I’m so glad I found this song.  I apparently am not the only one because it won Song of the Year at the 2011 Dove Awards.   Jason’s rich voice and simple clarity makes Sometimes I Cry a true expression of a simple truth:  No matter how strong your faith, sometimes the walk can be hard.

I try to speak faith
never give the devil one inch to get in
I do worship and praise
let everybody know just where that I stand
on the back of my ride is a fish and a cross
for the world to see
I know God is good, all of the time
yes there’s no doubt for me

Chorus
But sometimes I hurt and sometimes I cry
sometimes I can’t get it right
no matter how hard I seem to try
sometimes I fall down
stumble over my own disguise
I try to look strong
as the whole world looks on
but sometimes alone I cry

My favorite line is when the chorus says “Sometimes I can’t get it right no matter how hard I try.”  It’s time like those we fall back on Jesus’ ability to use our mistakes.  Sit back and let the truth of this lovely song melt through you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE0Gb28MF4c

My daughter first introduced me to fantasy literature several years ago and I have found a love for it ever sense.  It’s wonderful to find a skilled author that can create not only characters and plots but an entirely new world.  Anne Elisabeth Stengl has done a wonderful job of grabbing the reader into her magical world in Heartless.  The story opens with a castle, a king and a princess but then  mysterious magical creatures come out of the ancient woods and the real fun begins.

The real jewel of this book is the subtle way Stengl develops the religious allegory themes in the book.  What I mean by that?  Jesus is all over this book.   The themes of the book are not only about Jesus sacrificing for us but our need to die to be born again.  Powerful stuff.  So if you like Narnia, Lord of the Rings type books that show God through the characters and symbolism of the story, give Heartless a try.  It’s a good world to be swept up into…

http://books.google.com/books?id=ovRvBtnmov4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=heartless+stengl&source=bl&ots=5wfQIMW5Z8&sig=H8-wAFLGZUg2G9sQnctcG2X554k&hl=en&ei=T2C5Tc-YB9CutwfYz-HeBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

COST: FREE

Cope By Faith is a Christian Cancer Support Group for anyone impacted by cancer: patient, survivor or caregiver.  Each week the group will focus on a topic which impacts the cancer journey: faith, healing, prayer, stress management, relationships and healthy living.  All materials will be provided.

Limited enrollment. Call 314-238-2000 to register.

Leader: Karen Tripp LMFT Author of God is Bigger Than Your Cancer

Sponsored by The Lutheran Foundation and the Cancer Support Community

Some people say there is a good reason my last name is “Tripp”.  You see I have a tendency to trip over things.  Sometimes it’s a rug corner or an empty pair of shoes.  But at times I will find myself banging into a wall or tripping over thin air.  I guess you could say stumbling for me is a way of life.  It certainly keeps things interesting.

Jesus had an occasion when someone tried to make Him stumble.  What does trying to make Jesus stumble look like?  It looks like telling Jesus He should not suffer and die for us.  Who would do such a thing?  It was Peter, perhaps Jesus’ most passionate and dedicated disciple.  Matthew 16 tells us that Jesus began to explain to the disciples that His goal in ministry was to suffer, die and rise again. The thought of Jesus dying was painful news to the disciples so Peter cried out to Jesus “ Never lord! This shall never happen to you!”

As a lover of Christ myself, I have to tell you that I can see where Peter was coming from.  After having lived side by side with Jesus for years, Peter was probably frightened of life without Him.  I really believe Peter had the best intentions but Peter’s love for Jesus didn’t stop the negativity of His words.  What did Jesus think of Peter’s words?  Jesus looked at Peter and said “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.”   A stumbling block?  Doesn’t that sound a little harsh?  How was Peter being a stumbling block?

Picture it this way.  Imagine Satan has spent all of Jesus’ earthly ministry trying to accomplish one goal: Don’t let Jesus die on the cross.  And what does Peter say to Jesus?  Exactly what Satan wants to have happen.  Peter’s desire for Jesus not to die would be a dream come true for Satan.

The scary message of this story is that people that love us and have the best intentions for us can get in the way of us taking God’s path for us.  Our loved ones can become stumbling blocks.  How?  Because they are scared of what will happen if we follow God’s plan.  God would never ask us to sin but He might ask us to risk being hurt, rejected or discouraged.   After all, each of these things can happen on God’s path.  Sometimes God asks us to quit the well-paying job and take the low paying one.  Sometimes He asks us to move away from friends and family and start out on our own.  Sometimes God even asks us to marry a person the family doesn’t like.   God’s path is sometimes scary, and risky, and if there is one thing we don’t like for those we love it’s anything scary and risky.  So we speak from our fears instead of from our prayers.

So what can we do?  Pray for a hunger to know not only God’s will for our lives but for God to show our role in the lives of those we love.  It’s not easy to leave room in our relationships for God to do His work.  Just remember: even it it’s for someone we love, God’s plan is always better than ours.

Did you know that caregivers are 63% more likely to become sick than people who are not care giving?  That’s just one good reason to hear Karen Tripp speak on Caring for the Caregiver.  When facing the struggles of cancer it is too easy to forget the needs of the primary caregiver.  Join Karen Tripp as she explores the difficulties for caregivers during the cancer journey and learn some simple ways to reduce the stress for everyone involved.

WHAT: Care for the Caregiver Cancer Seminar

WHEN: Tuesday, April 26th 11:30AM to 12:15 PM

LOCATION: St Luke’s Hospital

232 South Woods Mill Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017

RESERVATION REQUIRED: Call 314-205-6055

Did you know that caregivers are 63% more likely to become sick than people who are not care giving?  That’s just one good reason to hear Karen Tripp speak on Caring for the Caregiver.  When facing the struggles of cancer it is too easy to forget the needs of the primary caregiver.  Join Karen Tripp as she explores the difficulties for caregivers during the cancer journey and learn some simple ways to reduce the stress for everyone involved.

WHAT: Care for the Caregiver Cancer Seminar

WHEN: Tuesday, April 26th 11:30AM to 12:15 PM

LOCATION: St Luke’s Hospital

232 South Woods Mill Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017

RESERVATION REQUIRED: Call 314-205-6055

This is easily one of my all time favorite books.  Ragman and Other Cries of Faith is a small collections of stories, speeches and essays that tell of the maturity of a young pastor’s  faith as he dives into his first ministry.  Wangerin is an extraordinary author because of his use of extremely powerful metaphors and raw, honest storytelling.  He dose not hold back his view of the immensity of God’s grace nor the depth of his lessons in humility.  I would read some of the metaphor based stories like Ragman and see Jesus’ sacrifice for me in a new light.  Yet as I read Wangerin’s stories of God placing him in the roughest of relationships in order to smooth off his edges I can’t help but think “I hope God doesn’t expect that of me!”

This short, easy read will leave you appreciating Wangerin’s open window into one portion of His path with the Lord and easily re-examining  your own.  Don’t miss this one!

http://walterwangerinjr.org/new_web/publish.php

This is a song that so easily becomes a prayer for me.  The words of Revelation Song and the depth of Kari Jobe’s voice makes my heart (and often my voice) join in the pure worship of this song.     Revelation Song is not a song praising how God has showered us with blessing but rather praising God for WHO He is.  After all, our greatest blessing always lies in the hope of the cross.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Holy, holy is He
Sing a new song to Him who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Holy, holy is He
Sing a new song to Him who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings
You are my everything and I will adore You

The video is special because it allows us to see past restrained praises and view people so caught up in the glory of the Lord that they can’t even stand still!  Enjoy…

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=7LDKYPNX

“While it is still true that suffering means being cut off from God, yet within the fellowship of Christ’s suffering, suffering is overcome by suffering, and becomes the way to communion with God.”

I really don’t like fried liver.  I don’t like the look of it, the smell of it and I can’t stand the taste of it.  It’s one of those things that if I ate a bite, that nasty taste would linger in my mouth.  The only thing worse than eating the fried liver is putting up with the bad taste in my mouth for a long, long time.

Now the only thing that taste worse than liver is my anger.  Have you ever been so angry you could taste it?  Have you ever been so insulted, neglected or abused that you raged?  Or even worse, have you ever heard that your loved one was mistreated leaving you so angry it consumed your every thought?  Sometimes anger can be so strong you can taste it and believe me, that’s not a taste I want in my mouth.

Did you know God gets angry too? I know for some of us, it can be hard to picture God as angry because we are so blessed to be filled with the abundant love that God showers on us.  But the truth is that God doesn’t just get angry.  God feels wrath.  The translation of the word wrath means heat, rage, hot displeasure, anger and would you believe poison?  It’s true.  There are times God anger is like poison.  The bible refers to God as having a cup of wrath.

Can you imagine what a cup of God’s wrath might look like?  Smell like? Taste like?  Honestly, it’s something I’d rather not think about.  What could possibly make God feel wrath?  The only answer is sin.  The Bible records times when God had wrath for nonbelievers as well as believers, big sins as well as small sins.   I think it’s reasonable to believe that my sin and your sin can cause God to feel wrath too.

But then what has happened to God’s wrath?  I know my list of sins grows with every passing day, so is there a cup in heaven with my name on it that is filled with more and more wrath every time I sin?  The answer is NO.  There’s not.  Why?  Because Jesus drank your cup of wrath. When Jesus died on the cross He took on the sins of the world.  It’s like Jesus was presented with an endless row of cups, each one having a name on it.  One of the cups had my name it; one of the cups had your name on it.  One by one, Jesus drank all the wrath of God that was in our cups.  Every drop that came from every sin Jesus took onto himself so that you and I do not have to drink the cup of wrath we deserve.

The idea of Jesus drinking my cup of wrath makes Easter mean so much more to me.  Matthew 26:39 tells us that on the night before He was crucified, Jesus prayed to His heavenly father saying, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”   That cup was my cup.  That cup was your cup.  Praise God Jesus paid the price for each of us that we were unable to pay for ourselves. We are blessed!  We are blessed indeed!