The Cross

'For people who are stumbling toward ruin, the message of the cross is nothing but a tall tale for fools by a fool. But for those of us who are already experiencing the reality of being rescued and made right, it is nothing short of God's power.' ~ 1 Corinthians 1:18, The Voice

If we believe that Heaven is merely a default destination for all, then are we not, in essence, making a mockery of Jesus’s death? Are we not, albeit unwittingly, with our ‘all dogs go to Heaven’ mentality, counting Jesus’s death as meaningless, and turning the Cross into nothing more than a Hollywood movie prop, an air-brushed car and truck decal or a common fashion accessory?

Today -- this solemn day we’ve come to know as Good Friday -- take some time to gaze upon the Cross of Christ, and when you do, consider these thoughts:

• How do you view the Cross? What does it mean to you personally?
• Are you thankful for the Cross, or offended by it?
• Are you awestruck by just how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is…for you?
• Are you humbled by the fact that the Son of God gave up the privileges of His Heavenly kingdom and set aside His rights of deity to come here to Earth to dwell among us, to love us, to serve us, and to give His life as a ransom for many?
• Are you deeply moved by the fact that Christ gave up His body to be brutally beaten, broken and pierced…for you? For me?
• Are you astounded by the fact that WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, Jesus Christ died for us to demonstrate and to prove God’s incredible, amazing, unfailing love for us?

How do you view the Cross now? Do you still see it as a blinged-out trinket in your jewelry box; a piece of decor hanging on the wall in your home, office or an emblem stuck to your vehicle; a horrifying, offensive instrument of death to be avoided?

Or do you see it now, transformed by Christ, as a symbol of love, of life, of hope, of victory? Will you turn from it in fear and disgust? Or run towards it..and Him...with joy and abandon?

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Because Jesus didn’t remain in the grave, friends. It may be Friday, but Sunday’s coming. And with it, resurrection, salvation and new life!

"Men of Israel, listen to these words:This Jesus the Nazarene was a Man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. Though He was delivered up according to God's determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him. God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it." ~ Acts 2:22-24, HCSB

The Bondservant's Way

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It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. ~ John 13:1

Feet.  Would you agree they're fairly essential body parts? Without them, we’d be hard pressed to stand, walk, run, ski, rollerblade. Kicking a ball might prove difficult.

But honestly – feet can be ugly. And smelly.

Granted, there are some women who were just born with dainty little photogenic feet. They probably have no need to scrape and slough them with pumice stones, to spritz them with perfume, or to slather them with Intense Skin Repair Lotion with Shea Butter on a daily basis.  But some of us do.

Then there are those of us who enjoy decorating our feet with brightly colored nail polishes, rhinestones, toe rings, tattoos, etc. 

And c’mon, who doesn’t love pudgy, smooth-as-silk, baby lotion scented tiny, little baby feet?

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Guys – sorry, but it seems you all are pretty much stuck with those Fred Flintstone appendages of yours. If you indulge in any of the aforementioned activities, that’s fine, but please keep it to yourselves. I really don’t want to know.

Our socks and shoes protect our feet from the elements and the environment. We have so many types and styles available for every season, event and activity. But back in the day – Jesus’ day – not so much. You had your basic leather sandals or else you went barefoot. Either way, that made for some extremely dry and dusty, filthy and funky smelling feet.

And yet, one evening long ago in an upper room, as Jesus and His disciples were in the midst of their Passover meal, their final meal together, these were the very body parts that Jesus chose to attend to at that moment.  Not their hands or their faces. But their feet. Their dirty, dry, disgusting feet.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. ~ John 13:2-5

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In those days, the custom of foot washing was a courteous, hospitable gesture done for a person's house guests. The host would provide the water and the other necessary items, as well as the servant to take care of the guests. The servant performing this task was known as a doulos, the Greek term for bondservant, the lowliest of the low. And a bondservant was the role that Jesus -- Son of God, King of Kings, the Anointed One and Messiah – was born to play.

Jesus, the One the disciples called ‘Master’ and ‘Teacher,’ was showing these men another side of Himself. A tender, loving, compassionate and very HUMBLE side.  As Jesus washed the feet of each of His disciples – and please keep in mind that included Judas, the one who would betray Him MINUTES later – His actions displayed pure and uncensored agape love. Redeeming love. Humble love. Jesus began to take on a new form to His friends.

He was now their bondservant.

When He had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” He asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. ~ John 13:12-17

Why would Jesus do something like this? Something so lowly, humiliating, perhaps even embarrassing and obviously uncomfortable for the Twelve.  Why? After all, Jesus was the Son of God. Throughout all four Gospels, people were either throwing themselves at His feet; laying things and people at His feet; or sitting at His feet.  Yet here, we find Jesus exchanging that posture, placing Himself at the feet of others.

He explains His actions in verses 14- 15: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  Jesus wanted them to learn humility and loving service to others. And not just to learn and know these things, but to take action.

The world – our world – aspires to pride, domination and entitlement, no doubt more so today than it did back then. But Jesus wanted to show His disciples, His friends, as He longs to show us now, another way. A better way. His way. The Bondservant's way.

“If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” ~ John 13:8

Will you let Him? On this Maundy or Holy Thursday, will you find a quiet place of solitude, and take some time with Jesus? Will you allow Jesus to humbly kneel before you today and wash your feet? Will you refrain from being embarrassed and uncomfortable and crying out like Peter did, “No, You shall never wash my feet!”

And then, will you humble yourself even further, look around and ask yourself this next question:

‘Whose feet do I need to wash?’

And They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

"A new command I give you.: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" ~ John 13:35

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Yesterday in my post, The Snarkiness of Christianity,  I ended by wondering what Jesus might be thinking about all the arrogant, self-righteous and mean-spirited attitudes and comments from His followers that have been flying around on the Internet recently concerning the announcement of the new pontiff, Pope Francis I, and about the Catholic Church in general.

I cannot be so arrogant and self-righteous myself to state that I KNOW  exactly what Jesus is or could possibly be thinking.  But I do know from Scripture that Jesus reserved His harshest criticism for those who were considered the religious elite of His day -- the Pharisees and teachers of the law.  These holy men followed Jesus, too. But not because they believed He was the Messiah, but to judge and criticize and condemn every word He spoke and every move He made.

In the Bible, Matthew 23:1-36 is subtitled in one translation as ‘Seven Woes To The Scribes and Pharisees,’ and ‘A Warning Against Hypocrisy’ in another. Jesus admonishes their actions, telling His disciples and the crowd of people following Him not to do what they, the religious leaders, do, because they do not practice what they preach.

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“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!”  Jesus says to them over and over, calling them blind guides, blind fools, whitewashed tombs, snakes and a brood of vipers.  These men gave the appearance of righteousness and holiness on the outside, but inside they were unclean and dead. Hypocrites.

Might these same accusations aimed at the Pharisees and teachers of the law by Jesus so long ago strike a chord with many of His people today who are speaking maliciously of other folks who love and serve the Lord? Might these same warnings resonate within them, making them uncomfortable in their sin?

I must say, I am all too aware that while we may be followers of Christ, we are also an imperfect bunch of people.  We make mistakes. We give in to temptations. We fall down. We say hurtful, inappropriate things.  We set bad examples. Most times unintentionally, but sometimes not.  

And to be painfully honest, there was a time when I was what some call a ‘baby Christian’ (someone immature in their faith in Christ) and I would often sarcastically and self-righteously refer to myself as a ‘recovering Catholic,’ as I toggled between looking down my nose at and feeling sorry for anyone who still found themselves ‘trapped by the tradition of guilt and shame’ (my words) within the Catholic Church.

Can you say ‘World’s Biggest Jerk?’ Yes, that was me to a T, my dears. I THANK GOD for His grace and mercy with me over the years. I am thankful for His persistence in pointing out my arrogant stupidity and Pharisaecal attitude, for His help in removing this ugly attitude in me. And I’m grateful that today, God still sends loving, yet stern reminders and lessons whenever I seem about to veer over onto that path again.

May I ask for something here? Could we all just be willing to lay down our verbal swords? Could we all  just be willing to put aside our differences and disagreements on theology and doctrine? Could we – as a people who profess to love Jesus Christ – learn to see one another as beloved children of our Father God and precious brothers and sisters in Christ, united by and with and through the Holy Spirit?

As a matter of fact, in John 17:20-23, this unity is what Jesus prayed for in the upper room after the Passover meal, the night He was betrayed:


“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.  I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.

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Could we -- dare we -- as Christians, humble ourselves and pray this way, too, for our Catholic friends, family members, neighbors, classmates and coworkers and for their pope? Could we -- dare we -- pray for those whose religious denominations and traditions aren't mirror images of ours?

I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating – we need to be ever so careful about what we post, how we speak and act. The way we live and love.  Others – non-believers, new believers and people of different faith denominations -- are watching us. And they’ll know we are Christians…not by our Christian T-shirts, key chains and car magnets displaying clever slogans; not with our Jesus jewelry and our Bible verse Pinterest boards…but they’ll KNOW, without a doubt, we are Christians by our love.

Worship Song Sunday --O Come O Come Emmanuel, by Aaron Shust

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound ~ Isaiah 61:1, AMP

Shade and Darkness, by William Turner

A hauntingly beautiful song of a captive people, crying out from the darkness, crying out in their pain and suffering, for Messiah's deliverance -- then and now. 

Emmanuel.  In Hebrew, it is Imanu'el, meaning 'God is with us.'  And for those of us who believe that this child - born to ordinary parents and into humble circumstances over two-thousand years ago - was and is God's very own Son, 'God is with us' should indeed be the summation of what Christmas is REALLY all about. 

The birth of hope. 

Come To The Well

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."   The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." ~ John 4:13-15


I was listening to K-Love on the way home from an errand recently, and once again, something one of the radio personalities said really hit home for me. 


He spoke of how at times, we as followers of Christ can go through 'dry seasons.'  I quickly reached over to turn up the volume on my car radio to be sure I could hear every word this man said, because right now, I feel as if I've entered into a dry season.  Just that very morning, before I left my house, I stopped what I was doing and whispered out loud,


"God, where ARE You?  Please tell me, please....talk to me!"


I heard nothing.  I received no response.


I actually wanted to cry, but I couldn't.  And I just felt so -- empty.

The man went on to say that at times, we may find ourselves feeling alone and empty, and even wondering where the Lord is because we can no longer hear His voice. 


Umm....having just said and felt that less than an hour before, that REALLY caught my attention. What was going on here?


He continued by saying that this is because very often, we find ourselves stopping at wells we have no business visiting. Wells whose water has long since dried up. 


We come thirsty.  And we leave thirsty.  Every time.


Much like the Samaritan woman -- the Woman at the Well.

Woman At The Well, by C. Michael Dudash

One of my most favorite Bible stories/characters is the woman at the well.  She is one of several  'Bad Girls of the Bible' to whom I can relate quite well, having been a former 'bad girl' myself for many years. 

Jesus is heading back to Galilee and, exhausted from the trip, sits down to rest at a well in Sychar, a village in Samaria, while His disciples go into town to buy some food.  A Samaritan woman comes alone to the well to draw water.  According to various books and articles I've read, groups of women would take their empty jars and come to the village well early in the morning, when the heat was not as intense as it was at the noon hour.  But according to Scripture, this woman comes at noon.  

And she comes alone. 

Perhaps to avoid the dirty looks and mean-spirited whispers from the other women, because as we learn later, the Samaritan woman at the well is no sterling character.  She already has five husbands under her belt and is currently working on number six. Or maybe not.  Maybe by now she's thrown the hopes for love and commitment to the four winds and is just content to hook up and hang out with the man.  

Yet I'm certain that something in her still longed for something more. Something meaningful. Something good and true and right and perfect in her life.  She is desperately thirsty.  Desperately dehydrated.


While the actual, physical well she frequents provides her with tangible water, figuratively she is going to wells that are empty; wells whose waters have long since dried up.

And that's what really gets to me, what hits me hardest.  I can relate to her search for something more and meaningful; something good and true and right and perfect.  I'm desperately thirsty, desperately dehydrated.


Because lately, I've been paying visits to wells that are empty, where the waters have longs since dried up. 

Last week, I wrote about the various challenges, trials and difficulties in my life that I've been dealing with lately, how the Lord wants me to view them as gifts from Him, in order for me to place all my dependence upon Him, and that I don't need to go it alone because He is always with me in the midst of it all.


Yet, while I KNOW all of this, applying it to my life is a different story indeed.  Getting that head knowledge to make its way down to my heart can be easier said than done for me. 


Jesus is an endless wellspring of Living Water, and He lets the woman at the well know as much.  And she responds by pleading, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never get thirsty nor have to come [continually all the way] here to draw." 


Jesus has let ME know as much, too.  Yet why have I ignored Him and instead, chosen to go to the dry and empty wells?Wells like coffee, chocolate and fast food/junk food -- things I run to for comfort and to fill my feelings of emptiness.

Wells like Facebook and yes, even this little blog of mine, which I've turned to again and again for validation, acknowledgment, reassurance and acceptance when I find I'm dry, panting and running on empty. 


I wish I had an answer.  But I don't.  Just a bucket full of lame excuses.


Currently, I've removed myself from Facebook and have also removed those comfort food and drink distractions from my life for awhile. And believe it or not, I really haven't missed them (esp. FB).  Yet, my Bible has lain unopened and unused for many days (it's SO much easier for me to hit up Bible Gateway online to look up various Scripture verses that I've recently used here).  I've moved it around from tableside to bedside, much like I used to do with the food on my plate as a kid, to make it appear that I'd eaten what was put in front of me.  My lame excuse has been,  "I'm just so busy and I'm just so exhausted at the end of the day!" It's so much easier for me to just grab a quick devotional on the run or to watch Dr. Charles Stanley or David Jeremiah on TV while I'm folding laundry.  


But really -- who am I kidding?


I've been so dry and parched in my soul, I feel like I may just crack into a million pieces and blow away.  I'm still so thirsty.  I'm spiritually deydrating. And I NEED water.  Living Water, which can only come from one Source.  The Word of God.


Very early this morning, I woke up to Jesus' still, small Voice beckoning me:


Come to Me, beloved.  Come and stand before Me.  You say you want to hear from Me -- then read My Word.


Let My Word nourish, hydrate, cleanse and refresh you.  Let My Living Water wash over you and bring you back to life.


Saturate yourself in My Word.  And I WILL speak to you, loud and clear, lovingly, tenderly, through each and every word you read.


Can I tell you how very quickly I jumped up, put the light on and grabbed for my Bible, which was lying next to me on the bed? I think I may have scared my poor dog out of a sound sleep.


I can (and have) surrounded myself with so many things -- not all good, not all bad.  But only one thing matters -- Jesus, my Wellspring of Living Water.  I can (and have) surrounded myself with and delved into so many different books by various Christian authors.

Yes, these are just SOME of the books you might come across should you pay a visit to my room.
Not to mention the ones sitting on the shelves in my living room, my basement and on my
front porch AND the two boxes and one tall kitchen bag overflowing with books in the back of
my car that I am attempting to give away to someone...anyone! Oh PSF....where art thou?!

But only one Author and one book REALLY matters -- Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith, and the Bible, the very Word of God. When I drink deeply from that Living Water; when I hydrate myself with God's Word,  I no longer need to visit those dry and empty wells, scrounging for water.  I'll never be thirsty again.   Oh, my sweet Lord and Savior, help me to learn this lesson once and for all RIGHT NOW and to never, ever forget it!


Today, maybe you have found yourself in the midst of a very dry season.  Perhaps you've been visiting wells you have no business visiting.  Wells that are dry, barren, empty.  You are thirsty and dehydrating.   


I invite you to join me and come to the well.  Come see a Man who knows everything I -- and you -- have ever done, thought, said, felt.  And He loves us still.  Come accept the Living Water He offers to us, so we will NEVER be thirsty again.  Join me in allowing ourselves to become immersed and saturated by the Word of God.


Come -- be refreshed.


Come -- be renewed.


Come -- be made clean.


Come to the well.

I have what you need,
But you keep on searchin,
I've done all the work,
But you keep on workin',


When you're runnin on empty,
And you can't find the remedy,
Just come to the well.


You can spend your whole life,
Chasin' what's missing,
But that empty inside,
It just ain't gonna listen.


When nothing can satisfy,
And the world leaves you high and dry,
Just come to the well


And all who thirst will thirst no more,
And all who search will find what their souls long for,
The world will try, but it can never fill,
So leave it all behind, and come to the well. ~ The Well, by Casting Crowns

Sounds of the Season: Born In Bethlehem - by Third Day

Today is the first of December, and cold weather and the always possible threats of monstrous snowstorms aside, this is truly my favorite time of the year.

As we step into the beginning of this Advent and Christmas season, I would like to take some time on my blog this month to share the gift of Christmas music with all of you.

I love music. I have a picture frame in my bedroom which reads:

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

Indeed it does!

The songs I’ve chosen include old favorites of mine and new tunes I’ve just recently discovered. Some of the songs and artists you may know, and some you might not. And, with my heartfelt apologies, some of the videos aren’t the best.

But really in these instances, it's more about what you're hearing than what you're seeing.  Because as you listen to each song, I'd like to challenge you to close your eyes and allow the message within the music wash over you to saturate and refresh your weary soul. It’s my wish that the words and music will lift your spirits, bring you peace, comfort and joy and cause you to take some quiet moments afterwards to meditate on the innocence, the sweetness and the beauty of this season -- the season when we focus on Messiah, in the form of a tiny, helpless babe, born to a humble couple in a small town called Bethlehem.

How Far Would You Go For Jesus?

I wrote a poem after watching NBC's Today Show this morning, which featured a live, outdoor performance by teen singing sensation, Justin Bieber.

For years, I've been intrigued by folks who have turned following particular performers, bands or celebrities into an art form and seemingly life-long, personal quest.  For example, I used to work with a guy who took an entire week off from work whenever singer Jimmy Buffett was touring so he could attend not just one, but many of Buffet's concerts in our tri-state area.  Several years ago, when my daughter was head-over-heels for the Jonas Brothers band, we attended one of their concerts in Camden and met a group of girls who weren't from our area (NJ) but who'd spent a good portion of their summer following them from city to city. When we asked them how they could afford to do that, they laughingly informed us that one girl's dad had taken off from work FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER just to drive them to each town where the Jonas Brothers would be performing.  I couldn't begin to hazard a guess at how much THAT was costing dear old Dad. 

And this summer when I took my daughter to see singer Taylor Swift when she came to Philadelphia, I was amazed by the elaborate costumes, makeup and signage her fans sported.

And then, of course, there are those Extreme Sports Fans -- a species in a class all their own, who have no problem smearing their bodies with paint to match their team's colors, shaving their heads or donning humongous, crazy-colored wigs and showing up in the sports arena's parking lot at dawn to begin the tailgating festivities.  Many have also been known to withstand totally frigid temps while COMPLETELY BARECHESTED as they cheer their teams on to victory! 

It's mind-boggling to me just how far a person would go to show their fan allegiance to someone else.  And it got me thinking -- how far would they go for Jesus?

How far would you go for Jesus?

Would you --

Be filled with excitement
and jump up and down
if you heard the Messiah
was coming to town?

Would you --

Keep your kids out of school?
Call out of work sick?
Invite some of your friends?
Which ones would you pick
to travel with you
to follow this Man?

Are you sure you're His follower
and not just a fan?

How far would you go for Jesus?

Would you --

Spend your time and your cash
working days to design
a glittery, neon-color
Poster board sign

To hold high in the air
in the hopes that He'd see
your message for Him:
"I © JC!"

Would you --

Pull out all of the stops
to follow this Man?
Are you sure you're His follower
And not just a fan?

How far would you go for Jesus?

Would you --

Brave nasty weather?
Camp out all night in line
for a glimpse of the One
fully Man and Divine?

Wear a bright, fuzzy wig?
Paint your face, arms and chest
and ignore those who call you
insane and obsessed
to go through such effort
to follow this Man?

Are you sure you're His follower
and not just a fan?

How far would you go for Jesus?

Would you --

Stand in the cold and the snow,
mud and rain?
Stand 'til your feet, legs and back
screamed in pain?

Then text Him or Tweet Him
or friend Him on facebook
just to tell Him you downloaded
His Word to your Nook?

Or.....

Would you --

Follow this King
to the ends of the earth?
Forsake family and friends?
Leave the land of your birth
to respond to His call
and His will for your life
whether son or a daughter,
whether husband or wife?

Would you --

Help heal the broken,
the sick and the lame?
Give cups of cold water
in Jesus's Name?

Help feed the hungry
and comfort the fearful?
Hold the hands of the dying,
dry the eyes of the tearful?

Would you --

Go anywhere and
do anything?
Maybe die upside-down
on a cross for this King?

I rise before dawn
while my family's in bed
Humbly drop to my knees
and then bow my head
Asking "How far would I go
to follow this Man?"

Making sure I'm His follower
And not just a fan.