Thoughts on the Cross

Shadow of The Cross

Steven Curtis Chapman

I wake to the sound of different voices calling my name
Two little ones who want to start another day
And one voice that's calling
Take up your cross and come follow me

CHORUS
I want to get lost
In the shadow of the cross
To answer the call surrender it all
In the shadow
I want to live each (this) day
With a humble heart
That's ready to pay
Whatever it cost, to find myself lost
In the shadow of the cross

Living beneath the burden of this cross I carry
I'm finding more of Christ and losing more of me
So I'll hide in His shadow
Until I am nothing and He is everything

CHORUS

The voices that call to me like my little ones are sleeping
But here in the shadow there's one whisper
I still hear

CHORUS

The Lord reminded of this song today as I reflect on my daily need to look to the cross and the love Christ demonstrated for me on the cross through His sacrificial death.

Praise the Lord for the cross!

"For the message of the cross if foolishness for those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Praise the Lord for the cross!

"And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22b)

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!" (Romans 5:8-9)

Praise the Lord for the cross!

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Reflecting On A Full Summer.

Soul Surfer

I do not go to a lot of movies, but when a good one comes along, especially if it is based on a true story, I am there!

Soul Surfer, starring Anna Sophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton, portrays a young 12 year-old girl who is attacked by a shark while surfing in Hawaii with her best friend and friend’s father. During the attack Hamilton loses her arm. While recovering in the hospital, Hamilton learns she narrowly escaped death. The shark’s bite just missed severing a major artery that could have ended her life.

The attack changes Bethany Hamilton’s life both physically and spiritually. Prior to the attack, she was consumed with surfing and excelled in it. She received sponsorship money due to her winning record and opted out of a mission trip with her youth group to practice for an upcoming competition. The drive to win was put into a different perspective after the attack.

Three messages were clearly communicated through the movie.

Character: Hamilton displays it especially after the shark attack. She sticks to convictions of keeping Jesus first, seeking others interests before her own, and even when it is in the face of other competitive surfers.

Love for Others: Hamilton displayed her love for others by going on a short-term missions trip to Thailand to help those recovering from the Tsunami that hit that country. During her time there, she compassionately and gently helps a little boy who was afraid to swim in the ocean because of the devastation he experienced. Hamilton could relate as she had to overcome venturing back into the ocean to surf after being attacked by a shark. She lives out 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, ”Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

Perseverance Through Adversity: Hamilton is confronted with a new way of life without the use of her arm. From the practical aspects of life in getting dressed, feeding herself, and learning how to surf again she does not give up.

Ordinary Significance

Breakfast of Champions

There is hope for us because Jesus is all we need. These words capture our lives with the Lord.

Each morning that greets me is full of hope

Not because I am successful at what I am doing.

Or because the people near me appreciate me,

Or because the circumstances are easy.

But because God is, and He is my Father.

To look at the morning any other way

is to believe a lie.

To live in hope is to live in the truth;

To live in the truth is to bring Him glory;

To bring God glory in my daily living

is the highest form of worship.

(p. 221, How People Change, Paul Tripp & Time Lane)

March Madness

Remember: 3 Years Ago Today

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years,

to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart,

whether or not you would keep his commands" (Deuteronomy 8:2).

It’s been three years since the first of four surgeries occurred to replace both of my ankles in March 2008. Many of you chartered the journey with me as the surgeries were scheduled 12 weeks apart. Crutches were part of my recovery and walking routine for over a year. During that time, I only wore one shoe as one of the two ankles were “under construction.” I still remember how odd it felt to finally put both shoes on my feet a little over a year after the surgeries began.

I am so grateful for all God has accomplished in my life through these surgeries. He’s used it to chip off pride, depend on Him, live for His kingdom, not mine, and in some small way He’s given me the opportunity to understand more of the sufferings of my Savior, Jesus Christ. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 2:10-11).

Along the way there have been numerous times to show and share the love of Christ through the gospel with doctors, nurses, medical staff, those who are physically suffering, and others He sovereignly brings across my path. I would not have had these opportunities if my ankles were not replaced.

The Lord’s blessed me with meeting new people like Christian musician, Virginia Hill, and a professor, Dr. Greg Harris, at The Master’s Seminary who’s also suffered physical affliction. I have yet to meet Dr. Harris in person. We have corresponded by e-mail and I have been spiritually encouraged and challenged by reading his books including The Cup and the Glory.

Many of you who read this post have, are, or will suffer physically. For the believer in Christ -- we can expect to suffer in this life -- maybe not physically, but emotionally through a broken relationship, a wayward child, an unexpected loss, and the list goes on. “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29). It’s my prayer that we see Jesus’ suffering and the fellowship we have with Him in the midst our own sufferings. We too can see how Jesus responded in suffering and His desire to please His Heavenly Father. We are to do the same. "Although he was a son (Jesus), he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" (Hebrews 5:8-9).

A full recovery from the surgeries in 2008 has been made. I can now walk without crutches, usually free of pain, and enjoy swimming, biking including spin class, and am grateful, very grateful to God for His goodness in my life! Each day we have is a gift from the Lord to glorify Him.

“Praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).