Of Quizzing and Vacation

This evening, like we do every spring, my church had Bible quizzing for the evening service.  We were quizzing on Romans 12:1-12 and Psalm 23.  Now you have to realize, there are some folks in my church who are amazing quizzers and quick jumpers and have all the verses perfectly memorized.  And there are others -- like me -- who are not very quick jumpers, and only skimmed over the verses a few times this afternoon, but enjoy the exhilaration of being up on stage and doing my best to actually be the first off the pad.  Well, I never got that honor tonight, but I must admit that I still enjoyed trying:).
On Wednesday, I will begin my two-week vacation!  And yes, I'm plenty excited!  Mom and I will head down to Marysville and meeting Laurena there, and I will travel the rest of the way to Virginia.  After spending a couple days there with Laurena, I'll be heading on out to Arkansas with a young family (Mike & Sarah, Josh) who lives in the same area of VA as Laurena.  In AR, I get to spend a little over a week with my dear friend, Hannah.  And the reason for this trip?  The wedding of another friend - Maria (to DJ) - on March 16.  Thanks to Maria (and DJ, lol)  for the excuse to take a vacation!  Oh, and as far as coming back...current plans are to ride back to VA with the Mike & Sarah, then Ria will come to VA and pick me up to bring me back home.  Clear as mud, eh?:)

Some thoughts on the Crucifixion

Through the past while I've slowly been reading through the Gospel of John.  Last night I read chapter 19, John's account of Jesus' condemnation, beatings, crucifixion and burial.

And as I read I thought about the various things I've heard about how cruel the Roman scourgings and crucifixions were.  That led me to thinking, "Jesus lived through that scourging which killed many people.  It was not a 'chance' that He lived through that.  To fulfill the Plan He had to be crucified, even though it meant enduring so much pain before He ever got to the Cross.  He carried the Cross, beaten, bloody, and weak as He was.  He felt the nails being pounded into His wrists and feet, even though every nerve in His human body must have screamed, 'NO!'
Worst of all was the feeling of being forsaken by His Father.  The physical pain probably would have seemed much less painful if only He could have felt the Father's nearness.  Psalm 22:24 tells us that God did not hide His face, and that He heard the cry of His Son.  But for the sake of all humanity, the Sacrifice must feel the entire weight of our sin.  The just and jealous God required the sacrifice to be paid, though His Father heart wept to see His only begotten Son hanging on a cross, crying for the Father, and hearing His own righteous Name mocked by the crowd.
But the Father and Son had planned this before the earth was created. This was not some backup plan, this was the Master Plan.  So the plan must be completed, cost what it did.  God would have done this if only Adam had sinned.  He would have done this if only you or I would have sinned.  
In my mind, the whole scene takes only 2 words to describe it -- sin and love.  Those 2 words capture a picture that human's greatest happiness and deepest pain cannot match.  The sin -- needed to be removed, and though the animal sacrifices covered the sin for a time, they never removed the sin but it was remembered each year (Hebrews 10:1-4, 11).  The love -- (John 3:16) Because He loved, He gave the ultimate sacrifice, the ONLY one which could ever remove the sin.  
The Father's heart wept.  The Son lived through agony, was abandoned by all disciples, died a robber's death on false charges, all for the love that they bore to you, me, and all humanity.
Folks, if this isn't love, there is no love.  If this doesn't describe love at its height, nothing will ever be love.

Because of the Cross, we are justified.  And because of the resurrection, we must also be sanctified through His living in us.

This Poem from Awhile back...

About a year and a half ago, I wrote this (free verse, because I simply can't rhyme) poem...nothing special, just what was in my heart.  Anyway, I started thinking about it again recently, and decided to share it with y'all...

I keep looking down
Despair fills my heart.
Regret and the old hurts
Are dragging me down, again.
 
I refuse to look up
And faith is left out
I am without hope
I try to hide-it hurts so much
The shame goes so deep,
I don't wanna be seen
 
The battle continues
Until at last I yield-
I look up to the Father
And with trembling voice
I cry for forgiveness
 
Now...Faith enters my heart
And peace floods my soul
With tear stained face turned upward
The Father's love can flow into me.
 
I raise my hands,
Surrendering all that held me down.
And You pick me up
To hold me in Your arms
 
Overwhelmed and lost
In Your awesome love
I am content.
Let the world go by
Let the storms rage,
But I am safe.
 
Cuz I am Yours,
Now and forever
I am Yours!

comments or criticism, anyone?

the magic of snow...

So last evening it dumped around three inches of snow here, and this morning or so we got another couple inches.  While I'm not really fond of walking or driving in snow, I do like to look out the window at it :).  
Anyway, in my looking out the windows last night and this morning, the trees were so pretty.  With gleaming whiteness accentuating each twig, I just couldn't resist taking some pictures. 

The tree outside my upstairs bedroom window, taken last night. And yes, that's the reflection of me and the camera that you see. I call that effect. lol

A tree outside our back window, also taken last night.

this is along the road (I took it when I went outside to get the mail:]) and that's our chicken fence weighed down with snow...

pure beauty, in my opinion:)

This is a shot from our back window across our ravine.

Unfortunately, the camera fell far short of capturing half of the beauty out there, so you can only see the toned-down versions of it:).

But doesn't that make you want to just have a cup of hot chocolate and a good book and  curl up in front of the wood fire?! :)

Like the Woman at the Well...

 So lately I've been thinking alot about the woman at the well in John 4...most of this was fueled by our sermon on Sunday, "A Divine Appointment."  One thing that stuck out to me was how the Samaritan woman was an outcast due to her lifestyle, yet it was to her that Jesus offered his living water.  If Jesus took the offer of living water to someone like her, who are we to turn away a seeker--or even to refuse to tell a person of the living water-- regardless of their past life?  We are really no better, even if we've been raised in church and yada yada.  Or for those of us that are on the other side and feel like we're too sinful, that's not true!  After all, Jesus didn't come to save the righteous, but to save the sinners.  
  And when I thought of the woman at the well, this song came to mind...
lyrics ~Wanda Jackson
(Verse 1)
Like the woman at the well I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy;
But then I heard my Savior speaking:
"Draw from the well that never shall run dry".

(Chorus)
Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;
Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more--
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!

(Verse 2)
There are millions in this world who are craving
The pleasures earthly things afford;
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.

(Chorus)

(Verse 3)
So, my children, if the things this world gave you
Leave hungers that won't pass away,
My blessed Lord will come and save you,
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray:

(Chorus)
Blessings,
Talitha 

The Sweetest Name

Sweetest note in seraph song,

Sweetest name on mortal tongue;

Sweetest carol ever sung, 

Jesus, blessed Jesus.

Have you ever stopped to think of just how full of hope, how healing, how sweet the very name of Jesus really is?  If you haven't, you should.  Recently I was discouraged...really, I should say I was pretty hopeless...and all I had to do was call on the Name of Jesus.  That was enough--HE is enough.  

He brought me out of the miry clay,

He set my feet on the Rock to stay;

He puts a song in my soul today,

A song of praise, hallelujah!

His name is glorious...it is powerful.  Even in the darkest of times, just to say the name of Jesus gave me new hope.  

my new pink room

So, now that Micah's moved out, I get his old room...and I get to do a little remodeling first ;).  For a long time, this room has been a minty green.  And while I like minty green, it is overpowering when the entire room is that color (in my opinion).  Sooo, since I've liked pink ever since I can remember, I chose to paint some pink [the color is called Bubblegum Pink, to be exact;)] into the room.  You are not required to like it (I realize that my tastes in colors are not common :P), but I think it's pretty cool :).

looking in the door (the stuff is simply various objects that have been stored in that room ;))

 looking at the closets 

So yep, I'm pretty excited about my new pink room...if you can't tell;).