How long has that been in the church pantry?

Our family is blessed to be a part of a great church family. Immanuel Baptist Church in El Dorado, Ar. Some of the friendliest and most caring people I have ever met. Last night we had the privilege of taking the Lord's Supper together as a church family: a time to remember what Christ has done for us.

"...do this in remembrance of me." I Corinthians 11:24-25

It was the first time since we have been at Immanuel that we have taken it the "old-fashioned" way. By that I mean, pass the plate and take out the little cracker and take out the little plastic cup of juice. As we were sitting there as a family, I looked to my left and there sat my three kiddos. They were each holding the cracker. They were each holding the cup. How wonderful to know that all three have came to a point in their life where they have trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord and have made HIM the boss of their lives. Blessed. Totally blessed. Thankful.

"You shall teach them(God's Word) dilligently to your children, and shall talk of

them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way,

when you lie down, and when you rise up." Deuteronomy 6:7

Only a week has passed since we celebrated Easter. So what a fitting and wonderful time to remember just why we celebrated. When it came time to eat the bread, it was bitter. VERY bitter. About that time Elise leaned over to me, "Mom, that tastes HORRIBLE!" I naturally said "shhhh" to her quickly. I surely didn't want anybody to hear her. My intial response was "I totally agree, yuck, Warren mention that in staff meeting." But God grabbed my heart quickly.

Our pastor, Faron, had just finished preaching that we shouldn't let this time become ritual, a habit, meaningless.

I wanted that bread to be just right. To my liking. The same as always. Pleasing to me.

It was instead bitter. It was pretty hard to swallow down. Not pleasing to the tastebuds.

Wasn't Christ's death bitter, painful, hard, tough, sorrowful?

"He was pierced through our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scouraging we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

As I walked away last night, God reminded me just how great His love for for us is. So very great that He desires a constant relationship with me.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love which He loved us,

even when we were dead in our transgressions,

made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),... Ephesians 2:4-5

That "cracker" will always impact my thoughts of Christ on the cross.

I am thankful for those moments in life that God grabs me in the everyday things and reminds me. Just reminds me who He is and what He has done.