must see

Amazing Grace: The Movie - The Official Movie Website

I never do movie plugs but this is a must see by all of you! It is very well done and the story is passionate and moving. It leaves you with the thought that you can make a difference and it may not be easy but we all hold the ablitiy to do it.

It is so moving so take some time and go see this movie.

That you MY KING would die for me!

I can't seem to keep up with life via my blog. It seems days go by and by but none go past without thinking ooh that would be a good blog. I have so many good entries in my head that never make it to this space. You may be glad that you don't have to read all of my thoughts.

I have been reminded lately through so many different places of how my relationship with God began and who was there and the moments in the beginning. Oh I am so grateful for those people who helped answer so many questions and simply encourage me along the way. I was in a class and we were talking about forgiveness and remembering the gratitude when you realize your sinfulness and truly how much Christ took upon the cross for us. I recalled the first moment I felt this surge of gratitude, we were on a winter retreat in a cabin in northern WI. We simply were hanging out with each other, there were probably 25 of us not too many and one night we had a time of worship, we sang Amazing Love. Some of the lyrics are as follows: Amazing love how can it be that you my king would die for me. This was the line that caught me and brought me to a place of gratitude for Christ death on the cross to forgive my sins. 'That you MY KING would die for me'. I remember at the end of the song blurting something out to everyone wanting them to experience the rush of emotion I was feeling and the grace that was falling down like rain upon me.

As, we are in this season of Lent I am looking forward to celebrating the death and Resurrection of my King once again this year. The newness that I feel each and every day because of his obedience to the Father. I know that I personally take so many things for granted my relationship with God is so easy to take for granted because of my selfishness. I often fail to feel the gratitude of being forgiven so much because I fail to see the depth of my sin. I know so often I walk around as if life is grand without a care in the world because I am a Christian and I give off this air that things are all in place because I am in a relationship with God. This is not an intentional thing I do but getting so comfy cozy with my life and how I have been blessed I don't think about how truly sinful I am. I have been reading in Leviticus (part of reading the Bible in a year) about all the offerings God required and when they must be offered to atone for different sins. There are offerings and God starts out says, "When a person sins UN-intentionally by straying from any of the commands of God, breaking that which must not be broken...when they realize it and become guilty(convicted) even though no one is aware... they should do X,Y, and Z with the priest to make atonement for their sin." Most of the time the sacrifice required an animal and then a whole sacrificial offering afterwards. My thoughts when reading this was I would have no animals left or time to take care of them because I would constantly be in the Altar making sacrifice to atone for my sins. I once again was filled with gratitude for the sacrifice Christ gave on the cross and the shed blood of a perfect Lamb of God for all of my sins. This Lent, I have been intentionally setting time aside to seek Him and once again be brought back to the depth of my unholiness apart from Christ in order to rejoice with gratitude and joy that My King would chose to save my from my sin and then use me in others lives. What a blessing to be used by him. I don't want to wallow in the gravity of my sin because I am made holy by God but we wash over this truth so often in the church because it is hard to live with a good balance of understanding the depth of our sinfulness and the unending grace God lavishes upon us time after time after time!