MARANATHA.....................

Paul tells us in Romans.......8:17-23......"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

The cry of the universe should be "MARANATHA........" which means........................."OUR LORD, COME!!!......................come quickly Lord Jesus come................

This word is of Aramaic orgin....and it occurs only once in the Bible.................Paul includes it in his climactic conclusion to his first letter to the Corinthian Church...............(1 Corinthians 16:22).....

"The Maranatha Group"...............................The teen bible study I started a couple of weeks ago and they named themselves the "The Maranatha Group"...................

Every Thursday at 6pm a group of high school girls come and empty themselves of the world.........they read the scripture together and we pray for the strength to sustain them through the weekend..............the weekend of the hard choices...............the choices to not drink of this world...........................and to avoid filling themselves with the empty........we talk about Evie and how it all started at the garden of good and evil..................and how Evie listened to the lies of the enemy...............and then I beg and plead for them to run for lives from the taunting...............the taunting lies of Satan............repeating his same old tricks................. your never going to be good enough.................and God doesn't really love you............................

Genesis 3:5 (English Standard Version)

5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
From the beginning just like Evie we want more............never satisfied with what we have.....................and in an instant................we bite..................and our lives are never the same..................we are filled............filled with the temporary............................the temporary happiness...........of the world................a world that says you can have it all....................and you can have it your way......................................
We talk about the grace....................God's grace..............and how He endured the cross......we talk about the Joy that endures from the cross....................................that means eternity...........we talk about how it is free..................free choice...............that He has chose to give...........................they know it and they want it......but they choose...................another way........a harder way..................a way that leads to the quick fix..............the quick feel good...............then the quick empty....................the rejection of the empty promises...............intoxicated by this world.........they say the yes to God and the Christian thing...............but really meaning the no...................................with a hunger remaining.......for the things of this world...........................
 

I bake them brownies..........and light a candle for prayer................

We close with the forever.......................the forever meaning..............surrender................surrendering to God...............like the woman at the well...........................knowing if they just drink from the living waters.............they will never be alone.................the forever meaning.....................no more pain......................the forever meaning...................no more tears..........the forever meaning no more rejection............................the forever meaning..............JOY................JOY COMETH FROM THE LORD...........happiness is only circumstantial................but JOY...........................IS FOREVER..................... 

Golgotha-Skull.............................

Watchful eyes seem to peer from the rock overlooking the Garden tomb, evoking the meaning of the name Golgotha.......SKULL.....

Mark 15:22-23;

22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

The suffering.........with a pure and willful heart.................feeling the pain of every thorn.......with every cut....suffering which He has chosen.....all for the LOVE.....the love for us....................getting ready....ready to taste death for everyone...............by His stripes we are truly healed............................
and I whisper quietly to myself.....grace................grace.....................God's amazing grace.....................the blood.........the blood with power to cover us all..................redemptive blood.....................the kind that is paid in full.........................struggling today with the ugly of who I am.................feeling the heaviness.....
why is it that I so graciously bow out of the mercy???  Is it my belief? Oh help me Father with my unbelief...............................
2 Corinthians 5:21;
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

     ...me a sinner who was born blind but wants to see....me who needs the emptying this lent season...
me that can't die to self..............................me the taker whispers more please......more of God's grace.........self denial.......................the only way to feel God's grace.........
 humility is what leads us to the death.....the death of self.........knowing we are dead in Christ!!!!!
The waking up ......the being born again.........................the wanting to live......................the wanting to see..........but the need to sink first............sink hard................sink down into that nothingness....................... to a humbleness..................................more please..............more of your grace..............your forever forgiving grace............God so ever more whispers...............my grace is here for the humbling....................only the humble will see......................

It takes a little imagination to see the "eyes," of the skull on this rocky place..........the garden tomb behind the fence, only a few yards away..............

Skull Hill...is the site where the Crucifixion took place and now contains a bus station and a Muslim cemetery.......................this would have been a perfect spot due to the height for the execution which could be seen by everyone..................The site also has additional meaning.....for the Jerusalemites of Jesus' day......A cave on the slope of Skull Hill, now inside of a mosque, preserves an ancient legend..............The prison where Jeremiah was thrown by King Zedekiah's officials in order to stop him from preaching the impending doom of the Babylonian conquest.....(Jeremiah 37:15)

Is it true....am I ready........ready for the dying of me...................I keep breathing.............me who says I am Christian....in reality I am the walking dead......................only alive in Christ.....................its all about the heart......................the new kind that can pump the real life right into you...................

Matthew 5:8;

God blesses those whose hearts are pure....for they will see God..........................

I want to see God...................with those nail scarred hands clapping........................"WELL DONE, MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT...." WELL DONE..............................

me who is blinded by my own...............................me who is seeing with my own eyes instead of the seeing through His eyes...............................

praying for God to open the eyes of my heart,

Robbie

Let us not forget.........................the blood

(the most profound video I have ever seen.....Please scroll all the way to the bottom and mute our music first....and really listen during this lent season....and watch what our God really did for us......)
     Why did you do it? Why did you not come down from that cross......sin is ugly....the taking of sin from the whole world was like taking a slap in the face from satan himself......is it because He saw us in the crowd.......our faces......his face............people in need......in need of a redeemer......sheep....in need of a shepherd.........

The Crown........

 The crowd swells with hunger......with a thirst for BLOOD..........it will devour anything that gets in its way......

They weave a crown from throny branches from a near-by tree.............

They stick it to his head.....it pierces His brow and scalp.........then they begin there ridicule of him, "Hail, you King of the Jews!"..............they strike him.....they spit on him........then they strip him.....
then they lead him to crucify him..........
        FORGIVE.........................forgive and you will be forgiven....condemn not and you will not be condemned............judge not and you will not be judged.............
      
      Why did you do it? Why? ......in my quiet time this morning God showed me WHY?.........the answer so deep but yet so simple.......BLOOD..............................only by BLOOD alone can God and man be brought into a convenant fellowship......without it.....................there would be no access...........................by sinful man to a Holy God.......................................................
     No approach to God................no fellowship with Him by faith................no enjoyment of His favor, apart from the blood..............................only through His death and the shedding of His precious blood is our life truly consecreted to God............................the hidden value in this amazing sacrifice........is SELF-SACRIFICE......................self-denial he so gently whispers again into this stone cold heart of mine........
              taking in of the breath I breath and I say again the BLOOD..................
wanting the easy.......yet the God of Grace................the God who is omnipotent...............who could have so easily..........got down off that cross...................but he didn't........ he who CHOSE........so freely...to self-deny....to self-sacrifice.....to let His BLOOD fall..............fall like grace......the God who chose the hard....................instead of the easy................
 never knowing......... the power............. of that cross......... until we give up self......................give up our lives..........................
        the taking in of today ........the power of the BLOOD.............let us not forget..........
wanting change bad................down deep................the blood is dealing with me.................what is the blood seeking to remove.....................me with my worldly self................me who feeds the flesh............who craves the easy..................me the taker.............................................the blood is seeking.....................................seeking to become SPIRIT, LIFE, POWER, and TRUTH in our lives...........................seeking to make us one..............................one with the Father...................

Breathe On Me Now - Kathryn Scott

Weekends..............are for grace.............

To say grace.......is to say forgiveness......grace after all reflects the love of god.............................

May this weekend be one of wandering grace..................one of reflection of the true sacrifice that Christ so graciously gave.......................the forgiveness of sins that He paid with His life..........reflect God's grace......how it completely covers us through Jesus Christ......

May we become undone and say "WOE IS ME," I am unclean person among unclean people...........

Let us see how grace is greater than our sin....praising Him.......for seeing fit to cover our every sin....

"Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt his name together" (Psalm 34:3)

Call 911- There is an emergency

           I pray for help everyday. I pray for peace and a calm spirit, but instead I just scream. My son told me yesterday that, as I screamed out the door at my 10 year old- no shoes- outside 40 degrees and raining, I sounded crazy. And you know what- I did. How can I be that Proverbs 31 women? Often I have considered to just surrender- to hang a white flag on my mailbox- To admit that I give up. The world won. I'm done. Surrender yes, but not to the world, but to God. So as always, I beg God to give me strength, to make me strong and ultimately to just keep my mouth shut and smile. Today started as any other day- woke up late- pushed snooze twice- jumped up- calmly singing to my three boys- wake up now we are late for school. I rush downstairs to let the dog out. It is pouring outside, so I cant wait to let him out- only to have  him covered in mud. I feed the fish and the 19 year old cat. I should be proud to have an animal that long, but I think she is so old out of spite, not that we take her to the vet. She hasn't been in 10  years and she only went then, cause my husband- the pilot- ran over her. But guess what - not a scratch on her.- The boys finally were downstairs. I threw a few things in their lunchbox and said, " Lets GO, now. " I had just cleaned off the dog's paws and agreed that he could ride with us to school. Well the leash was left outside and was soaked, so the boys opened the garage and Dodger, the dog, ran out. So just picture this- my three boys running, in the pouring rain, after Dodger. He is a 5 month old golden retriever puppy without a leash. It wasn't a pretty site. I'm running after all of them, of course- screaming. Well Dodger did stop running for a minute- just to poop in the neighbors nice green grass.  All I could think was- God I know this is not that big of a deal, but I dying here. I finally got everyone in the car, including the dog. I picked up the poop from the neighbor's yard. And as I used a plastic bag to pick up the prize, there was a hole in the bag and needless to say- I stuck my hand right in it. Just imagine the thoughts going through my head. I know we are suppose to rejoice in the Lord always, but I was having a hard time- just to survive this experience. I guess our father has a sense of humor and was laughing at me this morning. We all need to lighten up a little and enjoy life- even when it is messy and out of control. One day I will be begging for the chaos.

Amy

Husband......

The stew that sustained us....down to the last drop....I come in heavy hearted from the hospital...kick my infested shoes off to the side and hang my key up..

how was your day? then I hear it again and again and one of these woman child looking girls called today while I was plugging a hole that was shooting blood from a brain...

only wanting to appease their worldly lust and make their plans for another Saturday night....

trying hard to tell them that renounce is the only way to grace.....God's grace.......

I watch husband's hands as he feeds....noting the mapping of his veins.......longing for more of his sweet embrace......we share the quiet from the hard day.......I watch his hands move forward like grace........I think about the growing older.....the days that are numbered.......the loosing of time......with an deeper appreciation for the ones that hold my heart......with each passing year there is a deeper awareness that time is simply slipping away...................

I stare at his boots.....noting the mud.....the mud from life........life that can be messy...little one called today and said husband was on the roof and almost fell.....my heart skipped a beat for the one whom I love with the all of me.....so many sufferings at work of real people....people with God's grace that are falling from roofs..............

The stacking of more dishes.......all the while I am raging......raging at the women children who test me beyond my limits.....................wondering who is the one that is the sinner....knowing it is me the one with the words that damage.........the tongue that cuts like a razor............my life the one that empties into the dark night of the soul......why is it that I am rejecting.......the joy that comes my way?  I am only increasing the darkness by rejecting the joy......rejecting the joy doesn't stop the suffering for the ones that I care for......

the thoughts that something big is coming......maybe even the eternity.......maybe we have been chosen for such a time as this..................wanting the joy to pierce me down to the core.......wanting it to breed inside of me and be born again.....that transformation kind of thing......the one that comes from the heart....where the mouth does speak it......bringing forth the light....that only comes from his grace.........................

All of Grace,

Robbie