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Station Thirteen - Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross What tender mourning! Jesus' lifeless body lies in his mother's arms. He has truly died. A profound sacrifice, complete. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. I behold this scene at the foot of the cross. I contemplate touching, caressing his body. I remember all his hands have touched, all who have been blessed by his warm embrace. I pause to let it soak in. He knows the mystery of death. He has fallen into God's hands. For me. That I might love as I have been loved. I pour out my heart to the God of all mercies.

Station Eleven - Jesus is Nailed to the Cross Huge nails are hammered through his hands and feet to fix him on the cross. He is bleeding much more seriously now. As the cross is lifted up, the weight of his life hangs on those nails. Every time he struggles to pull himself up to breathe, his ability to cling to life slips away. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. I make myself watch the nails being driven through his flesh. And I watch his face. I contemplate the completeness of his entry into our lives. Can there be any pain or agony he would not understand? This is for me. Nailed to a cross to forever proclaim liberty to captives. What sorrow and gratitude fill my...

Station Nine - Jesus Falls the Third Time This last fall is devastating. Jesus can barely proceed to the end. Summoning all this remaining strength, supported by his inner trust in God, Jesus collapses under the weight of the cross. His executioners look at him as a broken man, pathetic yet paying a price he deserves. They help him up so he can make it up the hill of crucifixion. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. I pause to contemplate him there on the ground. The brokeness that makes me whole. The surrender that gives me life. I pause to experience and receive how completely he loves me. He is indeed completely poured out for me. As I treasure this gifted...

The Seventh Station - Jesus Falls the Second Time Even with help, Jesus stumbles and falls to the ground. In deep exhaustion he stares at the earth beneath him. "Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return." He has seen death before. Now he can feel the profound weakness of disability and disease and aging itself, there on his knees, under the weight of his cross. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. I contemplate Jesus brought very low. As I behold him there on the ground, with all the agony taking its toll on him, I let my heart go out to him. I store up this image in my heart, knowing that I will never feel alone in my suffering or in any diminishment, with...

The Fifth Station - Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross Jesus even experiences our struggle to receive help. He is made to experience the poverty of not being able to carry his burden alone. He enters into the experience of all who must depend upon others to survive. He is deprived of the satisfaction of carrying this burden on his own. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. I look into his face and contemplate his struggle. His weariness and fragility. His impotence. I see how he looks at Simon, with utmost humility and gratitude. This is for me. So I feel anguish and gratitude. I express my thanks that he can continue this journey. That he has help. That he knows my...

Station Three - Jesus Falls the First Time The weight is unbearable. Jesus falls under it. How could he enter our lives completely without surrendering to the crushing weight of the life of so many on this earth! He lies on the ground and knows the experience of weakness beneath unfair burdens. He feels the powerlessness of wondering if he will ever be able to continue. He is pulled up and made to continue. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. I stare at the weakness in his eyes. I can look at his whole body and see the exhaustion. As I behold him there on the ground, being roughly pulled up, I know forever how profoundly he understands my fatigue and my defeats. This is...

Each year during Lent, I find it necessary to make a conscious effort to drown out the noise of the world surrounding Easter - block out the talk of Easter bunnies and candy baskets - and put my heart in the spiritual place it needs to be. What we are "celebrating" is a death...and a rebirth...not how fat we can make the wallets of candy companies and toymakers. I find that "traveling" the stations of the cross is very helpful in "getting right" with God at this time of year. There are 14 stations in all - I will be traveling to two each day for the first couple of days. If you have never "traveled" through the stations of the cross, I invite you to tag along this year with me. I believe God will minister to your heart and spirit in...

Have you ever felt like you were going through a “wilderness†period in your life? You could be experiencing a wilderness time in your marriage, in your career, in your finances or some other area. Many people in the United States as well as other countries around the world are facing tremendous financial struggles right now. Could there possibly be some divine purpose to it? Many people forfeit God’s Promised Land for their life, for their marriage, or for their future because they decide it is too hard to obey God when things are difficult and they choose to resolve things their own way. Don’t prolong your time in the wilderness through disobedience even to the smallest command you have been given! This seemed like a good...

I was a huge fan of Edwin Hawkins & his brother Walter as a child. They used to visit our church along with Shirley Ceasar. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=BD2D6eter7M On Sundays as a toddler the only music you could hear were hyms & 'the chuck wagon gang on record players & the radio. Children were disciplined for playing on this holy day. We could not make a lot of noise , dancing was out of the question - until monday in the Bahamas. This rule was enforced when we were eating, if we made noise our plate would be taken away. One of my favorite memories was sitting in on choir practice & auditions. It was amazing to watch each director carve their own sound by removing altos & adding tenors. "All the sopranos could go home, come back...

Pat Robertson has a problem with priorities. When he is discussing the violent islamic religion, he does not care who calls him names, he will not back down. Now, I live in the Caribbean & I know that Haiti is the voodoo capital of the region. I know that all the island nations have this steeped into the culture combining the occult & christianity. I know that the belief that Haiti is cursed is widespread, even among Haitians. There are many people who are praying & fasting in Haiti to break this curse. Just before Aristide was ousted, he named voodoo as the official religion again. Violence & mayhem erupted almost instantly. Troops had to move in to keep some semblance of peace. I predicted that things would get worse when I heard...