I can't promise to post every day here at Life Beyond PBJ. I am doing all of this without an outline, only as I am moved to write. So, I hope you continue to follow along and anticipate what we will share together here for the next several weeks. I'd love to hear from you in the comments.
Take care and enjoy the quiet moments you find today!