Week 34: Holy Week

Hello, friends! Can you believe that it's already week 34? Gosh, time has flown. Last week ended up going well. I feel like I'm getting out more, doing more, hanging out with people more, and that's a really great thing. I've also been having plenty of time for myself. Is it possible that I may have found balance??? I think so! If you know me even a little bit, you know that balance is always something that I have a hard time with, so the fact that I feel pretty balanced at this point is quite amazing. Praise God! To sum up last week, I'm still waiting to hear back from that guy who works at the teen homeless shelter, I'm looking into an art class at a community art center, and always looking for more places to explore!

This week is very simple. This week is "Holy Week," as it is the week leading up to Easter. I know that those of you reading this come from different backgrounds and different traditions, but for me, this week as always meant so much to me. I grew up in the Catholic church, and I always looked forward to Holy Week. We went to church for Holy Thursday (where some people would get their feet washed by the priest-now that I look back, I think that's an awesome tradition), Good Friday (veneration of the cross), Easter Vigil (a beautiful night service which included a lot of candles and a joyous celebration), and then Easter Sunday. Also, throughout lent my family and I used to go to Stations of the Cross every Friday night and then out for cheese pizza since we couldn't eat meat. When I think about the Catholic church, I think that they have a lot of things right when it comes to lent. As I write this, I wish I would have taken the time to find a church that did stations of the cross because even though back then, I just did things because I knew I should, I think now they would mean so much to me.

There is this band from The Salvation Army's central territory called "The Singing Company," and they are wonderful. They do great music, but they are also amazing individuals who seek after God with all their heart. They just recorded a CD with another band called "Families," and this CD just came out called "Holy Week." It's wonderful because you can go to their website here, and they have put together scripture and devotions that go along to the songs on their CD for Holy Week. I am following this for Holy Week, and I would encourage you guys to do the same.

Friends, I know that not all of you who follow this blog believe in God. I know that many are skeptical, many have been hurt by the church, many have experienced things so painful that you just can't understand how if God was real, He would have allowed them to happen- there are a ton of reasons that could be keeping you from accepting that Jesus died on the cross for your sin, my sin, everyone's sin. I challenge you during this week to let God in- even if it's just to say, "Hey God. If you're there, make yourself known to me. Help me to see you in my life." Doesn't have to be some long, dramatic speech if you don't want it to be. I believe that God wants to make Himself real to you. He wants you to know how much He loves you and that He died for you because of that crazy love that we probably won't ever fully understand. This week, this Holy Week, I'm dedicated to praying for YOU. Yep, you- the person reading this who is unsure, afraid, hesitant. I'm praying that God would make Himself so known to you that there would be NO WAY you could deny Him. I have faith that He'll do it.

If you are reading this and have more questions or would like me to pray for something more specific, please e-mail me at akeene9986@gmail.com