the day that true love died

The Precious Blood
{a Puritan prayer from The Valley of Vision}

Before thy cross I kneel and see
the heinousness of my sin,
my iniquity that caused thee to be
'made a curse',
the evil that excites the severity
of divine wrath.
Show me the enormity of my guilt by
the crown of thorns,
the pierced hands and feet,
the bruised body,
the dying cries.
Thy blood is the blood of incarnate God,
its worth infinite, its value beyond all thought.
Infinite must be the evil and the guilt
that demands such a price.
Sin is my malady, my monster, my foe, my viper,
born in my birth,
alive in my life,
strong in my character,
dominating my faculties,
following me as a shadow,
intermingling with my every thought,
my chain that hold me captive in the
empire of my soul.
Sinner that I am, why should the sun give me light,
the air supply breath,
the earth bear my tread,
its fruits nourish me,
its creatures subserve my ends?
Yet thy compassions yearn over me,
thy heart hastens to my rescue,,
thy love endured my curse,
thy mercy bore my deserved stripes.
Let me walk humbly in the lowest depths
of humiliation,
bathed in thy blood,
tender of conscience,
triumphing gloriously as an heir of salvation.

{via}

Today is Good Friday... the day that Christ was broken and bruised on our behalf. The day that God waged the wrath for all our sin upon the soul of his beloved son. Somehow this day seems to be glazed over a bit in our modern Christian culture, but the reality is that the hope and resurrection of Easter would not exist without the messiness and heart break of the cross. May we allow the weight of this day to impress upon our hearts and stir our affections toward Christ.

{If you get a chance, listen to this song... the lyrics speak so loudly to the beauty of this day!}

p.s. sorry for all the phil wickham pictures... it was either that or a video with a bunch of images of swedish Jesus (which is a rant that i'll save for another day). trust me, this was the better choice.

thankful thursdays {29}

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my sweet roomie who always buys me the cutest little cupcake baking cups
the 50+ reasons that Christ Suffered & Died...
the price Jesus paid to save a wretch like me
a tear-filled final lecture of nursing school with my tenderhearted peers
celebrating said lecture with kaitlyn (java joes, bagels, & laughter)
a running gmail chat with miss shannon frawley
free music downloads. holla.
taking grad pictures/ordering announcements (it's starting to feel real!)
a much needed week off of work
a spontaneous shopping date with my mom & dad
13 days until I get to see my cute brother
starting a fresh new journal
checking things off my final to do list
experiencing peace that passes understanding

And... a new blog layout. I in need of a change, something a little simpler.
What do you think?

Hope you have a blessed Thursday!

Lent (part 7)

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Hello everybody! Today is last post in the little mini-series I've been writing during this Lenten season. I have really enjoyed reading through this amazing book and hope it's been an encouragement to you as I've shared some of the highlights along the way. Jesus' life, death and resurrection are so much bigger than any human writing can capture, but this book has certainly grown a deep awe in my heart for the significance of the cross. Jesus' death secured life for us... My prayer for you and for me is that we would experience that. Not only after this life, but in this life - in our ordinary waking working lives - may we experience the abundance and joy that is found in union with our Redeemer. And now, I give you the last handful of reasons why:

Christ suffered & died...

To Disarm the Rulers and Authorities (Colossians 2:14-15, 1 John 3:8) - "Oh, how bold and free we should be in this world as we seek to serve Christ and love people! There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Let us then turn away from the temptations of the devil. His promises are lies, and his power is stripped."

To Unleash the Power of God in the Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:18, Romans 1:16) - "We must see [the death of Christ] as true and good before we can believe it."

To Destory the Hostility Between Races (Ephesians 2:14-16) - "By his death on the cross, something cosmic, not parochial, was accomplished. God and man were reconciled. Only as the races find and enjoy this will they love and enjoy each other forever. In overcoming our alienation from God, Christ overcomes it between races."

To Ransom People from Every Tribe and Language and People and Nation (Revelation 5:9) - "Christ died to save a great diversity of peoples. Sing is not respecter of cultures. All peoples have sinned. Every race and culture needs to be reconciled to God. As the disease of sin is global, so the remedy is global."

To Gather All His Sheep from Around the World (John 11:51-52, John 10:16) - "Jesus suffered and died so that the sheep could hear his voice and live... He gave up his life to gather the sheep. By his blood he bought the mercy that makes his voice unmistakable to his own..."

To Rescue Us from Final Judgment (Hebrews 9:28) - "Sin was dealt with once for all. No new sacrifice is needed. Our shield from future wrath is as sure as the sufferings of Christ in our place."

To Gain His Joy and Ours (Hebrews 12:2) - "If Jesus had not willingly died, neither her nor we could be forever glad. He would have been disobedient. We would have perished in our sings. His joy and ours were acquired at the cross."

So That He Would Be Crowned with Glory and Honor (Hebrews 2:9, Philippians 2:7-9, Revelation 5:12) - "When Jesus died to regain the fullness of his glory, he died for our joy. Love is the labor-whatever the cost-of helping people be enthralled with what will satisfy them most, namely, Jesus Christ. That is how Jesus loves."

To Show That the Worst Evil Is Meant by God for Good (Acts 4:27-28) - "There is not greater sin than to hate and kill the Son of God. There was no greater suffering nor any greater innocence that the suffering and innocence of Christ. Yet God was in it all... The very suffering that we caused became the hope of our salvation."

i (am//not) ready

...i am NOT ready...
to be a real life grown up
to part ways with my nursing school cohort (i'm pretty attached)
to give up my tendency to wander and travel
to pay for things like health insurance
to move out of the house i've called home for the past 3+ years
to do life without my roomies, who are more like sisters
to work 40+ hours/week
to leave behind the whimsy that college life affords
to settle down into a career, or really settle into anything
to leave, but i suppose i'm not ready to stay either

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...i AM ready...
to have silverware in the silverware drawer
to quit jumping through hoops in the academic world
to say goodbye to nursing care plans
to bury my nose in a book of my choosing
to spend my time investing in things i really care about
not to be flat broke all the time
for a change of scenery, and of pace
to leave behind the college-kid diet
to live my life outside the bounds of a syllabus
to get more sleep on a regular basis
to go more than 2 weeks without my car being broken into

"Believe In Me"

I swear JJ Heller stole my very thoughts
with her lyrics in this beautiful song...

A frantic search for my place
For my space
I’m drowning in confusion
Of what to be
Make something out of me

I’ll hasten to Your calling
Hang on Your every word
But I beg You to speak loudly
‘Cause I cannot afford
To miss it Lord

But in the meantime
May I have the grace to wait
You won’t hesitate
When the time is right
It’s in Your time

And when You see me face to face
I’m certain
That the plans You have
Will turn out good for me
I rest in the assurance
Of your boundless provision
It’s a mystery that You believe in me

When the world is caving in
I can hear You whispering
I will calm the sea
Believe in me

thankful thursdays {28}

Happy Thursday, blogging world!

Here's my weekly list of thanks from project: cultivate thankfulness!

{via jenzet's shop}

the engagement of two very special people in my life
comfortable silence
heart-to-hearts on the road
silliness that turned a semi-lame dinosaur museum into a fun adventure
little dance parties in the car
wedding planning (no, not mine)
amazing chicken tacos
hundreds of tea light candles
finally getting the sulfur smell out of my nose (from the hot springs)
gracious friends who put up with my crankiness
grooveshark (how am I just discovering this site?)
solid advice from my dove chocolate wraper
long phone conversations with my momma
the best little google chat date with shan (despite tech difficulties)
time to catch up on journaling
getting accepted to speak at my graduation
rain
flip flops
snail mail from far away friends
a yummy box of oranges

& I'm learning to be grateful for the collection of rejection emails I am getting from job applications... It's teaching me to trust God's hand and providence, it's humbling me and will make an acceptance that much sweeter.

Be blessed.

Lent (part 6)

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Christ suffered & died...

To Give Marriage Its Deepest Meaning (Ephesians 5:25) - "... in God's mind marriage was designed in the beginning to display Christ's relationship to his people... Marriage is meant to make Christ's love for his people more visible in the world."

To Create a People Passionate for Good Works (Titus 2:14) - "When God's forgiveness and acceptance have freed us from fear and pride and greed, we are filled with a zeal to love other the way we have been love. We risk our possessions and our lives since we are secure in Christ. When we love other like this, our behavior is contrary to human self-enhancement and self-preservation. Attention is thus drawn to our life-transforming Treasure and Security, namely, God."

To Call Us to Follow His Example of Lowliness and Costly Love (1 Peter 2:19-21, Hebrews 12:3-4, Philippians 2:5-8) - "Our suffering for other does not remove the wrath of God. It shows that value of having the wrath of God removed by the suffering of Christ. It points people to Him... our imitation of Christ points people to him who alone can save. Our suffering is crucial, but Christ alone saves. Therefore, let us imitate his love, but not take his place."

To Create a Band of Crucified Followers (Luke 9:23, Matthew 10:38) - "When Christ meets a person today, it is always on the Calvary road--on the way to the cross. Every time he meets someone on the Calvary road he says, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me' (Luke 9:23). When Christ went to the cross, his aim was to call a great band of believers after him."

To Free Us from Bondage to the Fear of Death (Hebrews 2:14-15) - "The devil may kill our body, be he can no longer kill our soul. It is safe in Christ... We are the freest of all people. And the Bible is unmistakable in what this freedom is for: "You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another"(Galatians 5:13)."

So That We Would Be with Him Immediately After Death (1 Thessalonians 5:10, Philippians 1:21, 23, 2 Corinthians 5:8) - "Those of us who believe in Christ do not go out of existence when we die..."

To Secure Our Resurrection from the Dead (Romans 6:5, Romans 8:11, 2 Timothy 2:11) - "Be astonished, and come to Christ. He invites you: I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believe in me, though he die, yet shall he live."