Looking ahead...

"We need the resurrection," she spoke gently with tears welling,  "everything is broken, and I am looking ahead to Easter like never before." That's it. As my friend described the brokenness of life around her, and the hope she knows has been won for her, I couldn't help but feel the weight of her words. Our hope, the resurrection of Christ. The One who reconciled us to God, not only in His life & death, but in the finality of His resurrection. 

My heart aches for the coming of our King, to make things right, but mostly to see His face. To hear, "I have loved you, and always will, you are my beloved bride..." Whew. Can you imagine? 

If you don't mind me being vulnerable for a moment: Last night, Austin whispered to me, "K, you are a gift." He has said it a million times before. Just a few minutes earlier I had been praying that God would help me to receive His Love through Austin. This time, it hit me. I heard God saying that I am His prize. Whew. I wept. Immediately. (Austin's face was priceless).

This lenten season we are walking through scripture as a church, each day having different verses- and overall divided into three 'movements'. We are now delving into "reconciliation with God". 

Here are the verses from today: 

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.

 Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

and 

Romans 8:1-8 (We are reading this everyday for all 40 days)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

and a line from Valley of Vision on reconciliation:

...Thou hast taught me the necessity of a Mediator,

   a Messiah,

   to be embraced in love with all my heart,

     as king to rule me,

     as prophet to guide me,

     as priest to take away my sin and death,

   and this by faith in thy beloved Son

     who teaches me

   not to guide myself,

   not to obey myself,

   not to try to rule and conquer sin,

   but to cleave to the one who will do all for me.

Thou hast made known to me

   that to save me is Christ’s work,

   but to cleave to him by faith is my work,

   and with this faith is the necessity of my

     daily repentance

   as a mourning for the sin which Christ

     by grace has removed...

Thanks so much for reading. I hope this encourages you. Here are some photos from the house! 

Dining space; our barely-started curtain project. Note all the chairs have different colored cushions!

A housewarming plant from Carolina's mom, sweet friends...with a view of the living room.

Sharing a bottle of champagne to celebrate the LORD & this house, thanks Shawn & Shayna!!

All of our art, yet to be hung. Perhaps now we have space for all of it?

A MOUND of clothes, ready to be washed! This is what happens when we don't have a washer just yet.

K