Preparing for Easter ~ Plot

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put [Jesus] to death, for they feared the people.
Luke 22:1-2 ESV

These religious leaders plotted to kill Jesus, the Son of God, yet they feared the people. How like them we are ~ plotting to have our own way, to do our own thing and do it the way we want. How like them we are ~ choosing a path that does not give God glory and worrying about what "people" will think.

As Passover drew near, a very special time for remembrance, they were not preparing for their own feast, rather they were scheming to take Jesus out of the picture. How like them we are ~ instead of preparing our hearts to celebrate the Risen Savior, we busy ourselves with Spring's garden needs, a new wardrobe, trips to the beach, gifts for Easter baskets, and Summer's plans. Today, the world still schemes and plots to take Jesus out of Easter, and we are its accomplices.

Our sacrifice of praise ~
In the busy schedules, remember Who this celebration praises! Put "Good Friday" and "Easter Sunday" back into your Spring Break. ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Works

We thank You, God, we thank You -
Your Name is our favorite word;
Your mighty works are all we talk about.
Psalm 75:1 The Message

Unfortunately, this does not often reflect our lives. We simply do not talk about God's mighty works on a daily basis. The world denies and contradicts the character of God, and we silently disagree. The world boasts and mocks the holiness of Jesus, and we look down and away, quietly shaking our head in disbelief. If our hearts are thank-full and our souls grace-full and our minds wonder-full, while the world continues to shun God, we should begin to speak about His mighty works ~ all the time!

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Tell someone of God's mighty works in your life ~ tell your God-story! ~dho

Read and share the God-story of my nephew Thomas and the Lemonade Stand! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/thomasmcgirr

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Encourage

May the God of hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!
Romans 15:13 The Message

I read a modern-day parable:
"Some time ago, an advertisement appeared in which the devil was putting his tools up for sale. On the day of public inspection, each one of his tools: Hatred, Envy, Jealousy, Doubt, Lying, Pride, and so on, was marked with its selling price. Set apart, however, from all the rest, was a harmless-looking tool, well-worn, but priced very high - it was discouragement!

Someone asked the devil, "Why is that one priced so high?" He replied, "Ah, that one is more useful to me than all the rest. With it I can pry open a heart and enter, when I cannot get near with any other tool. Once inside, I can lead the person any way I choose. The tool is very worn because I use it on almost everyone, since few people know it belongs to me."

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Encourage someone today! ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Expression

Palm Sunday
. . . the large crowd . . . heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, [and with] branches of the palm trees, went out to meet Him and began to shout, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD. John 12:12-13 NASB

Hosanna, an expression of joy and praise for deliverance granted or anticipated, was the crowd's chant as Jesus rode into Jerusalem that morning. Hosanna was the word that meant, "Praise God and His Messiah, we are saved." The Disciples and other followers still thought that the Messiah would be an earthly king; the week's events would soon reveal their confusion. If we had stood along side the road, waving our palm branches, shouting Hosanna!, where would we be standing by the week's end?

Even believers, the very ones of us who profess the truths about Christ, discover places that merge with doubt and confusion. We find our prayers answered in ways that differ from our hopes. We meet circumstances face to face and waiver. We seek more from the world but need more from the Messiah.

As this Lenten series started with a Scripture in Hebrews, let's look at it again, see if we have learned anything about this sacrifice of praise.

Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in the working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in the acts of worship - a different kind of "sacrifice" - that takes place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.
Hebrews 13:15-16 The Message

Our sacrifice of praise ~
When we stand along side of the road today as everyday people pass our way, let's shout Hosanna! and mean it! ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Preparing for Easter ~ Shout!

I'm ready, God, so ready, 
ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:
"Wake up, soul!"
Psalm 57:7 The Message
A year ago I spent the better part of a day touring Daufuskie Island, just off the coast of Hilton Head, SC. An island full of rich history and Gullah culture merging with renewal and preservation today, my thoughts were captured. We stopped and toured a church still used today, very small by any of the standards of today's churches. Out to the side was a small unpainted, wooded structure not bigger than an outdoor garden shed. It was not the original but a replica. Above the door it read "Praise House."


The Gullah people used this little house as a house of prayer and praise. Apparently, the prayers started quiet and as inspiration led, the prayers would become more intense, eventually becoming 'Praise Shouts'! As I thought about that progression of the moving of the Spirit, I wondered how often is my soul moved to the point of Praise Shouts? And when this happens, do I just contain the joy or does my response raise a tune of praise to the Lord?



Our sacrifice of praise ~
Psalm 57:9 msg, "I'm thanking you, God, out loud in the streets, singing Your praises in town and country." Try praising God ~ in public! ~dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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Preparing for Easter ~ Mystery

. . . the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, . . . according to His own mercy . . . and renewal of the Holy Spirit . . . that we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4-7 ESV

Christians know these truths about undeserved mercy and grace, how Jesus became our sin-offering, and that Jesus is the Hope of everlasting life. Yet, this remains a mystery. God's goodness is changeless and certain, but it exceeds explanation. Embrace the mystery!

Be with me in my silence and in my speech, in my haste and in my leisure, in company and in solitude, in the freshness of the morning and in the weariness of the evening; and give me grace at all times to rejoice in Thy mysterious companionship.
John Baille

Our sacrifice of praise ~
Find one new way to rejoice in God's mysterious companionship! ~ dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2010 by Donna Oswalt

breathing room for my soul

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

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"May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”