Christ in the Clouds

In the days between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, we see the final week of Jesus' life on earth. This week was so important that the Gospel of Mark devotes about 40 percent of its pages to this one week. This was the great climax of our Lord's ministry on earth, when He came to Jerusalem to reveal His most crucial teachings. And at the time of great conflict with Jerusalem's leaders, He was crucified. But on the third day, God raised Him from death. Holy Week begins with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) and ends with Jesus' resurrection (Easter). As you prepare for Easter and observe Holy Week, you can follow along through the week's events in these Scripture readings: Palm Sunday:  A Triumphant Entry-  Mark 11:1–11 On this day, Jesus entered the city “in triumph,” riding a donkey and listening to the cheers of the throngs of the Jews all around Him. His entry is met with the simplest gesture of celebration, gratitude, and welcome from ordin...

This week, I am sharing a post I wrote almost 2 years ago. Due to the fact that it has been another draining week/weekend, I felt drawn to read some older posts. This one, in particular, drew me in. It seems like so much in my life recently has been put on hold and God has been revealing to me that I need to just step back, watch, and pray. To see the original post, go HERE . In our day, the term " watch " has lost much of its original power. Is there anything more passive than watching television? We live in a spectator nation. We watch movies, news, the markets, and sporting events. Watching has become an activity that puts us on the sidelines and not on the field of battle, an idea foreign to the original meaning of the word. At the time of the King James translators, "watch" emphasized the  carefulness, attention, and vigilance  in the way a soldier kept alert for any sign of enemy movement. Many Bible verses raise the flag of being watchful, a...

Deep down in each of us, we all have a need to be loved by someone. Often when human love fails us, we accept the idea that God’s love is no different than this human love and that He will fail us too. Here's the problem, humans cannot possibly reflect a perfect idea of what true love is. In order to recognize and understand God's unfailing love, you and I will have to set aside our experiences and personal views . This video is a bit   long,   but so worth watching!  It is just a small example of the love Jesus and His Father have for each one of us!! He died... let this story sink in for a moment. You and I heard the story of "Jesus dying on the cross" to the point where we have  often lost sight of what it really means. Until we realize God's   love, we   will never be able to handle earthly relationships God's way. God loves you… The biblical account of His death on the cross wasn't a fairytale experience, it was a ...

Another week has passed. God continues to work in my heart and show me so much that I need to learn about life, about God, about love ... and about pain and hardship. In my last "Lent" post, I wrote about sacrifice . I shared that God was showing me how real sacrifice (similar to the greatest sacrifice ever, which was made by His Son) comes with much pain and difficulty. It truly seems, as we live life, we are surrounded by so much pain and difficulty. This past week, I have discovered that pain and hardship can touch those closest to us, as well.  This past week, I've learned that, both my stepfather and father-in-law, who each have struggled with physical ailments, were found to each have a mass in their abdomens. (Talk about timing!) They will each soon undergo testing to see if the masses are cancer or not. I am learning through this difficult time, that all we can do as a family is love each other, pray, and surrender all to God! I covet your prayers for both my p...