From Drew Burtis: A Week in the Dominican Republic

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth."  3 John 4

HI everyone,
Over a week ago I posted a blog asking you to kindly pray for our son, Drew, as he traveled to the D.R. for a mission trip.  It was one of my most read entries.  That just blesses me and Scott.  Thank you to those of you who read it and even more to to those of you who prayed for him and followed the trip info on facebook.

Tonight I'm excited to tell you what you probably already know, that the team returned late Saturday night safe and sound and hopefully changed forever.  Today we got to skype with Drew for some time and hear much about his trip.  When he finished giving us a play by play, I asked him if he would write it all down and be my "guest blogger".  He sort of rolled his eyes, but said yes.  He is such a good boy!  We both think you deserve a "report" in return for your interest. I couldn't be more pleased that he wrote it all and sent it to me tonight, exhausted as he is.  See what I mean about him being a good boy? :)  Oh, and there weren't even any spelling errors - which kinda makes me happy too! (Because that means for a kid who is his father's clone - he's a little like his mama too.)  Naturally, I just can't wait for you to enjoy it with me. So here we go....it reads like a journal and we've added some pics so you can get a visual.  Here are his words:

Hello prayer warriors and financial supporters! I first of all would like to thank you for your faithfulness in prayer and supporting my trip financially. I would not have been able to have the opportunity to minister to the Dominican people without all of you. You are all such a blessing in my life. Thank you all so very much. I want to give you all a summary of my trip day by day.

Friday April 20 -

Today was the beginning of our journey to the Dominican Republic. We got on the bus to drive to JFK in NYC at 1:00am. It was a 4 hour drive and we arrived at the airport around 5:00am. We went through security and luggage check-in fairly quickly and got to our gate around 7:00am. Our flight did not leave until 8:40am so we started boarding around 7:45am. The flight was very smooth and we arrived in Santo Domingo around 12:00pm. We got our luggage and drove to our hotel which was 30 minutes away. Our afternoon was very uneventful except for our trip to the grocery store. We went so that we could buy food for Haitian refugee families that we were going to visit the next day. We bought them rice, beans, oil and pasta that would feed them for about a week. It was funny watching us herd through the aisles to find all we needed. After that we headed back to the hotel to turn in for the night.

Saturday April 21 -

Our hotel was right on the ocean so we had the privilege to wake up and adore God's beautiful creation every single morning. This was the view from our room. God blessed us so much with just that little piece alone. We hit the road to go to the Haitian village for ministry. We sang our songs in Spanish for them and gave a couple testimonies. We split them into groups based on age and shared the Gospel with them. We used the Evangecube, the rope trick, and the wordless book. Once we finished that, we made balloon animals and swords to play with. They always seem to love that most. We finally got to the part I was most looking forward to, delivering the grocery bags full of food to individual families. Every family we gave to was so grateful and thankful to us. God really opened my eyes to how blessed we are as Americans. We came back to the hotel for lunch and then went out again around 3:00pm. We were headed to a church where they were re-opening their Bible Club. We went around the block and passed out fliers to kids to invite them to the event. Over 200 students came out to it and many of them got saved as a result. God is so good! After the meeting we ate ice cream with them and had fun with them. Overall today was an eye-opening day but we had some awesome ministry. 

Sunday April 22 -

Today we went to 2 churches, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The first church had average attendance with a fair amount of kids. We sang our 2 songs and then split the kids up into age groups to share the gospel and share testimonies. After that we made more balloon animals for the kids to play with. We visited an orphanage for Dominican boys that was started by an American couple. It was named Josiah's House and they raise 4 boys as of now. Their goal is to have 4 houses that hold 8 boys each. They need house parents for the other 3 houses. They raise the boys until they are 18 and then they will adopt more boys. They would like to have a school, medical clinic, and baseball field on property for the boys. This was a really cool organization to see. In the afternoon/evening, we went to a smaller church with not a lot of people. The only thing was that more kids showed up than expected. We played with the kids and used the handbells with them. After that we played tag, swings and even piggy-back with all of the kids. I had gotten sunburned the past 2 days so it was a struggle for me not to complain about all the grabbing and holding. It was such a fun way to end the day.

Monday April 23 -

Today was our first day of ministering in schools in the area. We went to a school in the morning that had about 75 kids in it. We presented the Gospel, sang our songs, gave testimonies and played some camp games with them. They wanted to play us in basketball and soccer so we took the challenge. We got smoked in basketball but won in soccer. I had a lot of fun this morning. In the afternoon we went to another school and repeated our morning program without the basketball and soccer. After that we visited an orphanage for kids with HIV. There were about 25-30 kids living there so we sang our songs and shared the Gospel. Us guys went and played soccer after while the girls made balloons for the rest of the kids. Today was a good day of ministry.

Tuesday April 24 -

Another early morning visiting 2 more schools. The first school was just like the other ones except much bigger! The place we were performing at was not big enough for all the kids to fit in. So they had 4 different age groups come in to watch the program. We performed our songs 4 times to 4 different audiences! I was all sung out! A couple of the other team members and me went to play some basketball with the kids. We had a lot of fun with that. In the afternoon we went to another school and did the same program as yesterday. We sang songs, gave testimonies and played camp games with them. We did this fairly quickly because it looked like it was going to rain. All of the guys left there and went to go play soccer with a bunch of Dominicans the missionary knew. We played for over 2 hours until it was too dark to see the ball! But it was so much fun.

Wednesday April 25 -

Today was different from all the others because it was the first of two days on the Word of Life Camp Property. Now it was time to do manual labor to help out the camp. In the morning we helped dig rivers for the water to drain out from the vicinity of the cabin's foundation. We used pick-axes and shovels and I ended up opening up a blister on each of my hands. We broke for an hour to eat lunch and then I spent the rest of the afternoon (3-4 hours) looking for trees to cut down to make a walking bridge. They were around 24 inches diameter and 20 feet tall. All we had to use was one axe, one hatchet and 7 machetes. We cut down 2 of the 5 in the afternoon and set them in place. The bridge was so the campers could get to the athletic fields during the rainy season. I was beat from all the hard work so I slept very good!

Thursday April 26 -

Today was pretty much the same as yesterday. We cut down 3 more trees and put the whole bridge in place. It looks so good! I was really happy with the 2 work days because I love the feeling of accomplishing a task. I felt like I was a big help to the camp these 2 days.

Friday April 27 -

Today was sight-seeing and shopping day. We toured a castle in Santo Domingo and shopped at a market in the morning. Our afternoon was free so we relaxed and reflected on our trip. 

Saturday April 28 -

We were up at 8:00am and headed to the airport a little after 10:00am. Our flight left at 1:40pm. We landed in NYC at 5:15pm and didn't leave the airport until 7:00pm. Customs took so long to get through! We got back to campus around 12:30am and I finally got to go to sleep! I had such a blast on this trip! God is so good!

God really opened my eyes to how blessed we are in America. We take so much for granted and we don't even realize it sometimes. God challenged me to be grateful with everything I have, even all of the little things like clean water. Thank you again for praying for me. It was much appreciated!  Drew

A few more words from Mom: 

 This has nothing to do with the trip or this report, but I can't help it!  I'm adding here the pics of what our boy brought back for us.  

Scott has a chess set from Kenya and one from Peru (where Drew went last year).  Now he has one from the Dominican Republic.  So awesome.  He loves his Dad.

And he knows his mama too.  He has added this to my Nativity collection.  I have two from Kenya, one from the Holy Land, one from Peru and now this from the D.R.  And he found one with Mary and Joseph wearing red. I.Love.It. butI love him more!

Seriously.....thank you for taking the time to rejoice with us in the good work God accomplished among a beautiful, needy people group!  May HE be glorified in all that was done and experienced.


 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth."
 3 John 4

Fact, Faith or Feelings? Which is Driving your "Train"?

Do any of you friends out there notice how often we use the word "feelings" in our everyday speech?  Are you like me - struggling with the power I've given my feelings to dictate my mood, my day, my life?  They can determine what kind of day we're going to have and what we are going to attempt and what we aren't.  I can only speak for women here, but I think a lot of us deal with this. The slightest things can set us off.  Someone can say something about us that we absolutely know is not true, but it can send us into a tailspin. We can hear or read something and concoct a worse-case scenario in seconds based on how we feel when we heard or read about it. Am I the only one?  We're always talking about how we feel about things, our self, others.  I know it's a slippery slope that the enemy likes to lead me toward, which is most often a lose lose situation.

For example, today I may be having a great day - feeling good about myself, I love my outfit, and I exude confidence but tomorrow I feel fat and lazy, I hate my hair (among other things) and generally just don't like myself, which usually results in discouragement and defeat, which means I am useless to God or anyone else. Too much self-preoccupation.

Another day I can feel completely loved and adored by my husband, thankful for a 22 year love story, but the next insecure, inadequate, worried he might be attracted to someone better.  The behavior that follows demonstrates neediness, high maintenance, exhausting my poor husband who doesn't know what happened overnight and why he is suddenly thrust into the driver's seat of my overall well-being.

Other days I have spiritual highs when I know God is pleased with me, using me, and I'm loaded with joy, expressing unshakeable enthusiasm.  Then the next, I'm discouraged by my sin and slow growth and I focus on weaknesses, not forgiving myself which translates into depression, spiritual sluggishness and a fruit-bearing halt.

The thing that gets me is how quickly I can swing from one side to the next.  It kind of torks me (my made up word) that I can be so easily swayed.  These should be our first clues that we need to pay attention to who we've allowed to be in control of our fickle feelings.

Have you ever seen this diagram? It's such a powerful, albeit simple, visual of what the "order of things" should be.

FACT - what God says about you in His Word.  
FAITH - believe what the FACTS are.  Period. No arguing.
FEELINGS - they follow and flow out of the FAITH we have in the FACTS.

For example, the Bible says God sees me as His beautiful daughter who has great worth (FACT).  "For we are His workmanship (He makes all things beautiful, His masterpiece) created in Christ Jesus for good works (purpose) which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Eph.2:10.  When I choose to believe this (FAITH),  I am confident in Him, useful to Him and a blessing to others (FEELINGS follow).

If I let a different car of the train get in the lead, I am a mess and usually make a mess. Please don't make me illustrate this - I think you get it.  :)

Oswald Chambers writes, "If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would never do anything.  There are some of us who are totally unemployable in the spiritual realm.  They are spiritually feeble and weak, and they refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired.  The proof that our relationship is right with God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not."*

Whoooooooo!  That screams to me, "Get off that couch or away from that demented mirror, stop listening to those other voices, read what My Word says, believe Me and get chugging! And start making your feelings submit to My Spirit".  Oh, read that again. I'll wait.  I am striving to live in a place where my flesh is subject to my spirit.  That's right - when the flesh says, "Give me what I want" or "I'm not good enough" or "I don't feel like it", I imagine my Spirit saying, "Sit down.  You're not in charge here, I am.  You don't always get what you want. How you feel is not our motivation - this is what God says and this is what we're going to do!"  We must let that be the loudest voice we allow ourselves to listen to. (John 10:3,4)

Living on purpose.  Being ready in season and out of season (2 Tim 4:2).  God, the only steady Rock, making my decisions for me because I can tend to give my feelings the power to make me stumble around. This is where I want to be found.  Let's get that train hooked up in the right order and advance.

 *My Utmost For His Highest

What's Your Main Thing?

"Let not your heart be troubled...." Says Jesus in John 14:1, 27.  Anyone out there have a troubled heart today?  Troubled hearts can look like all sorts of different things.  Worry.  Fear.  Insecurity.  Doubt.  Loneliness. Sometimes it's not our own troubles that get us down but it could be watching someone we love struggle.   Oswald Chambers puts it this way, "Am I allowing anything to disturb my heart, or am I allowing any questions to come in which are unsound or unbalanced?"  The phrase 'anything to disturb my heart' cut me to the quick as I realized that it's my doing.  How often does my heart become disturbed - and I let it stay that way?  Too often and by the littlest things sometimes and because of that, I allow the questions to come.  Like "Does God know what He's doing?" or "Has God forgotten me/made a mistake?"

Chambers goes on to write, "Am I then hurting Jesus by allowing my heart to be troubled?  If I believe in Jesus and His attributes am I living up to my belief?".  When it comes right down to it, the question always is "Do I believe what I say I believe?", right?  "Or do I believe what God says or don't I?"

It's true - if Jesus is all the Bible claims He is and if all His promises are true, then my heart has no need to be troubled.  "I have to get to the point of the absolute and unquestionable relationship that takes everything exactly as it comes from Him."  Yessss!  Everything - from Him. 

Over and over lately, I remind myself that it's all about God.  Everything.  The main thing for me to do is to "Love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind."  Matt. 22:37  The main thing is not for me to worry about anything.  The main thing is not for me to make something happen.  The main thing is not for me to rescue someone I love from a challenging situation.  The main thing is for me to be careful not to let anything distract my gaze from constantly being on Him. My relationship with Him is the main thing.
And when that's the main thing I have peace.

Friends, these are words that breathe life. And freedom.  Not to mention peace.  Isaiah confirms, "You will keep in perfect peace him (her) whose mind is steadfast because he (she) trusts in You."*  When my gaze is firmly fixed on Jesus, I have no reason to fear or worry or be troubled.  When my gaze is firmly fixed on Jesus, I feel loved.  I am cared for.  I am joyful. I realize that He called me to be in His family and to serve Him by performing the good works that He has planned for me to do with the help of His Holy Spirit.  That was a loaded statement.  Did you notice all the He and Him and His words and the lack of I words?  Let's remember that He is the Creator of the earth and heavens and He is the Creator of you and of me.  He's the One who is holding the world together.  He's the One who is managing the kingdom calendar.  Take a load off!

Let's take a minute this dreary Monday afternoon and refix our gaze.  If your heart is troubled, name the thing that is causing you unrest.  Then as a friend of mine would say, "Kick it to the curb!"  Tell God what's troubling you and imagine Him taking it from you and saying, "I've got this."  The main thing is that we focus all our attention on our relationship with Jesus.  Not on having success at work.  Not on our earthly relationships.  Not on having a smooth, trouble free life.  Let's get a little deeper than that.  We need to be in His Word so we can recall His promises to us lest we be shaken when the strong winds blow.  We've got a great BIG God who is for us.  And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? How great is our God?

Girlfriends, yesterday with troubled heart, I turned to the Psalms for some encouragement.  Changed my day and changed my mood.  Opened up to Psalm 31 and never left.  Didn't need to - my heart was flying with thanksgiving for who God is and how He feels about me. I could start listing them, but you don't have the time to keep reading my thoughts and you'll find the Scriptures are where the power to change are.  So go see for yourselves -  read some Psalms or look up the word "God" in your concordance and start looking up verses.  I guarantee your heart will no longer be troubled.  For extra measure, throw on a Chris Tomlin CD. He gets it :). Remember, God's got this....and God's got you.  And it's so much safer in His hands. (and God's got that person you're worried about too)  Believe Him!

quotes from My Utmost from His Highest by Oswald Chambers
* Isaiah 26:3

Prayer for This Guy

HI friends,

Some of you have heard me mention this in recent days, but tonight I bring it to you as a formal prayer request.

Our son, Drew is leaving the US tomorrow morning at 8:40 to minister in the Dominican Republic with a group of his Word of Life Bible Institute classmates for the next 10 days. (They are leaving WOL at 1:00am to head for JFK.) If you think of it, would you pray for them?

We are so thankful to the Lord that Drew is able to go on this, his 5th mission trip.  We are asking not just for safety, but for God to break Drew's heart for the things that matter to the heart of God.  For direction and calling in his career/ministry direction.  That God would use him cross-culturally to participate in His purposes for all those they will come in to contact with on this trip.  That God would be glorified in all of it!  Yesssss!

Thanks to those of you who have supported Drew financially, for those of you who have already begun praying and for those of you who might just add your prayers to this ministry.  We appreciate you all so much. Thank you for caring for our family this way.  We are blessed!

If you want to follow his trip on facebook, LIKE Word of Life Missions Reality Dominican Republic 2012.

Book Recommendation for Moms

I have a few favorite authors whose books I read over and over (as needed). Angela Thomas is one of them. Many of her books have been manuals for me to help parent young children and teenagers.  I got her latest book last week (thank you Scott!) and picked it up yesterday.  I read a good chunk of it and was hooked.

The title is "52 Things Kids Needs from a Mom...What Mothers Can Do to Make a Lifelong Difference". At first, I thought I was buying it as a reference book for all the young moms in my life (since my kids are getting pretty close to full grown)-something to recommend, but I was gripped in the introduction. I still need it!

Here are a few of the chapter titles. "Kids need their Moms:

• To Pray in Secret with the Door Open
• To Never Stop Touching Them
• To Make Them Sit Around the Table...and Linger
• To Miss a Few things They Do Wrong
• To Put Down Their Phone
• To Turn Their Beds Down at Night
• To Give Grace-Filled Consequences
• To Be a Passionate, Alive, Spiritual Lover of God
• To Become Spiritually Healthy
• To Tell Them What She'd Do Differently
• To Set the Tone For the Family"

I put a few into practice as soon as my kids got home yesterday.  The truth is, you just can't love them enough.  I texted my college boy to remind him that even though he's not here with us, he's still an important part of our family.  Then I wrote him a love note (in my own handwriting) so that he could later refer to how proud his Dad and I are of him and sent him a little cash to take on his upcoming mission trip.

After a long dinner, I spent some one-on-one time with Ben.  I wanted to go for a walk and he wanted to play basketball.  So, while I walked, he dribbled alongside me and talked and talked and talked.  Then we made a detour to a neighborhood hoop and shot around awhile.  (Gave him a chance to make fun of me and tell me I 'shoot like a girl'.)  I hugged and touched and played with my girl's hair as we laid in my bed before turning in for the night, giving her the eye contact she craves and discussing things from her world.

It is amazing how many things you can learn about your kids when you just give them undivided attention - away from others, the tv, phones, computers, etc.  I know they all felt loved by my little efforts yesterday, but I was filled.  So thankful for this book and some simple reminders!  Parenting is a short season (as I'm realizing each day) and I want to make sure I put my whole effort into raising the next generation of followers of Jesus Christ, don't you?  This book will give you some fresh ideas.

I highly recommend it to every Mom who isn't sure of how powerful her influence is and for those who want to make that lasting difference in your kids. I believe it will be an encouragement to moms no matter what your children's ages are.  You will not feel guilty for what you may have missed so far and you will rejoice when you see how much you've already done right!

Birthdays Need to Be Celebrated

this was the view

I love birthdays!  It's not a secret I keep very well.  :)  Some of my favorite birthdays were ones celebrated during spring break when for 10 years we vacationed in Myrtle Beach, SC with our kids and friends.   I would rise early (I've never been a very good sleeper) and head out to the sand before sunrise to walk and talk with God. It was such an amazing experience.  I usually make it a habit of reading Psalm 139 every year on this day.  It helps me connect with the One who created me on this significant day in a powerfully huge way.  Have you ever done that?  The ocean is a place where you can't miss the vastness of God and His power as the waves come crashing in one after another. The response is always worship. Nothing else fits.  And also gratitude that God not only dreamed me up before my birth-day, but that He pursued me and invited me into His family - where abundant life is lived.

Its been too many years since I've spent a birthday on the ocean and I wish I could be on that beach today, but even here in Johnson City sitting at my desk, the passage is still powerful and I'm blessed by it.  Its too good not to share with you.  Maybe like me, you could benefit from a reminder of your Creator's commitment to you long before you knew Him. How about enjoying it with me?  It'll take a few minutes, so grab a cup of coffee, then come back and and read, but also "listen" to how God loves you and is as close to you as your next breath. And receive it no matter how you may feel about yourself or your life.

^1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
   I'm an open book to you;
      even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
   You know when I leave and when I get back;
      I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
      before I start the first sentence.
   I look behind me and you're there,
      then up ahead and you're there, too—
      your reassuring presence, coming and going.
   This is too much, too wonderful—
      I can't take it all in!

 ^7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
      to be out of your sight?
   If I climb to the sky, you're there!
      If I go underground, you're there!
   If I flew on morning's wings
      to the far western horizon,
   You'd find me in a minute—
      you're already there waiting!
   Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
      At night I'm immersed in the light!"
   It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;
      night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

 ^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
      you formed me in my mother's womb.
   I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
      Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
      I worship in adoration—what a creation!
   You know me inside and out,
      you know every bone in my body;
   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
      how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
      all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
   The days of my life all prepared
      before I'd even lived one day.

 ^17-20Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
      God, I'll never comprehend them!
   I couldn't even begin to count them—
      any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
   Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
      And please, God, do away with wickedness for good...

 ^23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
      find out everything about me;
   Cross-examine and test me,
      get a clear picture of what I'm about;
   See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—
      then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Psalm 139 The Message

See what I mean?  Doesn't that just knock your socks off?  It does me!  Imagine pondering these verses while walking across the ocean where you can't see the end from the beginning? I am forever grateful and overjoyed that the God of the Universe loves me so much.  And that He loves you so much.  He is close, friend. He knows our thoughts and has prepared all of our days.  He is light and in Him there is no darkness.We are never out of His sight.  I needed that today.  I hope you did too.

I read the following quote from Lysa Terkeurst this morning too:

"Decide today that you are worthy. Because you are. Worthy. You may not feel like it. But a quick glimpse at Psalm 139 assures me, you are. And I’d rather depend on the solid truth of God than the rollercoaster of fickle feelings. You are beautiful and captivating and attractive and smart and capable. But if you are in a relationship full of unmet expectations, unresolved issues, and frustrating communication, I suspect you feel a little less than all I’ve described. Broken down relationships can really break down a woman. So, today breathe. Steady yourself. Keep your eyes on the Master." (facebook)

I love when God does that. Same passage I was reading too. Coincidence?  I don't believe that. It's a sacred echo. Let it ring in your heart today.  Be loved.  By God and by me.

Wish we could share a piece of chocolate cake w/white frosting together :)

Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Easter

10.  Easter Candy!!  I believe all my faves are in this picture.  White chocolate bunnies, robin eggs, cadbury eggs, peanut butter eggs, marshmallow bunnies and starburst jelly beans!  Would have included my new favorite - chocolate mousse peeps - if there were any left!

9.  Coloring Easter eggs - this year I did it by myself - no one was interested in helping - I think my kids are growing up!  And....an Easter lily - gift from a new neighbor!

8.  Spring flowers that bloom right on time. Glorious! (and saying the word Glorious all day long). Scott even sang a song called Glorious.  It's a glorious word - and super fun to say.  Repeatedly.  Just ask my kids. They like hearing it too.  Repeatedly.  Maybe not so much.

7.  Dressing up for church...preferably in a new springy outfit.

6.  Setting the table special and preparing favorite holiday foods....even when it's only for 4.

5.  Trying out a new idea (thanks Pinterest).  Looks like these dudes have sunglasses on.  (I didn't have olives, so improvised with black beans)

Now the really important ones....

4.  Waving a banner for all the world (in Endwell, NY) to see.

3.  Some favorite Easter quotes:

• "I AM He" - Jesus replied when the guards in the garden said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth.  John 18:5,6  Best part - they all fell to the ground. When the I AM speaks, you can't stay on your feet.
• "I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise."  Luke 23:43  Paradise is waiting for all who believe.
• "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34.  Forgiveness is always offered.
•  "It is finished." John 19:30  My salvation - paid in full.
• "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" said by the men on the road to Emmaus.  Luke 24:32

2.  Freedom to worship openly.  As Pastor Jim said this morning, "When you focus on truth (who He is, what He's done, what you've been given)*, your emotions will follow.  How couldn't they?"  Go back and read that again. "How couldn't they?"  Best statement I've heard about how and why we worship. My emotions came out dripping down my face today.

1.  Easter songs and sermons.  "Up from the grave He rose...and as He stands in victory, sin's curse has lost its grip on me....for I am His and He is mine...bought with the precious blood of Christ."** I want to highlight all the different phrases in that short verse, because they are all so powerful.  Because He is alive I live, abundantly now, and eternally with Him one day...face to face.  Now, that's good stuff.

Happy Resurrection Day my friends.  I trust you've had your own encounter with the Risen Savior today - and everyday.  Thanks for taking a few minutes to spend with me today.

*italics mine
**song In Christ Alone

How do I Smell?

Here we are approaching Easter weekend.  I've been looking forward to it for weeks, have you?  Easter symbolizes the beginning of Spring, new life popping up all over.  And, of course, we celebrate the most significant event in the history of our faith, the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I've been focusing my morning quiet times on this very subject, the Bible has come alive to me in a new way.  This time through my nose.  You read it right. Have you ever noticed how many verses in the Bible mention smells, fragrances, aromas, odors, etc.? It's kind of funny to me and really interesting.  Check this out:

The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  His followers were waving palm branches as He made His way into town on the back of a donkey.  Did the newly cut branches smell  like a fresh mowed lawn?

 



Mary anointed Jesus' feet with a whole bottle of perfume.  I recently bought a small sample of spikenard to observe for myself.  It is a distinctive fragrance.  The girls in Bible study described it potent, earthy, lingering. A beautiful, scandalous act that would not soon be forgotten.




Then there's the wine and bread broken during the Last Supper that Jesus hosted with the disciples. I imagine the warm, comforting smell of freshly baked bread and the pungent aroma of squeezed grapes.




 On the not so pleasant side, we smell the stink of death.  When Lazarus died and Jesus made it to the tomb after 4 days, Martha cautioned Him not to go into the tomb because by this time "He stinketh!"  I've never smelled a body already dead for 4 days (have you?). Perhaps it was something like raw chicken in my trash after a few days - yuck! 

But I like to think that on Resurrection morning there was a strong aroma of new life, of sweet victory, like a field of spring flowers.

I love that the Bible presents us an opportunity to experience Him through all of our senses, even smell.  Look at this:

2 Cor. 2:14-16 "But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

Do you see it?  Another triumphal procession...only we're invited to join in this time!  The idea that through us God can spread the fragrance - everywhere - of the knowledge of Him.  A little scary, too, isn't it?  Like having a religious bumper sticker on your car and then unintentionally frustrating another driver 'in Jesus' name'.  Ugh.

 If we are to God the aroma of Christ - to everyone - how then should we smell?  I certainly am asking myself questions like: "How do I smell?" and "What aroma did I leave in the room I just left?"  Was it sweet-smelling, loving, kind, caring, understanding?

Or was it the odor of bitterness,
a judging spirit, criticism, gossip?




How do we leave behind the aroma of Christ?  Well, as usual, Jesus sets us a perfect example. "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."  (Eph. 5:1) Christ's sacrifice, the most fragrant offering to God, was that He gave Himself up for us.  His death and resurrection from the dead.  So knowing God loves us so much we simply must purpose to live a life of love - to all those who smell us each day.  This is our fragrant offering.

I hope you get some time this weekend to recall the aromas of Easter and leave the sweet scent of Jesus everywhere you go.