From Will:

I've been trying to get Deanna to take over this thing but she's even busier than ever with Youth Group at church, community dinners and now being President, Board of Directors for the Warrens Cranberry Festival. It looks like posts on this blog might just become a quarterly kind of thing; more or less.

Easter is on it's way around again and as a right-wing, conservative Christian who has openly, willingly proved that I don't mind being "a fool for Christ", I am very excited to celebrate it. Yet, I'm a little uh, er, well...dreading it too. I don't mind traditions, depending on what they are and some things definitely need to be remembered. Some people certainly need to be reminded. Some of us don't.

Some very dear friends of ours have invited us to go see a "Passion Play" in Minnesota. I want to make this very clear: I WANT to go. I love my friends and families and us spending good "Christian" time together is very uplifting for me. I WANT to see THIS passion play to support the friends involved. I believe my family NEEDS to see this passion play. Now that I've made that clear, I er, well, kind of, (this is so embarrassing) don't like passion plays. I really, really, really don't like them. Let me explain.

I love Jesus. He IS my Savior and I have a daily, moment to moment relationship with Him. I try to "pray without ceasing" and I treasure that relationship. I was raised in a Christian home and myself, in my mind have been "saved" all my life, but officially since I was seven years of age. I am acutely aware of the life story of Jesus. I've read the whole Bible more than a few times and each Gospel specifically probably dozens of times. I've probably seen so many recitations, plays, musicals, movies etc. that I have lost count. I know how the story ends; but that's not my problem either.

Jesus, the Son of God left the wonders of Heaven to live in a barbaric time for 30+ years. That is bad enough but he then allowed Himself to be betrayed by the very people He loved to be tortured brutally and then to suffer a horrible death because we are too weak to follow two simple rules: Love the Lord Your God... and Love your Neighbor as Yourself.

See, for me it is personal. I know I'm no better than Adam, Eve or the disciples. I'm no better than Pontius Pilot or Judas or the soldier who hit Him in the face. Jesus died for them too. Just like He died for me; it's my fault, I put Him there. The worst of it: I didn't do it just once but almost every day I put Him back on that Cross because I'm too weak and too selfish. I am acutely aware of it. I don't ever forget it. I also don't really enjoy being reminded of it, especially in public. I understand some people do need that reminder; I don't.

Yes, I know the ending. I know the Victory. How the Son of God made the perfect sacrifice. So much so that His one Death and Resurrection was sacrifice enough for everyone. All my sins, yesterday, today and tomorrow are covered by His Sacrifice. I do celebrate that victory and not just at Easter but everyday. Someone once suggested that the Revelations verse about "...all things will be made new..." meant that we will forget this life. I SO hope that isn't true because I don't ever want to forget everything that Jesus has done for me; back then as well as now. It's important to me that I don't ever forget all the victories in my life because of Him. I just don't need to be publicly reminded of the horrors perpetrated on someone I love so deeply because of something I did. Some people do need to be reminded but not me; I remember every single day.

This time I will be surrounded by family and friends and I'm sure it's going to be great so I'm looking forward to it...mostly.

May you all be reminded daily of what Jesus did for you, because of you.

Pray without ceasing.
Will.