Our Debt Was Paid

We were honored to attend and be involved in leading worship for a community Good Friday service tonight.  Brad and Pastor Jeremy have recently been meeting with several area pastors and all decided to invite their congregations to come together for a celebration of worship at the Jackson High School auditorium.  It was an awesome experience worshiping in community like that!  Our Village Hope Choir was able to perform one of our songs from The Story and Brad sang the part of the thief....it was powerful.  Brad had also worked with several men from the different churches to direct some drama from the perspectives of different people who were involved in or witnessed Christ's death....that was very moving as well.

Brad with the other area pastors...so thankful for these men of God and the work they do in our community.

Toward the end of the service, there was a time for partaking of the Lord's Supper and we had all been given the little cups with juice and a wafer of something...all in one combo pack.  I leaned to look down the row of all the girls to see if anyone needed help opening the cups and everyone looked at me and assured me they were all good....HOWEVER, when Karly tried to open her juice, it sloshed all over her shirt and she looked at me with those panicked eyes....like, "UHOOOOOOH, I'm in trouble!"  At first I was annoyed because I had just asked her if she needed help, but then I just started laughing because all I could think of was...."how can I be mad at my child who is covered in the blood of Jesus?"  :)  I love my life...ha!  Well, that was a good lesson....there are some things that are more important than what we are wearing.

Like being covered in love, mercy and grace, right?!

Then, we went out afterwards to Steak N Shake and had an incredible opportunity to chat with our waitress all about her life....which started with a dumb picture of me on Brad's phone when I was trying to surf at the water park (God can use anything, you know!)  She saw it and told us she had a really funny experience on that same ride.  Through that conversation we were able to invite her to church and found out she has a home church she attends, but it was so great to have a conversation like that as a family and show the girls how easy it can be to talk with people and bring our faith into the conversation.  Then, the girls and I left the restaurant because it was late and we had two vehicles there....Brad stayed to pay the bill.  The bill never came and never came, so Brad inquired about it and one of the workers at the front of the store said our bill had been paid by another family in the restaurant.

How perfect is that for closing out GOOD FRIDAY?!  SERIOUSLY?! It makes me cry thinking about how GOD makes Himself known to us through HIS LOVE!

OUR DEBT HAS BEEN PAID!