The message of Good Friday

When we were visiting Florida one beautiful spring day, we experienced the blessing of seeing a skywriter perform.  Here's what the pilot blazed across the sky:

Some of the lettering had faded by the time I snapped this picture, but perhaps you can still see that the message is "Love God."

A year later, we saw a skywriter perform once again.  This time the message was a little different:

We didn't get to see the finished words here, but we knew what they would be.  The skywriter was spelling out "Jesus loves you."

On this Good Friday, I'm pondering these two messages, blazoned on the sky by courageous pilots. Two messages about the Lord we worship.

I was watching TV footage of a street demonstration of some kind. One of the participants held a poster stating, "Jesus loves you but God is holy." I have no idea what the demonstration was about; it could have been any number of hot-button issues, I suppose.

That sign broke my heart.

It contained two important facts, of course. Jesus does love you--no matter who the "you" is. And God is holy. But why would those statements be linked with the word "but"? As if they are in contradiction to each other? As if God and Jesus were in disagreement about something!

Today, Good Friday, we commemorate the greatest act of sacrifice ever made—the crucifixion of Jesus. After taking on a human body, after living a life free from any kind of sin or guile, after teaching and loving people and reaching out to those most despised by society and healing the sick and restoring sight to the blind, Jesus allowed himself to be put to be tortured and put to death.  Jesus died so we could live. Yes, Jesus loves us.

And that radical plan for the salvation of humankind—the son of God living on earth as a human, teaching people how to live, allowing Himself to be killed—that plan wasn't just the work of Jesus. That was the work of all three members of the Trinity. God is ONE God in three persons, and Father, Son, and Spirit love us. There can never be a disagreement within the Trinity.

Yes, for sure, God is holy; Father, Son, and Spirit are holy. But let's not take the idea of "holiness" and turn it into a word that means distant, far off, or unapproachable.  Because that's not the way God is at all. God is right here. God is good. God is full of love and compassion.  The words are so familiar that they can seem trite, but they're not: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

Years ago, when I was participating in a retreat for Christians, I heard something that I'd never thought about before, something that imprinted itself on my very soul. A number of us all had our heads bowed in prayer, and then the leader asked us to say out loud what we knew to be true about God. From around the room came one comment after another:

"God is good."

"God is merciful."

"God is gracious."

"God is glorious."

Those were all good and true statements, and we all murmured our assent to each one.  Then one member of the group, a very wise man, softly added, "God is Christlike."  I'd never thought about it in just that way before. My head snapped up and my eyes flew open—and I wept. Of course this is true. God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one. They are all like one another.

If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus, the one who allowed Himself to be put to death for our sake.

Thinking about the love of God reminds me of my grandmother. She was a precious woman, one of those sweet ladies who sent birthday cards to every young person she knew. She worked for many years at an elementary school and was loved by hundreds of kids, so she sent a lot of cards. She usually tucked a $2 bill into those cards. And she always signed them the same way.  On every card, she wrote, "Smile. God loves you. So do I."

As I remember the events of this day, that's the message I'd like to see on a poster.

Smile. God loves you. So do I. 

Dear God, may my life proclaim the message you proclaimed so loudly on that blessed Friday so long ago.

A blessed Good Friday to you, my friends.  What message would you like to share on this day?

He is risen!

Crown Him with many crowns,

The Lamb upon His throne;

Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns

All music but its own.

Awake, my soul, and sing

Of Him who died for thee,

And hail Him as thy matchless King

Through all eternity.

Crown Him the Lord of life,

Who triumphed o'er the grave,

Who rose victorious in the strife

For those He came to save.

His glories now we sing,

Who died and rose on high,

Who died eternal life to bring,

And lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of peace,

Whose pow'r a scepter sways

From pole to pole, that wars may cease,

And all be prayer and praise.

His reign shall know no end,

And round His pierced feet

Fair flowers of paradise extend

Their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown Him the Lord of love!

Behold His hands and side:

Those wounds, yet visible above,

In beauty glorified.

All hail, Redeemer, hail!

For Thou hast died for me--

Thy praise and glory shall not fail

Throughout eternity!

Matthew Bridges and Godfrey Thring

Happy Easter!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, the day that Christians stop to remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. To be honest, it's easy to want to skip right past this day and get straight to the wonder and celebration of Easter morning. I've been thinking that this desire to skip the painful and go straight to the glory may be part of the story of Good Friday.

Special thanks to Gina Luker from The Shabby Creek Cottage for the beautiful crosses!

When I was a little girl, I was always horrified to think of the people who wanted Jesus to die. And I felt sorry for them. After all, they had been waiting for many years for the Messiah, and finally the Messiah came! Why on earth would they not accept Him?

Perhaps I've been too quick to question these folks. I tend to concentrate on how Jesus performed miracles, healed the sick, and even brought the dead back to life, and I wonder how anyone could disbelieve that He was the Messiah. But lately I've been thinking that, after all, Jesus was not exactly the kind of king I would have expected, either. Especially if I'd been living under the harsh rule of foreigners who had invaded my country and taken over the government. I probably would have been looking for someone who was much more commanding and regal, someone who exhibited traits of a strong and mighty leader, someone who displayed grand rhetorical skills. I would have been looking for a take-charge kind of guy. I'm afraid that, if I'd been looking for a deliverer, I would have sought a conquering hero, not a wise and gentle teacher.

I've always pictured myself as one of the few who remained faithful to Jesus. I've seen myself as one of the women who went to the tomb on Sunday morning, you know? One of the devoted friends of Jesus.  One who always believed. Good Friday looks very different to me when I stop to realize that, if I had lived 2000 years ago, I might have been part of the angry mob.

Even as I write these words, my heart protests, "Surely not! Surely I would have known that He was the Son of God!" I'd like to believe that, and perhaps it is true. But if I'm honest with myself, I know that I am often attracted to the grand and glorious rather than to the simple and humble. The more I think about the life and teaching of Jesus, the more I think that what God really wants from me is a humble heart.

I think of the story of Jesus's life. The Son of God being born in a stable? The Son of the Almighty becoming a baby whose first bed was a feeding trough? The Son of the Most High serving as an assistant to a carpenter in a peasant village? The Son of the Creator living the life of an itinerant teacher, without even a home of his own? The Son of the Lord of all creation allowing himself to be beaten and executed like a common criminal? Seriously??

Yes. Seriously. It's all true. And He did all that out of love and mercy for people who could, if they so chose, simply scoff at the story.

But the story is more than just a tale. It's the truth. Two thousand years later, we're still telling the same sweet story of the cross. The kind and gentle Savior still invites us to humble ourselves and believe it.

This, the power of the cross--

Son of God, slain for us.

What a love! What a cost!

We stand forgiven at the cross.

Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

For your holiday meal: Simple holiday salad

Can you believe that Easter is next Sunday?  This important date really sneaked up on me this year!

If you're like me, planning for a holiday includes planning a special meal.  I like super-easy side dish recipes that taste wonderful but don't require a lot of time to prepare.  This salad definitely fits the bill!



My mom always called this dish "Five Cup Salad."  Some of my guests over the years have called it ambrosia.  A sweet little girl who shares many of our holiday meals calls it "Marshmallow Salad."  Whatever it's called, it's the easiest side-dish recipe I know.  I make it for every holiday meal, so I'm calling it "Holiday Salad."

Holiday Salad

1 cup pineapple tidbits (small can, drained)
1 cup mandarin orange slices (small can, drained)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (I use Baker's Angel Flake)
8 ounces sour cream
Stir ingredients together.  Chill and serve.

It doesn't get much simpler than that--and the results are absolutely delicious!

Is there a dish you make for every holiday meal?  Please share!

 

How to make a beautiful bird's nest for just a few pennies

Spring is in the air!  Here in North Carolina, the daffodils are in full bloom.  Although it was hard to get out of bed in the darkness this morning, it's wonderful to have long, light evenings again.  

I'm ready now to add a little spring to my decor.  I wanted a bird's nest for the lamp table on my front porch, so I made one.  It's so simple and so inexpensive!

I started with a couple of items from the dollar store: a coconut planter liner and a bag of loose moss.

I used a small bowl as a form.

I simply turned the bowl upside down my work surface, tore off a hunk of the coconut liner, and shaped the liner around the inverted bowl.   The coconut liner material sticks together easily.  You'd never know there was a bowl under there, would you?

When I turned it right side up, it looked like this:

Then I shaped and formed the nest a bit more, trimmed off some of the excess, and added some moss to make the nest look a bit more natural.



A couple of robin's eggs completed the project.

I also made a smaller, deeper nest to hold a single egg:

Making both these nests took me less than 10 minutes.  I reckon I can make at least half a dozen nests from one coconut liner and one bag of moss.  That would be 33 cents per nest!  I think I'll make several to decorate Easter lunch tables at church.

For now, I like the way my nest adds a bit of spring to the front porch.

What do you think?  Could you use a bird's nest in your spring decor?

I'm joining Beth at Home Stories A to Z for Tips and Tutorials

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Melissa at 320 Sycamore for Under $10, Under 1 Hour

"The Scoop" ladies for the Mega Spring Linky Party

This changes everything

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of watching a skywriter in action. It was great fun to watch as the pilot dipped and swerved and spelled out a wonderful message: "Love God."



The message made me think of Deuteronomy 6, when the people of God are admonished: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." More than just good advice, this commandment makes up part of the Shema and is a central piece of Jewish teaching.

You may remember the story recorded in Matthew 22, when a Pharisee asked Jesus, "What is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40, NKJV).

That pilot picked a powerful couple of words to write in the sky.

But this Eastertide, as I consider the death of Jesus, I keep thinking of how different the skywriter's message would have been if he'd added a comma between the two words. I'm a grammar nerd, I know, but bear with me. Think about it. "Love God" is a good message--worthy of being written in the sky!--but "Love, God" is amazing.

It's no surprise that God would expect us to love him. He's God, after all; he deserves to be adored and worshipped. But that he would love us so much that he would give his son to die for us? That's astounding! Stupendous! Awe-inspiring!

John 3:16 is so familiar to us that it has become almost hackneyed. We look for it on signs in the stands at ballgames or emblazoned on billboards. Read it again today:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

That's the story of Good Friday: the love of God poured out for us. "This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (I John 4:9-10, NIV).

Write it in the sky! Proclaim it from the rooftops!

LOVE, GOD

Joining Amanda at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading 

and Vanessa and Heather At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday.

Easter decor

Easter is nearly here, and I've added a few touches of Easter decor to our home.

Our dining room table holds my mother's Easter egg collection. My mom died in 1999, so this collection is very special to me.

This year I have the eggs resting right on the tabletop. Instead of my usual blue and white planter, I've used an Easter basket to hold a plant. Plus I added a little friend to the greenery--can you see him?

Look closely:

Some crystal candlesticks finish off the simple tablescape.

The table in our breakfast room is not a good spot for centerpieces, since it's usually being used for eating, homework, or LEGO building (or all three!). So the dough cabinet that stands beside the breakfast table is a favorite spot for holiday decor.

Simple elements make up this tablescape--fresh flowers, jelly beans in antique jars, an Easter bunny and a LEGO Easter basket on one side:

On the other side, I've placed an Easter egg tray, some antique bunnies, and my Easter candles. (Click here to see how I made the candles from pretty napkins.)

As a final touch I added this wonderful cross sent to me by my wonderful friend Dawn from Beyond Grace. Recently she sent me a package filled with wonderful goodies; this cross was one of them. If you don't already know Dawn, you should check out her blog. Her writing will inspire you!

Do you decorate for Easter?

**I'm joining these wonderful parties:

Bunny Blog Hop, At the Picket Fence

Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Open House at No Minimalist Here

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday. Today for the first time I read this poem titled "The Donkey." I thought you might enjoy it, too.

When fishes flew and forests walked

And figs grew upon thorn,

Some moment when the moon was blood

Then surely I was born;

With monstrous head and sickening cry

And ears like errant wings,

The devil's walking parody

On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,

Of ancient crooked will;

Starve, scourge, deride me; I am dumb.

I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;

One far fierce hour and sweet:

There was a shout about my ears,

And palms before my feet.

G. K. Chesterton, 1874

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!

Then Jesus, when He had had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

"Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey's colt."

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him" (John 12:12-16, NKJV).

This week and every week, I pray that God will give me the heart to recognize Jesus.

DIY Easter wall hanging

Decorating for Easter is fun. After the darkness of winter, it's a joy to lighten things up!

I made a simple wall hanging for almost no money:

I'm so pleased with it! Here's how I did it.

First, I downloaded the art from one of my favorite blogs, Dear Lillie. Jennifer at Dear Lillie is a wonderful artist, and she offers downloads for sale as well as free downloads. This one is a quotation from Matthew 23. If you don't already know Jenni, then stop right now and visit her at Dear Lillie. You'll be so glad you did. Jenni has talent just oozing from her pores, and she's so kind and generous. I'm proud to know her. The art I used for this piece can be found here.

Second, I took this plaque that I bought on clearance after Christmas (I paid $1.00 for it):

I spray-painted it with Kilz primer, then painted it a springy green to go with the printable. (Jennifer offers the artwork in several different colors; I chose the green because green is my favorite color.)

Then I simply cut out my free art in a shape I liked, Mod-Podged the art onto the plaque, and added a piece of twine for a hanger. Super-easy!

I'm hanging this on the door of my mother's dough cabinet, which is a favorite spot for holiday decor. As you can see, I still need to decorate the tabletop on the cabinet.

The cabinet is filled with things that remind me of my mother and my grandmother. It makes me happy to decorate it for each holiday.

Now to work on the rest of my Easter decorations! Have you decorated for Easter yet?

**I'm linking to the Tutorials and Tips Party at Home Stories A to Z and Tutorial Tuesday at Hope Studios.

The significance of insignificant things

As I sit down to write this, it's 1:45 P.M. on April 26, 2011. Exactly two weeks ago, I was talking with my husband's heart surgeon about how things had gone in the Operating Room. I thank you all for praying for Jack and for our family during a really difficult time.

For weeks now, my heart has been full of matters of life and death, hope and despair, assurance and doubt. All important matters, to be sure; all matters with which to be wrestled. I'm grateful for the chance to consider such weighty issues; I'm grateful for friends who will help me; I'm grateful for a God who's willing to meet me right in the middle of my struggles.

You know what I'm thinking about right now, though? I'm thinking that it's good to take a break from weighty issues. I'm thinking that it's good to ponder non-weighty issues as well as weighty ones.

So I'll show you a little project I've had going on the past couple of weeks. Thanks to my darling friend Melissa of 320 Sycamore, I grew some wheat grass!

Yep. It may sound silly, but one little touchstone of sanity for me in the past few weeks has been growing some decorative grass. I nurtured it to green fullness in an ugly old 9x13 pan. It probably looked crazy for me to have that on my kitchen island while my husband was in the hospital, but every time I came home, it was fun to see that my grass had grown.

I wish I could say I did something elegant with it, but really I didn't. I put some of it in a planter by my kitchen window:

And I put some of it in a basket with my mother's collection of Easter eggs.

I'm not going to win any awards for creativity or artistry, I know. But it sure has been good, in the midst of highly significant events, to concentrate on something as insignificant as growing grass. A bit of balance, you might say!

How about you? Is there something small that helps you find balance?

This week in history: the good news

Three years ago this week, my 14-year-old son had major open-heart surgery. Twenty-six months ago this week, my husband had major open-heart surgery. And last week, my husband had a second major open-heart surgery.

Three years, three surgeries, three artificial heart valves. Mercy.

There have been times over the past three years when I have felt as if it were all too much. And kind people would say to me, "God will never give you more than you can handle."

Although it's meant to be encouraging, there's just one problem with that statement. It's wrong.

Of course, the intentions of the folks who say those words are right and good. It's the statement itself that is wrong. It's actually a misquotation of a verse in the New Testament, I Corinthians 10:13, which says,

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

So there is a promise that you will not face more temptation than you can bear. But hardship, difficulty, adversity? No. There is no promise that you will not face more hardship than you can bear.

That would be very bad news if it not for one thing: You don't have to bear it. Jesus bears it for you.

One thing I've learned over these past three years is that I am pretty strong. I can handle quite a bit. But the biggest thing I've learned is that I'm not nearly strong enough to handle everything that happens. In fact, when I try to handle things by myself, things just get worse and worse. Then I'll remember the truth, and back to the feet of Jesus I'll go. What really amazes me is that He never runs out of patience with me.

This week is another anniversary, of course. Nearly two thousand years ago this week, the Son of God, who had come to earth to live as a man, offered himself as a sacrifice for us. The story is so familiar--Thursday's betrayal, Friday's crucifixion, Saturday's despair, Sunday's triumph. Every year we sing about it, we wear springy clothing and fill baskets in honor of it. It's a story worth telling and re-telling; the celebration is important.

But sometimes, in the messy details of life, we forget some of the truth behind the story. It can be so easy to feel as though we're having to deal with things all by ourselves. Even if we believe that the death of Jesus is enough to ensure that we can live with God in heaven for eternity, we sometimes forget that Jesus offers us salvation right now. "Eternal life" is not something that starts when we die; it begins now. Life with God is a present reality, not just a hope for the future.

He doesn't promise that we won't be given more than we can handle. He promises that we won't be given more than He can handle.

And that is good news indeed.

Spring crafts for under $5

I challenged myself to see if I could create some springy decor for less than $5. To do that, I headed to one of my favorite sources for craft supplies: Dollar Tree. These two things seemed to have potential.

You may know that I have a collection of crosses, so when I saw this cross magnet I snatched it up, even though I didn't think its finish was very pretty. I spray-painted it with Oil-Rubbed Bronze paint and then sanded it a bit to highlight the raised parts. But what to do with it?

I looked in my craft closet for inspiration and found this plaque which I purchased on clearance for 99 cents. A craft board, a piece of wood, or even a piece of foam core would have worked just as well, but I used what I had.

Then I looked through a hymnal for hymns involving the cross. I chose one of my favorites, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, which I photocopied onto a piece of scrapbook paper. Then I carefully cut out the paper to be the size of the plaque, and I ModPodged the hymn onto the plaque. (Tip: When you're waiting for your first application of ModPodge to dry, wrap your foam brush in a piece of plastic wrap. Your brush will stay nice and moist.)

The hymn didn't completely fill my plaque, so I left some blank space to the side. I added a springy blue ribbon to the blank space (I stuck it to the back of the plaque with double-sided tape). Then I hot-glued my dollar store craft right to the ribbon, and

voila!

I think it looks really pretty displayed with my other crosses. You could do the same thing with a cross ornament if you happen to have one. (I have lots of them, but they're packed away with my Christmas things.) Other great cross hymns include O Sacred Head Now Wounded, The Old Rugged Cross, and Beneath the Cross of Jesus. Or you could choose a glorious Easter hymn like Christ the Lord is Risen Today or a bit of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.

And what about that tile from Dollar Tree? I simply gave it a coating of Heirloom White spray paint (looking better already!)

then used Valspar's translucent color glaze in Mocha to highlight the design. I simply wiped on the glaze with an old rag, let it set for a minute, then wiped most of the glaze off. I concentrated on getting the glaze into the indented parts of the tile, particularly the words. When I had the look I wanted, I put the tile out in the sun to dry.

I love the way it looks on a plate stand beside a little nest! Just another reminder of the power of God to make all things new.

My expenditures:

Dollar Tree tile: $1.00

Dollar Tree cross magnet: $1.00

plaque: 99 cents

scrapbook paper: 50 cents

foam brush: 25 cents

spray paint, glaze, Mod Podge: on hand (I used just a little)

Total spent $3.74

That's two crafts for less than $5.00! Yippee! Now to get the Easter things down from the attic so I can complete my spring decorating!

**I'm joining Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday and The CSI Project for The $5 Challenge. and Wendy at The Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday at Check out all the great projects!**