On Grace, Everywhere

See God everywhere. Be on the lookout for His gifts, His grace. And once you start seeing, more are exposed. It begins with a sprinkle, then steady drops, then it pours. God pours out so much blessing that there is not room enough for it. 

And all He wants is our thanks. To notice what He's doing. Be eager to find Him at work. It's a beautiful game of hide and seek we play with our Lord. 

It may be hard at first. How can there be blessing, grace, when we don't have enough money to pay the bills. Or when a grandmother dies. Or when she's run so far from Jesus she denies Him. 

How? 

In the darkest hour, when we feel most vulnerable, God Almighty scoops us into His loving arms. It is in despair that we search for Him, recognize our need for Him. Yet He is always there. 

So notice Him in the everyday. In the laundry time, the lullabies sung, the lattes shared with friends.

He is in all, with grace. For you. 

On Leading to the Cross

Without Easter our faith would mean nothing. What hope do we have with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? 

This week my heart has been dwelling on the Cross. Many years the Easter holiday seems to come and go as just another excuse to eat Reese's eggs and Jolly Rancher jellybeans and wear pretty dresses. Those things are nice. But they totally miss the point. 

Last Sunday night at youth group as Kevin was announcing the church's Easter events coming up, the teens kept excitedly referencing candy and the Easter bunny. Between my heart's focus on the Cross and not-so-great-attitude I had that night, I got really upset at these antics really fast. I wasn't mad at the teens specifically, but at the grotesque misunderstanding society has of Easter. 

God moved in my heart to lead these students to the Cross, to their knees, to their Savior. With his prodding I gathered music for three songs whose words envelope the richness of the death and resurrection of Jesus. They needed to come face to face with the reality of the situation--to know the immense pain Jesus endured even after beseeching God to remove the cup from him. But he was obedient to the Father's will, even to the point of death. His blood poured out for you, for me. Because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. And so He covered us in perfect redemption. 

But without the third day, we have no hope, no future, no full life. Our God not only redeemed us through the crucifixion, but He didn't let death defeat his Son. 

He is RISEN. 

Lead me to the cross, where your love poured out. 

Bring me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down. 

Rid me of myself, I belong to you. 

Lord, lead me. Lead me to the cross. 

[lead me to the cross by hillsong]
Listen here. Soak in the power of the Cross.