All For Love

The scene was Gethsemane on the night Jesus was betrayed. His words as always showing inexplicable mixture of fully human and fully God.

"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine" Mark 14:36

Author Ken Gire in his book Moments with the Savior describes the scene: "His hands are no longer clutching the grass in despair. They are no longer clasping each other in prayer. They are raised to heaven, reaching for the cup from his Father's hand. And though it is a terrible cup, brimming with the wrath of God for the ferment of sin from centuries past and centuries yet to come, and though it is a cup he fears, he takes it. Because more that he fears the cup, he loves the hand from which it comes."

A picture of sacrifice all for love not only for the Father but for you and me. Let's worship HIM in thanksgiving for the sacrifice and in commitment to live our own life of sacrifice.

Excellence from the Heart - Mark

I've Found I Can Stand

We usually do a pretty contemporary style of music but I still have southern gospel genes. Here's a very rough video of our gospel group, Cornerstone, singing a song I wrote,"I Found I Can Stand".

It was a song born out of tragedy. I attended the funeral of a precious young lady, Joanna Dalton Knepper, who was tragically killed when her car was struck by a drunk driver. One of the illustrations in the eulogy planted the seed that blossomed into a song.

We say time and again, "How can people without a relationship with Jesus make it through tough times?" I still don't know the answer to that one. What I do know from personal experience is when those in Christ reach the bottom, you will find you are standing or more likely kneeling broken on the Solid Rock of Jesus. He is there with open arms to comfort, heal and restore. I've found I can stand.