..."painting the 'skull' away..."

We own a rental property that housed a tattoo shoppe when we bought it ... they moved out, under the cover of night, about a week after we took possession...

I used to tease my husband that we might have to barter tattoos for rent... he was glad when they left... fear full I would ink my skin...

We turned the space into an apartment.... it's nice really... but I had never gotten around to painting over the skull and cross bones of their logo... painted across the windows...

Yesterday I spent part of my morning painting... I enjoy painting... it's therapeutic, the back & forth strokes of the brush... in about half an hour the traces of "rizing addiction" had vanished...

I spent the earlier part of my morning helping with motor skills stations in my kindergartner's PE class... before the class began the entire school filled the gym for an all school chapel... a teacher read the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey... dinning with the disciples at the last supper... and going to the garden of Gethsemane to pray.... in the garden the teacher explained to us that the word explains that Jesus 'fell' face down in prayer.... in 'child's pose' for you yoga finatics.... then she had everyone in the gym, students, teachers, parents, go 'into child pose' to pray as Jesus did.... very kinesteticly moving...

Jesus cried out to his father, "not my will, but thine".... your will Lord, not my will....

How many times do we do things out of selfish motivation... pray because we want something.... pray for God to make things go our way....

Do we die of our selves, and allow God to make us new? ... being washed by the blood of the Lamb...

I ended my day with a Maundy Thursday service at our church.... lots of hymns... excellent reflective readings about each of the nails Jesus took for us... the nail of self ambition... the nail of betrayal... the nail of rejection...

As we entered the service there were children passing out nails... after the sacrament of communion we were invited to confess our sins & place our nail in a basket... all those nails in one basket.... all those sins Jesus washed away when he die on the cross....

In Colossians the apostle Paul tells us, "He forgave ALL our sins." Colossians 2:13

He forgave all our sins... all of them... we are sinners... each and every one of us... it's our human nature... but the Son of Man took them into his "basket" and wiped our slate clean...

AMAZING LOVE.....

Today is Good Friday.... this is the day Jesus was hung at a place called Golgotha.... which means 'skull'...

It seemed fitting that the Lord had me start my day yesterday painting away the skull and cross bones.... and ending it reflecting on the nails he took for me at Golgotha, at the skull...

So, do you know the Love of Jesus?  Did you grow up in church and have been there your whole life? ... have you strayed away from the Lord? .... he is waiting for you with open arms... with a basket for you to toss your 'nails' into.... all you have to do is pray, have a talk with Him really and say...

Jesus I accept you as my Lord and Savior... I open the door of my heart to you... wash away my sins... thank you for loving me... thank you for dying on the cross for ME.

As I wrap this up... the tears are streaming down... they are tear of joy, of love , of amazement that the Lord of Lords loves me... he loves a 'wretch like me'... so much that he sent his only son to earth as a baby... knowing what would become of him, to convince a race like us.....

here are a few lyrics from Chicago native, Matthew West's song "Only Grace"

From the album “History”

There is no guilt here

There is no shame

No pointing fingers

There is no blame

What happened yesterday…has disappeared

The dirt has washed away

And now it's clear

There's only grace

There's only love

There's only mercy and believe me it's enough

Your sins are gone

Without a trace

And there's nothing left now

There's only grace