Communion

 Ann Voskamp talks about Communion using another word altogether, and when she speaks of it, it is always with such dreamy appreciation and gratitude. This word? Eucharist. 

We have the Eucharist every week at our home church. Placed on tables alongside the church walls, large bowls filled with wafers and juice represent the body and the blood, both given from a Savior who loved us enough then to release His flesh and pour out His blood so as to die. A Perfect Sacrifice- the only one of its kind. 

I place the wafer on my tongue and, as it dissolves, I think over the pain and the longsuffering Jesus endured- for me. I thank Him, repeatedly, and then I drink the juice, whispering even more words of gratitude. Sometimes this makes me emotional, the remembrance. 

These past few weeks have been a mix for me. I couldn't receive the Eucharist one week because I needed to get right with someone I offended. The following week, having made my peace, I stood, holding the wafer -holding His body- and I thanked Him over and over, as I do, but this time was different. It was some form of acknowledgment which confirmed in my head and heart that He gave ALL OF HIMSELF. 

This did something to me. Drinking the juice -His blood- I felt this overwhelming grace flood over me- He paid it all for me. All of Him, for all of me. 

Two weeks later, I surprised myself when, yet another revelation came to me during the Eucharist. Just as we continue to come back to the wafer and the juice, Jesus keeps coming back to us. He chooses us over and over, confirmed by the never-ending bowls filled with grace and goodness- the best of the best. 

I have been in churches where the body is represented with a piece of bread and I have shared a communal chalice with strangers in a chapel, red wine within. I have prayed over dinner tables and McDonald's Happy Meals enough times to remember that, whether a wafer or a baked potato, Jesus loved us then, and He continues to love us now. 

And then there is thanksgiving. In Ann Voskamp's latest book, Waymaker, she also stumbles across this holy reunion of the Eucharist and thanksgiving. Over and over, she speaks about this Chara joy- this cause of joy, receiving of joy, and the joy gifted to us by another- the joy of Jesus. 

***

The Eucharist is the source and 

summit of the Christian life. 

The term “Eucharist” originates from 

the Greek word Eucharistic,

 meaning thanksgiving.

***

The Eucharist brings us back to Him. It reminds us of the depths of His love. And yet, every day, and with every meal, He comes to us, and we remember. 

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Um...Christian Radio is CRUSHING IT Right Now (Are you hearing this?)

Friends, I'll get right to this one. 

Even as I type I realize that I (gulp) waited a smidge too long to share. 

Back up. 

One month ago. About one month ago -exactly- my sons and I began listening to Christian radio before bed, temporarily trading in the entirety of "You Make Me Brave", one of our favorite CDs and traditional bedtime listening pleasure. 

So, radio. 

The short of it is this- Christian radio is slaying right now....and you and I both need this short list to remind us or introduce us before everything changes and...I. Cannot. Even. 

All of these are good -no, great. Like, I don't want to fall asleep and miss anything, great. Like, Zeplin and I stay up after his brothers have fallen asleep (shh, don't tell), and we YouTube-stalk these artists and these songs until we know the lyrics and videos forward and backward and seven ways to Sunday. 

OK, that's a lot of hype. 

Here is a lot of goodness. 

(You're welcome.) 

Symphony - Switch ft. Dillon Chase

We the Kingdom- Holy Water

Zach Williams, Dolly Parton - There Was Jesus

Tauren Wells - Famous For (I Believe) / Do It Again (Live) 

NEEDTOBREATHE - Who Am I

CAIN - Rise Up (Lazarus) 

Andrew Ripp - Jericho

Tasha Layton -Into The Sea (It's Gonna Be Ok) 

Matthew West - Truth Be Told

Josh Wilson - Revolutionary

The Father's House (Live) - Cory Asbury

What am I missing? Which are your favs? 

 

The Family Which Rests Together (Sunday Sabbath and Naps for the Win)

It has easily been four years...maybe five.
Every Sunday, McFive tries to honor this little thing called Sabbath.
Little...not little, which is what Demi Lavato would sing if she felt a desire to write a song about Sabbath.

It began as a subtle prompt from God- I really felt in my heart that God was asking me to take this seriously- to practice Sabbath as a family.

http://www.morefamousquotes.com/

So, it sure helps to know what Sabbath is. If you need some assistance, you can click here.
In essence, it is honoring God by resting, and following the commandment to "Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy".

I confess...this was a lot more difficult in my mind.
So many questions and "rules" filled my head space:
So do I just sleep all day...?
Can I read...can I read something other than my Bible....or must I sleep?
Is this just a "chill" kind of day?
And what about dinner? Someone has to cook...?
Do I need to leave the dishes in the sink overnight in order to honor the Sabbath entirely? 
What about when Hiking Club or Soccer Practice meet on a Sunday...am I allowed to attend? 
Are we only supposed to watch movies and read books with Christian plot lines?
Is watching Schitt's Creek on the Sabbath sacrilegious???

When it came down to it, resting was what resounded in my heart.
Rest -and in our case- actually take a nap. Everyone.
And so, we did.
For the last five years, McFive can most-often be found in some state of rest on a Sunday afternoon. And, although Big Strong Man most often stays awake and relaxes in his recliner listening the news with his eyes closed, and Zeplin will often beg to lie in his bed and read short story after short story, Demitri, Thatcher, and I are always found snoozing.

Here's the kicker- 

I have NEVER, NOT ONE TIME, 

regretted the sleep.

I am typically the last one to crawl out of bed after the fact, wishing our "afternoon nap" was 3,4, or 5 hours long, not 1 or 2.

And even when I feel like the time might be better served doing something else (because there is always something), I mostly have little problem reminding myself that this is a gift, and I feel very specifically that God has called us to this, and so I do. I rest.

As a family, and during this time of quarantine, 

it is our privilege to carve space 

for building traditions and making the most of our time.

We can honor God and honor our families when we build traditions with meaning and lasting ability.

        ever-ours.com

Celebrating the Sabbath (honoring it and celebrating it- because taking a good nap is akin to attending a good party!), is something we do, but it is not just for Christians and Jews. This is not just a "religious" concept. Everyone can benefit from a time of reset, pause, relaxation, and simplicity.

(This reminds me of a book I read last year which speaks such wisdom and is so pertinent to this topic: Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons.)

                                                      

If you have not already made this practice something you do as a family, here is my encouragement to you: find a way, prioritize this, and make it tradition.

Maybe it will not be Sundays. Maybe it will not ring of "religion" at all.
Maybe your family can build a tradition around playing a board game every Tuesday while eating popcorn and drinking hot cocoa.
Maybe it can be a celebratory "welcome to Monday" (such an overlooked day), with a sweet treat everyone makes together and enjoys after dinner.
Or maybe it can be as simple as "Pancake Wednesday" wherein you make pancakes for brekky (or dinner!) every Wednesday and always add something different to them for the fun of it!
Strawberry pancakes...chocolate chip pancakes...sweet potato pancakes!!! (We did this for two summers straight and never got tired of it!)

Our Sabbath is fairly simple, as our favorite Sundays are.

www.AFITNEWDAY.com

This is a day in which we attend church (And during this quarantine lots of churches as sharing their message through online services, so you will certainly want to check this out if you have not already!), we have lunch together, and then we sleep. After the nap, it is fair game. Sometimes we do some stuff around the house. Many Sundays all the boys care to do is watch the television, and all I care to do is read a book- and this is OK with us!

         simplyjune.org

Now it is your turn: Do you celebrate the Sabbath, and if so, how?
Do you have traditions (or are you interested in beginning some) revolving around rest and simplicity?

All the very best,

Both Hands

On Sunday I rejoined the ladies Bible Study at my church and it got me excited. It has been a good six months since I last participated for reasons such as extra sleep, avoidance, and grace: the last of which I lavished on my sons who, for years, had done the two-service church thing and were needing a break.
This Sunday we returned: two services.

My pastor's wife, Geri, believes in S.O.A.P.ing and, true to form, I have not been able to get away from something I learned. So I will share. (S.O.A.P.: Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer)

We read through Mark 10: 13-31
And it was the portion of the rich man interacting with Jesus which got me.

Basically, this rich man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.
He was rich and -just my guess here- but he was looking to use this commodity to buy his way into Heaven.

Then verse 21.

Here is reads, Jesus looked at him and loved him.

Hold up, ya'll, let's read that again. 

JESUS LOOKED AT HIM, AND LOVED HIM.

Jesus looked at him. Jesus saw him.
Jesus loved him. Right where he was. Loved Him.

To this, Jesus tells the rich man to go and sell everything he has and then come follow Him.

And here is the kicker: At this the man's face fell. He went away sad.

We read on that he was sad because he had great wealth and Jesus tells His disciples how hard it will be for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Although this portion of Scripture is heavy with sermon and conviction, the two portions I have not been able to get away from are those I have emboldened above.

This [rich man] was in the presence of the God Who Loves Him, and yet he was sad.

And how I can relate.

Annie F. Downs says something to the effect of how we can "hold both happiness and sadness at the same time". And I really like this picture: Both Hands.

For someone like me who is prone to sadness and melancholy, or even just deep introspection and whimsy, I can relate to this man. And I fight these feelings, considering them to be heavy and burdensome, but it is because of them that I can be in God's presence and be found, sad.

https://www.lifewire.com/produce-fake-rain-in-gimp-1701711

For a season I worked with the Dream Center Teen Discipleship program and was surrounded by youth who had questions. As a ministry, the Dream Center would preach and teach and try to life out this Christian conviction and thing called grace but there were many questions, feelings, and uncertainties collectively felt between youth and leadership.

And so, on a rare, rainy day in Southern California, I found myself driving three of the youth, and the four of us went to a location I had found the year prior, overlooking the freeway. A hidden hill, open and vast. It had a walkway with Palm trees and roses bushes.
And between the rain and the freeway, we were extended the freedom to scream, and cry, and ask God the hard truths.
The Why questions.
The How questions.
The, I DON'T LIKE THIS, declarations.

And in this time, there was freedom. We did not walk away sad, as the rich man did, we walked away full, knowing that God was there, in that moment, and He loved us. And yet, in the midst of this, we were sad.

We held them both.

What do you hold, while in the presence of God?
I sometimes feel like a fraud, worshiping Him and simultaneously wondering about if my hair is out of place.
Or returning to Him while still feeling like He has distanced Himself from me.
But I think that these are honest feelings, and that God is not afraid of honest. 

I think, before the rich man ever opened his mouth, or walked away, Jesus loved him. And when he walked away, Jesus loved him still.

And I think it was love that allowed the screaming, crying, raining moment in the lives of those youth (and myself) to be so profound -still- all these years later.

We can hold these moments with Both Hands.

Sometimes Jesus Just Isn't Enough

Sometimes Jesus feels really far from me.
I gather this when I explode for the up-tenth time when I figure that, with all my repenting and trying so hard, Jesus should have just stepped in by now and given me pass. Just make me more graceful, gentle, humble, already! And as a second thought, I add a please.

It is Thatcher's birthday, and this is a "mommy blog" so I want to for sure capture his day on here, but right now I have sentenced him to his room- same as his brothers.
Two boys were sent to time out earlier.
Two boys were crying, for separate reasonings.
There are two marbles missing to the brand new marble game I got Thatcher.

And I lost my cool.
It is all the whining, the complaining, and the prodding. The proverbial stick in one's side. It is also the laziness. Oh My Goodness! What a rotten combination.
And I feel it rumbling inside of me like a faint hunger pain but it is suppressible because I want to behave gingerly and delicately, until it explodes -literally- leaving me with no control over the words or the volume which spew from my mouth.

And my first thought, upon coming down the stairs, leaving the three young boys to their own doings, is to look for a drink. We had a root beer drink with just the tiniest taste of alcohol in it, and I enjoyed that. Maybe Big Strong Man has some around here....
But I actually am not much of a drinker, so this thought both interests and frightens me.
My daddy is an alcoholic.
My mother was.
 
I stumble around the downstairs, throw in a load of laundry just to keep order because my insides are still hot lava and my heart is a freight train, roaring.
I want B.S.M home so badly, I want to share this beautiful day of celebration, and these tricky moments, too. But he works too much and too hard. It zaps him.

It takes me back to Jesus.
Because I know from my elementary education that Jesus is enough for me and He has got the whole world in His hands, but I feel distant, or He does, and I am not even sure who is pulling away.
I don't think it's Him- I don't think that is in His nature at all. He seeks us, recklessly, right? 
So then it is me. I pulled away. But the only thing I can think of is trying to rectify this by reading my Bible and thus forcing Jesus to see me. That's how it works, right? 
I do the holy thing, He smiles on me?

But no, that's not right at all.
And I know this.
I just want to zone out.
I want Jesus to take this emotion within me and help me.
Better yet, cure me.
Make me better.

And maybe it was because of Him that I did not go searching for root beer flavored alcohol. But instead I reached for you. The typing is calming, although the flow from within me is great and I cannot seem to get it out quick enough.

We are not supposed to speak these truths, half truths, at the least.
Do I believe Jesus loves me? Yes, I do.
Yet I also believe that He is here and yet I hurt.
He is near and yet I search.
He is love and yet I feel disappointed.

Like, maybe, He isn't enough.
Like, maybe, when I am being really honest, He feels far away more often than He feels near.

Confessing this out loud is only half true, even as I write this, I don't exactly feel it, but I have.
Momentarily, I am in limbo, feeling and not feeling.

I rebuke this, and deny it. I squelch it and I hide it. I lay this down and I carry this around and speaking it out loud gives the enemy a foothold. So I stand a little taller, speak a little louder, believe a little harder, and I wait.
I wait on Jesus.

Their screaming upstairs is the type from laughter. And I am very thankful for words typed here with a can of sparkling water, and not root beer on the chair, in the corner of the dark room. With these thoughts floating around and asking too many questions in my mind.

And I decide that this doesn't need a pretty bow to be complete. Because Thatcher will eat cake, even if no one else gets any, and this will all blow over and be ok.
It is all going to be ok.

Jesus Is Brave: Day 97; 100 Days to Brave

Yesterday we wrote about how Jesus was brave:
He left the comfort of Heaven and chose to dwell here among us: couches smelling like urine and all.
Jesus chose to leave the beauty of Heaven for the sin in this world.
And He chose this for the sake of our souls.
Jesus was brave.
His life on earth is great proof of that.

Annie writes: "Baby Jesus was brave. But baby Jesus was here on mission to save us from our sin. He's already done that good work. He's already died and resurrected."

Today we are writing about how Jesus IS brave: present tense.

Annie continues: "Jesus is still alive and still working for our good today. He is still the humble King who came to earth, but His mission will be different when He returns. He's going to come back and judge sin once and for all and destroy the enemy who has destroyed this world such a broken and painful place." (emph. mine)

Hold the front door! Did you just write that Jesus is returning? What in the name of Sam Hill? 

Yes, Annie did, and I am here to ditto her truth. The Bible says that Jesus is returning. He is returning to earth: this time as victorious King and Judge.

Hebrews 10:25 The Message (MSG)

22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, 

confident that we’re presentable inside and out. 

Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. 

He always keeps his word. 

Let’s see how inventive we can be in 

encouraging love and helping out, 

not avoiding worshiping together as some do 

but spurring each other on, 

especially as we see the big Day approaching. 

(emph. mine)

And that last line, especially as we see the big Day approaching- that's the day of Jesus' return.

Revelation 19:11-16 The Message (MSG)

A White Horse and Its Rider

11-16 Then I saw Heaven open wide—

and oh! a white horse and its Rider. 

The Rider, named Faithful and True, 

judges and makes war in pure righteousness. 

His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. 

He has a Name inscribed that’s known only to himself. 

He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, 

and he is addressed as “Word of God.” 

The armies of Heaven, 

mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, 

follow him. 

A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, 

then rule them with a rod of iron. 

He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, 

the Sovereign-Strong. 

On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.

(emphs. mine)

This sure takes me back to youth group

I get it, this is confusing and seems dark. 

And I confess, I am far from the authority, but what I do understand, in laymen's term: Jesus is coming back. And when He returns it is with intention of defeating this world and all it's sin once and for all. This is going to be the ultimate day of righteousness, because that is how Jesus judges: in pure righteousness.

So what does this mean for you and I? The following is a tool I learned back in the days of youth group, it's called the Roman's Walk to Salvation.

ROMANS 3:23 NKJV  – FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.

ROMANS 3:10 NKJV  – AS IT IS WRITTEN: “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE;

ROMANS 5:12 NKJV  – THEREFORE, JUST AS THROUGH ONE MAN SIN ENTERED THE WORLD, AND DEATH THROUGH SIN, AND THUS DEATH SPREAD TO ALL MEN, BECAUSE ALL SINNED–

ROMANS 6:23 NKJV  – FOR THE WAGES OF SIN [IS] DEATH, BUT THE GIFT OF GOD [IS] ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.

ROMANS 5:8 NKJV  – BUT GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS OWN LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US.

ROMANS 10:9-10 NKJV  – THAT IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THE LORD JESUS AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD HAS RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR WITH THE HEART ONE BELIEVES UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND WITH THE MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION

ROMANS 10:13 NKJV  – FOR “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”

ROMANS 10:17 NKJV  – SO THEN FAITH [COMES] BY HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD.

(Check out the detailed website here, at teenmissions.org)

Given the time, I copy and pasted all the same scriptures but through the Message version. It paints a really vivid, colorful, detailed way of understanding the context of what is written. P.S. The Message can be wordy, but I promise it's a good read! 

The Message (MSG):

Romans 3:23-24 

God Has Set Things Right

21-24 But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:10-20 

We’re All in the Same Sinking Boat

9-20 So where does that put us? Do we Jews get a better break than the others? Not really. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it:

There’s nobody living right, not even one,

    nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God.

They’ve all taken the wrong turn;

    they’ve all wandered down blind alleys.

No one’s living right;

    I can’t find a single one.

Their throats are gaping graves,

    their tongues slick as mudslides.

Every word they speak is tinged with poison.

    They open their mouths and pollute the air.

They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year,

    litter the land with heartbreak and ruin,

Don’t know the first thing about living with others.

    They never give God the time of day.

This makes it clear, doesn’t it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin.

Romans 5:12-14 

The Death-Dealing Sin, the Life-Giving Gift

12-14 You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we’re in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even those who didn’t sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it.

Romans 6:23 

22-23 But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.

Romans 5:8 

6-8 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

Romans 10:9-10 

4-10 The earlier revelation was intended simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for those who trust him to do it. Moses wrote that anyone who insists on using the law code to live right before God soon discovers it’s not so easy—every detail of life regulated by fine print! But trusting God to shape the right living in us is a different story—no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to rescue the Messiah. So what exactly was Moses saying?

The word that saves is right here,

    as near as the tongue in your mouth,

    as close as the heart in your chest.

It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

Romans 10:13 

11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”

It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!

Romans 10:17 

14-17 But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims,

A sight to take your breath away!

Grand processions of people

    telling all the good things of God!

But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.

So this is an opportunity, like an alter call, if you will. We are quickly nearing the end of this 100 Days to Brave devotional. Maybe you followed since day one, day somewhere-in-the-middle, or day 97, which is today. All of your time and interest is appreciated, so appreciated, but it is also for nothing, if you don't know my heart for you and the reason I am doing this devotion; the reason Annie wrote this devotion; the God Who made this devotion what it is: Jesus. 

Jesus IS returning. This makes Him brave: that He would return when He already defeated death at the cross and His resurrection. Jesus is brave: to face the evil of this world and the grip of death. Jesus is brave. 

If you believe in this Roman's walk to Salvation, a series of Scripture taken from the New Testament book of Romans, it is a detailed explanation of why Jesus came, why we even need Him, and what our need, and His coming, mean for us. 

Remember, Revelation (the last book in the Bible- foretelling events still to come) chapter 19 declares that Jesus IS returning! The Heaven's will open and Jesus will appear on a WHITE HORSE! He is returning to earth, destroying evil once and for all, and taking His people back with Him. 

I am one of His. 

I hope you are. 

In a world which says "to each his own", "you be you, boo", and "all roads lead to the same place", it takes bravery to stand out. To make your own choices. To live your own convictions. 

Jesus is the best decision of my life. 
I accepted Him when I was 17 years old. 

I walked to the alter. I cried lots of tears. I declared a life in need of salvation and dedicated myself to the Savior of my life, Jesus. 

  

Be Brave: 

Thank Jesus that He takes a risk on you over and over again. 

Thank Him that the grave did not hold Him down and that He is a risen and living King.