And on Earth... Peace
 

There's a bold title, a bold statement. Really? Peace? In this climate? Have you seen all the hate out there?
 

That's got to be Christian naiveté right? Or perhaps a bit of wishful thinking? Peace? In this world?

Today?

Still we sing... it's soft—which is not to say weak, but gentle. It grows. Harmony becomes a tide that repeats, until the breath of it and the truth of it intermingle. And instead of an emptying, it's a filling. Until we can see it clearly— that hate is no match for peace, not when we sing like-minded! Voices sing it— clear and strong, and how can you match note for note while you hate? The notes live and breathe and sing until all the hard places that came in with us wash away.
 

Words are whispered in the heavens. Baby Jesus come to earth. Full of light and full of promise. Journey by a virgin birth.
 

We sing away the day. Voices are tired but happy.

We sing because some things are worth proclaiming. We sing because some things are truth enough to whisper and still shake the heavens.


Shouts of joy break through the darkness. Brilliant star dispels the night.

Some things burst out of night unexpectedly and the world changes. Some things light up the sky and hope flares bright and new... some things look common and are anything but.

Heaven's Prince come to redeem us

Glory in a cattle stall

Thunderous praises shout His Glory
Joy invades the earth tonight
Infant child sent to redeem us.
Savior come to set things right

Come and join the celebration
Glad the tidings now we tell
Hail the Lord of every nation
God with us, Emmanuel
 

Dear Friends,

Our prayer for you is that your days be rooted in peace...your days be rooted in Him;  the BABY who came to win us back to himself, the ONE who came to ensure our PEACE.

And on Earth... Peace

From His first cry in Bethlehem to His last breath at Calvary, Jesus was predestined by His own divine providence to follow the way of the cross. Being both God and man, He had a perspective and a purpose that was beyond our thoughts and higher than our way. The incomprehensible incarnation, the fulfilled prophecies, the teachings and the miracles were all preamble to the purpose for which He came. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He knew what the cost would be. He also knew what the triumph would bring. Only He could accomplish the restoration of lives broken by sin. Only He could bring us back into fellowship with God. Only He could withstand the judgment that was meant for us. Only He could pay the cost . . . and Jesus paid it all.

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, His blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we are a free people—free of the penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either, abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything that we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans He took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in Him, everything in deepest Heaven, everything on planet earth.

Ephesians 1:7 - The Message


Lord Jesus, You alone are worthy of all praise. As we remember Your life and ministry we want to shout Your praises. As we remember Your sacrifice and loss, we are silenced by the wonder of it all. We will not forget what You alone could do. Your death brought us life. Your Resurrection made that life eternal. We will always be overwhelmed by Your mercy and grace. We will follow where You lead and we will remember . . . the way of the cross.

To download more free devotions for Easter visit our website at: http://www.praisegathering.com/Detail/14266/
 

On the Sunday that Jesus entered Jerusalem for His final Passover celebration, shouts of adulation surrounded Him— HOSANNA! HOSANNA! In the history of God's chosen people, the ancients would shout HOSANNA as a plea for God to save them– to save them now! On that promising Sunday of that fatal week the HOSANNAS that filled the air were shouts of praise— for a Warrior King.

HOSANNA! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. Both meanings of this sacred word were accurate that day. God was about to save them. All they were hoping for would now be realized by the life and sacrifice of the One they lauded. However, all of this was to be accomplished in God's plan and purpose. This Warrior King they proclaimed was the kind Gentle Shepherd. This Lion of Judah was the Lamb of God. Some actually saw all of this for what is was—a Holy Processional—but I suspect most were simply swept away by the excitement of the parade. The promises of the Lord, the freedom that comes from only His hand were right in front of them. The Lord came to the Holy City to fulfill dreams and promises beyond imagination.

BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! Blessed is Jesus, THE LIVING HOSANNA!

To download more free devotions for Easter visit our website - http://www.praisegathering.com/Detail/14266/

Hi!

If you're here reading this you've probably noticed our "new look" website. It was long overdue and we're pretty excited about it. I'm especially excited about this portion of it- the Blog!

You know what a blog is right? Lots of folks  are "blogging" these days. "Blog" is an abbreviated version of "weblog," which is a term used to describe web sites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. That's a fancy way of saying, we get to talk to you more! Let me tell you, that works for us! You're used to seeing Randy's devotions on the website, and we certainly will still include those, but we'd also like to open it up a bit more. We'll talk about some of the things that are happening here in the company. We'll ask you questions. We'll share prayers. We'll feature some of our folks, so that you can get to know us better.

So, let's hear it for facilitating conversation, communication and community! We can't wait to get started!

-Rose