The Real Passion

 4/19/2025

1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the word of the cross is folly for those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

So, my husband and I watched The Passion of the Christ last night. First, it is a masterful piece of filmmaking. Second, it is very difficult to watch, but it isn't supposed to be easy. I cried a lot, and at times I felt physically sick. Some of it is shown through Mary's perspective, as she watches her son get unfairly arrested, imprisoned, brutally beaten, and then crucified. In one scene, Jesus falls while carrying the cross, and she starts running to Him, then there is a flashback of her running to him as He falls when He is a young child. This scene made me cry so hard I could barely breathe. Actually, I cried through most of the movie. I don't know if I will ever watch it again, but I am glad I finally did, especially during this Lenten season. 

As my husband and I unpacked some of the movie, often sitting in silence as we tried to process the gravity of what we had just seen, I looked up at a simple cross that hangs in our living room that is made of three large spikes. Each one representing the ones used to crucify Jesus. Of the many crosses that hang in our home (we have at least one in every room), this one has the most significance. As I sat silently gazing up at it, I envisioned the entire aisle of crosses at Hobby Lobby. Many of them are adorned with verses, embossed, have flowers, or are decorated in some way. They are quite beautiful, and I certainly own more than one myself.

It got me contemplating how the Cross of Calvary is such a powerful symbol in the Christian faith. I have worn one on my wrist constantly for the past 14 years. One also hangs from my rearview mirror. I often wear them dangling from my ears as well. When I first began Blooms of Faith, my sister-in-law made me some gorgeous shirts with crosses made of flowers on them. I love the shirts, and I love her for making me such a thoughtful gift. 

After watching the movie last night, however, I got to thinking about how this symbol of our faith was actually the object of torture and death of our Lord. Jesus took the sin of the entire world on Himself, an act of love so profound that my human mind and heart cannot comprehend it. The stark cross made of spikes seemed somehow to be a more fitting representation of the unimaginable pain Jesus suffered on our behalf, more so than ones that act as beautiful decor or lovely jewelry. Do I, when I wear this profoundly meaningful symbol, remember Christ's sacrifice and what it really means? When I walk room to room in my home, do the crosses prompt me to live boldly and share the truth of the Gospel with others? Is this image such a strong daily reminder of what my Savior endured for me that I cannot deny Him, when I travel through this inhospitable world, by my silence, fear, or apathy? These are the kinds of things I am challenged by, and being challenged is a good thing that helps me grow. 

As I have shared previously, this Lenten season has been transformative for me. I believe watching the movie last night was also part of this transformation. Over these past 46 days, there has been a peace that has settled upon my soul, and I no longer feel as if I am in the desert. God was always there trying to get my attention, but I needed to slow down enough to hear Him. I am so grateful he never gives up on me. 

I am, as always, a work in progress.

Three Days

 4/16/25025

John 14:6 "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

The Lenten season is almost over. The next three days bring Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, or what some call the Day of Silence. This Holy Week has been different for me, as has the entirety of Lent. It has been a time of spiritual renewal and deeper commitment for me that I truly never expected. I am so very grateful. It has not been without its challenges, but I expected that. It seems the deeper into Lent it becomes and as Easter Day draws near, the more the evil one has been on the prowl in my life. I'm sure this is true for others as well. It is his way of trying to pull focus away from Jesus. Not today, Satan. 

Tomorrow, I will be attending a service at my church, Friday I will attempt to watch The Passion of the Christ, and Saturday I think I will just take time to be silent and reflective. This day is an interesting one of Holy Week for me, as it is the one where the disciples were in hiding even after Jesus told them what was to come (Matthew 20:18-19). They still did not understand. You can just imagine how long that day was for them. They were afraid of retribution for following Jesus. You can imagine how Peter must have felt after denying Jesus three times as well? They all must have felt hopeless, but unfathomable joy would come in the morning. 

I think I connect with this Day of Silence because I have been there myself in a way. Even knowing the Risen Savior, I have had times of fear and doubt. I have experienced being in a spiritual desert where all I hear is silence. There have also been times when I have feared, not death or retribution, but judgement from others for my faith. The disciples' world was inhospitable to them, and our world is largely still the same way to those who follow Jesus. I am praying, however, to not let this stop me from speaking what I know to be The Truth. 

So, over the next three days, I will stay in a spirit of gratitude for what Jesus did for me. His was the ultimate sacrifice to bring me and the whole world freedom and eternal life. 

Sacrifice unimaginable. Grace undeserved. Love unmatched. 

To God be the glory. 

Hand of God

4/15/2025

Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."

My sister has shared a story with me that left me gob smacked. I am sharing it with her permission

I will start by saying that her youngest son's wife has a very complicated family history that has clearly left scars on her soul. I will not go into details, but she comes from a world that most of you reading this have probably never known, but sadly, too many people have. She now, because her childhood was so out of control, tries to take control of every area of her life and every person in it. We may all know people with similar tendencies, but she takes this need for control to a whole new level. It is clearly because of brokenness, and she is in need of the healing that only comes through Christ. 

My sister and I have been praying for her daily. She weighs heavy on our hearts. We both know the truth that no one is beyond redemption and healing. Christ gave Himself unto death for this very reason. Sadly, she is closed off to hearing about the redemptive love of Jesus from family, so I have been praying that the Lord send people into her life that can be His hands and feet. 

Last week, my sister and her husband drove almost 12 hours to visit their son and grandson while their daughter-in-law was away working her two weeks for a fracking company. Their family dynamic with her is also complicated, but for a very different reason than her own. I will say that the entire family, especially my sister, was just trying to accept her and love her, but sadly, she could not accept their kindness and love. 

The visit was wonderful, and they were able to give a little respite to their very exhausted son, who not too long ago returned from being deployed in the Middle East. It has been a lot for him over this past year, but seeing him with his little boy just makes your heart melt. 

Now for the wild part of the story. I don't know, dear reader, where you stand on the metaphysical parts of faith, but I personally have experienced things that cannot be explained otherwise. 

My older sisters were both given crucifixes by our dad when they were little. (I had not yet been born, so none for me. 😉) The sister visiting her son had lost hers, so our older sister gave her the one she had (So sweet). It would be over 60 years old. My sister has worn it all the time for years without incident. This, however, was about to change. 

On the long drive home, my nephew called and told his mom that her crucifix wasn't a crucifix anymore. He told her to look down at it. The image of Jesus was gone; it had fallen off at his home. Only one arm remained attached to her cross. What??? Hearing this, I had chills head to toe. The meaning was clear: Jesus let my sister know He was still with her, but she left her faith in Him behind with them as well. Beautiful. 

My sister, who has been praying for this little family and specifically for her daughter-in-law's healing, was shocked and awed. The tiny, crucified image of Jesus had been left behind right before Holy Week. It was a sign that, even in the darkest situations, He is still there. No matter how broken, angry, or sinful we are, He is still knocking on the door of our hearts just waiting for us to let Him in. No one is beyond His redemption. No one. 

Through this, we both have a renewed fire to continue to lift her up mightily to our precious Savior. It was also a wonderful reminder to me that no matter how bleak a situation may seem, I should NEVER stop praying. EVER! Maybe during this most Holy time of the year, it would be good to reflect and meditate on the truth that "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16  He never gives up on us, and He never will. 

To God be the glory!

Crumpled Up

4/12/2025

 Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." 

This morning, while asking for God's forgiveness during my devotional time, I asked him to smooth out the wrinkles in my soul. Those things that are deep creases that keep coming up over and over again. I then had a vision of how, when we are born, we are a blank slate. We are like fresh, unblemished pieces of crisp paper. Then over time, that paper gets a small crease, then another and then another. As we grow, if we are not abused or traumatized as children, our paper stays relatively unrumpled. We are able to love and forgive with a childlike innocence. Yet the farther we go in life, we get more and more creases from hurt, disappointment, broken relationships, failure, and our own sin. Our relatively untarnished pieces of paper become crumpled up. Sometimes it even gets dragged through the mud. After we come to Christ, we may not be crumpled in a little ball anymore, but the creases often remain.  

For me, these wrinkles reflect the areas of my life that I have not fully released and given over to Jesus. It's as if my own hand is on that piece of paper now, creasing and re-creasing those areas until they are in danger of becoming weaker and tearing. These creases now look like disappointment, unkindness, judgement, injury, and unforgiveness. Sometimes it actually feels as if my soul is bound up in a tight little immovable scrunched up ball of self-protection. This is not something I am proud to admit. 

While I was in prayer, I was struggling with a familiar disappointment, and my own wrestling with an unforgiving spirit. The other person's actions, or lack thereof, are not in my control, but my coming before the Lord to ask Him to work on ME is, as I beseeched Him to smooth out those bends and crinkles. Thankfully, He did. 

I have prayerfully meditated the past several weeks on how much Jesus loves me. He gave Himself unto death for the forgiveness of my sin and yours. An undertaking utterly unfathomable to my simple human mind. It was the ultimate act of unselfish love. It is through Him alone that true soul healing can occur. All the deep down, puckered, rumpled. creased, and wrinkled parts of who we become on this journey of life need only to be set down before the cross of Christ. 

He sees us. He knows us. He rescued us. He loves us; crinkles, crumples, rumples and all. 

No Fine Print

 

4/11/2025

Job 36:22 "God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?"

One of the two AMAZING pastors at our church has been going through the book of 1 Samuel. His messages have been interesting, informative, and challenging in the best possible way. This week, he told an anecdote about how he recently changed internet companies. In large lettering, there was a promise of one month free to join. He then shared that when he got the first bill it was not free. In the fine print it stated that the third month would be free. Then he related it to the Bible and said, and I'm paraphrasing here: God does not deal in fine print, all parts of His Word are absolutely clear. BAM! He could have dropped the mic and finished right there, but of course he went on to give another wonderful Holy Spirit led message. He said that sometimes when we share the gospel, we only share the love, forgiveness, and grace parts. The good stuff. We do not usually share the parts about trials or persecution. Those we keep as the fine print. 

This has been sitting with me all week (which I'm sure would make him pleased to know). I am examining how I speak to others about our God and His word. Do I wrap forgiveness and mercy up in a pretty bow? Do I lean towards a sort of victory preaching? Do I ever speak about Job's trials, Paul's imprisonment, or any Fathers of the Faith who were asked to do extraordinary things without seeing the end result or reward? Do I do the hard sell of "follow Jesus, and your life will be full of blessing? "

Do I share verses such as these?

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Romans 5:3 "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance." 

 Peter 4:16 "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."  

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

We, as believers, are not promised an easy road. The Bible teaches us there will be trials and suffering in our lives. It is through these times that we have an opportunity to grow in faith. 

This is truth. Salvation was bought with the highest price. Our sins are only forgiven because Jesus took them all on Himself through crucifixion. This truth, although it ends with the best imaginable outcome, was done through unimaginable suffering. 

Every Easter season, my sister encourages me to watch The Passion of the Christ. We have had the movie for years, but it is still in its wrapper. I have never been able to allow myself to watch it because I do not think I can take the brutality that is portrayed. It is unflinching, I have been told. If this is based in truth, why do I turn from it? It would be too hard for me; I tell her year after year. Am I, in my own walk, also looking for only the good stuff in my relationship with Jesus? Am I, like my sister, encouraging others to watch a portrayal of what our Savior endured? No, because it is hard, but we would have never had salvation without Jesus' sacrifice. I think this will be the year I finally break open the wrapper and watch, not because I have to, but because I should, even if it jars me.

God has given us His Word in its entirety for a reason. It is truth and I should share it as such, even the hard parts. No fine print. 

 

Lenten Observance

 

4/6/2025

1 Peter 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

There have been many years when I have tried to observe the Lenten season. The part of the Christian calendar that begins Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Traditionally, the focus is on prayer, fasting, and giving alms. The past several years I have also read that some people have incorporated acts of kindness and generosity into their observation as well. 

Lent was very much a part of my youth as I was brought up Roman Catholic. In my family, we gave up something for Lent and didn't eat meat of Fridays. We would also attend a mass of the Stations of the Cross. Even as a child, this moved me in a profound way. In my adulthood, I have attended mostly evangelical or Baptist churches. Most of these protestant churches do not observe Lent to any degree. 

These 40 days (actually 46 not counting Sundays) of preparation for the celebration of Easter are supposed to be a deeply sacred time when we are to draw closer to Jesus and focus more on Him than worldly things or desires. This year, I decided to try observing Lent once again, albeit with a very different and more prayerful attitude and spirit. My husband and my son both joined me in this observation, although we are all doing that in different way. I do not need to go into the things I have committed to, but I can share that it has been transformative for me.  I will not say this time has been easy, but it is designed not to be. I am having to abstain from certain pleasures of life while those around me partake. This I am trying to do with grace and humility. Time spent meditating on the immense sacrifice Jesus made for me makes any small sacrifice I have made during this time totally and utterly insignificant. Jesus gave himself unto death for the forgiveness of sins and to save souls. He did this for me and all of us. His sacrifice is unmatched in all of history and time. He alone is our Rescuer, Redeemer, and Savior.  

During this time of Lent, I find I am more grateful and joyful, not letting the small things of life weigh me down like before. I am spending more time in my Bible and in prayer. I am using my time in much more purposeful ways. This I must say is the biggest change for me. I am feeling more at peace than I have felt in a very long time. 

I am so blessed that God called me into Lent this year. I pray the work he has started in me will continue. He knows I am a work in progress, and I am eternally thankful for his grace and mercy.