That One Easter

33 years as a Christian with a Christian family in a Christian home with Christian grandparents and now married to a Christian man with Christian kids that also have Christian grandparents... at this point, I have had my fair share of Easters.

We could usually squeeze in at least three egg hunts each year. Probably 2 to 3 dozen decorated eggs. At least one Good Friday service, and I'm sure there are lots and lots of springtime dresses piled up somewhere that were won after hours, and hours, and hourrrrrrs of shopping for the perfect one. And of course that doesn't even account for all the Easter services, all the times I was an angel coming out of the tomb or something. And let's not even get started trying to add up all the calories that I have consumed over the years at Easter brunch and the subsequent "dessert" of jelly beans and chocolate.

But all in all... out of all of those Easter celebrations... I remember one.

We went camping for the three day weekend when I was in college. It was at this really neat camp ground in Fort Richardson. I drove in from Hardin-Simmons (Get Your Guns Up!) and met my family when they drove in from Melissa. And we had a great time as a family... my brother and my dad went fishing at the little pond there. My mom and I both read our fair share of magazines and chatted until our mouths were dry. We all enjoyed the campfires at night (complete with smores, of course) and the smoky eggs and bacon in the mornings.

Honestly, I didn't even think about us going to church until later in the day on Saturday when one of the rangers dropped by to tell us that there would be a sunrise service on Sunday morning. Well, a sunrise service when you are at home in bed can sometimes be a true sacrifice to get up, get out of bed, get dressed in that cute dress that you spent hours shopping for that no one will notice because they are all still wiping the sleep out of their eyes too. But, when you are camping, well... you can't really sleep in anyway. You're already uncomfortable sleeping on the ground and once that sun starts to come up there is simply no fighting it.

So, we all agreed to go to the sunrise service.

Although I had been a Christian since I was eight, my discipleship in Christ really only began when we moved to Melissa and started going to First Baptist McKinney. I had never really read the Bible before Grant Byrd got a hold of me and set me going in the right direction... and wow, only then did I realize the joy. the direction. the blessing. that could come from the Word of God. But, I was still a little behind in reading through all of it. So, when the leader of the sunrise service said that he wasn't going to speak, he was just going to read through Isaiah 53... I totally remember thinking, "What? He's just gonna read some random chapter from the Old Testament? Jesus isn't even IN the Old Testament... this is so gonna be lame."

And then he read it... and I was changed forever... and I heard the life and death of Jesus prophesied 700 years before it even happened... and I saw Him in a whole new light... and I worshipped Jesus on that Easter morning like never before and never since. As the sun rose up and we sang "Jesus Gave It All" I experienced Easter in a way that they did on that glorious day of resurrection thousands of years ago... I saw Christ in life... Christ in death... and Christ ALIVE.

So, take a moment... even if you have read Isaiah 53 a gazillion times, take a moment and have your Easter right now. Read through Isaiah 53 and know that you are loved. you are redeemed. you are saved.

Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so we could be whole.

He was whipped so we could be healed.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream.

But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied.

And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Preparing for Easter

Ash Wednesday.  Lent.  Good Friday.  Easter.  What do those words mean to you?  Depending on how you were raised, some of those words quite possibly have little or no meaning to you at all.

Growing up in a Baptist church, I never heard much (anything?) about Ash Wednesday or Lent--and we didn't spend a whole lot of time focusing on Good Friday, either.  I knew that my Catholic friends gave something up for Lent, but I didn't really understand it.  And honestly, until the last few years, I still didn't understand.  What's the point?  Why do I need to give something up?  Isn't Easter enough?

Easter is such a happy occasion.  We, as Believers, are celebrating our risen Lord--and this is definitely worth celebrating!!  But Easter isn't the whole story.  Before the Resurrection, there was pain and suffering.  There was sacrifice...and I think a lot of us don't like to think about the sacrifice.  (Or maybe that's just me....)

In the last several years, I've learned that Ash Wednesday is 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter.  It is a time to begin looking toward Easter, and it enters us into a period of remembering the sacrifice that was made for us on the cross so that we might have eternal life.  We use ashes as a remembrance of the fact that we came from dust and to dust we'll return (in our earthly form).  We look to Lent as a time when we can sacrifice something in return--not because we are required to or because it will somehow equal what Jesus did, but because it can turn our hearts more fully to Him.  Whether it's fasting from food, television, Facebook, Twitter, a certain food or drink, or whatever else the Lord might bring to mind, it's a reminder every time we crave that item of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.  Our small sacrifice can remind us of the amazing sacrifice that was made for our salvation.  And it's a way we can replace the time we spent playing on the computer, sipping that coffee, etc. and use it instead spending time with the Lord in the Word and in prayer.

I don't believe it's meant to be entered into lightly, just as Christ's death, burial, and resurrection are not to be taken lightly.  Sacrifice isn't meant to be easy, so I wouldn't recommend giving up something that you never do (ie. I don't drink coffee, so it's not something for me to give up) or that really doesn't mean much to you.  It's a heart matter between us and our Savior, and I believe He leads us to what He has for us.

For me, I want to make this season a time of communion between the Lord and myself.  I want to draw so near to Him during these next 40+ days that it becomes a habit of time with Him.  I want to wake up Easter morning rejoicing in the Resurrection with a renewed sense of what it really means.  And for me, in order to do that, I probably need to give up something to turn my focus to Him.  I want to lose my self focus, my pride, my dependence on me, and I want to look to Him.  I want to focus on Him, depend on Him, and find my joy in Him.  I want this Easter to be one I'll never forget.

Will you join me in the journey to the Savior?  If you do, I believe you'll never be the same.  I'm believing I will walk away changed.  He can do that for each one of us--if only we'll let Him.

Sunday's Coming

As we approach Easter weekend, I pray that each of you knows the One who is Truth, Jesus Christ. Some 2000 years ago, He willingly gave up his life by suffering a horrendous, painful death on a cross so that you and I might be set free. His death was not in vain--because it didn't end there. Jesus was resurrected on the third day, and because He conquered death, we have the victory.

Satan's "victory" (or what he perceived as such) came on Friday--ours came on Sunday. On that Friday, those watching had no idea what was coming. They saw Jesus die, and they thought that was the end. But God had something else in store. Jesus was not dead forever. He was coming back--and that Sunday forever changed the course of man. That Sunday, Jesus rose again; in doing so, He conquered death. And I can not stop giving thanks for the greatest gift ever given. Jesus has saved me from my sins, from the eternal punishment I deserve--and He desires the same for every one of us. Jesus lived a perfect life on this earth; He died for crimes He did not commit; He was raised to life on the third day, and He longs for you to know Him and be in relationship with Him.

Whether you know Him as your Lord and Savior or not, I urge you to watch this video (with footage from The Passion of the Christ). If you have questions about this Jesus and who He is, feel free to leave a comment below. And come Sunday, find yourself in church. We'd love to have you at ours, FBC McKinney. He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed!

How My Undergarments Got Me Thinking

In 3rd or 4th grade, we had physicals at school. I'd heard that the nurse would do a spinal check to check for Scoliosis, which meant shirts had to come off for a few minutes. And I'd also heard that all the cool girls wore bras to the exam. So, I did what any other elementary school girl who had not hit puberty yet would do, I asked for a bra anyway. Because of the coolness factor.

My granny came to spend that Christmas with us. She was a Southern woman through and through...spunky and witty with a little bit of naughty. When I got my first bra, she taught me how to put it on. Her instructions were to place the hook in the front so you could get it snapped, scoot it on around the right way, pull the straps on and then bend over and "shake 'em in there real good." We have a great photo of my first lesson in womanhood as she and I are doubled over in laughter. Well, I'm doubled over in trying to shake something non-existent in there and she is having a hoot.

Last week, I was in the locker room at Lifetime and I realized something. Twenty-two or so years later and I am still putting on my bra the same way Granny taught me. Except for the bend over and shake 'em in there real good" part. That was never a necessity for me.

Putting on a bra is part of my daily routine. However, it was only when I was dressing in front of strangers that I suddenly realized that I have been doing it this way for all these years and I have little skill in doing it the way the cool girls in the locker room can do it. I cannot, for the life of me, get the hook connected behind my back! At least not all snappy like they can. It is quite awkward for me.

Anyway, it dawned on me that I have spent a good two thirds of my life doing it this way and yet I never paid much attention to it. It was just how I did things.

Which leads me to Easter.

How is that for a segue?

I've gone to church all my life. For well over two thirds of my life, I've known the Easter story. Except, for a good part of that time, a lot of my worship revolved around the Easter bunny. Yes, I knew what happened in the garden. Yes, I knew that Jesus was severely beaten before He was even nailed to the cross. Yes, I knew that He rose again three days later and left an empty tomb behind. BUT, that Easter basket did come with some pretty sweet treats. And, when you hear the same story over and over, you can begin to lose the fresh outlook and the passion for what really happened.

In my adult life, things have changed. There's no Easter basket waiting for me in the morning and I now realize that Easter represents the greatest event in all of history. Despite knowing this, how do you make something new when you've heard the same story and read the same verses every spring for the majority of your life?

Not to mention, does anyone else feel like life NEVER slows down? Does anyone else collapse into bed each night and peel herself off the mattress in the morning? Truly, do any of us feel like we've just got a bunch of time on our hands to sit and ponder Easter? Time without kids underfoot? Time without appointments, soccer games, piano lessons, etc. to rush to? Can I get an "Amen" when I say that, in the few times I have completely to myself, I leave the radio and t.v. off just to HEAR THE QUIET?!

How does a heart prepare for a new experience? How does a heart see Easter in a new light?

Francis Chan tells a story about how one worship leader always fascinated him. Her worship appeared so fresh and so full of passion each week. He wondered how she was able to worship like that every week, doing something so routine and, yet, making it new. So, Francis asked and her answer was simple. She said that when she has a really powerful time with the Lord one week, she never spends the next week asking God to give her what she experienced the previous week. Instead, she tells Him, "God, You are a creator. Would You create something new in my worship experience? Would You give me a whole new perspective of You when I worship?"

Wow, that is powerful. If I can acknowledge God's creativity in how He has given us in this gorgeous spring day (and, oh, boy, isn't He so creative with His sunshine, comfortable temps and blooming trees?!), why do I not also acknowledge His ability to create something new in how I see Him?

This week, I'm keeping it simple. I am going to ask God to give me fresh perspective. I long to see the power behind what Jesus did on the cross. This week, I will not think of or approach Easter the way I've done in years past, just because I've always done it this way.

Lord, You are my Creator. Create in me fresh eyes and ears. Wipe my heart clean of how I've worshipped during Easter in the past and let me see the love and the passion it took for You to send your Son to the cross. May it shake me and move me, Lord. Amen.