Good Friday: What Does it Mean?

Hi Folks,

Divine is going to interrupt her regular programming (man hunting... ahem, proper positioning) to get a little serious with you. Today is Good Friday, a very important day for Christians. I recall as a child that I wondered to myself ... what's so good about this day? They sing songs that make me cry and they talk about Jesus (the Savior) getting nailed to a cross (like that's a good thing). Grownups are screwy!

When they got to the part about the thief asking Jesus to save Himself and them too, I remember thinking, how come the Savior doesn't save Himself? I know He can do it. Why doesn't He?

No matter how many times I asked adults, their answers weren't satisfactory. I heard answers like: Jesus stayed on the cross to save us, or He died so that we could live, or Don't worry, he rose again on the third day. ????

You see, although I thought He, Jesus, was doing a great thing, my anti-violence mindset figured that He, God, could have done it in a less gruesome manner.

It wasn't until I too became an adult and re-read the story of the crucifixion that it became apparent... that it really was a Good thing!

It became apparent that the whole crucifixion and resurrection story is the basis for my faith. For without the cross and the resurrection, there is no hope for you or me. The Bible clearly states that the wages/payment/result/reward (pick your choice) for sin is death. If you examine yourself for five minutes... in those three hundred seconds you would have had cause for death about 200 times ... or maybe that's just me?

Anyway, for those of you who struggle with the thought of the brutality of the crucifixion, think about the fact that it was a choice that was made on our behalf. He chose us, instead of Himself. By His dying in our stead, we can live on and not die prematurely because of our sins, but have umpteen seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries worth of opportunities to get it right.

I know that learning purpose behind the story, helped me understand it. I'm still not crazy about the brutality... but even that had a purpose. 2000 years later... the story of it is still being told. Ergo, it needed to stand out, be apparent that there was more to Jesus the Christ than there was to any man who walked the earth.

I know it worked for me ... so that 2000 years later wearing the name Divine is not a huge joke, a weighty impossibility, but a large possibility because of the inherent DNA of my big brother/Savior/Jesus the Christ.

That being said, here are some links that you might find useful:


Good Friday - Wikipedia
About Good Friday, the friday before Easter or Pascha which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday - 55k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

Good Friday - Catholic Encyclopedia
Observed on the Friday before Easter. The day on which the Church keeps the anniversary of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
www.newadvent.org/cathen/06643a.htm - 34k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

Good Friday Earthquake - Wikipedia
Brief article about the magnitude 9.2 earthquake that hit Prince William Sound in Alaska in March 1964.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday_Earthquake - 33k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

Why is it called Good Friday?
Brief article on the terminology used to describe the day when Christians celebrate the Crucifixion.
www.kencollins.com/Question-11.htm - 8k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

Free Good Friday Ecards, Good Friday Greeting Cards, Good Friday Cards ...
... family/ dear ones on this Good Friday with holy verses and spiritual sayings from... Good Friday is a solemn memorial of the sacrifice of our Savior. ...
www.123greetings.com/events/good_friday - 55k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

Good Friday -- Encyclopaedia Britannica
From the early days of Christianity, Good Friday was observed as a day of sorrow, ... are New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day (first ...
www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037369/Good-Friday - 51k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

Good Friday or Dark Friday - Meaning of Good Friday in Persian, Farsi ...
... Friday, Friday before Easter Sunday, What is Good Friday to an Iranian Christian ... Jesus was Crucified on Good Friday and died on the Cross for the Sin of ...
www.farsinet.com/goodfriday - 23k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

WFF: Good Friday
Describes the veneration of the cross, the reproaches and the reading of passion, related symbols, and more.
www.wf-f.org/GoodFriday.html - 43k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

Good Friday
Put some Fun on your calendar! ... Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. ... holiday is known as "Good" Friday since it commemorates a sorrowful ...
www.calendar-updates.com/info/holidays/us/goodfriday.aspx - 38k - Cached - More from this site - More like this

Long Good Friday DVD At DeepDiscount.com
Get Long Good Friday DVD DVD for $17.97 and other great Dramas DVDs for low prices. Buy Long Good Friday DVD DVD and save more with free shipping.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?...&src1=voltage&extid=df00029 - More from this site - More like this

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Peace,
Dee


P.S. Fifty percent (50%) of all sales will be donated to the Youth Group at my church to aid in sponsoring a youth's trip to the Annual Youth Conference in July. You can read more about the Conference here. (Page 12)

Living Each Moment In His Grace

2007 arrived whether we wanted it to do so or not.

For millions around the world, they ushered in the new year with friends and loved ones with fireworks or with champagne. Then there are those who went to church to contemplate or renew their faith and start afresh on the first day of the new year.

In this month, we are encouraged to make resolutions. We are bombarded with advertisements about diets in anticipation of the summer months. We are constantly charged to think ahead. And there's a time and place for all of this.

But there is also a need to live in the moment. We've heard that tomorrow isn't promised. Yet we wish our days away when Monday arrives and we can't wait for the weekend to get here. Or it's 8 a.m. and we wish for 5 p.m. to get beyond our jobs. I've been there with that mindset.

As the new year begins, inevitably it also means that I'm one year older. I realize that time is zooming. I have to enjoy the small, as well as the big things that occur in my life on a daily basis, even hourly. How many times do we pray to give our appreciation and gratitude for the many blessings. As an example, Muslims pray five times a day to remember God, ask for His guidance, and ask for his forgiveness.

My only wish for everyone is that through their own faith, he/she can live life with a little more deliberation under His guidance, compassion, and love.

Michelle Monkou


Sweet Surrender:

Title: Sweet Surrender
Author: Michelle Monkou
Publisher: Harlequin Kimani Press - Romance
Release Date: September 2006
ISBN-10: 1583147802
ISBN-13: 978-1583147801
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
List Price: $5.99


Author Photo Credit:
(c) Tisara Photography
1607 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 838-8098
www.tisaraphoto.com

A Blessed New Year to Come for All!

As the New Year has come in and we are still here first we should give thanks for yet another year we were allowed to be here and that the fact that we are here means we have some purpose in this wonderful world.


If you don't know your purpose, then I suggest using these few minutes in the New Year to find that out and if you do know your reason for living then I pray and hope you succeed in all you do.


Say I love you to people you care about as much as possible, give flowers while they live, touch, laugh and kiss all you can.

Remember, don't live for the days or the weeks, live for the moments and make them count. Make them matter.

Love always,

Your Author
Sylvia Hubbard

Teach Me To Love:

Title: Teach Me To Love
Author: Sylvia Hubbard
Publisher: Hub Books Publishing
Release Date: 2006
ISBN: N/A
E-Book
List Price: $2.50

New Year

The New Year is an opportunity for a fresh start, to learn from last year's attempts and better them. I hope that you enjoy a blessed and cherished New Year and that this year will mark the beginning of great things.

Since it is 2:30 am, this is the afterparty post, sending blessings to the West Coast family and others who are just crossing into 2007.

Intimate Musings:

Title: INTIMATE MUSINGS (Discover Kai Poetry, Volume 2)
Author: a.Kai
Publisher: OPHELIA PUBLISHING LLC
Release Date: NOVEMBER, 2006
ISBN: N/A
Paperback: 84 pages
List Price: $7.50