Hello friends in the blog world!
Once again, it's been quite some time since I've posted. I would love to post more regularly, but writing comes most naturally for me when I am sharing testimonies from ministry experiences or when I'm talking about what God is teaching me-- so there are gaps when I don't feel I have much to say. That being said, I do want to keep up with you all and would like to try being more consistent with my writing. I am also currently interested in getting involved with some of the Lancaster anti-trafficking groups, so if any of you know of any opportunities or openings, please let me know. Thanks for journeying with me!
Most of you know that I got married to my husband Tim in June and I'm enjoying it so much, while also learning and growing and being stretched in all new ways! Many of you also know that my husband's father Raymond died suddenly a week before our wedding, so adjusting to married life for Tim and me is also filled with grieving and questions and lots of processing together. I feel so much grace covering us-- grace to be patient with each other in the scary, honest questions and the sometimes stressful situations; grace to be vulnerable and cry and share our hearts openly. Grace to keep believing God's promises when we don't see them, and knowing that He is walking with us through this...
Last weekend I watched the new Ben Hur movie and Jesus dropped an interesting revelation into my heart right in the middle of it. There's a scene where Judah Ben Hur is marched through Jerusalem by Roman soldiers after he is accused of treason against Rome. He has been beaten and is on his way to the galley ships where he will be a slave for life. Ben Hur, bloody and broken, stumbles and then falls onto the dirt path. Jesus, who is in the crowd, finds some water and then holds a cup up to Ben Hur's mouth so he can drink.
Later in the movie, Jesus is walking the same path, beaten and bloody, on his way to Golgotha to be crucified. Ben Hur- now a free man- returns the favor and takes water to Jesus, against the order of the guards.
As I was watching, I realized how Jesus could offer water and true compassion to Ben Hur, entering fully into his suffering, because Jesus- dwelling beyond time and space- already knew the same suffering would be His one day. When Jesus stepped in and walked with Ben Hur, it wasn't trite or easy or just polite. It was real and raw and gritty.
And when Jesus walks with Tim and me through grieving and questioning and feeling so broken and weak, it isn't just a nice, polite thing He's doing for us. He is literally entering into this with us. And Jesus knows what it's like to lose a father, because He's been there too. The Father turned his face away from Jesus as He was crucified. He was fatherless for three days, separated from a perfect, loving holy Father. So when He walks through this grief with us, with Tim's mom Nancy, with the rest of the family, He gets it. And He covers us with grace and He weeps with us. He's not scared or threatened by the hard questions. He's walking this journey with us and He understands. And I've never been more grateful for His presence.
Once again, it's been quite some time since I've posted. I would love to post more regularly, but writing comes most naturally for me when I am sharing testimonies from ministry experiences or when I'm talking about what God is teaching me-- so there are gaps when I don't feel I have much to say. That being said, I do want to keep up with you all and would like to try being more consistent with my writing. I am also currently interested in getting involved with some of the Lancaster anti-trafficking groups, so if any of you know of any opportunities or openings, please let me know. Thanks for journeying with me!
Most of you know that I got married to my husband Tim in June and I'm enjoying it so much, while also learning and growing and being stretched in all new ways! Many of you also know that my husband's father Raymond died suddenly a week before our wedding, so adjusting to married life for Tim and me is also filled with grieving and questions and lots of processing together. I feel so much grace covering us-- grace to be patient with each other in the scary, honest questions and the sometimes stressful situations; grace to be vulnerable and cry and share our hearts openly. Grace to keep believing God's promises when we don't see them, and knowing that He is walking with us through this...
Last weekend I watched the new Ben Hur movie and Jesus dropped an interesting revelation into my heart right in the middle of it. There's a scene where Judah Ben Hur is marched through Jerusalem by Roman soldiers after he is accused of treason against Rome. He has been beaten and is on his way to the galley ships where he will be a slave for life. Ben Hur, bloody and broken, stumbles and then falls onto the dirt path. Jesus, who is in the crowd, finds some water and then holds a cup up to Ben Hur's mouth so he can drink.
Later in the movie, Jesus is walking the same path, beaten and bloody, on his way to Golgotha to be crucified. Ben Hur- now a free man- returns the favor and takes water to Jesus, against the order of the guards.
As I was watching, I realized how Jesus could offer water and true compassion to Ben Hur, entering fully into his suffering, because Jesus- dwelling beyond time and space- already knew the same suffering would be His one day. When Jesus stepped in and walked with Ben Hur, it wasn't trite or easy or just polite. It was real and raw and gritty.
And when Jesus walks with Tim and me through grieving and questioning and feeling so broken and weak, it isn't just a nice, polite thing He's doing for us. He is literally entering into this with us. And Jesus knows what it's like to lose a father, because He's been there too. The Father turned his face away from Jesus as He was crucified. He was fatherless for three days, separated from a perfect, loving holy Father. So when He walks through this grief with us, with Tim's mom Nancy, with the rest of the family, He gets it. And He covers us with grace and He weeps with us. He's not scared or threatened by the hard questions. He's walking this journey with us and He understands. And I've never been more grateful for His presence.
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