In Awe of His sacrifice

We all have been experiencing living life very differently the last couple of months!  And to me watching Maundy Thursday mass on my smart phone last night brought the reality front and center. And as I sit here this morning  I can't help but think about all the Good Fridays I have spent walking up to the beautiful crucifix in our church and touching my lips to the cold hard feet of Jesus. It has never ceased to be an emotional moment for me and always brings me to a deepened and heightened place of gratefulness and yet my heart breaks for the sacrifice that Jesus made that day. For as much as my mind knows that the real physical event happened 2,000 years ago, my heart breaks for his suffering and I weep! And yet my heart, at the same time, sings with thankfulness!

Let me tell you a little story....there was a young man who died and went to hell. His pastor, who loved him, went down to hell to see if he could get him moved up to heaven. No luck. The young man's teachers and coach went down. Still no luck. His friends went down and pleaded his case. And again…no luck. Finally, his mother went down, knocked on the door of hell. When the devil opened the door she asked if she could be admitted to be with her son. There is no greater love than that of a mother...ahhhh, but there is....that of our heavenly father! Just as a mother's love for us is so encompassing that she was willing to sacrifice all to be at her son's side so much more is the love our FATHER has for us. He chose humanness. He experienced sadness, rejection, anguish, loneliness, and, yes, pain when at any time he could have chosen differently. He did it for me and you, for our parents, our children, our friends, our enemies. Jesus did it for all now, past, present, and future!

I gained a lot from church last night...think about this. We all wear badges of love. A mother wears spit-up on her shoulder...her badge of love for her baby. Think about the flour sprinkled in a mother's hair and on her apron from spending the day in the kitchen baking her child's birthday cake...her badge of love for her child. How about the grease under a father's fingernails after fixing his young son's bicycle or his older son's car...his badge of love for his son. And don't forget the wedding rings that couples wear...yes, their badge of love for each other. Then what of the cross...that is the badge of our Savior’s love for us. Envision this...Jesus carried a long ladder over to the cross, crawled up the ladder and onto his badge of love for us...THE CROSS! Picturing him carrying the ladder and crawling up onto the cross helps to remind me that it was deliberate...purposely done...as he mounted those stairs he could have turned back at any time. But, no HE CRAWLED onto that cross deliberately and purposely so that he could wear that badge of love for us! For me, no words adequately describe the depth and breath of his love for us. I just know it is there, how big it is and how grateful I am for such a gift. Not just for myself but those that I love so deeply, and actually those I don't know. All of humanity.
"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep flock. I must bring  them also. they too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father". John 10: 16-18

So today, Good Friday will be spent a little differently. I will be watching from my smart phone and there will be no feet for me to kiss... today will be a little quieter than normal.  Already this morning I find myself a little more reflective, and today will be a little more poignant. My mind, heart and prayers focused on my Lord but also on the hundreds of thousands that are suffering today. Yet, on the other hand I am overflowing with thankfulness, gratitude, and honor. It always causes me to pause to think that a  little old lady from a little old town is worthy in the eyes of her Father for him to endure such for me! And that those I love are worthy of being covered by His blood. And really I can't remember a time that I have thought so much about my Lord's sacrifice for all those I don't know before this time we are experiencing now. Simply put it is different but yet it is not...the sacrifice of love is the same each and every day!! To you Lord I give all the honor and glory!

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" Romans 5:6-10

Thorns and Blossoms

The above picture is of some branches I tied together to hang on my door for Palm Sunday. We are doing this for Palm Sunday because in our state we are amidst a "shelter in place" and will not be in church like many,many states. My daughter and I were taking a walk down our country road when I spotted a hawthorn tree on the other side of a ditch. We have several hawthorn trees around the farm and I love them because of the pretty white flowers that covers them in the spring. Originally I had thought of using some dogwood branches but when I spotted this tree, with it's delicate white blossoms, it was a done deal. So, I retrieved my clippers and down the ditch I went. Now, snipping the branches was where the tricky part came in. They have long thin thorns! I cut the branches I needed and back up the ditch this country girl went! Up on the front deck I took my hand clippers and started removing the thorns.. As I said we have other hawthorn trees, in fact one at the end of our walkway, that i pass many times a day. The fact that they have little white flowers and thorns has not been hidden from me. Yet, as i was clipping off the thorns I noticed how many times there seemed to be a thorn with a white, tiny, delicate flower beside it. That is when God decided to have a conversation with me. For me, the timing of God speaking to me never stops amazing me .

God: "Trina, do you feel the prick, the sting, the discomfort of these thorns?"

Me: "Yes, Lord! They HURT!"

God: "Have you noticed the beauty I have put beside the thorn?"

Me: "Definitely Lord...they are so white and delicate. How could I miss something so beautiful!"

God: "My child, take a minute and think about the recent days. Those days have been full of thorns. I have seen all the  suffering, anxiety, fear. But have you just been looking at all the thorns of recent days or have you noticed the blossoms, the beauty, the blessings that I have placed before you and all around? I have given you a branch that is bent over with the weight of my blessings but you have to stop and let your eyes see them!"

I must say sitting in the chair on my deck tears rolled down my face. "Forgive me Father for what I have done and what I have failed to do. You have given me so much and please open my eyes to see what you have placed in front of me!"

The last month has not only been life altering for me, my family, my circle of friends, my city, county and state. In every corner of the globe there has been anxiety, fear, death, and despair. Life altering globally!! Yet, we must not forget we have a global God!! A God whose eyes see each and every person in the entire world. And whose blessings, hope, hands, and heart have placed beautiful blossoms in front of each and everyone. Yes, this virus is touching everyone around the world in one way or another but we still have a God who is placing hope and joy and comfort right beside  "this thorn". His blessings, his mercy, his grace can't be squeezed out by any thorn small or big, by any virus locally or globally.

I, in no way am trying to minimize the suffering that is happening right now. That is real and heart wrenching. What I am attempting to do is remind you of something I needed to be reminded of. So, after God's talk with me, while I was working on my door hanging I started bringing to mind all the wonderful gifts I have been given and seen since this virus erupted.  Those blessings and that grace that has been poured out upon me is real also. Yet, I have spent the majority of my time looking at the thorns instead of gazing at the blossoms. God's conversation with me this evening, as the warm sun was setting, was much needed. Please spend time refocusing your eyes and your thoughts. God is placing branches of tiny white blossoms right before your eyes...and HAPPY PALM SUNDAY to all!

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" John 12:13

So much or so little talk!

It has been almost a year since I posted last  but because of all the heaviness that is going on I will write at a later date about what has been going on in my life. The Lord has been tugging at my ear for some time to get back to posting and unlike me I have not responded. So today, probably like most of us, overwhelmed and tired, frustrated and consumed, scared and confused, conflicted but yet thirsty and parched for something other than COVID-19 I sat down to write! Thank you Lord for your faithfulness while you wait on me and I praise God for giving me thoughts to pass onto you and I ask our Lord to bless you in some way with my posts! Now I feel like I can Breathe and BE!!

There is so much talk out in the world!! And from such important people. From everyone and everything...the President everyday, world leaders, the news media, talk shows, pastors...I am waiting for my favorite soap opera Day of our Lives to run an episode where Salem ( the non-existent town that DOOL takes place) to have a story line similar to real life!! LOL!  And yes, i have revealed one of my closed door secrets...I watch DOOL! The talk is heavy and it is 24/7!

Well, most of you know that I have the most precious two grandchildren. And like all the rest of the country my preschooler and my first grader are now at home doing their studies. On Friday, and this amazes me, his little class had video chat with each other. My daughter posted a picture of him sitting at the computer during this class chat. I am sure the conversation was more than interesting but I was not with them so was not able to eavesdrop. But I do know that my darling had six very important words to say..".MY MOM HAS A BIG SHARPIE!!" What a statement and I am sure that there was no one in his class that could top that information!!

This is a quote from Billy Graham.."The family should be a closely-knit group. The home should be a self-contained shelter of security; a kind of school where life's basic lessons are taught; and a kind of church where God is honored; a place where wholesome recreation and simple pleasures are enjoyed." The words "simple pleasures" jumped out to me...the innocence of what my grandson had to say in the midst of all that was swirling around him. And to that statement I commend his parents for their faith and their commitment to making their home a shelter of security, a school where life's basic lessons are taught, a church were God is honored and a place where wholesome recreation and simple pleasures are enjoyed...like watching mommy write with her BIG SHARPIE!

I have been struggled with finding the line between informed and obsessed with this virus. I admit i have swung to being more obsessed than just informed. I ask for your prayers and I will also pray for all of you...for all of our country that we can regain some of the simplicity, the innocent moments that would help us to breathe! If you read this maybe just take a large sharpie and put it on the coffee table and every time you see it take a breath and think of something simple and thank God that we can learn from those so young!!

Psalm 103:13  "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord show compassion to those who fear him."

Remembering the sacrifices made for us!

It was September 2006. The rooftop was sweltering. Three US Navy SEALs were in an "overwatch" position on a Ramadi home with two Iraqi soldiers. It had been an eventful morning, but it was quiet at the moment. From below, without warning, someone lobbed a grenade. It bounced off Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor's chest, then without warning , then clattered on the deck. Penned together, all five were easy prey for the grenade's deadly spray of shrapnel. At point-blank range, it couldn't miss.

Monsoor yelled, "Grenade!" and made a snap decision that would mark him for all time. He flung himself onto the device, smothering it with his torso, just in time to absorb the blast. The result was predictable; he lived only 25 minutes before dying of his injuries. His companions escaped with only scratches and minor wounds. Breathe, just breathe is what I imagine they were thinking and needed.

Because of the configuration of the rooftop, only one of the five men had a pathway of escape, had he chosen to use it; Yes, Michael Monsoor. For his stunningly self-sacrificial action, he received the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest military honor, posthumously. As is written in his official Navy Summary of Action, "Monsoor's actions that day could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional."  It is inconceivable that those who survived the rooftop blast would forget Monsoor's sacrifice. Their very lives are a testament to what he did to save them.

So now I ask you who, further back in history, perfectly embodied a sacrifice that "could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional"'. The answer is Jesus Christ. What our Lord did to save us could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional! The freedom and salvation we know as Christians are clearly traceable to a specific choice made by a man sacrificing himself just as the SEALs who escaped the otherwise-deadly blast that day on the rooftop are alive today because of a specific choice of a man to sacrifice himself .

Memorial Day is an opportunity, as a nation, to remember and appreciate those who have died so that we might live freely. The civil blessings of stability, prosperity and freedom we enjoy are a testament to the price they paid. A Christians we remember those who have gone before us, sacrificed their lives for us and we pray for them in thanksgiving for their service to this great nation. And right alongside that prayer we should honor the Father who gave his life for us, whose sacrifice gives us eternal life and thank him also for the blessing given to us. This day, Memorial Day, can help inspire us to the greatest thing of which we are capable, by God's grace; sacrificial love. Love that sacrifices for the beloved is divine and the only true love.

In remembering what our Lord did, and what others such as Michael Monsoor have done, we are reoriented to what life is really all about. We are more likely, in our turn, to love someone at our expense. At its best, Memorial Day is a civil and military echo of a profound theological truth: that God, "who is love" (1 John 4:8) sacrificed Himself so that we might live {1 pt. 2:24}! So today Breathe, breathe deep and sit for a few minutes in the arms of our fallen hero, our God, our Jesus, our Father who made the ultimate sacrifice for us!

FYI...Our Memorial Day was originally known as "Decoration Day," an opportunity to decorate many graves of the over 600,000 men who died in the Civil War. It was, by far, our nation's costliest was in terms of human life, about 2 percent of the entire population. Today, that would translate into 6.5 million people. Memorial Day honors all who have died in military service to our country since its inception.

This beautiful story and analogy was printed in my church's bullentin today. I took the liberty of changing it just a bit. I hope you touches you as much as it touched me. 

God bless all those fallen for us and thank you Father again and again for your sacrifice! May each and everyone one of you, my friends have a blessed and safe Memorial Day!

One little humming bird

I would like to tell you a little story. And so goes my tale...

One bright day in the forest all the woodland creatures were happy. They were doing what all woodland creatures do. They were frolicking in the green soft grass, eating berries and leaves off the lush bushes, drinking water from the cool clear brook and flying through the bright blue sky. But later in the day the sky turned dark and the wind started to blow through the tall majestic trees. Then as the rain began to fall the thunder clapped and a bolt of lightning crossed the darkened sky. And not only did the bolt of lightning pierce the sky it also set the ground ablaze. The truth of the forest was that this had happened many times before but the steady rains as they fell usually put out the fires. This time though it was different. The rains STOPPED and the fire grew!

And grew and grew and as it grew larger and more intense the animals started to take notice. Then they started escaping for their very lives. From the butterflies to the grasshoppers...from the bunnies to the woodchuck...from the deer to the bears...all were running to escape the all encompassing fire. The air was thick with smoke and the flames rose as if trying to lick the treetops. But then out of the thick grey smoke, like a dot on a page came a little humming bird. Where in the world is this tiny little fragile bird going? He was going toward the smoke and fire not away from it. What is this tiny bird doing?

And as the story was told this fragile little bird flew straight to the bubbling stream, dipped his long strong beak in the clear water and quickly flew to the fire and emptied his beak. Then he took off again, quickly into flight, and straight to that stream filling his beak again. Back and forth, back and forth was this tiny little creature dropping one beakfull of water at a time on those licking flames.

It was then that some of the other woodland creatures took notice. First, it was the bullfrogs along with their cousins the toads. Then it was the chipmunks and the bunnies. Also, the coyotes and the deer took notice. And as they took notice they started running to the stream following that tiny humming bird. They took water any way they could and followed that humming bird back to the fire to deposit their contribution of water. Back and forth, back and forth until the fire was completely out! And all because one little humming bird did his part...one little beakfull at a time!

I am telling you this story today because I want you to understand how very much God loves you. He loves you so much that he made you and prescribed, determined, ordained your purpose in life. He already has figured out for you where He, your maker and designer, wants you and what your purpose is going to be in this life! We are one piece in God's plan. An important piece and we have a plan and purpose on this earth to be used as part of a bigger plan. We don't have to do it all we just have to do the part God has designed for us. Whether it is a beakfull of water or a gallon of water God has already figured that out for us and will lead us and direct us if we allow him to. He loves us that much that he doesn't expect more out of us then he has planned for us. Each of us have been made special out of his love for us, to fit together, to "carry our beakfull of water" to the fire. Not to put the entire fire out but to do our part. The part ordained by God. What a deep, deep love must he have for us?

So, I pray that as you read my little story...confession time here...it was a story our priest told us in church and a great story it is! As you read this story you will thank God for his love and his plan and purpose for your life. You might also want to ask his forgiveness for not being satisfied with being made to "carry just a beakfull of water". Today thank him that he loves you enough that ALL doesn't rest on you...that if we, each and every one of us, just fill our beaks, do what God has ordained us to do, together we will do great and powerful things.  AMEN!

Psalm 139:16 "Your eyes have seen my unformed body; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none."

Super bowl Sunday

So last night was the big game to end another year of NFL football! and what a game it was. Most people don't know this about me but I actually like watching football. Who would have thought!!

And this super bowl was exciting and, as usual filled with statics, On the top are two of New England's treasures...Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. The love New England has not only for their team, the Patriots, but for their treasured quarterback is evident every season. And rightfully so. Back in 2002 Tom Brady made his first super bowl appearance playing against the RAMS who were favored by 14 points. But this football treasure led his team to a first time win and seventeen years later was matched up to play the RAMS again. This game was the 11th Patriots Super Bowl appearance overall, the most in NFL history and the 9th with Tom Brady and the 3rd in a row.  And with this win, the Patriots break a tie for the most wins in playoff history and tying the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins which is 6. A New England treasure but also a NFL treasure!

After all that I need to take a breath...just breathe for a minute! Did any of you notice the frequent use of the word "treasure"? This month, being February, I want to have us think on words of love from our Father. Focus in on His great abiding love for us and who and what we are in His eyes. And the one I wanted to use today was "treasured".

God loves us in ways that we cannot even imagine and one of those ways is in how much he treasures us as his children...his people. Watch the news tomorrow when New England has their parade and see how much they "treasure" their team. God treasures us infinitely more than that if you can wrap your head around that. No matter who we are or what we come from God treasures us..."You shall be my treasured possession among all peoples" Exodus 19:5. And in Deuteronomy 7:6 God's word tells us that "you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession."

We don't have to play football, we don't have to win a super bowl, our name doesn't have to be Tom Brady! God sent his only son to die for us, to shed his blood for us so that we

could accept him and his gifts...to be blameless and holy, above reproach in His site. God declared by His sacrifice that we are God's priceless treasure...to be treasured each moment of each day.

Thank you Father for loving me and making me your priceless treasure!

Deuteronomy 14:2  "for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession."

FUN MIRRORS

In this season I am experiencing right now, of trying to BREATHE and BE, I find myself thinking of the most unexpected, random thoughts. For instance, the other day my mind went to how I enjoyed "fun mirrors" when we would visit the county fairs. Well, I really enjoyed the mirror that made me look thin and lean; not so much the one that made me look heavy and wide! Standing in front of those mirrors and turning every which way would really bring out the giggles in me. What grinned back at me in those mirrors was a girl half her weight and everyone knows for most of us females, that is not a bad thing.

Just a couple of days after thinking about the fun mirrors, I was driving over to watch my darlings and a song by JJ Weeks Band came over the radio. The chorus goes as follows:

Let them see You in me,

Let them hear You when I speak,

Let them feel You when I sing,

Let them see You in me!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a mirror that we could look into and Jesus would be looking back at us!!? Wait a minute...There is something like that...there is me, there is you. Each and every one of us have the ability to stand in front of someone else and be a reflection of Jesus!!   

Each and every one of us are special, blessed, created in the image of God himself for His purpose here on earth. Genesis 1:27.."God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created male and female." 2 Corinthians 5:20.."We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

When someone else looks at us, our actions should reveal our Creator... Ephesians 4:24..."and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth."  Every moment of our day we have opportunities to bring the image of Christ to others...love, truth, righteousness, patience, kindness.  How often does the "fun mirror" in your life have Christ smiling back at you?  Maybe the reflection that you see is rude or impatient, unkind, or self absorbed? If that is what you are seeing in the reflection then that is also what everyone else is seeing.

Let's just look at those few lines one more time..."Let the see You in me, Let them hear You when I speak, Let them feel You when I sing, Let them see YOU in me!" YES, YES, YES! Please Jesus, let others see YOU in me!!

, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:20–21