Holy Week

by Shanna

I am so embarrassed. I almost did not want to post anything for holy week or Easter because I have neglected this blog sooooo much over the last month and a half.

To say the least, life in general is very demanding. Personally, I struggle with the spirit of overwhelm like crazy. We are trying to finish up our home school year, and remodeling our house (again…) In addition, we are just trying to keep up with the hectic pace of life. My heart is wrung out by the seemingly endless wars and suffering going on in the world. Every time I attempt to put my thoughts into words, I get weighed down with writer’s block. To be honest, it’s all really difficult to process.

All the more reason to bring my heart back to Jesus during this Holy Week!

Easter is absolutely the very thing that my heart needed!

I need to know that not all is lost! Victory is won! In light of all that is going on around us, the timing of this week is perfect, and so like my Jesus!

I want to share a series of podcasts that John Eldredge did a couple of years ago for Easter. They are helping me bring Christ back to the center of my heart! This series is a stunning glimpse into the internal world of Jesus during his final week before the crucifixion. It continues up to his ultimate victory through his glorious resurrection. I love how John pulls all the gospels together for this series. He gives so much context to all the events leading up to Easter. He inserts some of the text from his book, Beautiful Outlaw as well. I must say, I have never read anything that has endeared my heart to the actual, physical person of Jesus Christ more. I can not recommend it highly enough.

The Joy of Audio Books and Podcasts!

I recently discovered the joy of listening to audio books with my boys. We just finished The Hobbit. We were completely enthralled! Not only by Tolkien’s epic tale, but also the amazing narrator, Rob Inglis. He is an incredibly talented Shakespearean actor. We are three years in to our homeschooling journey. My experience is that reading aloud in a manner engaging both to myself and my boys, is a learned art. It is an indispensable skill. John Eldredge is quite an accomplished narrator, both of scripture and the excerpts from his book. I imagine because he was also originally trained as an actor. He used his talents to spread the gospel through the performing arts before moving on to psychology. He and his wife Stasi are now a writers and the directors of Wild at Heart.

So, I hope you enjoy these podcasts. I hope they will help you to prepare your heart for holy week and Resurrection Sunday. I know I desperately need to realign my heart with my Savior. This series reminded me of the triumph of his resurrection and his power to rescue and redeem all that is wounded, broken and lost!

May the Holy Trinity fill your holy week with sweet reminders of the lengths He was willing to go, just to make you his very own. I hope that He will whisper to your heart how much you mean to Him. His thoughts concerning you cannot be numbered! I pray that you will be convinced of His tangible presence. It is closer to you than the very breath in your lungs!