Good Friday and Easter my thoughts

That Fateful Day

The cross was just a cross on that day
The nails, so ordinary could have been used in other ways.
But they became an important part of so much more,
When they were used, that day, to crucify our Lord.

In the garden where Christ prayed.

The soldiers came and took him after he had been betrayed.
Pilot asked the crowd what should be done with Christ live or die!
The crowd they cried crucify, crucify.
Then Christ, his clothes from him were stripped
And with the cat of nine tails his skin was ripped.
The whip it tore his flesh and from these stripes he bled
Then a crown of thorns was thrust on his head.
He was made to carry that cross to Golgotha hill
Where his blood for us he did spill.
Those nails were pounded through his feet and hands
Then the cross was dropped in the ground and the thump could be heard by all where they did stand.
But Christ, his resolve, never waivered while he hung there.
He never asked the angels to get him down, the torture for us he did bear.
He suffered the pain, knowing for all of us this was done
From his birth he came to die for us because he was the chosen one.
Chosen to save us from our sins, so we, who deserved to die, could live.
He gladly suffered all he did and went to the cross that day, his life he did freely give.

So remember that day and all the Lord’s suffering and pain

Remember it was done so our eternal life we could gain.
Ask forgiveness today and Give your heart to the Lord.
And when your work is done and life is no more,
The Lord will take you to heaven with him to live for evermore.


 By Deb Forbes
Copyright 2008




I have all week been thinking and reading about Christ's crucifixion and the one thing that has really stuck in my mind is the veil being torn. That isn't making light of the sacrifice Jesus made for us to take away our sins, suffering death so that we didn't have to.  It is just that it is another wonderful amazing gift that was given to us when Jesus died on the cross.

Matt. 27: 45-54 NIV


⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[d]
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and^[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”




The veil was up in front of the Holy of Most Holy in the temple the place that kept the ark of the covenant and it would be God's Most Holy Dwelling place. The veil or curtain would separate the people from God and only the priests could take the sacrifices to God for the people. 


Ex. 26: 31-34 KJV
³¹ And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
³² And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.
³³ And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.
³⁴ And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.


When Christ died on the cross his sacrifice for us tore this veil or curtain from top to bottom and made it so that we would now through Christ not only have forgiveness for our sins, but the old sacrifices were no longer necessary, Christ was that sacrifice and now we have access to God through Christ Jesus. Christ was the sacrifice for our sins, he became or intercessor to God, he gave his life so we might live. Hallelujah Praise God. He took our sins and punishment, He who didn't deserve to die, died so that we can live. The veil was torn a symbol that the only sacrifice needed for atonement for our sins had been made. All we have to do is accept this gift of forgiveness and atonement and love from God who sent his Son for us. 


1 Peter 2: 24  NIV ²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”


1 Tim. 2:5 NIV ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,


When you take time today and this weekend to reflect on Christ and His crucifixion think about how he came knowing he would die for us. He chose to be the sacrifice, taking our punishment and death because he loved us that much. Think also about the veil being torn from top to bottom opening up to the Holy of Most Holy places and think how that not only proved that Jesus was the Son of God but also made through Him a way for us to God. Happy Easter and Good Friday to everyone.

2015 The Year of Change

As I look back on 2015 I look at all the things that are now different. We had some good, some bad and some just different things happen this year. Our Granddaughter Chloe was born in Feb she is such a joy. My Dad suddenly died in March leaving a big hole in our hearts and lives. Our Granddaughter Mattie severely broke her arm having to have surgery to put in a plate and 11 or 12 screws. My husband left his job of 15 years and started a new job. So 2015 will be the year of change good and bad. One thing I am sure of is that God is and was in control and I have even with all that went on a peace and joy that is only possible through our Lord.
Looking forward to 2016 I am holding on to the promises of God and going forth knowing that God goes with me. I am praying that in 2016  I will be the vessel that God's light shines through to help and bless others. I want to grow in my faith and relationship with God and then I can face what comes our way this new year.
Happy New Year

12 Gifts From God Gift # 12 Eternal Life

Gift Number 12: Eternal Life

The 12th and final gift from God is eternal life. God promises us eternal life if we accept His son Jesus as our Saviour. This gift is so important; it gives us security in what happens after we die. We are not condemned to hell to live in continual torture but we are given the gift of eternal life. We will live with God and there will be no more sickness, no more tears, no more sorrow, instead we can look forward to having eternal happiness. God gives us this gift of eternity because He loves us and wants us to be with Him for eternity so that is why Jesus was sent to earth to die for us so that we can go to heaven for all eternity. John 3:14-16) 14”And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV) Thank you Lord for this love and gift that ensures our eternal life.

As we have looked at before, we have sinned and our penalty is death, but Jesus paid this penalty for us with His death and when we accept Him as our Saviour then we can have eternal life. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (KJV) It is so simple all we have to do is believe in Christ and ask for forgiveness and eternal life for us is guaranteed. 1 John 5:11-12 11 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”(KJV) It is just that simple if we have Christ we have eternal life and will live forever in heaven with Him. What better gift can there be than the assurance of eternal live.

In John 14:1-3 it tells us that Christ has gone to heaven to make our room ready for when we join him. John 14:1-31 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”(KJV) God not only made a way for us to have eternal life through His son but Christ is preparing a place for us and is waiting for us to join Him so that we can be with him Hallelujah what a wonderful thing to look forward to. When I think of these verses I picture a parent and younger siblings who get the room ready for a returning child from college. They clean and arrange things just so and they are so excited on waiting for that child to get home. This is how God and Jesus are they are excited about us coming home to be with them in heaven and they are getting everything ready for us to come home. We can be assured of our place in heaven by asking Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Saviour and asking God to forgive us. The minute we do this then we have our place in heaven ready and waiting for us to spend eternity there. Thank you Jesus.

These are the 12 gifts of God that we have looked at. So at Christmas this year I hope if you haven’t received these gifts that you will. I pray that if you have been born again that you will think about all these gifts and more that God has given us. Be thankful and tell God thank you for His gifts and especially the gift of His Son and the gift through His son of eternal life. Next time you hear the song “12 Days of Christmas” think about the 12 gifts of God. Merry Christmas and God Bless You.

12 Gifts From God Gift # 11 Comfort/Comforter

This year more than ever is this gift felt. I am so thankful for God's gift of comfort and the comforter especially this year since it is our first Christmas without Dad. So this 11th gift is so important


Gift Number 11: Comfort/Comforter
by Deb Forbes

copyright 2008

What comes to your mind when you think of comfort and comforter? One of the first things I think of is when my kids and grand kids were little and one of them would bump their heads or trip and fall then I or my husband would go and make sure they were alright. We would hug them and tell them they were alright so we were comforting them and being their comforter. Or how about when someone is sad or grieving and you are there for them to talk to or be the shoulder for them to cry on then you are a comfort to them or their comforter. This is true about God too. God gives us the gift of comfort and is our comforter. When we seem to struggle and fall, when we are hurt, when we are lost, and when we are grieving God gives us comfort and is our comforter. It says in
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 8 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” KJVThank you Lord. He comforts us as it says in these verses through anything that comes our way. He is there and wraps His loving arms around us.
God also gives us the gift of comfort when we are facing death. Even Christians can be afraid when it is their time to die but they have a strength and comfort that people who don’t believe in Christ don’t have. It says in Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” KJVPraise the Lord even in death he sends comfort and is with us. For Christians God waits with open arms to welcome us home to heaven. What a comfort that God and Jesus is our welcoming committee when we go home to heaven. God also comforts those we love who are left behind it says in Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”KJV This is a definite not a maybe thing He states those who mourn will be comforted all we need to do is turn to God and call on His name and He will comfort us and give us strength.
Last we have the comfort or promise of comfort that we never have to be without God’s comfort when Jesus tells his disciples before he ascends into heaven that he goes but God is sending another comforter to them John 14:16,18 16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”KJV He promises not to leave us comfortless but that another comforter will come to be with us and the other comforter he is talking about is the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful promise that we will never be without a comforter or the comfort of God. This gift from God is so important and free. I know with all my illnesses that without God and his comfort I don’t know how we could make it. My husband and I say all the time that we don’t know how people without God in their lives make it through life. This gift and all the others from God are given to us out of God’s love for us and I thank him everyday for them. I pray that I can share his gifts with others and be a person God can use to show them His gift of comfort too. I thank Him for His loving arms that He  holds us in and His comfort throughout our lives. Thank you Lord.

12 Gifts From God Gift # 10 Mercy

Gift Number 10: Mercy
By Deb Forbes

Copyright 2008

When I think of mercy I think of a criminal asking a judge for mercy not to give him the maximum penalty for a crime he has committed. We, like that criminal, have sinned against God and even though we don’t deserve it he has shown us mercy by giving his son to pay our penalty for our sins which is death. Rom. 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.KJV If we got what we deserved then we would get death and hell, but God loved us and had mercy on us and that is why Christ suffered and was crucified for us. Oh what a gift this is from God to give mercy to the ones who have sinned against him. God didn’t have to do this he could of just given us what we deserved, but thanks be to God for having given us love and mercy so that we didn’t have to suffer the punishment for our sins, Christ did this for us and when we accept Christ as our Saviour then we receive the gift of mercy from God and our penalty is paid and we are free. As it says in 1 Chronicles 16:24 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”KJV we should continually give thanks to God for his gift of mercy to us.
When I think of mercy from God I also think of compassion. Because of the compassion of God we have his mercy. God shows compassion when he provides for us and keeps us in his loving arms and each time he forgives us he is showing mercy through his compassion for us. Daily we sin because we are human and not perfect. Christ is the only perfect man to ever have lived so daily we have to ask God to forgive us. God daily shows compassion and mercy because when we ask him to forgive us he does. Praise God. He also shows us mercy when he gives us strength to face trials and tribulations. God could surely turn his back on us, but instead his mercy is shown and he wraps his arms around us and gives us the strength and love and a way to make it through. Phil. 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”KJVSo God’s gift of mercy is given to us daily, it is a gift that we receive first when he sent Christ to die for us because he loved us and took compassion and mercy on us and second the gift of mercy is given everyday by forgiving us our sins daily and giving us strength. I don’t know how I could go through every day without this mercy and strength. So remember to thank God for his gift of mercy that is ours through Christ daily. Praise God for all he gives us and especially for his gift of mercy through Christ Jesus. Thank you Lord.

12 Gifts From God Gift # 9 Grace

GIFT NUMBER 9: GRACE

by Deb Forbes

copyright 2008

Gift number 9 is grace that I want to look at. What is grace? To me grace is the undeserved, favor from God or gift from God of the goodness he has shown man even to saving him from his sins when he didn’t deserve it. In Romans 3:23-24 it says we have all sinned but God freely by grace redeems through his son Jesus so that we are able to be saved from our sins. Grace or favor is given to us by God even though we did nothing to deserve it. Rom. 3:23-24 23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” KJVGod gives this gift of grace to all who will accept Christ. We don’t receive God’s favor or grace by how good we are or how much work we do for others. You can’t receive it for just going to church or giving to the poor. Works are good and we should take care of those around us, but with out the grace of God through our receiving Christ in our lives the works are worth nothing.
Ephesians 2:8-9 8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.” KJVWe can’t do enough or be just good enough to get in to heaven, but the grace of God through acceptance of Christ will get us into heaven. Christ’s death on the cross took the blame and penalty for our sins and in doing so this was God’s grace being shown and given to us even though we were sinners and008 as it says in Titus 3:7 we then by grace are made heirs to the throne of God which makes heaven our home when we die. Thank you Lord
Titus 3:7 “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” KJVThe gift of grace as it says in Eph. 4:7 is given to everyone by the gift of Christ so this means no matter who we are or how bad we have been we are given the gift of grace by Christ’s death for us, all we have to do is ask for forgiveness and ask God into our hearts and it is all ours. Eph 4:7 “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”KJV Next time you think or hear someone say surely he will get into heaven he is such a good person then remember the gift of grace is not given to you for just being good but it is given by accepting the gift of Christ as your Saviour. Neither can you think you or anyone else can not receive the gift of grace because you have done too many bad things or are a really bad person because when you accept Christ and ask for forgiveness then the gift of grace is freely given. That is the wonderful thing about the gift of grace from God he wants to give it to you so all you have to do is accept it just like the other gifts. You don’t have to get good enough first but you are washed clean by the blood of Christ when you ask for forgiveness by God’s grace. Hallelujah Thank you Lord. So remember that everyone has a soul and all of the gifts from God are for everyone of us so lets, while we are giving Christmas gifts out this year, remember to share the love of God and his gift of grace as well as all the other gifts of God.

12 Gifts From God Gift # 8 Joy

GIFT NUMBER 8: JOY
by Deb Forbes copyright 2008

Joy is the 8th Gift from God I want to explore. Joy to me is great delight and happiness, but the joy of the Lord goes beyond just feelings. It is delight, happiness, strength, contentment, pure love: it is the feeling and knowledge of being whole and complete. It is being content and happy when you have trials and tribulations and not only joy, but as it says joy unspeakable. 1 Peter 1:7-97 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.:”KJV It is knowing that your faith in Christ is precious and that at the end you will be with him in heaven, it’s a feeling of satisfaction. Have you ever been so happy that you can’t find the right words to say to express that happiness that’s what joy unspeakable is like and it’s all the time for all the children of God. Now that doesn’t mean that you will never be sad or grieved or angry, but it means deep inside yourself you still have the joy of the Lord. When you are grieved or sad or angry you can draw on the joy of the Lord and find strength to keep going like it says in
Neh. 8:10b “for the joy of the LORD is your strength”KJV When I got sick at first they couldn’t tell me what was wrong which is very frustrating and a little scary really,  but even though those feelings were there I also knew deep in my heart that God cared and was taking care of me and I still was joyful and I drew on that joy I find in God to have the strength to overcome those other feelings and to not give up. Even now as I keep adding other diseases to the list I have I continue to be able to be joyful and feel complete and satisfied because I know the joy from God which is always there and it really does give me strength. I always remember that even though it seems things are mounting up against me that like David says in
Psalm 30:5b “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” KJVwhat a wonderful promise that all we have to do is hold on because joy comes in the morning. People ask me all the time how can you be so upbeat and happy all the time with all that is wrong with you and my answer is I know that I am in God’s loving arms and I have joy in my heart from God because I know its all part of the job God has for me to do. It doesn’t matter if I am sick because I know that eventually I will get the ultimate healing when I go to be with God in heaven. So my faith and the Joy of the Lord sustain me for now in my walk with God and in my job I have to do. This gift of joy is for everyone, all you have to do is to accept Christ and the joy is given to you. Christ is our Joy and at this time of year when everyone is singing about Joy in the World remember the true Joy comes from God. Next time you are faced with troubles then remember the Joy of the Lord is there to sustain you and give you strength. I hope and pray that everyone will draw on this gift of Joy and find strength, delight, happiness, contentment, and completeness that this gift will provide. Thank you God for all you do and for this gift of joy you give to sustain us through this life.