The Way Life SHOULD Be.

June 7, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

If only we all kept that verse written on our hearts…Take heart, JESUS has overcome!! We have no reason to fear, if we only follow His Word and His Leading.

If only we had more carefully heeded this Scripture last May…

Check out the video below to find out how God redirected everything and is bringing us full circle: {click or tap on the image below and the video will play}

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.”

I cannot express to you how immeasurably that verse fits into our impending move and new journey for His Kingdom! The Lord has made this next step an increasingly joyful one for us! Gone are the fears about money and creature comforts and being tasked with a hugely important endeavor – for we have the freedom of knowing we are in the will of God. We know without a shadow of a doubt He has provided and will continue to! We walk in His freedom as His children, joint heirs with Christ!!

What a weight off our backs to allow Him to guide us and carry our heavy loads of worry! What a joy to serve our Sovereign Lord and King! What a privilege to be entrusted with such vital ministry!

Please continue praying for us and please pray especially for this grassroots youth ministry!

I promise to do a better job of keeping you all posted on God’s work in our lives and through us. As soon as this move is complete…and our house is painted…and unpacked…I think I’ll have a little more time on my hands… #wishfulthinking Well, at the very least, I won’t have a 29 mile = 2 hour commute. Each. Way. #bethankful

We love you all and hope you’ll all pay us a visit!!

Food For Thought Friday

It’s More ‘Good’ Than We Acknowledge

March 25, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

I often wondered why such a seemingly unimaginably awful Friday as this is called “Good Friday.” Translation certainly has something to do with this naming, as the word ‘good’ in Old English is better translated to our modern day ‘holy’. And it is certainly a HOLY Friday. Today is the day we commemorate God sacrificing His one and only Son, Jesus, on the cross. Killing Him in a horribly painful way to save us all.

All of us.

So if you are thinking you are too ‘bad’, too old, too tainted, too far gone, not good enough…that this sacrifice was not for you because you don’t need the Blood of Jesus Christ to save you… Well, however, crazily un-PC this may be…

YOU’RE WRONG.

There is one single way to Heaven: Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:16

You cannot be good enough. You cannot give enough or go to church enough or meditate enough. The only thing that is enough is Jesus.

On today, Good Friday, God is asking you to do one thing: Acknowledge He gave His only Son a death sentence to save you. Believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God and that He loves you – beyond ANY type of love you have ever experienced, beyond any type of love you could imagine. Nothing on this earth gets remotely close.

Once you acknowledge this fact, you simply have to believe, thank God for the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE and allow Him to be your Savior, by asking Him to forgive you and turning away from your past.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

This is a reason today is a ‘good day’… without the death of Christ on the cross, there could be no resurrection, no Easter Sunday. He died for YOU and for ME, and in doing so overcame death completely. His resurrection on the third day means that the day I die, I can say with confidence that I will be with Jesus in Heaven.

^“One of the criminals hanging there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” The other one, however, rebuked him, saying, “Don’t you fear God? You received the same sentence he did. Ours, however, is only right, because we are getting what we deserve for what we did; but he has done no wrong.” And he said to Jesus, “Remember me, Jesus, when you come as King!” Jesus said to him, “I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me.” Luke 23:39-43

With death being the great uncertainty in life, knowing my destination is an amazing comfort that allows me to live for Jesus, able to follow Him no matter what the consequences are – not that any of us are ever 100% successful in this. We all sin, no matter how much we try not to. As much as I strive to listen to God, satan tempts me too.

I do not understand what I do; for I don’t do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate. Since what I do is what I don’t want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right. So I am not really the one who does this thing; rather it is the sin that lives in me. I know that good does not live in me—that is, in my human nature. For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to do it. I don’t do the good I want to do; instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do.If I do what I don’t want to do, this means that I am no longer the one who does it; instead, it is the sin that lives in me.” Romans 7:15-20

Craig and I are about to embark on a new adventure for Christ – the details will be ‘spilled’ soon – and so many people have asked, “How can you just follow like that – no questions asked?”

And I have 2 answers:

Plenty of questions were asked – whether they should have been or not. We are not experts, by any stretch of the imagination, in trusting God, but we are trying. He asked us; we pleaded with Him; we questioned Him; we questioned each other; we relented; we followed.
Faith in the outcome. God the Father sent His Son to die for our salvation. Jesus, flesh on earth, asked for there to be ‘another way’…He was frightened. He was both totally human and totally God. But He followed His Father’s Will – and while it was painful for Him…more painful that I could ever fathom, His Father knew the outcome…and aren’t we all glad He obeyed?

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3

You may have seen on Facebook or Instagram that someone recently made some pretty rude comments toward Craig and me regarding our infertility. I am trying to believe that they misinterpreted our faith for complacency. Just as I ask the Lord to ‘help my unbelief’ for my Christian faith, I ask Him the same mercy for our lack of children.

‘Though [the Lord] brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.’ Lamentations 3:32

‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.’ Ecclesiastes 3:1

“Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him!’” Lamentations 3:21-24

He loved us so much He sent His only Son to die for us even though we did nothing to deserve this. If He loves me this much, He will provide for our every single need. How could I possibly doubt that? How can I worry about food, bills, a mortgage, children…when He provided even His only Son for me.

Can you fathom that?

Think of the person on this Earth you love most – your child, your spouse, your parent. Now imagine the entire world is sick. A disease is killing every person on earth and it is spreading like wildfire. The only cure is the blood of your loved one. That’s it. To save the world, you have to hand over your husband, your son, your daughter, your mother, your father, to be killed. And not in some pretty way. And not to a group of people who are grateful. No, you are handing over the one you love most to pain and torture so unbearable you don’t dare imagine it. And to a group of people who hate and despise the one you love most.

Could you do that? Could you sentence the love of your life to death to save people who don’t deserve it, even remotely???

I couldn’t. I don’t possess that much love.

So how in the world can I turn away from the only One who could, and did – Just for you and me?

My Choice Monday

The Most Awesome Anxiety Attack

November 16, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Have you ever had an anxiety attack?

I know it can be a different experience from person to person, but for me, anxiety feels like my heart is about to beat out of my chest. My thoughts become so singularly-focused, I can hardly concentrate on anything else, and I feel jittery – like I’ve had 2 energy drinks and 3 cups of coffee.

But it doesn’t take a frightening situation or a nerve-wracking possibility to create this sensation for me.

This is how I feel when God has charged me with a mission – something to complete and take hold of. I don’t feel like I can possibly sit still or accomplish anything until I address what God has placed in front of me.

And why do I feel this relates to an anxiety attack?

Well, I can’t think of another human experience that is as overwhelming…When God tasks me with a plan…or even just a hint of what He has in store, I can’t contain myself! From reading God’s Word and my relationship with Him, I know a sliver of just how BIG and MIGHTY and ALL POWERFUL He is! With Him, the possibilities are simply endless, and how overwhelming that is for us as mere humans.

But this anxiety is an exciting one of possibility, adventure, thrill. Serving Jesus Christ and His Kingdom is an awesome challenge and responsibility, but nevertheless, I have never felt more comforted than when I knew He was solely in control and our steps were completely dependent on His Word.

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of [the nations in the Promised Land]; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparable great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20

We are all called by God to do His work. He may call you to travel many miles on His behalf, or simply to stay right where you are, but you are called.

And this should excite you beyond measure.

If you are ‘stuck’ in your church service week after week, hearing the same story about walking in the power of Christ, and never doing anything about it, then you aren’t living your life to the fullest potential. And that is the saddest result of a Christian life I can think of.

When you reach Heaven, at the end of the days God has numbered for you on this earth, and He asks you how you spent your time, are you satisfied to tell him:

“ Oh, Lord, I went to church when I could…”

“I know you wanted me to feed the poor, but I was just too tired when I got home from work…”

“Precious Jesus, I was in church every Sunday! I sang songs about Your glory each week, at the top of my lungs! I listened to every sermon about Your incredible power!!”

But Jesus responds that that is not enough. We are saved by faith, of course, but faith without works is dead. If you are truly a follower of Jesus, you long to follow Him – anywhere and everywhere He leads.

Matthew 28:19

^“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…”

Acts 22:15

“For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.”

Ephesians 6:20

“…for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

1 Timothy 4:12

“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

Is it scary? YES.

Is it completely against everything this world teaches? YES.

But it is at once the most incredible decision to follow Him at all costs. When you decide to stop being an armchair Christian, Jesus will use you in incredible and amazing ways.

Are you ready for your ‘anxiety attack’?

TTC Tuesday

I Am Weak, But He Is Strong

July 29, 2015July 29, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Dear Friends,

I confess – it’s been way too long since we poured our hearts, convictions and faith out to you via this blog. I have felt guilty –‘wake me up in the middle of the night’ guilty…because I know that the Lord wants to use me, my marriage, my hardships, my faith, as a vessel for leading others to Him. But…it’s hard, y’all. It’s really hard.

You all know we followed His call to Maine this past summer – almost a year ago! But you may not know that we are back in Georgia. After nine months of sharing His love with the precious youth of Southern Maine, God planted the desire for ‘home’…and with that, the desire to adopt a child…and with that, the necessary funds to make all of this happen with a promotion to Captain for Craig and a great job for me.

So, here we are, back in Georgia – ‘home’, and totally neglecting this blog and this ‘ministry’ – after we have been so immensely blessed. And I feel so guilty.

And while you may think this is a shrug your shoulders, no big deal, get a grip lady! kinda thing…it really isn’t. You don’t know the e-mails we receive, telling us how something has touched one of our readers; the requests for prayer from some who follow this blog from prison…Yes, I feel guilty for letting these people down when I am so unimaginably blessed, and so many are broken.

But I confess something to you…I try to be strong. Full of faith. Hopeful. Prayerfully diligent. But I fall so hard.

There are at least two days every week when I sob and ugly cry alone because ‘it just isn’t fair’ that I can’t give my sweet husband a child.

It just ‘isn’t fair’ that instead of going out for lunch with my co-workers, I head downstairs to the building’s gym to work-out during my hour-long break. I don’t eat gluten, carbs, sugar, anything fun. I drink apple cider vinegar with baking soda, and take a regimen of coconut oil, but no matter what, my blood sugar refuses to cooperate, my hormones will not level out and I can’t shed a pound, let alone maintain my weight.

I’ve felt like Job.

I’ve felt like David in a mournful Psalm.

I try so hard to be strong, but I’m not.

Thankfully, He is.

Lamentations 3:19-24 (Contemporary English Version) says this:

‘Just thinking of my troubles
and my lonely wandering
makes me miserable.
That’s all I ever think about,
and I am depressed.
Then I remember something
that fills me with hope.
The Lord’s kindness never fails!
If he had not been merciful,
we would have been destroyed.
The Lord can always be trusted
to show mercy each morning.
Deep in my heart I say,
“The Lord is all I need;
I can depend on him!”’

Peter tells us this truth about our Savior:

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Because friends, we are all human. We all cry and feel helpless and worry. But that isn’t the life the Lord wants for us. We are blessed in that our Lord tells us to hand everything over to Him, and just keep moving forward.

When I start to worry that Jonah will never arrive, that the adoption process will never move along, that I will never be able to have a body that functions like “it should”… I remember that He’s got this.

I remind myself that:

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” Philippians 3:8-9a (NLT)

And when I lay aside everything else, and focus in on Him and His AWESOMENESS, my troubles melt away and nothing else matters but basking in that love and sharing it with other people.

As my “Jesus Today” devotional reminded me this morning:

“The world applauds self-sufficiency…However, this is not the way of My kingdom. I want My children to recognize and rejoice in their utter dependence on Me…When the strain of living in the fallen world is getting you down, resist the temptation to feel sorry for yourself. Instead say to yourself, ‘I am blessed and thankful – and on my way to His Glory!’”

TTC Tuesday

We Are Family

July 22, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Ladies & Gentlemen, we have returned!

We have plenty of pictures to share from our wonderful beach trip, tomorrow, but today, I’d like to talk a little bit about another side of our “Family Vacation”.

As a married couple, Craig, myself, our kitty cat – Miss Daisy, and our puppy girls – Lucy Eliza & Caroline Elise, are our own little family. We go on trips together, have meals together, have our own home, celebrate our own mini-Christmases and Thanksgivings, and make the best and most responsible decisions we can for our little family – together. But sometimes, it doesn’t seem as if others see us in that light – and one of the most glaring instances of this is when we are in a family-oriented vacation setting.

Picture yourself on the Florida beach. The sun is shining brightly (some of the time anyway – on this trip we had 2 days of rain and clouds!); the waves are crashing on the sand at your feet. You lay on your towel, soaking in the rays, hoping for a tan, and yet every time you glance up from the book you’re reading (The Harbinger in my case – I could NOT put it down!! Read it!!!!), you see couples your own age with 1, 2, 3, 4 – or more – children, running and splashing in the water, giggling as their dads hold them over the waves. You remember going on a ‘family’ vacation when you were a child, and never considering there was a time your parents might have gone on their own, before you were born. You decide to venture inside to the indoor pool, and are aghast at the 57 children crowding the water. (Surely, that’s a hazard of some kind?!?) You find a pair of lounge chairs just inside and right next to a floor to ceiling window, and figure you’ll relax there for a bit and get the best of both worlds. A family of 4 follows in behind you and noticeably scoffs that you and your spouse are taking two lounge chairs and have no kids in the pool (We couldn’t fit them in if we did!). When you’re done reading and relaxing, and head up to the room, you find yourself gazing longingly at the family on the elevator with you – realizing later that you probably seemed creepy. Everything to do on the beach strip is either geared towards young single people or families with children.

There is no middle ground.

And although many of you may have just rolled your eyelids farrrrr back into your skull, when you have been trying to conceive for nearly two years with not even ONE positive pregnancy test, this entire scenario is really. heartbreaking.

Even when you know God holds the blessing of beautiful children for you in His promise. Even when you know with certainty your little sweet baby girl is on her way.

It’s devastating when your husband taps you on the shoulder and points out a father, mother and little girl on the beach – splashing in the waves, and whispers, “I can’t wait until that’s us!”

It literally makes me want to cry.

But this is where faith comes in. Without it, where would I be? I’ll tell you where – In a padded room, wearing an I-Love-Me Coat. Without the knowledge that ‘all things work together for good’ (Rom. 8:28) and that my God ‘so loves the world he gave His only Son’ (John 3:16) and, as was whispered to me shyly after a Bible Study I led a few weeks ago, ‘I hate to barge into your life like this, but the Holy Spirit won’t stop putting it on my heart that I need to tell you something – Don’t worry – Olivia is going to be Jonah’s sister.’, I don’t know where I’d be…

So today, two things to keep in mind and thank Jesus for:

1. Remember that everyone’s family doesn’t look the same – Some of us are childless (by circumstance or by choice) and others have several children with only one parent. One more modern definition of family is: “Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another and reside usually in the same dwelling.” Be kind.

2. As D.L. Moody said, “Faith makes all things possible…Love makes all things easy.”

Until Tomorrow,

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

How Much Faith Do We Have?

July 10, 2014July 10, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

FAITH

{PLEASE VIEW THIS POST WITHIN A BROWSER TO VIEW THE VIDEO(S) BELOW. THESE ARE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE FOR THIS POST.}

As Christians (as humans, really), we have a decision to make: our way or His.

Are we going to make decisions based solely on our desires or will we wait on our Lord to direct our steps? True surrender to God takes TRUE FAITH that God is The Supreme, Our All In All, The Lord of Our Lives. Is that the kind of faith we live with on a daily basis? Do we make our decisions and take our steps based on His Word or our whim?

Hebrews 11 is known as a text of the Bible that truly describes how to live a life of faith. (I urge you to read and study the whole chapter on your own. It’s powerful, friends.)

Hebrews 11:1-3

Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. It was their faith that made our ancestors pleasing to God. Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God’s command. We also know that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen.

FAITH makes us sure. Faith is confidence in God and in our total surrender to Him. And here, is also explained the difference between HOPE and FAITH. We don’t HOPE in God. We have FAITH in Him. “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for…” Hebrews 11:1a

The difference is this – Faith supersedes hope. Noah didn’t build his ark at God’s command because he HOPED it would rain. I seriously doubt he would have spent longer than the average person’s LIFE SPAN to build a huge boat on dry land based on something he only hinged HOPE on. Noah must have been 150%+ sure The Flood would come.

And THAT is the kind of faith we need to have.

Matthew 17:20

Jesus replied: It is because you don’t have enough faith! But I can promise you this. If you had faith no larger than a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to move from here to there. And it would. Everything would be possible for you.

A mustard seed. Do you realize how teeny-tiny that is??

With THAT little faith, we can command a mountain to move. I am not one who believes Jesus spoke in riddles all the time. I have faith that the Bible is literal. Unless Jesus says He is telling a parable, I have faith (not hope) that the Bible is completely true, accurate and literally written. So, when God says it only takes mustard seed-sized faith to command mountains, I begin to wonder how teeny-tiny our faith is??

If mountains are not moving in your life, you need to increase your faith! Here are three simple steps to do just that:

HEAR, don’t just read silently, the Word of God.

Romans 10:17

No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ.

2. OBEY/LIVE OUT God’s Word, i.e. “Don’t just talk the talk; rather, walk the walk.”

James 1:22

Obey God’s message! Don’t fool yourselves by just listening to it.

3. PROVE God’s power in your life. The Lord tells us to test Him in one way – by tithing, with the first ten percent of your income.

Malachi 3:10-11

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.

James tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3, NIV).

Faith. It changes everything.

What's Up Wednesday

Let Us Experience The Glory Of Your Goodness

June 18, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres3 Comments

This has been a busy week, following a busy week last week.

But this Wednesday, instead of posting about what WE are up to, can you do a favor for us?

Can you please pray for my dad and the sweet lady in blue, pictured below?

My grandmother, “Ma”, went to ICU last night, with a very high white blood cell count and very low levels of potassium, sodium, etc. Please pray for God’s healing hands, and the peace of His presence for both her and my father, and his siblings…all of us.

{please view this video/song in a browser}

TTC Tuesday · What's Up Wednesday

Worry

June 11, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres5 Comments

It feels like I haven’t posted in forever – even though you guys got an update on Monday. I wrote that post last week because I KNEW this week was going to be just craziness!

The past two days WORRY has been on my mind – and not so much in the way of things I am worrying about, but more so about what I am not worried about. Last Tuesday, we posted about Future Baby Jonah and got something very rare for this blog. A true first, actually. A nastygram, in the form of a blog comment. It was supposed to be anonymous. The person used a fake, and very rude, e-mail address, and said something very hurtful, but thanks to technology, know that whatever you post or write on the internet, your identity can be found out. That said, we know who this comment came from.

Rather than WORRYING about what that person said, and if it might be true, I was first angry with her and then later – after much prayer and cooling off time 🙂 – sad for her. Her comment made me remember what my life was like without Christ at the center. It makes me look back on how unbearably bleak an existence without hope is.

I love the way The Message translation of the Bible reads. Try this one on for size:

James 1:2-4

The Message (MSG)

Faith Under Pressure

2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

My faith in Christ means that I don’t have to worry. His Promises are real. His Word is true. His Spirit is our comfort.

The Holy Spirit has revealed and continues to reveal to me and to those around Craig and I truths and promises about our Baby Jonah. He asks that we continue to follow Him – no matter what, and the more closely we follow, the more He shows us we are on the right path. It is an uphill journey. It has not been easy.

He doesn’t promise easy. As a matter of fact, He warns the road is a hard one.

Matthew 10:16

The Message (MSG)

16 “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

So don’t worry. Be diligent in your prayer life and follow Him – no matter what.

1 Peter 5:7

The Message (MSG)

6-7 So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

If God is for you, after all, who can POSSIBLY be against you – and stand a chance?

TTC Tuesday

Joy

June 3, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres6 Comments

You may or may not have seen this verse posted on our Facebook page this morning. The Holy Spirit has been guiding us to read a selection of devotions from the devotional by John MacArthur called “Drawing Near”, and the devotion for yesterday – which didn’t get read until today… 🙂 led me to the verse above.

It’s amazing how the Lord will direct you if you allow Him.

We have been through ups and downs and trials and tribulations over our lack of a child. This time last year, I didn’t go more than a day or two without crying and sobbing and feeling depressed about not being able to give my sweet husband a baby…This year we are rejoicing in the joy of the Lord.

Baby Jonah already has a blanket and several sweet little outfits at home. As soon as we have finally moved into our new home, we will begin working on her nursery. The Lord has brought us a promise and such happiness in the faith and knowledge of His plans for our little family.

James 1:5

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

The song below (which you will need to watch within a browser) describes the joy of the Lord and the grace He provides so well: “Exceeding Joy” – Hillsong

Food For Thought Friday

His Death Was For Our Life

April 18, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Today is Good Friday, and in keeping with the theme of yesterday’s post on Maundy/Holy Thursday, it isn’t a time to post about us. It’s all about Him.

He died a criminal’s death on a crucifix, in place of us.

…by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Yesterday’s video…declaring we all are Barnabas – criminals – sinners – deserving of such pain and agony; and HE TOOK OUR PLACE. Do you realize the kind of pure love that is? There is nothing like it in this world. Nothing at all.

This song (video below) is a pre-release edition by Hillsong Live for the movie (we absolutely loved!), “Son Of God”:

And we have a great Good Friday treat for you, you can have this song’s download for free by clicking here. Hillsong will send you an e-mail with the download information.

Here are the lyrics to “Calvary“:

The Savior alone
Carried the cross
For all of my debts
He paid the cost

Salvation complete
Now forever I’m free

Chorus:
CALVARY
Covers it all
CALVARY
covers it all

My sin And shame
Don’t count anymore
All praise to THE ONE
Who has ransomed my soul

CALVARY
Covers it all

No power on earth
Not even the grave
Can separate us
From mercy and grace

He is faithful to save
Oh His blood never fails

CHORUS

No one But Jesus
Can make us pure
Like snow
We stand in your freedom

CHORUS

All praise to THE ONE
Who has ransomed my soul
CALVARY
Covers it all

Mark 15

New English Translation (NET)

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

15 Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the chief priests with the elders and the experts in the law and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He replied, “You say so.” 3 Then the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly. 4 So Pilate asked him again, “Have you nothing to say? See how many charges they are bringing against you!” 5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.

Jesus and Barabbas

6 During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner to the people, whomever they requested. 7 A man named Barabbas was imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder during an insurrection. 8 Then the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to release a prisoner for them, as was his custom. 9 So Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” 10 (For he knew that the chief priests had handed him over because of envy.) 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas instead. 12 So Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call king of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!” 14 Pilate asked them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!” 15 Because he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them. Then, after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

Jesus is Mocked

16 So the soldiers led him into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence) and called together the whole cohort. 17 They put a purple cloak on him and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 They began to salute him: “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Then they knelt down and paid homage to him. 20 When they had finished mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21 The soldiers forced a passerby to carry his cross, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country (he was the father of Alexander and Rufus). 22 They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which is translated, “Place of the Skull”). 23 They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, throwing dice for them, to decide what each would take. 25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The inscription of the charge against him read, “The king of the Jews.” 27 And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left.29 Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself and come down from the cross!” 31 In the same way even the chief priests—together with the experts in the law—were mocking him among themselves: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! 32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.

Jesus’ Death

33 Now when it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 Around three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah!” 36 Then someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to take him down!” 37 But Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. 38 And the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 Now when the centurion, who stood in front of him, saw how he died, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” 40 There were also women, watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they had followed him and given him support. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were there too.

Jesus’ Burial

42 Now when evening had already come, since it was the day of preparation (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a highly regarded member of the council, who was himself looking forward to the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He called the centurion and asked him if he had been dead for some time. 45 When Pilate was informed by the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 After Joseph bought a linen cloth and took down the body, he wrapped it in the linen and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone across the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was placed.

In His Love,