A Joyous Easter To You!

I love anything written by Max Lucado.  The following excerpts are from Lucado's online daily devotional, relevant to the meaning of Easter.  I love the bunnies and chicks and baskets that are part of the Easter/Spring celebration, but I cherish the true story of Easter.

I will be spending Easter with my husband, our daughter, and our two granddaughters at my parents home in Tennessee.  My Easter will be blessed and I'm wishing each of you a wonderful and blessed Easter too!

March 21:
Never More Human
By Max Lucado

“He poured out His soul unto death.” Isaiah 53:12 NKJV
The scene is very simple; you’ll recognize it quickly. A grove of twisted olive trees. Ground cluttered with large rocks. A low stone fence. A dark, dark night . . .

See that solitary figure? . . . Flat on the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth . . .

That’s Jesus . . . God was never more human than at this hour. God was never nearer to us than when he hurt.


March 22:
He Planned It
By Max Lucado

“This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.” Acts 2:23 NIV

Jesus planned his own sacrifice.
He intentionally planted the tree from which his cross would be carved.

He willingly placed the iron ore in the heart of earth from which the nails would be cast . . .

Christ was the one who set in motion the political machinery that would send Pilate to Jerusalem . . .

He didn’t have to do it—but he did.



March 27:
Three O’Clock
By Max Lucado

“At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours.” Matthew 27:45 TEV

Of course the sky is dark; people are killing the Light of the World . . .

The sky weeps. And a lamb bleats. Remember the time of the scream? “At about three o’clock Jesus cried out.” Three o’clock in the afternoon, the hour of the temple sacrifice. Less than a mile to the east, a finely clothed priest leads a lamb to the slaughter, unaware that his work is futile. Heaven is not looking at the lamb of man but at “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, RSV).



March 28:
A Tree That Will Never Fall
By Max Lucado

“God is strong and can help you not to fall.” Jude 24

Can God really keep you from falling?

To answer that, go to a . . . tree on a barren hill. A tree older than time. A tree that covers the mistakes of your past and the problems of your future. Be assured—that tree will never fall.



March 29:
Such Love
By Max Lucado

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34, NIV

How Jesus, with a body wracked with pain, eyes blinded by his own blood, and lungs yearning for air, could speak on behalf of some heartless thugs is beyond my comprehension. Never, never have I seen such love. If ever a person deserved a shot at revenge, Jesus did. But he didn’t take it. Instead he died for them. How could he do it? I don’t know. But I do know that all of a sudden my wounds seem very painless. My grudges and hard feelings are suddenly childish.

 
 
March 31:
On Behalf Of Jesus
By Max Lucado

“This man has done nothing wrong.” Luke 23:41

Finally someone is defending Jesus. Peter fled. The disciples hid. The Jews accused. Pilate washed his hands. Many could have spoken on behalf of Jesus, but none did. Until now.

Kind words from the lips of a thief. He makes his request. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

The Savior turns his heavy head toward the prodigal child and promises, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

The Covenant

Last week I posted that I was planning to read the Bible in 90 days.  I had randomly come across this challenge online and it sounded great to me.  So far, so good!  I realize it's only been three days, but I've gotten myself settled in with my beloved copy of  The Message every day and read the assigned chapters and verses.  It doesn't seem like it should be on the surface, but not missing a day will be the major challenge.  To miss a day is to increase the reading assignment to thirty some chapters the next day.  In order to glean the most I can from this experience I don't think that's a good idea!  I think my mind would start wondering after the first twenty or so chapters!  For today's Spiritual Sunday post I'd like to share some thoughts with you from my first few days of reading.  If you would like to join the challenge it's not too late - you can catch up!  Follow the link above or on my right side bar to read about the origin of the challenge.  If you would like to have a discussion about some the the text we are reading, I plan to write something about my week's reading every Sunday.  I would love to have you join me!

Is there anyone who doesn't get just a little excited when they see a rainbow?  When I see a rainbow I always say a quick prayer of thanks for the promise it represents.  But while reading Genesis 8, I thought about how lightly we take promises.  We live in a world where commitments are infrequently long term.  Guarantees are no longer an assurance of anything.  The promises of marriage are considered with less permanence and commitment than ever before. The rainbow is God's promise, not to Noah, but a covenant between God and the entire human race.  More than that, Genesis 8:21 seems to show more of a reaffirmation in God's own heart of His original purpose for creating the human race.  I've always thought of the rainbow as a reminder to us.  Actually, Genesis 9:13-15 states that it's purpose is for God to be reminded of His purpose each time He sees the beauty of the rainbow.  "I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shalt be seen in the cloud and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh." (Genesis 9:13-15).

God knew then and still now, that the heart of a human being is not pure and yet He loves us anyway.  The Noahic Covenant was a permanent, lasting, universal promise which encompassed "all living creations", human and animal, for "all generations".  God's covenant was unconditional.  It didn't matter then and it doesn't matter now what we do or how much evil is created on earth, God's Word is a permanent, lasting, forever covenant.   Isaiah 54:9-10 reminds us that His love will never be removed from us. "For this is like the days of Noah to Me; when I swore that the waters of Noah should not flood the earth again, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, nor will I rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My loving kindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken,’ says the Lord who has compassion on you.” 

Here's an incredible thought:  Every single time you admire the magnificence of a rainbow, GOD HIMSELF IS ADMIRING THE VERY SAME RAINBOW AT THE VERY SAME TIME YOU ARE!  And He is thinking about His enduring, forever love for me and for you!  WOW!

What is a rainbow?  It is simply the reflection of the suns rays on particles of moisture.  We see this gift when the sun shines during a rain.  Small in the realm of science, yet so huge in our security of God's vast love for us.  "And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, ‘I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living things as I have done’."  (Genesis 8:21)

It's true that human word is fairly meaningless.  How comforting it is to know that God's word, His covenant, His faithfulness, is our security!

The Arrival...Merry Christmas Eve!

The Arrival - by Max Lucado

God had entered the world as a baby.

Yet, were someone to chance upon the sheep stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem that morning, what a peculiar scene they would behold.

The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine, dung, and sheep reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor.

A more lowly place of birth could not exist.

Off to one side sit a group of shepherds. They sit silently on the floor; perhaps perplexed, perhaps in awe, no doubt in amazement. Their night watch had been interrupted by an explosion of light from heaven and a symphony of angels. God goes to those who have time to hear him—so on this cloudless night he went to simple shepherds. Near the young mother sits the weary father. If anyone is dozing, he is. He can’t remember the last time he sat down. And now that the excitement has subsided a bit, now that Mary and the baby are comfortable, he leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. He still hasn’t figured it all out. The mystery of the event puzzles him. But he hasn’t the energy to wrestle with the questions. What’s important is that the baby is fine and that Mary is safe. As sleep comes he remembers the name the angel told him to use … Jesus. “We will call him Jesus.”

Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph’s saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. “His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:33)

He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being.

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.

She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your journey!

This baby had overlooked the universe. These rags keeping him warm were the robes of eternity. His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen. And worshiping angels had been replaced with kind but bewildered shepherds.

Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he had just sent God into the cold. And the people would scoff at anyone who told them the Messiah lay in the arms of a teenager on the outskirts of their village. They were all too busy to consider the possibility.

Those who missed His Majesty’s arrival that night missed it not because of evil acts or malice; no, they missed it because they simply weren’t looking.

Little has changed in the last two thousand years, has it?

Breath of Heaven - Jessica Simpson

Mary Did You Know

Mary Did You Know - Clay Aiken

Please visit Spiritual Sundays and Praise and Worship Sunday for many inspirational posts!

I Heard The Bells

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Casting Crowns

Giving Thanks All The Time

Giving Thanks in Difficult Times
by Franklin Graham

Some of you may have seen your life savings evaporate in the financial chaos that has brought down some of the pillars of our economy. Some may have lost your homes in a hurricane or foreclosure. Many of us have a personal stake in the battles against terrorism, and thousands of families are grieving for brave soldiers who have sacrificed their lives overseas — and at home.

And that’s just the national headlines—not to mention individual tragedies like cancer and divorce that overshadow many of our lives.

In times like these, when nations are desperate for someone they can trust, Christians know we can always find strength and hope in the Word of the Lord. He tells us through the Apostle Paul, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NKJV).

Paul knew what it meant to praise God in the midst of suffering. He gave up a relatively comfortable and prestigious lifestyle to become an itinerant preacher who was repeatedly persecuted, beaten, shipwrecked and imprisoned. When he prayed to God for relief from a thorn in the flesh—what he called “a messenger of Satan to buffet me” —God answered, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV).

As the world struggles to cope with disease, famine, war, disaster and poverty, it is our responsibility as Christians to assure the world that God is still in control and that He has a plan to rescue all who repent of their sins and trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Not only has He suffered on our behalf, but He has promised to bear our burdens. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV).
For that, we can be eternally thankful.

This old world may be falling apart, but ultimately this is not our home. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28, NIV).

Article reprinted from Decision magazine

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The Buzzard, The Bat, and The Bumblebee

Be sure to visit Spiritual Sundays and Praise and Worship Sunday to find many inspirational posts!

How Great Is Our God - Chris Tomlin

THE BUZZARD:
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from
the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly,
but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT:
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place.  If it is placed on the floor or flat ground all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then at once, it takes off like a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom..
It will seek a way where none exists until it completely destroys itself.

PEOPLE:
In many ways, we are like the buzzard,  the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! And that's the answer, the escape route, and the solution to any problem! Just look up.

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up! How great is our God!

Have a beautiful new week everyone!

In Better Hands

In Better Hands - Natalie Grant

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He Knows My Name

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Bring The Rain

Bring The Rain

Mercy Me

(Don't forget to pause the beach music on my sidebar before listing to Mercy Me)

Story Behind "Bring The Rain"

Please visit Brittany, Sweet Nothings, and Charlotte & Ginger, Spiritual Sundays, for more inspirational posts!

Monk & Neagle

Praise & Worship Sunday is hosted by Brittany, Sweet Nothings. Spiritual Sundays is hosted by Charlotte and Ginger.

video: You Tube

Monk & Neagle

"Hallelujah Jesus"

Keeper of the stars

Lord of time and space

I will live my life

Lifting up Your name

Lover of my heart

God who came to save

Thank You for the cross

And the life You gave

Wonderful, powerful

Jesus is Your name

Hallelujah, Jesus

Hallelujah, Jesus

Hallelujah, Jesus

You are the everlasting God

Author of my life

Friend of sinful man

Holy, mighty God

Ever Great I Am

You’re so wonderful, powerful

Jesus is Your name

Hallelujah, Jesus

Hallelujah, Jesus

Hallelujah, Jesus

You are the everlasting God

Hallelujah, Jesus

Hallelujah, Jesus

Hallelujah, Jesus

My Lord, beautiful You are

I love to sing Your name

I love to sing Your name

I love to sing Your name

I worship and adore You, God

I love to sing Your name

Hallelujah, Jesus

I love to sing Your name

Hallelujah, Jesus

I love to sing Your name

Hallelujah, Jesus

I worship You with all my heart

Wonderful, powerful

Jesus is Your name

Beautiful You

Praise and Worship Sunday is hosted by Brittany, Sweet Nothings. Spiritual Sunday is hosted by Charlotte and Ginger.

Don't forget to pause the beach music on my side bar before listening to "Beautiful You".

This song by Monk & Neagle describes some of the wonders of God's creations on Earth.

"Beautiful You"

All the oceans and the seas know the sound

Of Your beautiful voice

And if You tell them to be calm and be still

They have no other choice

You put the stars in the sky and then

You taught them to shine

They know just what to do

Every morning’s a symphony that’s perfectly timed

Thanks to beautiful You

Beautiful You

I can’t imagine life without You

Beautiful You

I can’t imagine being alone

Beautiful You

The only thing I ever wanna do

Beautiful You

Is have You hold me in Your arms

Beautiful You

All the waterfalls know just where to fall

Brilliant every time

When it rains, you are behind it all

With gentle rhythm and rhyme

Mountains high know Your voice

And they are ready to move where You tell them to

With all my heart, I believe that I can do the same

Thanks to beautiful You

Every ocean, every sea

Every morning’s a symphony

Every drop of rain, every waterfall

All the stars in the sky are so beautiful

Every breath I breathe, every beat of my heart

I feel so alive ‘cause of who You are

Every day I rise, every time I sing

I’m reminded of Your great love for me

You’re beautiful, so beautiful

Beautiful You

I just want to be around You

Beautiful You

I can’t imagine life without You

Beautiful You

There is nothing that I can’t do

Beautiful You

When I build my life around You

Beautiful You

The Ocean Floor

I am sooooo happy and feel sooooo blessed to be in sunny Florida this Sunday with sister-in-law Jeri! I love Audio Adrenaline and thought of this song to post today. It compares the depth of the ocean to God's forgiveness. When we receive forgiveness, it's forever - our failures never to be seen or remembered again by God. Just as if it's all been swept away to the depth of the ocean floor!

Don't forget to pause the beach music on my side bar before clicking on the video...

you tube

"Ocean Floor"

performed by Audio Adrenaline

written by Matthew

The mistakes I've made

That caused pain I could have done without

All my selfish thought

All my pride

The things I hide

You have forgot about

They're all behind you

They'll never find you

They're on the ocean floor

Your sins are forgotten

They're on the bottom

Of the ocean floor

My misdeeds

All my greed

All the things that haunt me now

They're not a pretty sight to see

But they're wiped away

By a mighty, mighty wave

A mighty, mighty wave

Your sins are erase

And they are no more

They're out on the ocean floor

Take them away

To return no more

Take them away

To the ocean floor

Please visit Charlotte and Ginger at Spiritual Sundays and Brittany at Sweet Nothings for more inspirational posts.

Easter Greetings

On this glorious Easter Sunday I offer this video accompanied by Twila Paris singing "How Beautiful". The meaning and beauty of the words needs no explanation.

Please enjoy and may your Easter be blessed with love and beauty!

How Beautiful

Written and performed by Twila Paris

How Beautiful the hands that served

The Wine and the Bread and the sons of the earth

How beautiful the feet that walked

The long dusty roads and the hill to the cross

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

*****

How Beautiful the heart that bled

That took all my sin and bore it instead

How beautiful the tender eyes

That choose to forgive and never despise

How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

*****

And as He lay down His life

We offer this sacrifice

That we will live just as He died

Willing to pay the price

Willing to pay the price

How Beautiful the radiant bride

Who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes

How Beautiful when humble hearts give

The fruit of pure lives so that others may live

How beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

*****

How beautiful the feet that bring

The sound of good news and the love of the King

How Beautiful the hands that serve

The wine and the bread and the sons of the Earth

How Beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ

Please visit Brittany, Sweet Nothings, to find more Praise & Worship Sunday posts and click on this button to find links to more Spiritual Sunday posts.

A Symbol of Faith

I love everything Max Lucado writes. I thought this piece about the meaning of the cross was especially timely on Good Friday. May your Easter weekend be especially blessed!

The Cross...by Max Lucado

The cross.

Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. An odd choice, don’t you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. The symbols of other faiths are more upbeat: the six-pointed star of David, the crescent moon of Islam, a lotus blossom for Buddhism. Yet a cross for Christianity? An instrument of execution?

Would you wear a tiny electric chair around your neck? Suspend a gold-plated hangman’s noose on the wall? Would you print a picture of a firing squad on a business card? Yet we do so with the cross. Many even make the sign of the cross as they pray. Would we make the sign of, say, a guillotine? Instead of the triangular touch on the forehead and shoulders, how about a karate chop on the palm? Doesn’t quite have the same feel, does it?

Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn’t be simpler. One beam horizontal—the other vertical. One reaches out—like God’s love. The other reaches up—as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.

How could he do this? In a sentence: God put our sin on his Son and punished it there.

“God put on him the wrong who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God” (2 Cor. 5:21 MSG).

The Bridge

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This week my daughter attended the MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) Easter brunch at our church and this video was presented to the ladies. She said there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Julie could hardly wait to get home and forward the video to her dad and I and some other family and friends - I just watched it this evening and I must say, she didn't exaggerate! God's love is beautifully represented through the true story of a young fathers sacrifice. Have some Kleenex handy!

I have always been fascinated by Palm Sunday. God Himself in human form, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, where He would be tortured and killed that same week. The sacrifice is just overwhelmingly huge!

Have a glorious Palm Sunday!

The Sneeze

Click on the "Spiritual Sunday" button above to find links to inspirational posts each Sunday!

THE SNEEZE

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps, they looked almost as grown up as they felt.

Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, Moms freely brushed away tears.

This class would NOT pray during the commencements - not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several student speakers were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families.

The speeches were nice, but they were routine.....until the final speaker, who received a standing ovation.

A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then it happened.

All 92 students, every single one of them in unison, suddenly SNEEZED!!!!

The student on stage... simply looked at the audience and said,

"GOD BLESS YOU, each and every one of you!' And he walked off stage.

The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval!

Amazing Grace

I simply cannot hear Amazing Grace sung or even read the lyrics without crying. It's message is one of complete, implicit truth. The truth of the words lies in both the values of man and of God. The testimony of this song is even more powerful because it's author had lived a deeply sinful, immoral, and unethical life prior to one fateful day at sea when he found eternal life.

John Newton and the lyrics to Amazing Grace :
John Newton, the author of the lyrics to Amazing Grace, was born in 1725 in Wapping, London, United Kingdom. Despite the powerful message of "Amazing Grace," Newton's religious beliefs initially lacked conviction; his youth was marked by religious confusion and a lack of moral self-control and discipline.

After a brief time in the Royal navy, Newton began his career in slave trading. The turning point in Newton's spiritual life was a violent storm that occurred one night while at sea. Moments after he left the deck, the crewman who had taken his place was swept overboard. Although he manned the vessel for the remainder of the tempest, he later commented that, throughout the tumult, he realized his helplessness and concluded that only the grace of God could save him. Prodded by what he had read in Thomas a' Kempis' Imitation of Christ, Newton took the first step toward accepting faith.

These incidents and his 1750 marriage to Mary Catlett changed Newton significantly. On his slave voyages, he encouraged the sailors under his charge to pray. He also began to ensure that every member of his crew treated their human cargo with gentleness and concern. Nevertheless, it would be another 40 years until Newton openly challenged the trafficking of slaves. Some three years after his marriage, Newton suffered a stroke that prevented him from returning to sea; in time, he interpreted this as another step in his spiritual voyage. He assumed a post in the Customs Office in the port of Liverpool and began to explore Christianity more fully. As Newton attempted to experience all the various expressions of Christianity, it became clear that he was being called to the ministry. Since Newton lacked a university degree, he could not be ordained through normal channels. However, the landlord of the parish at Olney was so impressed with the letters Newton had written about his conversion that he offered the church to Newton; he was ordained in June 1764.

In Olney, the new curate met the poet William Cowper, also a newly-born Christian. Their Friendship led to a spiritual collaboration that completed the inspiration for "Amazing Grace".

SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA

Please enjoy this beautiful performance and video.

"Amazing Grace"

Written by: John Newton

performed by: LL Divo

Video: You Tube

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and

Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease,

I shall possess within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

Please visit Brittany at Sweet Nothings for additional Worship & Praise posts as well as Spiritual Sundays to find inspirational posts.

Just A Simple Girl

My daughter started a blog, The Princess Diaries, months ago and has had little time to write with two little girls, a busy husband, a job as a gymnastics coach, and an active member of our church and choir. She recently came back to blogging and wrote what I think is a really beautiful post about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I think of my daughter mostly as my sweet little girl, but reading this little article she wrote made me realize just how thoroughly she shares the emotions of every woman and mother. I think you will enjoy reading Julie's thoughts on Mary - a simple girl's journey to extraordinary motherhood.

A Simple Girls Journey To Extraordinary Motherhood by Julie for The Princess Diaries:

"At my most recent MOPS meeting, we were asked to consider Christmas simply. Mary was a mom, just like me (except her child was God!). I'm sure she had morning sickness, swollen ankles, exhaustion, varicose veins, weight gain, headaches and all the rest of it during her pregnancy with Jesus. And then, when she was nice and huge, she had to ride to Bethlehem ON A DONKEY?! Um...no thanks. No wonder she went into labor as soon as they arrived! Oh, and there were no epidurals. Just labor on the dirt floor covered in dirty straw. Back then, a woman's family would attend her birth. But Mary didn't have her mama. Just Joseph, who was probably as nervous as any dad would be today. Oh, and lets not forget the farm animals! Um...no thanks. What did she think when she heard Jesus' first cry? I imagine it was much the same as the rest of us when our babies were born. Except she had the added stress of knowing she had to raise God's son. After the baby was born, they had to wrap him in dirty rags and use an animal feed trough as a bassinet. The first visitors were a bunch of shepherds who probably smelled of sheep. No hand sanitizer to get rid of the sheep germs before touching the baby! But you know what, Mary pondered ALL of these things and treasured them in her heart. I had never thought of Christmas in this way, but I really enjoyed that MOPS meeting! I hope that you are able to take some time this Christmas to treasure in YOUR heart the precious simplicity of the birth of our Savior! "

Spiritual Sundays is hosted by Charlotte and Ginger. Stop by today to read some inspirational postings.