Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful

My roommate Justin cornered me into doing something I didn’t want any part of.  If you know me, you already know that I am not a huge fan of doing things I don’t want to do.  Typically, I will simply refuse and leave it at that.  This was different, though.  I could see the importance of the request, and I wanted to oblige, even though it would be a most uncomfortable situation for me.

He wanted me to watch “The Passion of the Christ” with him.  I have only seen the movie once before, and it was an extremely emotional experience for me.  I am not one that likes to let my emotions be exposed to others, and so at first I told him he would have to go it alone.  He brought it up again a few more times through the week until I finally caved.

As I watched Jim Caviezel portray my Savior, something really stood out to me.  This must have been an amazing experience to have… To be Jesus on the big screen.  I remember the free VHS tape called “Jesus” that came to everyone in the mail when I was a kid.  (They’re now found for 2 bucks in any Goodwill store.). No one can tell you who played Jesus in that film.  Some people never even popped it into their VCR.  But, they know Jim Caviezel.  I’m not certain if the film did much to boost Caviezel’s IMDB credits, but surely to this day, he has people who walk up to him and say “Hey, you’re Jesus!”

Something else really stood out to me while I watched the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ on my big Sony screen.  I have never died on a cross… nor has Jim Caviezel.  When Jesus was on the cross and said “I thirst,” he was given vinegar diluted with water… when Caviezel had thirst, twelve people came running with gatorade and and any flavor of Snapple imaginable.  When Christ was beaten, his flesh was literally ripped and torn from his body.  When Caviezel was beaten, the tearing of skin was computer generated.

He and I will never know what it is like to be accused, beaten, mocked, and eventually brutally murdered for the sins of others.  Our natural instinct is to dodge responsibility.  When we were kids, and we broke our mom’s lamp, or one of our dad’s tools, our instincts would tell us to blame a sibling, or even the dog or cat if it seemed believable.  But not Christ.  Like a Secret Service agent for the President, he jumped in front of the bullets for us all and said “I got this!”

“Oh Lord, you’re beautiful
Your face is all I seek
And when your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me”

What Christ did for us is what makes Him so beautiful.  It’s the fact that God loved us so much that he gave His Son.  Show me a man made God that could do that for you.  His love for me is what keeps me going day after day.  It’s why I never give up, even though I try to convince myself so hard that I have so many reasons to.

“I want to take your word and shine it all around
But first help me just to live it Lord
And when I’m doing well, help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to you”

Although I was once again brought to tears as I watched The Passion of the Christ, I know that what I saw was a very beautiful thing.  As I wake every morning, and lay my head down each night, I pray that every step I take, breath I breather, and word I speak  in between will exalt the name of Jesus.  If it doesn’t, I need to question if I really changed when I asked Him into my heart.  He is full of mercy and grace, and He wants a relationship with me.  I owe Him nothing less.  He is a beautiful man.

♫♪ “Oh Lord You’re Beautiful” by Brian Johnson contributed to the composition of this story.

♫♪ Forevermore ♫♪ (Easter 2012)

Have you ever been in love?  I have, and I still am today.  Now, you’re probably thinking the obvious thing that most people think when they hear “in love.”  About 99% of all people will think of a relationship with a spouse or a significant other.  Well, for now, that IS what I’m talking about.

The strong feeling of love toward another person is the coolest feeling you will ever endure in your life.  I can remember the first girl that I ever felt that toward.  Haha, we were in 2^nd grade!  Christy.  I was terrified to tell her that I liked her because she was so “sophisticated,” while I was… an idiot.  I was the class comedian.  (Let me tell you the difference…  The “Class Clown” is the person who would run across the football field during a game completely nude…  I was the “Class Comedian…”  I was the one who talked the Class Clown into doing it!”)

But there was no way on Earth that I had a chance with Christy, so I never asked, even to the point of our graduation night.  I gave her a hug that night, and then read in the newspaper a few years later that she married this dude in our class that I HATED!  I’m still irritated to this day about that.  I mean, I didn’t like him in 2^nd grade, so I CERTAINLY don’t like him now!

♫♪ “There are times when I just want to look at your face
With the stars in the night
There are times when I just want to feel your embrace
In the cold night
I just can’t believe that you are mine now.” ♫♪

When I accepted Jesus, I learned that He was a man who gave up everything for me… a total stranger.  Except, I learned that I was actually NOT a total stranger to Him at all.  Even though I had never formally introduced myself to Him, He knew me because He was the man who created me.  I was on His mind the whole time, and even though I never gave Him the time of day, I was to be part of His destiny.  What He would endure not long after His 33^rd birthday would be for me.

♫♪ “You were just a dream that I once knew
I never thought I would be right for you
I just can’t compare you with anything in this world
You’re all I need to be with forevermore.” ♫♪

I was probably never on Christy’s radar the whole time we were in school.  Make no mistake, she was always very nice to me.  I cannot remember a single time when she ever treated me like so many others did.  She was always such a great friend to me.  But still, I was likely just a face in the crowd.

But that was never the case with Jesus.  He knew that I would sin, not just once, but many times.  And He knew that I would sometimes deny him by my lifestyle, and sometimes sell him out… nor for anything like gold or silver, but for something as small as another 15 minutes of sleep.  But, He never gave up on me, even when I was ready to give up on myself.

Today, nearly 2000 years ago, Christ was beaten and stabbed, hung on a cross while being mocked, and suffered such humiliation… for me.  He died for me… In two days, I will celebrate not only his triumphant victory as he completely OWNED the enemy, and walked out of a “borrowed” tomb… but I am celebrating a promise that He will return, and take me to be with Him to a place where I will never suffer again.  A place not of excellence, but perfection.  A place that He has spent an awful lot of time preparing just for me.  And you, too.

This Easter, I’m focusing on the fact that I have someone in my life that I never deserved… and that makes Him love me ever more.  He took such a sacrifice for me… an ultimate sacrifice!  It was one that I cannot repay, but I don’t have to!  All He wants is a relationship with me.  The only dying I have to do is to myself, and my sins, and my selfish ways.  And when it’s all said and done, He will be mine forevermore.

♫♪ “Time and again
There are these changes that we cannot end
As sure as the time keeps going on and on
My love for you will be forevermore.” ♫♪

 

♫♪ “Forevermore” by David Archuleta contributed to the composition of this blog.

♫♪ Redeemer ♫♪

I’ve been VERY stressed lately. Actually to the point that my blood pressure has risen. This is something that I am trying to avoid at all costs, because I’m certain that worry is one reason my mom lays helpless in a nursing home after she’s suffered two strokes. This woman cannot move her limbs, cannot eat solid food, and can barely speak. Let me make you fully aware of something… that’s what worrying yourself too much can do for you. My mom worried about everything. Finances, her health, and even things that really didn’t even have to do with her. She worried all the time, and this is something I catch myself doing too. I have to stop!

I claim to have a lot on my mind, and a lot to worry about. I’ve got this chaotic tour schedule that I have to worry about, I’ve got all of the finances that it’s going to take to ensure that the tour actually happens, and I am looking at the price of fuel and airline tickets rising every day. Agghhh!!! This is so frustrating! … See what I mean? If I think too long, I can come up with something to worry about.

Today, during my quiet time, which takes me down this beautiful long dirt road near my house, I listened to a song that really got me thinking. It’s “Redeemer,” by Nicole C Mullen. It was a huge hit a decade ago when it first came out, and it’s still powerful enough that Christian radio will still play it every day or two. Look at these lyrics…

♫♪ “Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?
and Who told the ocean you can only come this far?
and Who showed the moon where to hide ’til evening?
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

The very same God that spins things in orbit
runs to the weary, the worn and the weak.
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I’m broken
They conquered death to bring me victory.

He lives to take away my shame.
And He lives forever, I’ll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave.
But now He’s alive and
There’s an empty grave.” ♫♪

Dictionary.com describes Jesus as a redeemer who “redeems us from all evil by the payment of a ransom.” We all know that this was from the cross. We’re coming up on Easter at the end of this week. We’ll watch “The Passion of the Christ,” and we’ll all dress up in our very best clothes… (church congregations look like a box of crayons on this day) and later in the day, we’ll hide colored eggs for the kids.

You guys, there’s so much more to this day. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow. We can trust in Him to be there when we need Him most. No matter what life throws at us, we have someone who loves and cares for us. He is in full control. Because He lives, we have absolutely nothing to fear. We don’t have to fear death, or sickness, nor do we have to fear the uncertainty of the future. If we have a personal relationship with Him, we don’t have to worry about eternity.

“How do I know He lives?” My quiet time gave me the answer. I looked at trees with beautiful green leaves. I looked at the sun, and remembered that it gives us life and we can count on it at the same time everyday. It provides the our crops part of what they need to grow. It gives us light to see. Heck, I walked outside 10 minutes ago into my yard that contains no artificial light, and I saw my shadow. How? It’s a full moon tonight. I stared at if for a few minutes before walking back inside to finish this blog.

He Lives. He’s there. He’s our Redeemer. He’s already paid the ransom. If you’re lost, come back home. Use the sun and the moon as your guide. Use them as a reminder that He lives. Look at green grass and leafy trees. Remember that God created them for a purpose. Come home. He’s waiting for you. Trust in Him, and trust Him always.

“Redeemer” by Nicole C Mullen contributed to the composition of this post.