Victory...

God uses many things...people, situations, phrases, His Word, a host of ways to reach our hearts. How little I knew of the nature of God. The love of Jesus, the working of the Holy Spirit until I looked back over the past seven months. Remember the old Etch-A-Sketch's we used to play with when we were kids. You'd turn the knobs, not like what you drew, turn the thing upside down and shake. When you turned it back over, the slate was fresh, ready to draw all over again.

That's the way my life feels. Like God turned me over, shook me really hard and said "There! Now we can start anew!"

God has used things like ACU, new friends, The Shack, Doug Y., Paul Y., my anger, Southern Hills church, my broken heart, my parents, my sisters to show me who He is in a whole new way. I've learned that the most profound gifts often come wrapped in the ugliest of packages.

I've seen God working in my friends, I've seen Him celebrate His children home, I've seen Him snatch a 4 year old from the hands of death. And I'm a changed person.

It's with this changed heart that I feel this Easter deeper than I ever have. The realization of what our Savior did for us, how much love He had for us. Someone recently told me that often love has to walk away. That Jesus loved us enough to leave Heaven and God loved him so much, He let Him go.

Ultimately, the victory is when Christ comes and takes us home! We have been reconciled by His death and are now qualified to be His heirs.

God is good....Jesus rescued us! Happy Easter!!!