Tag: hope

A Promise Kept

“For no word from God will ever fail”- Luke 1:37

How many times have I read the passage from Luke’s Gospel account of the Virgin Birth of Jesus and missed the verse above? I’m not sure, but I double checked today, and the verse was still there. It stood out to me a couple of days ago. Right when I needed it. Of course! I’ve found this out about God, He always has the perfect timing, with the right Bible verse when I needed it. And believer me this year I have needed them quite often. I’ll be honest it has been a tough year. I feel my anxiety growing gradually as the year has passed, and now here we are near the end of December, on the eve of Christmas, and I am feeling no joy, no peace, and no comfort.

But I keep holding on to God’s promise. It WILL get better. I’ve seen it before. My sadness, my anxiety, my fear will be replaced by the peace only Jesus gives. My heart will feel joy again and my mind will be filled with hopeful thoughts. This is just a season. I know God will come through and I take comfort in the verse above.

God made the promise to mankind way back in the book of Genesis. To send a Savior. To send a deliverer who would defeat the serpent. And when the people were least expecting Jesus’ entrance into the world, here He came in the lowliest, most unexpected way. He wasn’t born to a royal couple, yet He is a King, no birth announcements or baby showers to prepare for His arrival, but a couple who were young and ill- prepared for a birth in the middle of a government census, yet Jesus was prophesied to have the government on His shoulders in a Kingdom without end. Born in a barn, yet coming from a royal throne in Heaven, that He set aside. The power to create the world, yet in a lowly human body that would need a mother’s care to change his diaper and feed Him.

And here He came. As promised. Not in our time table, but God’s. To love a world and give His life for a wayward group of humans. Humans who always do their own thing, rebelling against God, like a rebellious teenager or determined toddler who say “No!” to what the parent knows is best for them. God kept His promise to deliver us. To defeat death. To offer hope, peace with Him and with our fellow man, joy and a love that surpasses all human relationships. He came, because of us, not despite us.

Darkness is not forever. The world was dark when Jesus came and He brought light and hope to it. Sometimes life feels like a darkness that will last forever, but it won’t. God brings us a word at the right time, maybe through the Bible, maybe through a song, or maybe through a friend. Let’s pause today and listen for that word, that promise and remember God’s word does not fail. He kept His promise and offers us salvation, restoring our broken relationship with Him, giving us hope for this life that we will be alright. Our circumstances might not be good, but God is good. And that is a promise I hold onto. Tightly. Merry Christmas and God Bless you – Nancy

Paradise Lost

I close my eyes for a moment and I am back there. To the most beautiful place and time, that can only be described as paradise. My husband and I had made reservations at a highly recommended restaurant and to our surprise at checking in with the hostess, we were ushered up the stairs to the top deck. The timing could not have been better as the sun was setting over the ocean. The tiki torches lining the outside dining were lit, giving the whole experience even more beauty. We were ushered to a corner table with a perfect view of the ocean and golden hour. The waitstaff found out we were celebrating our wedding anniversary and soon returned with two glasses of champagne and a signed anniversary card from the staff and most importantly, the restaurant’s owner, Mick Fleetwood. It was the perfect experience in a perfect paradise; Lahaina, Maui.

That beautiful moment was only ten months ago now. But now it seems like a lifetime. The images of the destruction are unbearable to watch. The wildfire laid waste to everything in that beautiful town, including the restaurant, Fleetwoods, the place of our most perfect anniversary memory. It is just all gone. It feels like a part of our own history is gone. I pray for all those who have been touched by this wildfire. There are no words that can describe what happened in Lahaina. It is simply surreal.

Although I haven’t lost anyone in the fire, I grieve with those that grieve. I have had my own share of firestorms this past year that just leave me overwhelmed. Firestorms in life are like that. They come out of nowhere and do their damage in minutes. Life changes. Grief comes over what has been lost. We hurt. We get angry. We cry. We ask God why and we seek answers or solutions.

We know we can rebuild and we can heal. But just like the streets of Lahaina, there will be scars where the burning embers embedded themselves.These are the physical scars. I know about these physical scars as I was once scarred in a burn accident. I was only a child, barely walking when I was burned, but now in my fifties the scars are still there, embedded in my skin. Someday, I will be healed and the scars will be gone, my skin will be perfect again, but until then, I live with scars from something I don’t remember. I don’t like my scars, but they have helped me to have empathy for others who have been through firestorms.

The scars on the heart might be around for awhile after a tragedy, but they will be healed someday. Life will not be the same, but it will go on for the people of Maui. There will be scars and the grieving will last for as long as it needs to for each person affected. The fire cannot be undone. But hope and healing can happen. Paradise has not been lost forever. It will return. The scars will be there too, but they teach us to be kinder, more compassionate, more understanding, more hopeful, more appreciative, and to not take anything for granted, especially those we love. God has not abandoned Maui. He loves us all with His everlasting love (Jer. 31:3). We can hope in that. – God Bless- Nancy

The Longest Night

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2, NIV)

December 21 is the longest night for the Northern Hemisphere. It is a time when the hours of darkness will exceed the hours of daylight. It is also happens in one of the coldest months of the year; December. It is also right before Christmas, a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. A time of lights and decorations here in the United States. My neighbors each try to outshine each other with lights of many colors; some white, some multi color, some LED, and some traditional incandescent. It is a pleasant surprise to turn the corner into our neighborhood in the dark of evening and be met with the lit up houses, trees and bushes. The lights pierce through the darkness of the night. It is both beautiful and cheerful.

But, before the lights are strung, there is a time of darkness that overtakes the neighborhood. The weather is cooler, the days shorter, the leaves have fallen off of the trees and the flowers are long gone. There is a quiet loneliness that descends upon us, until the lights are put up and the celebrating begins. We wait all year for this moment to light up the neighborhood.

Waiting for the light to come was also something people experienced in Isaiah’s day. They longed for freedom from their oppressors. A time when their anointed Messiah would come and deliver them. Isaiah prophesied this day, when the people would see the light. But would they recognize Him?

The answer is of course, mixed. Some did recognize Jesus entrance as a baby in a manger, namely the wise men and the shepherds. Later, as Jesus began His public ministry, some would choose to follow, while others rejected Him, As John writes in his gospel; “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1: 9-11, NIV).

We read both the passage from Isaiah and from John’s gospel, and we shake our heads in wonder (and in judgment) of the people back in those time periods. We might wonder why they didn’t understand the words the prophet spoke. Why they couldn’t figure it out. We too easily forget that they did not have the perspective we have after the fact of Jesus’ birth nor the New Testament scriptures.

But, maybe the reality is that they did not like the light. It exposed their own darkness. The darkness in their own hearts. A messy house looks tidy, as long as you don’t turn on the lights. The darkness provides cover for those seeking to hide.

Most people prefer the light rather than stumble around in the dark. The dark can be scary because you cannot see where you are going or what dangers lie on your path. I know this all too well as one Christmas, I tried to walk back into my living room in the dark to retrieve an item. I chose not to turn on the lights and I broke my toe on a piece of furniture I did not see in the dark. It was painful.

Sometimes the darkness is not physical at all, but darkness that saddens us. We feel like we lack a guiding light to help us get out of the dark times in our lives. We wait in hope and anticipation of a time when help will come. When we too, will be delivered from darkness. It can feel like the longest night of the year. We don’t recognize the light that has already come into the world. We try to make our way, but fail to look to Jesus for our help. Our darkness seems to overshadow us and blind us to see.

The Bible is referred to as a lamp and a light. It is for a reason. We can lose our perspective, just like those in people in Isaiah or John’s time. But, we have a decided advantage; the entire Bible. We can read the promises and prophesies and see how God accomplished them. We can read the Gospels. We can see the future God has for this world laid out for us the Book of Revelation. Our deliverer has come and we can have confidence that He will return. He promises us a hope and a future.

Although it is bleak now, light has come and is coming to deliver this world once for from the darkness. God comforts us and gives us hope. Let us put our confidence in that. – God Bless – Nancy

What Are You Thankful For?

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song “( Psalm 95:2, NIV).

Here in the United States we are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving next week. But, you probably wouldn’t know it if you were to walk into any store here. Or in my neighborhood. Oh, there are the usual food items stacked up high on the shelves: pumpkin pie filling, cranberry sauce, gravy, bags of bread crumbs for the stuffing, appetizers, turkey themed decorations. But, if you were to look next to these displays you would also notice the Christmas foods and decorations, given equal shelf space.

In my neighborhood I’ve noticed people have put up their Christmas trees. This juxtaposition of two holidays, each vying for attention, has created a bit of a controversy. Some people embrace the early decorating for Christmas, while others, like myself, believe we should celebrate each holiday as it comes and to not rush things.

Is it possible that we have chosen to rush past Thanksgiving, because we aren’t thankful? Or because it is only a single day, not an entire season. I have heard arguments for both viewpoints. But it has paused me to think about it.

And I have to admit, I have not been in a very thankful mindset lately. I have complained about everything costing so much, thanks to inflation. The budget gets stressed and pushed and tested. And although I try to look past it, I finally realized that it has taken a toll on my joy and my thankfulness. I’ve tried to ignore for awhile, just rolling with it all, all the while thinking I was handling it all. Managing the budget and my soul.

That is until I was reading my morning devotional, while enjoying my morning cup of coffee, and it was like boom! Time for an attitude check. I realized that I was missing something in all my “managing” of myself. My joy. My peace. And most importantly; my thankfulness. I had replaced all of these with worry, anxiety, and complaining. Nothing extreme, nothing I would speak out loud to many people, but something I knew in my soul. The thoughts I was thinking to myself. The complaining that there wasn’t much extra spending cash available. But, I still want stuff. But why are there so many other necessities to buy? Why does it cost so much? Why aren’t the politicians understanding this is a big deal to most people. We are not rich, but I know it has been a stressor for us. I can only imagine how single parents and the elderly are dealing with all this inflation.

Maybe that is it. The reason for the early invasion of Christmas over Thanksgiving. People are wanting hope. Wanting peace. The peace that the birth of Jesus brought. And how are we supposed to be thankful anyway. What is there to be thankful for? Houses are not affordable. Food prices are high. Gasoline is expensive. Covid is still around.

But, Jesus’ birth is the reason we should have a grateful, thankful heart. He is our peace. He is our hope. He is our salvation. We are not helpless. We are not hopeless.

I have realized that this is what I have forgotten. Well, not forgotten per se, but just set aside, while I turned from my focus on Jesus, to my focus on myself, my stresses, anxieties and worries. It can be so subtle. Like when driving a car, and you see something on the side of the road. It catches your attention, so you turn towards it, only to quickly be brought back to the task at hand- driving- when the car ahead suddenly stops. You immediately are brought back to focusing ahead, rather than to the side of the road.

It is not until you are forced to turn back, that you realize, you head drifted your focus to the side of the road. Hopefully you stop in time to prevent a collision with the car ahead. So, my devotional was like the stopping of the car ahead of me. Whoops!Time to focus back on God, instead of allowing it to drift towards complaint, worry, stress, anxiety. I traded joy and thankfulness for a brief side view of my problems.

The problems will still be there. Inflation. Holiday stress. Traffic. Difficult people. They are still vying for my attention from the side of the road.Waving at me to look at them. But, just like safe driving; I must keep my eyes fixed on the author and perfecter of my faith; Jesus. The journey ahead is what I need to focus on- even though some might think this means to race past Thanksgiving, it doesn’t.

I am not giving permission to race ahead of Thanksgiving to celebrate Christmas already. I want to take my time. Be still. Keep each holiday to itself. And quiet the complaining thoughts in my head. Remind myself what I have to be thankful for this year. Change my perspective.

When I change my perspective, shifting my eyes back on Jesus, my attitude catches up and I realize I have a lot to be thankful for this year. My budget is squeezed, but I can still travel to the store and buy food. My family is coming to celebrate. I have lost loved ones, but also celebrate the newest family member, my granddaughter. These problems will pass by, and will probably be replaced with problems. But, I can always choose to keep focused on Jesus to get through it all. Jesus is the best reason of all to be thankful this year. He is with me. He knows my problems, nothing comes as a surprise to Him, so I can rest and trust He has got this.

What are you thankful for?

God bless you- Nancy

Beautiful Feet

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:15

I’ve never thought of my feet as beautiful. In fact, I’ve kind of had this love/hate relationship with my feet. They keep me balanced, enable me to walk from one place to another, and give me a place to put my socks and shoes. That’s the love part. But they also bring me problems like blisters and plantar fasciitis, a broken toe, and my least favorite- finding shoes that fit. My foot isn’t considered a wide size or a narrow size according to shoe manufacturers, but it is a bit of both; a narrower heel and a wider toe area. And don’t get me started about size. Shoe sizes in the US are measured roughly in inches, but are not so accurate and all the cute women’s shoes are found in smaller sizes and not in my larger shoe size. My husband always tells me that I have a popular size, since it is usually the one size that is always out of stock in the stores. Maybe. Either way, I’m not sure if my feet are beautiful, just functional.

But God thinks they are. At least from the viewpoint of sharing the Good News. As Paul wrote the verse from above in his letter to the Romans, he was using it in the context of those sent to reach others with the Gospel; the Good News. The news that would give the people hope and joy. He referred to a passage from Isaiah 52:7 which prophesied the coming Messiah.

We probably don’t think about messengers traveling about on foot, bringing news- good or otherwise- as was common in Isaiah’s time or Paul’s in which letters were written and then hand delivered and read aloud. We are use to messages being sent through the internet or text. Oh we still have deliveries in person, like the mail (or post), or Amazon, or Doordash, or Uber eats or similar delivery and we get excited for these good things brought to our doorstep.

We might even look forward to these special deliveries, either the delicious food we are anticipating or the long desired items we ordered. As in Isaiah’s day, the people looked forward to someday being delivered from their bondage, delivered from sin, when the messiah would come. Isaiah’s Good news was the redeemer was coming; Paul’s Good news; He had come.

Our Good News he has come to deliver us and will come again. For now we can have peace with God through belief and trust in Jesus Christ. We can overcome being in bondage to our sins- the stuff we struggle with, it does not have to have power over us any more, thanks to the leading, directing,instruction and even comfort of the Holy Spirit. We also can look forward to the time of Jesus’ return with great anticipation when everything will finally be made right. A time with no more death or crying. No more wars.

We, as believers are all called to share this Good News, this great hope we have that the future is not dim, but hopeful. We all have beautiful feet! Not just those with the cute, small feet that fit into those perfectly cute shoes. Not just those who are pastors or missionaries. But all feet.

It is the message that makes the feet of the messenger beautiful. Let us keep on sharing this Good News, and encouraging one another on this faith journey. -God bless you, Nancy

Hope

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love- 1Corinthians 13:13

So, in the last few years I have had this aversion to weeds. In my yard, in the flowerbeds, in the cracks in the driveway. But, it wasn’t always this way. When my husband and I moved, we moved into a neighborhood that has this thing against weeds. I am in awe of all the perfectly kept lawns here. Not a weed in sight. Perfect and green. And then, there are the HOA inspectors who ride through the neighborhood on Monday mornings. looking for any code violations. They look for any lawns that need mowing or trash cans left out. If there are, the homeowners will get a letter in the mail with a notice to either comply or pay a fine.

I’m not a fan of paying fines, so I am obsessed with following their rules. And attempting to get this perfect lawn. Well, it hasn’t happened yet, despite our best attempts, so we live with the stray weed or two.

Growing up, I really didn’t mind them. I thought the ones with little flowers were actually kind of pretty. I didn’t think of them as weeds really, just flowers that grew by chance. I saw their beauty instead of their annoyance.

So, this past week as I was taking our elderly dog out for a walk in our back yard, I spotted an annoyance. Except, it really caught my attention in a good way. It was standing out where and when it shouldn’t be standing out. It wasn’t so much as an annoyance as beautiful reminder of hope.

This year has been very trying on me and on my patience. I keep waiting for the right opportunities to come forward- applying for jobs and praying that I will actually get to use what I am called to do. I have also watched as neighbors have died from Covid, leaving behind children and spouses. I have seen relatives grow older and frailer, making me look at the future with a bleaker, pessimistic view. I have felt my patience tested, even with my elderly dog, who is not only blind but I think has a slight case of dementia. Do dogs even get that? She requires multiples trips outside to do her business, one trip after another, sometimes five trips in two hours.

So, on a cold morning this past week, as I grumpily took the dog out, I spotted a very bright and welcomed little flower spouting proudly from the lawn. It shouldn’t be there I mused- not because I did not want it to be there, but, you see we had had a frost a few days before. The lawn had been covered in a beautiful layer of frost. It is supposed to kill all the grass and the fragile plants. But, no, this beautiful dandelion was this bright spot of yellow on the now brown, dead grass.

It hadn’t bloomed with all its buddies in the summer or early spring, but here it was in November, standing up as the singular bright spot of life. It was a reminder to me, that despite the year that has seen both bright and bleak spots, there is still life and hope. It was a reminder to stay faithful, keep hope alive, and there will be a bright spot coming soon. It isn’t in our timing, but in God’s timing.

Sometimes I feel like that little dandelion. Everyone of my friends seemed to bloom earlier, in the summertime and springtime, and here I am in the autumn of life, blooming or hopefully soon to be, with all the hopes and dreams I have had for years. But, maybe that’s okay. Maybe, like that flower, I can be a bright spot in other people’s lives, when they are feeling the bleakness around them.

Most people have read the verse above, and remember it from weddings and the talk of love as the greatest, but I was reminded that in this verse, faith, hope and love are connected. Faith is believing, hope is putting our trust in and love is what God has shown us in sending His son. Never give up on believing, on faith, on hoping. For God never gives up on loving us. -Amen

Beloved

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” – Song of Solomon 6:3

Today, our son is getting married. Like other weddings I have been to, it will be a day to celebrate the love between my son and his bride. Many family members have traveled to witness this beautiful ceremony and reception. To join in celebrating with the couple this very special day, when they affirm their covenant before God to love each other no matter the circumstances.

I often think about our wedding celebration that is yet to come with Jesus. For Christians, we have this promise that some day, we, as the bride of Jesus, will be presented at the wedding feast of the Lamb. We will eat and celebrate together with Jesus and all of us will be beautiful, radiant, and unblemished. We will be healed and whole.

And I wonder, as I think about this upcoming celebration, if Jesus will gaze at his bride, the church, as a groom gazes delightfully at his bride. You see, I have seen it before, in my son as he looks at his fiancee and as my son in law looked at my daughter on their wedding day- also this year. He was totally captivated by her.

Life is so busy, and I think I missed it before, but what I saw a few days ago, was nothing short of beautiful. The look on our son’s face- He and his fiancee were practicing their wedding dance, and there it was- for a moment- my son looked at her with a most beautiful gaze, an amazing moment of love- shining through in his eyes as he looked at her. It caught me off guard as I had seen them many times together, but in that moment, I could imagine also, of the way Jesus will look at us, his bride with love.

A love that is sincere, captivating, beautiful. May we look forward to that day with all hope and anticipation. It will be a day to celebrate and will wipe away every bad memory of this sometimes long, difficult and tedious life. May it give you hope to think of Jesus looking at you with a love that is sincere, captivating and beautiful. Amen. – God Bless Nancy.

A Joyless Church

Have you seen one? Have you been to one? By definition, joyless means “not giving or feeling any pleasure or satisfaction; grim or dismal.” (Dictionary of Oxford languages, Google, 2021). Grim? Dismal? Not giving any feeling? Wow. Yup. I have seen it before. To their defense, a church without joy is probably more common than not, given the current world status. But… Um. aren’t Christians carriers to the greatest message ever? Like the GOOD NEWS? Aren’t they suppose to be happy? Joyful? All the time? Well, realistically, we cannot all be happy all of the time. Life is difficult, but overall, we, that is the body of Christ, or the church, should stand out from the world with a hope. A hope that we cling to and rely on to keep us steadfast in our faith.

What causes the joyless church? Well, as mentioned, many people are under great stress and it affects everyone. A worldwide pandemic that refuses to let go of its hostage (the world) is affecting us all, believers and unbelievers alike. But, maybe it is also that we have forgotten the one who brings us hope and joy. Maybe we neglect Him and the message of hope found in the Gospel. Or maybe we have been idle.

The apostle Paul mentions the brothers (and sister, for that matter) who are idle in his letter to the church at Thessaloniki. He writes, “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.” (2 Thess. 3:11, NIV). Ouch Paul.

I wonder what he would think of us now? Would he call us idle and busybodies. Perhaps. But, it has me thinking that maybe that is the root of the joyless churches. Not doing anything to help others, except talk. Or argue. Or gossip.

I have felt the most joy whenever I have been sharing the Gospel or offering an apologetic response, or praying with someone, than when I am just sitting in a church service. To be honest, at times, my mind just wanders during the service. I have heard from others, who say the same. Maybe I am letting my worries and stresses crowd my mind, until they drown out the message of the good news. It is up to me then, to change my thinking, to focus ( and to share) with others the joy that is found in the good news. And to serve others. We have a reason for hope and joy, its time to celebrate and rekindle that joy again. -God Bless- Nancy

The Fullness of God

For God was pleased to have all the his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.-

Paul to the Colossians 1:19-20

So, I have been feeling a bit stuck lately, despite understanding this process of life moving forward. See, even if we understand it and try to find our stride and run our race, we can get overwhelmed at times. We think there is something we should be doing and are falling short. Or it is something we should be doing better. Maybe its reading our Bibles more, or praying more, maybe being a better person, or saving our money better. There is always that “more” we could and should be doing and goals we should be meeting. We put guilt and blame on ourselves when we do not measure up to other people’s standards. So, we might feel overwhelmed and instead of pushing ourselves, we kind of allow ourselves to get into a slump. This is especially true when our goals are unrealistic, or we are trying to meet these goals because someone else is putting pressure upon us. It might be our friends, or our jobs or our family. But we find ourselves so overwhelmed by these “coulds” and “shoulds” and goals to be like others or be the best, that we choose rather to fall into a pit of self- loathing and condemnation. We feel bad for our feeling bad also, compounding our circumstances and well, we feel stuck. Notice I said we “feel” stuck, while the truth is we might say we are stuck, but what we actually should say is that we are feeling stuck. We do not desire to run our race for we believe it is impossible to complete it well. We give up. Our hope is gone. We cannot see ourselves as good, or as accomplished already, realizing all the distance we have already covered in this race. We only look at our shortcomings. We don’t see how far we have come.

It is difficult to get out of a slump like that. To find encouragement and make peace with ourselves about our shortcomings. We need a different perspective. A change of view to help us see who we are and how we are already good, and loved, and full of hope for the future. This race of life is not about how we measure up and whether or not we meet our goals. We are already loved and treasured by God. He has given us the qualities and characteristics he has by His design and purpose. And He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He knows we will fall short. But, when we fall down in despair, feeling like there is no hope, no point in the race to be the best, he reaches down, grabs our hand, and picks us back up. We are weary of trying to be all we should be, tired of measuring up to the world, and He gets that. He knows we need Him, but He doesn’t wait for us to pick ourselves up, He offers a hand.

At least, this has been my experience. Like this morning as I picked up my Bible to read. I found this passage in Colossians. Well- I didn’t just discover it- I was reading through the letters of Paul and this was the verse that stood out to me. “The fullness of God” these words just stood out. I have studied the Bible, read the passage, wrote papers on the deity of Jesus, but in that moment, it was as if God was reaching out His hand to pick me up, the fallen runner on the ground. As I read the beginning commentary in my Bible about the letter, the commentator wrote that the letter was of concern to Paul and he wrote it because several people of the church in Colossae believed that they had secret knowledge beyond the Gospel and that somehow Jesus dying on the cross was not enough. His letter was sent them to explain that salvation was complete in Jesus’ death and resurrection and that Jesus was fully God, divine and died and rose again.

This right here is reason alone to get excited, that salvation is complete, nothing else needed- no secret works, or knowledge, but divinely orchestrated and completed. But…. after I read the passage I also picked another book I had been reading (Paul Copan’s Is God A Moral Monster?) Copan explains what happened on the cross as Christ gave up His life. See, I had been taught that when Jesus was taking on the sins of the world, God the father could not watch, that’s why Jesus cried out “My God why have you forsaken me?” But, according to Copan, God was there. In the lightening, thunder, earthquake and the tearing of the temple curtain. As Copan explains, look back at God’s meeting with Moses on the mountain. There was thunder, lightning and an earthquake. Whaaaat? Like I looked it up(Exodus 19). Yup, right there! How could I miss it? God didn’t just send Jesus, the son and leave, preferring not to watch His son suffering, He the father was right there. In that darkest hour.

For me that was so encouraging this morning. We forget sometimes how awesome Jesus really is. he is the fullness of God, not less than. I am encouraged this morning at the greater perspective I now have about the cross. it has lifted me up, just as a hand up from God, to this fallen runner. -God bless Nancy