Amazing Friday

More important than your birthday, more important than Thanksgiving, more important than Christmas…even more important than Easter….Good Friday is the single most important day of a Christian’s life.  Why do we not celebrate the day that Jesus chose to DIE FOR US? 

It should be called Great Friday or Amazing Friday or something that reflects what happened on that day!!

He was born at Christmas…but He could have changed his mind and chose not to die.  He conquered death at Easter….BUT 3 days before that… He was beaten beyond recognition, mocked, cursed, spit on, kicked, punched, and hung upon a cross…

all for you and me.   

The more I learn about Jesus, the more I appreciate the gift He gave us.  He didn’t just give us the gift of eternal life. He gave us the gift of an intercessor, a confidant, a healer, a protector and a friend.  I can’t even imagine living in the time of the Old Testament without Jesus there to stand in the gap for me.  His love and forgiveness are beyond our comprehension.  

   

So today, on Good Friday, don’t forget to honor the ONE that gave his life to save yours.

He deserves the highest honor and

 praise that can be given. 

Phl 2:8-11 NIV - "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of

 Jesus

 every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

 to the glory of God the Father."

March 21: The Day That Changed My Life (2013 Version)

I was only 19 years old on March 21, 1990, the day that God gave me the most amazing gift…

a beautiful baby boy. 

The entire course of my life was changed in the moment that I first held him in my arms.  My life was no longer just about me…I had this little, tiny person depending on me for everything. 

I had always thought that I would go to college and do big things…but raising our son took the place of everything.  I like to say that I went to the college of life!  I had to work, learn how to cook and clean, pay bills, take care of a baby and 10 million other things…and I wasn’t really even old enough to be considered an adult! Praise the Lord we had parents that were always willing to help us, yet still encourage us stand on our own.

More important to me than any college degree or high paying career is the accomplishment that I feel when I look at my son.  He is a good man and a good husband.  He is loved by everyone that meets him.  He is a hard-working, God-fearing, compassionate man.  And I know that some day, he will be an amazing Dad.

Do I ever have regrets about what could have been?  No, I never do.  I had never planned to have a child so young, but God worked it all out for good. (Romans 8:28) One day, when Cody figured out how young we were when he was born, he asked me if he was a “mistake.”  I told him NO WAY; he was a “surprise”…an unexpected gift that I didn’t even know I wanted until I got it!  

No child is ever a mistake.

The bible says, “Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3 NLT

Happy Birthday, Cody.  I love you more than words can express. Thank you, Lord, for that special gift you gave to us. We have always cherished him, and we always will!  When I look at Cody and our daughter, Maddie, I know that there is nothing in this world that could have made me happier and more fulfilled than being their mother. 

 That is what God put me on this earth to do…

it is my first calling.