O Glorious Day!

It's Easter Sunday and the day we remember what Jesus did for us so many years ago on that old rugged cross. I will never forget the first time I saw a replica of what the crown of thorns may have looked like. I was about 21 years old and in my young mind, as a new Christian, I had imagined the small thorns on a rose bush I had in my yard. I thought that thorns were sharp and I have been pricked by them before while cutting them on my own, but it certainly was nothing compared to what Jesus endured for me.

Matthew 27:28-31, "²⁸And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

²⁹And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

³⁰And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

³¹And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him."(KJV)

The next thing that came to my mind as a new found believer was the nails. These were not the same small nails I use to hang a picture on a wall. These nails had to be big enough and thick enough to hold the weight of a full grown man. This man, Jesus, was a carpenter. Carpenters are very strong men. They carry heavy wood, sand it, and cut the wood. I imagine that Jesus had muscles and stamina to build wood projects and walk all over the country side as He did during His ministry here on earth. I was told that the nails were not actually placed in the center of His hand, as I previously imagined. The bones in the hand aren't strong enough to hold up a man's weight in this manner. I had to learn that the large nails were thrust into the bones within the wrist to be able to hold Him up.

I have worked with my dad in the work shop before, building small projects, and have missed the nail and hit my thumb. THAT was painful! I can't even begin to imagine a nail going through my wrists and then my feet. As the soldiers cross the feet of Jesus, one over the other, and hammered the nail in, it must have been excruciating! I know from the days when I was in school, that my arms get tired if I have to keep my hand raised for too long when the teacher doesn't see me. Now imagine hanging on that rugged tree from your wrists, as your arms are outstretched. It has been recorded in history that during crucifixions they would lift themselves up on their feet in order to catch their breath. When a body is hunched over their lungs from hanging by their hands, it would cause an obstruction to the airways.

With each and every push on His feet, He was able to catch a breath, until the soldiers came and broke his legs. I have never broken a leg before, or even an arm for that matter. I have fractured two toes and that was painful enough as it is, let alone to have both legs broken. Now He hung from his wrists alone, with no way to catch a breath! Then a soldier came to pierce his side. Our Lord lifted up His eyes and spoke his last words, "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46 KJV)

After having three girls, I was so excited to find out I was having a boy. I love my son so very much! Now, Mary was watching her own little boy, as a grown young man, enduring this crucifixion before her very eyes! My heart can't fathom the pain she must have felt that day. Her son had died, but not just any death. Jesus died a physical death and a spiritual death. Not only had He left this world and all his friends and family, but He also was out of the presence of the Father for three days!

For three days His friends and family mourned His departure from this world. They saw Him suffer as He died. When my dad passed away I grieved, I cried, I was in shock, and at times I couldn't think straight at all. The pain was so much for me to bear. I miss my dad so much and often day dream about him being alive. After three days, Jesus' friends was still in shock that He had died, yet three women went to the tomb and were stunned to see the stone rolled away!

As the angels told them that He is risen, could you just imagine how they felt? Would you believe it? Who rolled the stone away? How could he be alive? Yet did they not remember when Jesus himself raised Lazarus from the grave after he had been dead for many days?

What a blessing for these ladies! They were the first ones there on the morning Jesus rose from the grave! Our Savior lives! Not just then, but even today! You may have seen an image of Jesus on a cross, maybe on a necklace or in an old church, but let me tell you that He is not on the cross anymore! He's not even in the grave anymore! He is risen!

Mark 16:6, " And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. "(KJV)

Jesus willingly sacrificed His own life for ours! It would be as if there is a drive by shooting and someone jumps in the way to save your life. He gave His life and rose from the grave for you and for me. His resurrection gave us the victory over sin and over death!The day I realized that Jesus loves me so much that He died like this for me, was January 24, 1995. It was that night, a Tuesday, that I spoke to a woman at my church about salvation. I just wasn't sure about going to heaven. I had been in church for several months and heard this story so many times, but on this one night it became very real to me. The Holy Spirit of God had touched my heart and gently brought me to the feet of the Savior as I bowed my head to trust Christ as my personal Savior. I had the head knowledge, but did not have the relationship in my heart. Ever since then I can tell you that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He walks with me. I know that I have victory in Jesus!


1 John 5:13, " These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. "(KJV)

Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."(KJV)

How are you remembering the Savior this day?
Do you remember the day you trusted Christ as your Savior?

Miss Joy

Please allow me to introduce to you Miss Joy, an eighteen-year-old young lady, who is currently living in Connecticut with her family. Miss Joy is one of my dearest friends that I have had the pleasure getting to know over the blogworld. I have never met Miss Joy in person, but she is a great encouragement to me in many things and I always love hearing from her.

GGM: Tell me about your childhood and family, and where you grew up?
Miss Joy: My Dad has been a pastor since before I was born, so we moved around quite a lot when I was really little.
When I was four we moved back to CT where most of our extended family lived. Every Sunday ever since I can remember we have gone to my Grandparent's house for the afternoon. I have been very blessed in having Christian parents, Grandparents, and Great-Grandparents to look up to and admire. I have been homeschooled all my life, and we never had many friends, so I have been able to enjoy friendships with my siblings and with my Grandparents in a very special way.
My Dad always likes to try new things, so my siblings and I always had something interesting to learn about and see, from honey bees, to making maple syrup, to collecting yellow jackets and hornets for a medical lab. When I was about fifteen, God brought my parents to a greater understanding of Biblical gender roles and they started encouraging me and my sisters in Biblical femininity. At first it was hard to adjust to, as I had planned on being medical doctor, but after much prayer and many talks with my parents, I started to understand the beauty of godly womanhood. For a short time my Dad worked as a Chaplin at a private Christian school, but after a while felt that God was calling him to start a church.
He left the school, and in the years that followed we were able to see God providing for our needs in ways that we never would have imagined possible. A bill would come in, we would pray about it, and soon after we would receive the exact amount of money we needed to pay it. We never even had a late payment. And it really strengthened my faith to see how God provided for us even when it seemed impossible.

This is Joy with her family L to R: Dad P, Joy, Josiah, Kay, Amy, and Mom P.

GGM: How many siblings do you have? And what is something special about each of them?
Miss Joy: I have three siblings, two sisters and a brother. I share a room with Amy who is almost seventeen. She is gifted at interacting with people, and is very good with small children. She is also an excellent writer. Josiah, twelve, is really good at building things, and likes to figure out how things are made. Kay, ten, is gifted with working with children. She loves to laugh, and is fun to spend time with. The four of us spend a lot of time together and it amazes me how I will often learn things about them that I never knew before.

GGM: What is one of your fondest memories?
Miss Joy: When I was really young my Great-Grandma, who was a writer, would make up stories to tell us. I remember sitting with her on the couch and laughing with her about a rabbit who always worried about everything.

GGM: What are some girly things you do with your mother and sisters?
Miss Joy: We will sometimes plan a special tea, where we dress up and use fancy teacups. We also enjoy making supper together, which can be really fun.

GGM: How do you spend father-daughter time with your dad? What things to do you together?
Miss Joy: My Dad takes one of us out to lunch each week, so I get a special time with just him once a month. In the summer we like to bring our lunch on a picnic, or go for a hike after. I always have a wonderful time visiting with him. Also, in September I go with him all day several times a week to help with our family business. It is fun to spend that much time with him.

GGM: What activities do you enjoy?
Miss Joy: I enjoy hiking, swimming, bike riding, reading, sewing, writing, and doing crafts. On our family day we will often go for a hike or a bike ride and it's so much fun to do it as a family.

GGM: Your favorite dish or meal to make and serve is...
Miss Joy: One of my favorites is the Macaroni and Cheese Casserole that my Mom made up.

GGM: You are a graduated homeschool student. Please tell me what the benefits were about homeschooling and what you liked most about it.
Miss Joy: One of the biggest benefits was being taught constantly by example to follow, and trust in, the Lord. Another benefit was being able to learn about what I was interested in, and not feel that learning was a burden. I was free to learn at my own pace, and it also gave me an opportunity to learn to enjoy being with my family.

GGM: Now that you are done with your academic studies, what do you think the Lord has for your life? And what are you doing with your time now? I know you strongly believe in Biblical womanhood.
Miss Joy: I believe and hope that I will someday be a wife and a mother, and I am currently learning more about nutrition and health through a home study course. Even if I never get married and have children, I will be able to use what I'm learning for the rest of my life. I am spending more time helping my Mom now that I have graduated, and am enjoying getting to know her better. I know that no matter what the Lord has in store for me, that He wants me to be a godly woman, and that is my greatest ambition.

GGM: Who would you say has been your biggest influence and inspiration?
Miss Joy: My Mother has definitely had the most influence on me, and inspires and encourages me every day as I see that it is possible to be a godly woman and to enjoy it. My Grandmother, who I spend a lot of time with, has also influenced me and inspired me with her close walk with the Lord.

GGM: Please share which passage of the Bible has been a great encouragement to you.
Miss Joy: Philippians 4:6-7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." These verses have helped me so much when I was anxious about anything. Especially the reminder to present my requests to God with thanksgiving.

GGM: What advice do you have for other young ladies seeking to be pure in heart and follow the Lord?
Miss Joy: I would say that the most important thing that you can do is to read your Bible regularly and pray. What we fill our minds with determines what kind of person we will be. If you have hidden God's word in your heart, He will bring it to your mind when you need it.

Thank you Miss Joy for taking the time to answer my questions and sharing your heart with us. I know the Lord has some wonderful plans for you and I pray that His hand will always guide and protect you as you walk in His ways. If you'd like to visit Miss Joy at her blog and say hello, you may go here: Through Jesus We Can Live For Eternity.


Blessings to you as you Grow in the Grace of our Lord!