It’s a good day

Today is Good Friday. Why is it so good anyways? It’s a time of reflection of the life-giving sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, so that we would be redeemed and saved. Holy Week and the days leading up to Easter are a special and sacred time of remembrance and celebration of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This year, my husband and I decided to participate in the Good Friday Experience at our church, Henderson Hills Baptist Church. The church has offered this multi-sensory experience for a few years now, but this is the first time that I’ve actually participated. It was such an incredible physical journey, using all the senses, to really understand the gravity of the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

Galations 2:20 is a perfect verse to remember during this time. Download the free 4x6 printable here or click on the verse above to download and save the image as your iPhone wallpaper. Click here to download the iPhone 4 compatible image.

Here are some of the church's photos of Good Friday from last year:

"...washed by the cleansing of God's word" | Ephesians 5:26 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end." | John 13:1 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over." | Matthew 26:14-16 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” | 1 Peter 2:24 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." | Isaiah 53:5 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"...Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds." | John 19:39 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." | Luke 23-34 {hhbcphotos via flickr.com}

Weekend with the girls

In this crazy and hectic life, there are times when all we need is just a refreshing break spent in fellowship with other believers to revel in the majesty of our Savior. This weekend, my church Henderson Hills Baptist Church held a women's retreat called Gathering of Girlfriends, where hundreds of women came together to worship and draw closer to God. It was also a sweet time spent getting to know some girls better, and I'm also pretty sure I almost overdosed on chocolate and sweets.

My Sunday school group at the Gathering of Girlfriends

Although my church has been doing these retreats for years, this was actually my first year to attend. My husband happened to be out of town for a work conference this same weekend, so I felt an even stronger conviction to go this year. As I rushed out of work Friday evening into bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate, I sat in my car frustrated and frazzled but also anticipated what God wanted me to learn this weekend. Surely, He has me going to this thing for a reason. 

Earlier this week, I had already picked out and designed my new memory verse for the upcoming week and saved it to my iPhone. This verse happened to be what He kept bringing back to me throughout the retreat. It speaks of where and who our true hope and peace lie. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit," Romans 15:13.  

There is so much packed into this one verse if you carefully dissect it, but the word He kept whispering to me was "hope". Hope is a word that is used so frequently in everyday life..."I hope it doesn't rain," "I hope I can go to bed early," "I hope [insert sports team name] wins," etc. Whenever we use the word hope, we use it with the expectation of uncertainty of the future. This verse says that God is the "God of hope"...He is our hope, He is our future, He is certain of what will happen in the future; all we have to do is trust. 

Download the free 4x6 printable to remind you of this promise or save it as your iPhone wallpaper by clicking on the image of the verse and saving it to your phone. 

Also, here's one of my new favorite praise songs that we sang at the retreat.  

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You’re my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You’re my Portion
I believe You’re more than enough for me
Jesus You’re all I need

My Healer, You’re my Healer

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands