From mourning to rejoicing!

   It's the morning following a very long and sad sabbath. As the day begins to dawn Mary Magdalen goes to the tomb of her beloved friend, and Lord. She has come to finish preparing the body as is their custom. But she finds no body! The tomb is empty! She is overcome with anguish and frantically she runs to Peter and John. She cries " Jesus is not there and we do not know where they have taken Him!"
   The two men race to the tomb. How could this be? John is first to arrive looking inside he sees strips of linen lying around the room. He does not go in but Peter rushes ahead sees the same linen strips as well as the cloth that covered His head still in it's place. they are so overcome with sadness they never think to remember the promises of scripture that he would rise on the third day. Defeated they return home.
   However Mary remains. She sobs outside the borrowed tomb defeated and alone. As she weeps she looks again into the tomb and sees two angels in dazzling white seated at the head and the foot of where Jesus was lain. As she stares no doubt in awe, they say to her "woman why are you crying?" She says to them "They have taken my Lord away and I do not know where!" Her anguish and pain palpable in her voice. She turns and there stands Her friend and teacher and Lord. She is so caught up  in her despair she does not even recognize him. Jesus says to this much loved woman "Why are you crying and who are you looking for?" Thinking He is the gardener she says " please tell me if you know where they have taken my Lord." Jesus says simply "Mary." She instantly recognizes that voice and falls to His feet to worship Him! Jesus sends her to tell the disciples what she has witnessed and with a simple message that he will soon join His Father in heaven.
    She returns to the disciples and says all she has seen and heard. And that Jesus is risen! That evening as all the disciples are gathered together with the doors locked from the inside. Jesus appears in the midst of them and says "Peace be with you." They are surprised and afraid as He shows them His nail pierced hands and scarred side. His disciples are overjoyed!
   This is the basis of our faith! The Joy of our belief! Because if He lived a good life that makes him a good man. And if He died for his faith that makes Him a martar. But if He is risen He is who He says He is and He has done what scripture promised and what only God could do! I believe! I am made new because of this! My sins died on a cross with this sinless savior! Hallelujah!! He reigns! He Lives! He is risen!

   Over 2000 years ago, Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest friends. He turned Him over to men who had nothing but evil planned for Him. Jesus cried out to father God asking that if this cup could be taken from Him please do. But if not, then His Fathers will be done and not his own.  He was taken captive and and called horrible names, spit upon, and beaten while being mocked. He knew His beloved friends were denying knowing Him, and He knew the fate that lay ahead of Him. He was forced to take up His cross and carry on His back, which was shredded and sliced what an extremely painful process.  He was paraded down the same streets where only days earlier He had been greeted with shouts of "Hosanna!" "Messiah!". Now he was met with shouts of mockery, and shouting "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!!" These people knew what crucifixion was. See they had witnessed these brutal killings for years now. Seen the prolonged suffering, the corpses that rotted in the streets while vultures defiled them! Still they cried out. Crucify him! He was forced to walk through this crowd spit upon, having things thrown at Him and knowing that though he had done nothing wrong He would die a most violent death. And all the while he walked on. He had never sinned, but carried the sin of every man and woman up to this day as well as the sins of all to come. My beloved friends that's a heavy burden to carry when you already carry the weight of your certain death! Yet he walked on. His wrist were nailed to the cross in a way to hold his suffering body to the board for the longest time. His ankles were nailed in the same way with legs bent. And then that cross was raised and His entire body weight pulled at these nails and the wounds surrounding them. One of the only ways these crucified men could relieve some of the pain on their upper body and an opportunity to expand their lungs and receive a deep breath was to push up on their legs and this also caused extreme pain to their lower extremities. When the soldiers were ready to get it over with and done they would break the mans legs so that He would be unable to take another deep breath and ultimately His lungs would collapse and he would die. Jesus legs were never broken and he continued to suffer. Still Jesus cried out Father forgive them! Though the Son of God was broken and suffering they continued to mock Him. The whole Earth became dark and the veil was torn. And Jesus gave himself over to death saying it is finished. His disciples mourned and cried in the streets. They felt broken and overwhelmed. This is not how they had hoped things would go to say the least. Jesus was taken down from the cross and his body wrapped cloth and placed in a tomb of a member of the council. All those who remained with Him were there and saw the body lain in the tomb. The women went home to prepare spices and perfumes. And then they rested partly because it was sabbath and they wanted to obey the command, but I have to believe they were also emotionally and physically exhausted. This is not the end of the story. Only a chapter. But, imagine yourself there thousands of years ago. Imagine that you do not know what happens next. what overwhelming anguish they must have experienced.
   Now I don't like to waist words so....Jesus gave up Divinity in His heavenly realm to come to Earth and know all the hardships of humanity. He came and loved the unlovable as an example of what a true Rabbi is. He was betrayed and beaten and ultimately killed along with our sins. And he did all of these things so that you would not know death and suffer the same crucifixion never ending. And he died sinless and carried our sins to the grave. And he would have done all of this if I had been the only one. That's how He loves me!
   And He would have done all of this if you were the only one!! That's how much He loves you!

God Bless and keep you Ms. Jill

And I will lift my voice...And be heard!!

   Today I find myself home sick.=( Head is killing me and I can't quit coughing. However, I also can't lay down, well, I can't lay down and breathe. I'm really attached to breathing. =) So I thought "you know I haven't blogged in forever!" And there's so much going on in my life I really should!
   I am in love with life right now. I have been crying out to God for years saying you know the desires of my heart! I guess they're never gonna happen for me. Why not me? Poor pitiful me! LOL And while as I've told y'all, God wants our broken moments the same as he wants our celebrations, You cannot sow defeat and expect to reap success. ie Mustard seeds begat mustard. Sunflower seeds begat sunflowers. And defeat begats defeat!
   Well I did a study from Joel Osteen called "I Declare!" And I am changed. Not because of my brother in Christ Joel (no offense) but because like a big brother he reminded me of the words of our Daddy! throughout the bible God reminds us that our words hold power.
   So, your job looks bleak. You work hard with no recognition, while others receive reward for warming a chair. Proclaim, God I will not believe my failing human eyes and ears that tell me no reward waits for me. Instead I will say, father surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!
   So your marriage is not what you've always desired? Proclaim father I know what me and my honey have created in our humanity. But, I also know that you can resurrect it into new life! Remember, nothing is so dead God can't call it back to life! Remember Lazurus? Dead so long that Martha said but surely Lord he stinketh!! Yep others have probably caught a whiff of your marital decay. SO WHAT! God's got this!
   So you always wanted to sing for His Glory, And when you were an intrigal part of a praise team he led you elsewhere? Happened to me. When I arrived at a new church home there was no room for others to sing with the praise team. They are very talented and gifted for music. The praise team changed over almost completely and still no openings. I laid myself bare in an effort to be included in any way. I was told my voice is not a fit for this team and my songs and music I brought to sing were used and sang by others. I became very down and asked God to take this desire from my heart. There will never be an oppurtunity for me. WAHH BOO HOO!! Well my words definitely dictated my life. I began this year fear free! I said I will not be my harshest critic any longer. I found this study and began to see the truth of just how much power our words hold. I began to proclaim if you've lain it on my heart you will open doors and oppurtunities that should be closed off to me. I began to say "Daddy thank you that you have enough oppurtunity for all your kids! That you go before me softening hearts and making pathways straight! I was given an oppurtunity to sing for emmaus, but not only that to sing with some of my favorite most prized friends. Most from the praise band I had previously sang with! Oh ya He's good like that! =) I have been given oppurtunity to sing with the praise team during revival, and I have sang several specials. I realized an oppurtunity to teach and work with our childrens choir and they are so talented and their hearts desire is to sing to the King! And my hearts desire is to help that in any way! And all I can say about it is JOY!! I am filled with joy to spend time with them and I remember what praise is supposed to look like! PURE SURRENDER!
   While this is not the only desire of my heart that he has brought to fruition in such a short time it is the one I tell you of first, because it was one of the most painful for me. I know it sounds silly and small but to me it was not. And to many of our brothers and sisters their unmet callings remain painful as well. While in the past I would not have lain myself bare for fear I would be judged or look pitiful. And somewhere I'm sure right now someone is reading this and thinking well I don't like her voice. So what thats your biggest issue. Of course not. But God wants our little stuff too.
   So I will proclaim my fathers plan for my life and the lifes of those I love! And, I will live in full expectancy of His goodness and mercy! What are you expecting for today? Procalim it!!
   God bless and keep you,
 Ms. Jill