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Then There Was Sunday

Posted on April 24, 2011 by auburnchick

Today is Easter Sunday.

It is the most important day in history…the day when Jesus Christ defied the powers of sin and death and rose from the grave.

My family attended a service preached by the church’s youth pastor.

Word, but that guy can pound out a sermon!

One of the most important things I took away from it was that through all of the darkness and despair of the days and years leading up to the crucifixion, Sunday followed…the day of great joy.

I think this is an important lesson to remember.

We’ve all had days when we couldn’t wait to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over our heads.

Some of us have had years like this.

Still, there’s always a Sunday…a day when our burdens are relieved.

God had a plan when He created the world.

He knew mankind would fall.

Centuries passed, and the separation from God was horrendous.

Still, He provided a way back to Him.

His Son was scorned…rejected by all but a few.

He, an innocent man…the only innocent person ever to walk on earth…was killed in the most inhumane way possible, and sadness filled the hearts of his devout followers.

Then there was Sunday.

If you don’t have the joy that comes with Easter, I pray that you would find a Bible and start reading.  Start searching out God’s Word and pray.

God is faithful.  He hears our prayers, and He will be found if you truly seek Him with all of your heart, soul, and mind.

Then you too will know, personally, the joy of Sunday.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

What Happened to Barabbas

Posted on April 19, 2011 by auburnchick

On Sunday, my pastor read the passage of scripture that describes the criminal, Barabbas, being given his freedom in exchange for the execution of Jesus.

Matthew 27: 15-26

15Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.d 17As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18(He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)

19Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

20Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”

The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”

22Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”

They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

23“Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

24Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

25And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”e

26So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

My pastor explained that though nothing is known of Barabbas afterward, a book had been written and a movie had been made that fictionalized what might have happened to him.

My pastor described a scene that could very well have happened…

Footsteps descending stone steps to the prison cells below…

The sound of keys turning in the locks…

The expectation that Barabbas must have had knowing that he was about to face his death…

The shock when, instead, Jesus was pulled out of the room…

The even greater shock when Barabbas was told he was a free man.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have felt like to know that I, very deserving of death, had been let go and that someone else was going to serve my death sentence for me.

Can you?

I just don’t know that I could live my life the same way afterward.

At this point, I had to wonder what had happened to Barabbas.

Perhaps Barabbas had never known unconditional love before, and that was why he had committed crimes that made him “notorious.”

Do you think that he left that prison with a heart so grateful for God’s gift of life that he went out and talked about it afterward?

Did Barabbas allow his entire life to be changed from that point forward?  Did he start a family or take up with the one he had left behind?  Did they see real change in his life?

Or, perhaps, he changed…for a little while…before gradually forgetting what had been done for him.

Hmmm…

Then again, perhaps he figured that the stars had aligned and he had gotten lucky.

Do you think he went back out and got in with his old crowd…taking up where he had left off before being caught?

I’ve seen all of these things happen as I’ve watched people receive incredible gifts from God.

In fact, I fear that I have, at times, reacted in similar fashions.

You know…I’ve been a Christian for nearly half of my life.  I’ve read the above passage more times than I can count; however, I’ve never stopped to ask whatever happened to Barabbas.

I doubt that any of us will ever know, yet I think this lack of knowledge serves as a warning.

Do not take the gift of salvation for granted.

Accept it.

Embrace it.

Acknowledge it.

Then, don’t ever walk away from it.

And don’t leave people wondering, “What happened to Insert-Your-Name.”

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

The Beauty of Nature

Posted on April 15, 2011 by auburnchick

What a stressful week I’ve had.

Thank goodness I can come home to find solace in the roses that reside beside my driveway…

I always love to see buds that are in the process of opening up…

To reveal God’s power and beauty in nature…

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Nothing Greater Than Grace

Posted on April 12, 2011 by auburnchick

What is grace?

For a five-letter word, it can be a difficult concept to grasp.

On Saturday, as I drove to the college for my day of classes, I tuned into my local Christian radio station.

The song I heard as I pulled up was Point of Grace’s There is Nothing Greater Than Grace.

I sat, riveted, as I listened to the entire song, remembering how this group had sung it last August at the beach.

The words gripped my soul.

Before I share the video for it, I wanted to share a few of the thoughts that have been running through my head since Saturday.

I responded to God’s call for repentance the day after my senior prom in 1988.

I was 18 years old.

I’ll never forget the way my heart thudded in my chest as I made my way to the front of my small Baptist church.

I was baptized shortly after.

Though I truly believed in my status as a sinner and my need for the atoning work of Jesus, I lacked something…

An understanding of the word “grace.”

Does that seem strange?

Some might question the sincerity of my baptism, but I do not, for I am quite sure that I understood, without putting formal words to it, the definition of grace.

It wasn’t until the Mr. and I had been married a couple of years and were involved in a Sunday School class that was taught by our church’s pastor that I began linking the word “grace” with a formal definition.

As the years have passed, God has continued to teach me just what the word “grace” encompasses.

Grace is the unmerited favor of God.

Grace is not given to those who are worthy.

Grace is bestowed on the downtrodden, dirty sinners of the world.

Folks, that’s all of us.

Think of the woman who Jesus met at the well.

First, He spoke to her.

She had been married many times.

She was probably the equivalent of the town floozie.

She did not speak to Him first.

At that point in time, she had done absolutely nothing to earn God’s favor, and yet He called out to her.

What is even more incredible is that Jesus began to name the sins that she had committed.  He knew she was living with another man without being married to the man.

And still Jesus chose to speak to her.

He offered her forgiveness.

He offered her grace.

The God of yesterday is the God of today.  He doesn’t change.

He still calls to us in the midst of our sins, and you better believe that He can name them off one by one.

Despite all of this, Jesus wants us to be reconciled to Him.

Here’s the kicker…

We can’t do anything to earn His grace or repay Him for it.

The woman certainly couldn’t.

She had nothing to give Him, except for her heart.

That is all that is asked of us.

In the midst of our brokenness, we have nothing of value to give except ourselves.

Too often, people use the excuse that they aren’t worthy.

Neither was that woman at the well.

Neither was I at the tender age of 18.

I was a broken person, from a broken home, with many, many hurts inside.

Truly, my friends, there is nothing greater than grace.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Darkness and Light

Posted on April 9, 2011 by auburnchick

A few months ago, Tom, one of my church’s pastors, sent me an email asking if I would be interested in writing a devotional for the Lent Reader that he was putting together for the upcoming Easter season.  He provided the Bible verse that he wanted me to focus on and let me chew on the idea for a while.

I wasn’t sure if I would have time, but I prayed about it.

In the end, I felt that God wanted me to write it.

So I did.

The Lent Reader has been organized into five weekly devotions (with the exception of the week of Easter, which has seven).

We’re currently reading Week 5.

The week that my devotion appears in.

I wanted to share what I wrote with you.

Ephesians 5:8-14 (NIV)

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Darkness and light – these are two words that followers of Christ often encounter in Bible passages and in Christian music.  How often do we see and hear these words yet give them scant attention?  Have you ever stopped to consider what the words really mean, though?

The Hebrew word for darkness is “choshek,” which translates into, “separated from God’s glory because of works.”  Compare this definition to that of light, or “ohr” in Hebrew.  The Hebrew definition for light is “God connected to man.” What we see is that prior to God sending Jesus, His Son, to earth, we were separated from Him because we relied on a mentality that stressed work done by our own hands rather than the grace that is given by God.  Grace is a free gift, and there is not a magic number of works that we can perform that will put us in right standing with God.

But, is it enough, as The Message Bible says, to “climb out of our coffins” and let Christ’s light shine on us?  Does God say, “Oh, you’re good now.  You’re forgiven.  We’re best buds now.  Go lead a life of luxury.  Your work is finished.”  Most assuredly not!  We are instructed to “live as children of light” and expose the “deeds of darkness.”

We must, at this point, reflect on what it means to live as children of the light.  Just as lit candles in a sunny room do not serve the purpose they were created for – to dispel darkness, we, being infused with God’s Spirit and light, do little good if we don’t leave the confines of our comfortable lives and reach out to others living in darkness.  Verse 13 makes an incredible promise that everything that is illuminated, or enlightened to comprehend God’s word, will become a light.  Praise be to God for His abundant love and mercy that pulled us out of darkness and into the light.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

How Do You Relieve Stress?

Posted on April 8, 2011 by auburnchick

On Tuesday, I had a very interesting experience.

Yeah, yeah.  I always have interesting experiences.  That is my life, people and, hence, the reason why my blog is titled “AuburnChick’s Adventures.”

Anyhoo…

While I was straightening my hair…getting ready for work…when my cell phone rang.

When I looked at it, I saw that it was a local radio station.

“That’s weird,” I thought to myself.  Why in the world would the radio station be calling me at 7:00 in the morning?

So, I answered my phone, and heard my favorite DJ’s voice on the other end.

“Good morning, Nathalie.  Hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

“Um, no.  I was…just…getting ready for work…” I said.

Now, at this point, you might be wondering why a local DJ has my cell phone number.

The Mr. might be wondering this as well.

heehee

You see, this is one of my favorite local stations.  The only time I really get to listen is in the mornings, on the way to school.

Of course, all good morning radio programs involve the DJs asking their audiences questions that they can call in and answer.  Mine is no different.

I, being the oh-so-smarty-pants that I am like to call in sometimes.

I called in when the question was “Have you given up anything for Lent?”

Giving up TV for 40 days tends to make people remember you (not that I called in for that reason, mind you).

Not too long after, the question was, “Have you read any good books lately?”

Well, on that particular day, I was on my way to take my General Knowledge Test.  I had a long drive ahead of me.  Unfortunately, when I called in, I caught the DJ at a bad time, when the music was about to end, so he took my number to call me back.

I told him about The Seventeen Second Miracles that my class would be studying after Spring Break, and we proceeded to have a lengthy conversation.

Hence the “why” and “how” he had my number.

So, Tuesday’s question was, “How do you relieve stress?”

What was my answer?

I pray.

The DJ sounded surprised.

“Really?” he asked.

Yep.

He asked if I feel better when I can find five minutes to myself to pray, and I said, “Actually, I cry first.  Then, I pray.”

We discussed this for a few minutes, and I explained that I used to find solace in chocolate, but since I gave up sugar in December, I have found that really, all I need is God.

That’s a lesson I have been learning since starting my education certification classes.

I felt good when I hung up the phone.

I feel like the struggles I have been going through since July…teaching in my school…attending school full-time…are all being used by God to draw me ever closer to Him.  He wants all of us to seek Him out FIRST when we need anything.

Isn’t it interesting how we turn to other things…food…friends…”self-help” books.  Those things aren’t bad, in and of themselves, but they can never replace God.

God laid out the plans for our lives before we were ever born.  The smartest thing we can do is go to Him first when we struggle within the circumstances that He has woven into the fabric of our lives.

It’s a life-long lesson that each of us much relearn time and time again.

So, how do you relieve stress?  Is your relief only temporary, or do you find complete satisfaction in your method?

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Loyalty

Posted on April 3, 2011 by auburnchick

Loyalty.

This word came up during the sermon at church this morning.

My ears perked up when I heard it because it is key to the collaborative lesson plan I am writing for my certification class.

The word “loyal” comes from the Latin word legalis, which means legal.  Think of a marriage contract, where a person is legally committed to another person.

Interesting, eh?

My pastor explained that though ambassadors serve in foreign countries, their loyalties remain to their home countries, for they ultimately serve those countries.

Ambassadors have the responsibility of carrying messages from those in authority in their home countries to people in the countries in which they are living.

Food for thought.

As Christians, we are ambassadors who serve the King who reigns in heaven.

Our citizenship is not here on earth.  It is in heaven.

Through the death of Jesus and our belief in Him as the conqueror of sin, our places are secured.

Thus, our loyalties lie with our home country…Heaven.

However, we don’t just sit around earth idly twiddling our thumbs waiting to be “taken home,” so to speak.

We have the responsibility to share God’s message with the people around us.

We have three more weeks of Lent.  I think that sharing God’s message is something we think about more during this time of the year.  However, this should be something that is foremost in our minds all year long.

We have an amazing God.

He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins.

If we don’t acknowledge that we need a Savior and die without doing so, we will spend eternity in hell.

Where is your loyalty?  Who are you serving?  These are questions that we all need to ask ourselves regularly.

We sang the song Stronger this morning…

Here are the words:

There is love that came for us
Humbled to a sinner’s cross you broke my shame and sinfulness you rose again victorious

Faithfulness none can deny through the storm and through the fire there is truth that sets me free Jesus Christ who lives in me

Chorus
You are stronger you are stronger
Sin is broken you have saved me it is written Christ is risen Jesus you are Lord of all

No beginning and no end You’re my hope and my defense you came to seek and save the lost you paid it all upon the cross

So let your name be lifted higher
Be lifted higher be lifted higher

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Always Amazed

Posted on March 24, 2011 by auburnchick

I am always amazed at the ways in which God provides for me.

Today, I had my first observation for my Field Experience class.  I was nervous because I was going to be meeting the teacher who had agreed to be my mentor.  I was also nervous because in a few short weeks, I will be working with him to create a lesson plan and then using that lesson plan to teach his students.

I think it can be intimidating to walk into another teacher’s class and “take over.”

The school where my mentor teaches is across town.  It’s a solid thirty minute trip.

Of course my dogs chose THIS morning to escape from the house…just as Rooster and I were leaving.

God provided, though.

My sweet but mischievous Molly came to me when I called her.

Stupid me didn’t get a good grip on her, so she escaped from me and ran off.

I called out to her, and she came to me a second time.

She never, ever does this.  Once loose, she’s usually gone for ten or fifteen minutes.

We’ve taken to leaving the back door open for her so she can come back when she’s spent her energy.

God provided.

I arrived at the school five minutes early.

God wasn’t done surprising me, though.

This teacher’s first period class is a dual enrolled English 1102 class.

I nervously walked in and took a seat at his desk.  I was only there to make observations today.

I was surprised to hear a student call my name.

As I looked over, I saw that it was a girl Chicky used to play soccer with.  We know her family very well and grew quite close to them during our traveling days.

She’s a senior.  I still can’t believe it.  She’s grown up in front of my eyes.

She was a welcome sight for my nervous self.

Second period was a class of honors ninth graders.

As they were settling in, the teacher explained that he was just beginning a new unit.

Wanna guess what he’s teaching?

Romeo and Juliet.

I don’t remember if I shared this picture before.  See if you understand the significance of it…

Those are the masks and shields that my ninth graders made…

When we studied Romeo and Juliet last term.

Did you just get chills?

I did too.

The teacher had already spent yesterday introducing the unit.  He continued this lesson today.

As I worked on the observations that I had to make for my Field Experience class assignments, I smiled.

I understood everything the teacher was saying.

Toward the end of class, the teacher showed a clip from the movie Shakespeare in Love.  The scene was the one where Gwyneth Paltrow gets plucked from the audience that had gone to view the opening of the play Romeo and Juliet.  The actor who was supposed to play Juliet’s part was having issues with his voice cracking.  She already knew all of the lines because she had been having a relationship with Shakespeare.

As the scene jumped from one act to the other (short clips from each), I sat, spellbound.

Although the 9th graders didn’t know what they were really watching, I sure did.

All I could think about was how excited I was to get to teach this piece of literature again.

It’s almost like I get a do-over…a chance to make the lesson even better than the first time.

God had provided.

Again.

He continued to provide when, in third period, one of the students who walked in was a gal from a different soccer family.

He provided yet again when, after class, a teacher entered the room to borrow my mentor’s microwave.

It was a gal from a third soccer family.  Her sisters had been Chicky’s travel and high school teammates.  Chicky even graduated with one of the girls, and they signed their college letters of intent on the same day (they shared a cake as well).

I have been humbled, yet again.

Despite my having a mini-meltdown at home last night after waves of overwhelming nervousness descended upon my weary shoulders, God must have been up in heaven shaking His head with a sad smile on His face.

He knew His plans.

One would think that I would have learned this lesson by now.

Humans can be such emotional messes sometimes, eh?

You know…some people do not believe that God manifests Himself into our lives on a personal basis.

I disagree.

God is very real and very present.  He doesn’t just care about the “big” things in this world, but he cares about even the smallest little details of each individual’s life.

I am so grateful that He didn’t just give Moses the ten commandments and wash His hands of us.

I don’t know why, but I just feel the need to put this video clip on my blog today.  I know I’ve posted it before…maybe two or three times.

This is one of my favorite songs ever.

It’s my way of praising the Lord for pouring out His grace on me.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

A Whole Lot of Quiet

Posted on March 10, 2011 by auburnchick

Last night marked four days of my endeavor to give up TV during Lent.

I’ve gotta tell you that fasting from a non-food item is just as difficult as giving up something like sugar or junk food.

I never realized how quiet the house is when the TV is turned off.

My daily routine used to encompass working until 3:30, watching DOOL for 45 minutes, and then hunkering down to work on certification assignments WHILE listening to the TV in the background.

This week, I have been going home, visiting with Chicky (home for Spring Break), and then hunkering down to work on lesson plans and my assignments.

There.

Is.

No.

TV.

There.

Are.

No.

Extra.

Sounds.

A couple of days ago, it was so silent that the only thing I heard was the sound of my fingers tapping away at my keyboard and the deep laugh of my sweet Rooster as he played Xbox Live in another room.

That.

Was.

All.

I have been playing music though.  I love listening to Chris Tomlin Radio on Last.fm.

Still, though, the music is not a replacement for the TV.

What has been even stranger than the lack of noise is the depressed feeling I have.

I feel like the house is a little darker without the bright images being emitted from the television.

Time seems to crawl by.  Let’s face it folks.  We live our lives in segments – in blocks predetermined by the length of our activities.  In my case, my evenings were divided into one or two-hour chunks.

Last night, after working all afternoon on assignments, I glanced at the clock, expecting the time to read 8pm.

It was 6:00.

I kid you not.

I’ve been working at my dining room table lately; however, I moved to the couch, which is in front of the TV, later in the evening.

It was a strange feeling.  I looked at my DVR, and I could see that it was recording something (preset, of course)…

I felt like I was being taunted.

The Mr. walked through, and I made a comment about how tired I was.

He told me I should go to bed early.  He also suggested that my body probably thought it was time for bed because usually, when I turn off the TV, my body takes it as a signal that it’s bedtime.

Good observation.

Probably true as well.

People are conditioned to respond to certain stimuli.  Pavlov proved it with his salivating dog experiment.

I think that the television serves as a stimulant to my body.  It keeps me awake.   I guess that’s why child “experts” suggest that children do not watch television a certain length of time before going to bed.

Who knew that the experts might actually know something.  😉

What I am already coming to realize is that television is almost like a drug.  Certain shows lead us to have certain feelings.  We watch advertisements for things we don’t need and think, all of a sudden, that we need those things.

And so we depend on the TV to help us be who we are, so to speak.

God does not want that of us. 

Nothing should define who we are except for HIM.

It’s no wonder that we wander around lost and confused.

We have too many voices playing in the background of our lives when, in reality, we need to be listening to only ONE voice…the voice that won’t make promises He can’t keep (unlike infomercials for anti-wrinkle cream).

I am praying that the quiet time that I will be having over the course of Lent will help me train myself to purposefully tune out the noises around me so that I can hear God’s voice in a very clear, audible way.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Turning Off the TV

Posted on March 8, 2011 by auburnchick

On Sunday, one of my church’s pastors preached a very inspiring, thought-provoking sermon.

The sermon was about Ash Wednesday, Lent, and what these words mean to Christians.

Tom is my church’s newest pastor.

He is young, full of energy, and possesses a zeal for the Lord.

His sermons are fiery.

He reminds me of the pastor who headed up the small, country church I grew up in.

Tom is also very funny, and he had the congregation laughing at his opening statements.

Things got very serious, though, as he began delving into the meat of his sermon.

Ash Wednesday.

Lent.

These are terms that I have grown up with.

On Sunday, Tom made me think of them in a new way.  I hope he won’t mind if I share snippets of his sermon here…all credit to him and God.

First – Ash Wednesday.  What is it, and why do people walk around with “mud all over their faces,” as Tom said?

The dust, which is applied to the forehead in the shape of a cross, is a reminder that people were formed from dust, and we will return to dust one day.

Heavy.

Mortality.

Never a fun topic.

We will die because we are a race of sinners.  Death entered this world because of sin.  We are, thus, called to die.

The fact that the dust that is placed on Christians’ foreheads on Ash Wednesday is put there in the shape of a cross is important.  Why?  This speaks to the hope that Christians have because Jesus died on the cross.

It is precisely because Jesus died and rose again that Christians can find joy in the midst of the sadness that surrounds Lent.  In fact, “Bright Sadness” is the theme for the Lent reader that my church just created (logo created by a member of the church, who, I hope, won’t mind if I post)…

People who aren’t Christians don’t understand how we could find joy in death.

First of all, there is joy in knowing that God didn’t just hand down a bunch of mandates and remove himself from our lives.  God, who knew no limits, took on the limits of a mortal life.  God, who knew only life and love, experienced death and hate.  He took on the shame that we should one day feel at judgment, when we stand before God.

You know…it’s never fun to stand in front of someone and admit that you did something wrong.  As sinners, we should be the ones doing that before God.

Jesus took our place.

There is joy in that.

It is important to remember, though, that there can be no glory without suffering.

Jesus suffered.

He suffered mightily on His journey.

In Tom’s words, “The road to the cross is a prerequisite to the resurrection.”

I know a little something about prerequisites.  I just finished two classes that were prerequisites for the two classes I am currently enrolled in.

I couldn’t get to Point B without traveling through Point A.

When Jesus told us to “take up our cross and follow Him,” He meant that we would have to travel down the same road that He did.

And thus we get to Lent.

Lent is the 40-day journey.

Lent has, traditionally, been a time of giving up something sacrificially and drawing ever closer to God.

Tom made the point that people allow things to determine who they are.

What a lie the world has fed to us.

We are not defined by the things in the world.

We are defined by our relationship with God.

Giving up things that we consider important to us has the potential to bring us closer to the Lord.

And so Tom challenged us.

The first thing that happened was that the ushers passed out pads of sticky notes.

We held on to our stickies as the sermon was presented.

I already knew what we were going to be asked to do.

A word stuck in my head immediately.

As Tom spoke, my heart started beating faster, and I got tears in my eyes as I realized that this word was something that I’ve used to help define myself.

Tom eventually asked us two questions:
1. What is God telling you to fast from during Lent?
2. What is God calling you to replace it with?

You see, Lent is not supposed to be a legalistic ritual.

Every religion can turn into legalism.

Lent is about drawing closer to the Lord, so whatever you give up should be done with the intention of replacing it with something that honors God.

I continued to mull over the word that was in my head.

Then, Tom asked us to write down something that we would give up, along with the thing we would replace it with.

I wrote.

I had tears in my eyes.

I was embarrassed.

I was also ashamed.

We then had communion.

As we walked to the front, we placed our sticky notes on the altar…

I am so glad someone took a picture after the sermon.

As I sat down after taking communion and watched others go to the front, my heart was moved.

I watched elementary age children put stickies on the altar.

Lessons learned in youth…

A nation of believers in the making.

I honestly cannot remember a previous Sunday when the congregation, as a whole, had been immediately affected in that way.

What had started off as a funny morning had grown quite serious.

Salvation is like that.

It’s not something you wait around for.

It’s also not something you take for granted.

Salvation is a GIFT that you CANNOT earn with good works and crossed fingers.

There is such joy when you understand this very basic precept.

And so, during Lent, I will be giving up something that has grown to mean a lot to me…

I’ve been justifying my extended viewing of it by saying that my shows help me to relax after all of the stress I’ve been under each day.

Phooey.

What a load of baloney I’ve been feeding myself.

But I will admit that I am not overly thrilled.

Shows like Survivor, Dancing With the Stars, Amazing Race, Criminal Minds, and American Idol have become staples in my living room.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the finale of The Bachelor.

Guys, I waste countless hours each week in front of the TV.

How many hours do I spend studying my Bible and praying?

Not a whole lot.

And so I am committing myself to studying God’s Word and praying for at least an hour each day.

I could easily use the excuse that my schoolwork is too heavy of a load to do this, but I know that I’m only fooling myself.

Every afternoon when I get home from school, I spend/waste 45 minutes watching the Days of Our Lives episode I’ve recorded that day.

Sheesh.

Do you want to know what’s also ironic?

On Saturday, after getting home from my certification classes, I thought to myself, “I hope I don’t get distracted by all of my shows.  There are so many starting up right now, so my TV schedule is going to be heavy.”

Thanks, Lord.

I owe you one.

Actually, I owe Him my life.

He gave His instead.

Giving up TV for forty days is chump change considering that I will be spending eternity with Him.

Will you consider giving something up?

What if you’re not a Christian?

Will you consider spending forty days searching and praying for God to reveal Himself to you?

I will pray that you do.  I will pray that you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus’s atoning work on the cross so that you, too, may experience the “bright sadness” of Lent.

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