Do you have a bruise?

I have been thinking today about Luke 4:18. It says, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

I had never really paid much attention to the last statement, to set at liberty them that are bruised, until a friend was telling me what that verse meant to them. Many of us have been hurt in our lives by people and circumstances. Those hurts have caused bruises. Sometimes those bruises go away with no trouble at all. Other times, it may get re-injured and cause more pain.

One of Jesus' jobs here on the earth was to set us free from those things. He doesn't want us nursing wounds from the past, He wants to set us free. Notice that it doesn't say that He came to heal them that are bruised. It says He came to set them free! That is because if we don't let go of those past hurts, we will be forever bound by our past.

Receive the freedom that Jesus provided! Stop rehearsing past hurts and move on! Hey, just so you know, I am talking to myself here as well. Release the people that have wronged you and be free! It feels oh, so good!

Happy Easter!

Yes, I realize I am a day late! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday. We had a great day of celebration. Great services, great lunch and then Tennessee beat Butler. Could I ask for a better day?! I thought I would share some pictures of my girls from the weekend.



The first picture is from the egg hunt. Kate put one egg in her basket, opened it and proceeded to suck on the Milky Way for the next 45 minutes. That was all she needed!

The second picture speaks for itself. I just should have wiped Kate's nose. Derek was taking the pictures while I was getting dressed. What a great weekend!

March Madness

Yes, I have gotten into March Madness this year. One reason is, for once, Tennessee has a good men's team. And, as a church staff, we have all filled out our brackets and are competing against one another. The funniest thing of all is that the person who probably cares the least about all of this is winning! Pastor John is currently 8th in the nation!

This is driving Derek crazy! He keeps studying John's bracket looking for the weak link! It is funny! I will keep you all posted because it is early in the tournament. The best thing would be Tennessee making it to the Sweet 16 because that is hosted here in Charlotte. How fun would that be?

It's The Little Things

Little things are important. How many times have you received a little note of appreciation from someone that meant a lot to you? I often find myself thinking about someone and then doing nothing about it.

Derek often talks about when you are thinking of someone you should do one of two things; pray for them, call them or both. It doesn't take a long time to give someone a quick call to tell them you were thinking about them. Or when you are out and you see something that reminds you of a friend buy it for them.

It may seem like a small gesture, but it means a lot to know that someone was thinking about you. Hebrews 10:24 says, Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Look for ways to encourage other people, even if it seems small.

Hallelujah!

I'm healed! Derek and I both had the flu for almost two weeks, and it was not good. But Sunday was the first day I felt like myself again. It got to the point where I was wondering when I would feel good again (yes, I was feeling sorry for myself).

It took me a while to get to the place of "counting it all joy". It is amazing how when you are not feeling well, it affects everything. It definitely made me thankful that I don't deal with sickness often. I hardly ever get sick, so this was quite a blow. But enough negativity, I am so thankful to get back to my normal life, and I am so full of joy! Woo-hoo!! Thank you for all your prayers!