Thought for the day

May you recognize and receive each blessing that is sent your way today.

There are many blessings we receive each day - it is just taking the time to thank God for them and to recognize them that we seem not to have time for. Today is my day with the boys - it is my last day before my new job on Monday which I am super excited about - it is a beautiful day - the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, we are all in good health - God is good.

Take time today to enjoy your family, give an extra hug, say Hi to the neighbor - be a positive person. It goes a long way!

Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all!

How precious

how precious is this picture - Jeremy's two little girls:

Psalm 4:7 NLT

You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvets of grain and new wine.

Who needs a big house, big bank account, fancy cars and all the riches when you can have these two little miracles, when you can have happiness in your life and be blessed by God. When your greatest love is God himself and you are at peace with life and you know you are truly truly blessed.

It's not always about the money - the poorest people most times are the happiest.

Martyr

3 : victim; especially : a great or constant sufferer

we all know that person - that poor person who has everything done wrong to them, the one that is always the victim, the one who never does anything wrong and yet all these bad things keep happening to them. We have all put on martyr hats before - when life isn't going right, when the world is falling down all around you sometimes it feels like it is just you that is suffering - always suffering.

It kind of goes hand in hand with the past - if you can't leave your past behind you and move on and stop playing the victim game you will never be happy and will never be able to move forward with your life.
I know I have had times where I feel it is about me and what I am going through and why am I the one going through the wringer - when in reality - I am not going through anything that I can not get through. Think about those in poverty who do not know where their next meal is coming from, or the child that is cold in the morning because he has no coat or heat -

When you find yourself in the "martyr" mood - just look around at the world, other people have it worse off than you do - so be thankful and blessed that you are where you are - that you have a house, food, clothing, friends and family - the past is the past leave it behind, can't change it, but do not allow yourself to be a victim of it either - a martyr can be a selfish person who thinks it is always about them, that if someone says or writes or does something it is about them - when someone is sick in their family it is about them and their feelings, not the sick person.

We all have been that person one time or another, we all have dealt with people who are constantly that person - the best thing is to be positive and always look at the bright side of life - things could always be worse!

Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all

Message from Kirsten and Orry

Hi everyone! Just wanted to update everyone on what is going on with Orry. He has a lipmoa tumor on his back, lipoma is fatty tissue that usually in adults. Surgery is schedule for 11 am on Monday, but we have to be at Children's Hospital at 9:30 for the prep. Orry has never been sick, so this experience has been a new thing for the two of us. Mom or I will post an update on Orry on Monday afternoon. Thanks for the prayers!


Kirsten and Orry

So big....

it is like every day I am figuring out how big my boys are getting and how soon they will not need their mommy anymore :(... Friday night Logan and I were going upstairs so I could put him to bed and he turned to Steve and Brayden and say "Hey Star Wars" - they were watching Clone Wars a cartoon, but it was just so funny how he knew exactly what it was. We were cracking up.

And then today - today we went to Kings Island - we have season passes up there which is nice because it allows us to go up a few hours each time and not have to spend the whole day. So while Brayden and Steve were riding one of the rides Logan couldn't - I put Logan on this little kids ride and I thought he might freak out because he had to do it by himself - hecky no - look at this kid - he is trying not to laugh but he was having a great time.

And then to top it off, Brayden was measured and he is now 48" inches tall and even though that isn't tall in Kings Island Land - that opens up a whole lot more rides. Steve and him went on about 4 of the bigger roller coasters that he could go on - this child was not afraid of anything - it mad me sad but also glad to see him so happy - but it made me realize how big they are getting - they are all grown up now. Where does the time go? Cherish each day - because in one blink of an eye they are riding the Diamonback and do not want to be seen with mommy... LOL

I hope everyone had a great weekend. It was a great weekend to do nothing but to be with family and to hang out in sweats - every once in a while it is good to have one like that.

Have a great work week - it is my last one at my old job - Yeah!

Miss and love you dad.

Much love to all,

Not so young

anymore :) - the last two nights have killed me. Wednesday night our game was at 10:15 and it was freezing - didn't fall asleep until about 1:00 and then last night I played again and didn't get to bed until about 11:00. I pulled the infamous "just one more" timmerding line at volleyball. I just ran into people I havent' seen in a long time and you know how it goes when you are chatting and drinking - LOL....

I am tired.

Back in the day I could go all night and still get up and go to work and not feel so tired. Age and motherhood has taken over......

Early bed time tonight - which is fine - the weather this weekend will be a perfect weekend to do absolutely nothing but lay around in comfy sweats and read a good book - while Logan climbs all over me or Brayden is running around like a mad man. But wouldn't want it any other way - it would be too quiet.

To see more pictures of the babies you can go to the individual hospital websites and click on their webnursery link. On St Elizabeths website it is right under quick links and then Good Sam it is on their front page. Pick April 20 as the birthdays and it should take you to the list of names. Choose Mindy S for St E and Mindy T for Good Sam and there are the precious little angels. I took the boys to see Jordyn last night and Brayden loves her - Logan wouldn't let her go either. They would like a sister I am sure, but that isn't up to me.

Please say a special prayer for Kirsten and Orry - he is having surgery on Monday to take out a mass on his back - I will get more details from her or Uncle Tom later but I do know he is having surgery on Monday so please keep them in your prayers. It is always nerve wracking when you see your child in the hospital, whether for something simple or for a surgery - it is scary. But God will be with them and he will pull both of them through. Hang in there guys!

Try to stay dry this weekend - it is going to be a wet one.

Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all,

And now here are the twins:

here is a picture of the twins that Tonya sent me yesterday. Boone is on the left and Savannah is on the right. Everyone is doing well.

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Thought for the day (Thanks Aunt Carol! )

Women are simply Angels and when someone breaks our wings we simply continue to fly ...... on a broomstick. We're flexible like that."

Ms Jordyn Elizabeth Timmerding

Meet Ms Jordyn - mommy and baby are all doing well

Update - again - Jordyn is here and the twins!

Update: Jordyn Elizabeth Timmerding - 7lbs, 7ozs - I will post pictures of all babies as soon as I get them. What a wonderful celebration of life today!!!!!!


the babies have arrived for Mindy and Ryan:  Boone Michael was 6lbs 14oz and Savannah Mae is 5lbs 15ozs BIG for twins - all are doing well.

And Jeremy and Mindy are at the hospital as we speak - so we may have another baby today! God is good........

Celebrating - Life and Death

it was one year ago today that we lost Uncle Wally - it is so hard to believe it has already been a year, but yet the lost is still so fresh and new, the heart hasn't healed yet and the wound hasn't healed yet, but today there is a reason to celebrate. Mindy - Lisa's daughter is scheduled for her C-section this morning to have the twins - a boy and a girl. No one knows the names yet but what a wonderful gift to give to everyone to celebrate life on this special day - Here is to a blessed morning and may everything go well - may the babies be healthy and that Mindy and Ryan and everyone who will be there share in the joy that this miracle is occuring today. Hugs and kisses to you all~~~

On a side note, wanted to send out a special prayer to my brother-in-law, Ric and his family. He just found out that his brother has stomach cancer and isnt' doing well at the moment. May you find the strength and faith in God to go on this journey we call 'cancer' - May it not beat you but make you stronger. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.

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Gave my two weeks yesterday - unfortunately I have to stay the two weeks - dang it, I was hoping for a mini vacation :)

May everyone have a blessed Tuesday!

Miss and love you dad

Much love to all

Prayers...

This is a message from Patrick Tully:

Timmerding Family, I wanted to ask for everyone's prayers for the young girls and their families affected in the car accident involving students from Notre Dame on Friday. Some of you don’t know this, but I am a soccer coach at NDA and Lisa was a coach there until 2008. Seven out of the eight girls involved in the accident were involved in the soccer program at one point in their high school careers including Marie Schafftstein who died in the accident. Lisa and I both know many of these girls closely and they need all the prayers we have. I know it has been a rough year and a half in the family, but I’m hoping we still have some prayers left to give to these girls and their families in their time of need.

These girls are all honor roll students who happened to be great athletes as well. Four of the eight are going to play their respected sports in college and were scheduled to sign their scholarship papers on Monday. One is also a finalist for the Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky Women Sports Association High School Sportswoman of the Year.

At this time, four of the girls have been released from the hospital. One was moved from ICU to a regular floor and one has been in surgery for multiple broken bones and seems to be headed for a long recovery. Please pray that they continue healing both physically and emotionally.

The last girl perhaps needs our prayers the most. She is very close to Lisa and me and is in the most danger of the survivors. She is listed in serious condition as she is in a medically induced coma. God has dealt her a frightening hand, but this girl is a fighter and we hope she can make it through this. If any of these girls can survive, it is this girl. In her last three years of high school, she has suffered through two ACL tears and a kneecap problem. Yet through all her high school injuries, she hasn’t complained once nor ever expressed sentiments like “Why me”. She knew there were other people in the world worse off than having knee problems. Now she is one of those people that are worse off.

I could go on and on about these girls, but to sum it all up, they need all the prayers they can get. Please, please, please ask everyone in the family to pray for these girls!!!

Thanks,

Patrick


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Life... is short and precious

you never know when you are going to be called home. We need to live each day like it is our last, laugh as much as you can, love with all of your heart and cherish your family and friends deeply. Didn't sleep that much this weekend. after hearing the terrible tragedy that happened to the Notre Dame community. It hit so close to home. I didn't know any of the girls in the accident, but I kept thinking how awful for those parents who had to take that long drive to get to their children - it is a parent's worst nightmare - to get a call saying your child has been injured or worse yet has been killed. - My heart is just heavy with grief and goes out to all of the family and friends affected by such a tragedy.

It just goes to show you - we are not in control down here - it isn't up to us - when he is ready for us, he will let us know. As hard as it is, forget about the heartaches, forget about the friend who has mistreated you, forget about the past - live, LIVE in the present and live to be happy, take each day as it is the last and enjoy every single moment of it. Give an extra hug and kiss to your children tonight - hold them tightly and treasure your moments here on earth.

May God be with the families and friends at NDA that have been affected by this tragedy. May he console them and give them comfort in this time of grief. May they continue to turn towards him and to have faith and not turn away - as hard as it is, God will get you through it -

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
heading over to mom's in a bit - I know Mindy (Lisa's daughter is scheduled for her twins on Tuesday) and Mindy and Jeremy's baby is due this Friday - so we may be welcoming three new Timmerdings this week - woo hoo!!

Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all,

Last day

just wanted to say thank you for all of the well wishes on the new job. do not worry i will finish strong on my old job as much as I hate it but I'll stay there. One of the girls I play volleyball is super excited that I will be working out right next to her - she was already telling me all of the fun happy hour stops :) Watch out Boone County - you are being invaded LOL... 

went to the zoo yesterday - we were the FIRST ones there - the only car in the parking lot for about ten minutes and the only people in the zoo besides about twenty others for the first hour - what a beautiful morning it was - I took lots of pictures which I will be posting soon - it was such a fun day! 

today - last day of spring break - heading to the park in a little bit as long as the rain holds off - and then it will be back to the grind for brayden on monday - he is not happy :(... but he will be out soon enough for summer break.

Happy Friday everyone - and thank you God for another beautiful day!!!

Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all, 

New Journey....

sent a resume in about a month and a half ago to a new company in KY - truly qualified for the position they are wanting to hire for. Didn't hear anything for about two weeks - got the call for an interview. Now mind you I haven't done many interviews in my life - but I have been on a few lately - and they are nerve wracking - you never know what to say - you want to make a great impression, you don't want to sound too needy or too expensive, you have to listen, make eye contact, smile, you have to be a positive and upbeat person, dress nice, you have to answer their questions without sounding well stupid - it is a nerve wracking process....

so I do one interview with the President of the company - it went well, very well and I thought he was going to offer me the job right then and there. He preceded to tell me there is going to be another interview. They narrowed the field down to 10 from 100 and from those ten 4 will be coming back for the second interview. The second interview is meeting with the office people. It is a small office - 5 people and he wants them to make the decision since he is away most of the time, he needs to make sure the chemistry is right - which I completely understand. He tells me I will get a call back.

a week and a half goes by - i get the call - second interview set up - I am even more nervous now because I have to impress five people, five different personalities that I need to try to convince that I am the right person for the job and that I can bring a lot to their company. Nerve wracking - again - but I stay calm, I pray to dad and God to just allow me to be myself and to let that win them over (hee, hee) - it goes well - there for almost two hours. As you are being interviewed you feel yourself sweating and at times can't breath - you struggle in trying to make sure you say the right things to win them over - it is grueling. Interview is done - but I was only the third one so far - they had to interview two more people and that wasn't until Monday - I interviewed on Thursday - Ugh!

Another week goes by - I get a call - they want yet another interview - it is down to me and one other person. Great, I have to take off work again - all I keep thinking is this better pan out - I am missing alot of work - not that I mind, because I am not happy there - but still I need to keep it in case this doesn't pan out. Third interview meeting with two of the office people - it goes well, but I just have a feeling that I am not going to be the one chosen. I continue everyday to pray to God to show me the path he is leading me to - if he wants me to stay where I am at, then I'll stay, if he wants me to move on and get the job that sounds fun and exciting, that is a growing business and that is going to be a challenge, that is closer to home and the flexibility is there to where I can run to Brayden's school or get the boys - it is my ideal job - which path does he want me on - whatever way it is going to turn out I know I did all I could, I turned on "dad's " charm as best as I could - I know that whatever happens, I'll be okay.......

The day after the third interview was a long day - they said they were going to make their decision that day and that I would hear from them. I didn't hear from them until about 2:00 and by then I had accepted that I did not get the job and I was okay with it - I had already told myself you can learn from this and what to do or not to do next time...... oh what a process and a journey this last month has been.

The call came - I got the job!!!!!!!   WOO HOO! I am super excited, I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. I don't want to even go into my old job anymore but Steve is making me give them two weeks - I keep asking why - I do not owe them anything and the girls there have been nothing short than mean - still trying to talking him into letting me not go back LOL.....

God is amazing and he will lead you on your path - just be patient and trust in the Lord - he is there.

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On a side note, a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to two couples who have been trying so hard to get pregnant and have a baby - Andi and Bob, and Chrissy and Clint!!!!! God is a miracle worker and continue to trust in him and love him and he will be there for you and lead you on your path. here is to healthy pregnancies and healthy babies -

Miss and love you dad - and thank you for being there for me and listening to my prayers! And for passing on that Timmerding charm to me :) LOL..........

Much love to all,

Your plan, your will

Thank you God for yet another beautiful day. I do not know what your plan is for me, but I know you will lead me to the road I need to be on. Trusting and having faith in all of you do and knowing that you always know what is best for us and that you are an ever-loving and forgiving God. May today you show me that path and lead me to where you want me to be.

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 Tonight begins Steve and I's standing date night - our outdoor volleyball starts tonight - woo hoo! We have been playing since we started dating long, long, long time ago - and the girls are my high school friends that I play indoor with in the winter - it is so much fun when we are all together - Jeremy has his own team too so it is a lot of fun when we play each other - of course they beat us everytime - but we never give up trying to beat those younger guys ;) - maybe we will get lucky this time around since Mindy will not be playing just yet LOL....
Have a blessed day everyone- continue to enjoy the weather!

Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all,

Bad parent OR just a long winter....

so Logan last night says " Wanna play Wii" and then after he played one game he proceeded to say "Mario Kart" which if you do not know is another game for the Wii gaming system. As funny as it was and as much as I laughed at him, I thought oh my goodness what a horrible mother - my two year old already knows all about this gaming system - either that or it was just a very long winter! I know Brayden played it alot especially when he got a new game, but know that it is nice outside he only plays it maybe once a week.  It was just another one of Logan's funny stories and how grown up he seems all of a sudden.

Brayden is getting so much bigger and just older. He is on Spring Break this week with some other kids in the neighborhood and they have been staying out until 9:30ish or so. He is finally fitting in to the group of kids, last year he seemed to be an outsider because he was more quiet and didn't know how to ride his scooter very well yet, but this year I never see him, he is off and playing and having a great time - it is nice and nerve wracking at the same time. He says he isn't afraid to walk home by himself in the dark, but I am afraid for him - it is only across the street but you never know about cars and if they can see him or not. I am happy though that he is having fun and being part of the group - it is sad when you see your kid just standing there with puppy dog eyes because people do not let them into their group, but that is life right. Even as adults you aren't always allowed into the "group" so you just make your own group :)

Thank you God for yet another beautiful day -

Miss and love you dad~

Much love to all!

Beautiful weekend

and yet exhausting. spent all of our time outside doing yard work and just cleaning up from Ole' Man Winter - but I had so much fun with the kids. it amazes me how a two year old can get all of the toys out of the garage and still just wind up playing with a little bull dozer. Logan - oh Logan - he is a boy through and through - he already has so much scraps and bruises and he is our outdoors kid - he loves it - he hates coming in - bribery doesn't even work that much anymore :)

Brayden and I did the Isaiah Project on saturday - what a beautiful day it was to hand out food and clothing and to be part of something so wonderful. Unfortunately due to the economy the full-time person that they had organizing the Isaiah Project - it was her last day. She did a lot of the behind the scenes in getting the food picked up and ready to distribute, in getting the calls from the people that needed the help etc. And now they are looking for someone to volunteer to do it - but it is during the day hours. The ideal person would be a retiree or a stay at home mom. Brayden was sad to hear that - he said he liked going down there and helping. I told him we would find something else to do and that those people we helped would be okay.

I uploaded an album of the "Senior Spring Break Trip" - it looks like everyone had a great time.

Thank you God, for yet another beautiful day!

Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all!

You will...

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life?

And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity...We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems: If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases. We set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list.. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.

That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD..


(Thank you Uncle Dave :) )


Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all!

Garden of Hope

I went to the Garden of Hope on Good Friday - what a beautiful place it is. I took pictures because it almostseems like if help doesn't get in there that place isn't going to be there much longer. It is so peaceful and serene. When I was in the tomb just thinking of what God did for us and to know he gave up his son for us, chills went down my spine. As I wastaking a picture a ray of light came through the tomb through the little window - it was such a beautiful moment and it was like God was talking to me and letting me know he was there. - Mom was telling me how she built that place :).... Her and her girlfriends would go up there all of the time when they were building it and it was such a big deal. Know you hardly hear of anything about the place. Sad isn't it - one of the most "holiest" places in NKY and hardly anyone knows about it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Funny story - when we were coloring eggs on Saturday, I couldn't not get Logan to stop tasting or drinking the coloring - he thought it was food and when a two year old makes up his mind it is most difficult to change it. I posted pictures on the side of our Easter at mom's and Steve's mom, at our house and coloring the eggs - it was a beautiful day - just miss dad ~ alot!

Miss and love you dad,

Much love to all'

Easter

I hope everyone had a great Easter - what a beautiful day it was. We started our morning with mass and it amazes me how church is only packed like that on holiday - where is everyone at the rest of the time, we couldn't even move it was so crowded. We normally go to 11:30 mass to allow Logan to fall asleep in church, but since we went to 8 he was wide awake and trying to keep a two year old still during mass - it is a task.

After church Steve made breakfast for my mom, his mom and Sean and Lisa and their kids. I wanted something simple like a casserole and he wouldn't have that, so we had eggs, goetta, bacon, sausage, hash browns - the whole works. Needless to say after we ate it was nap time. The kids were hunting for their baskets and eggs while breakfast was being made and let me tell you, Brayden is the worst finder ever. You can give him the perfect clue or hint and he just doesn't get it :)... Logan find one egg with jelly beans in it and he was done - that is all he needed.

We then preceded to mom's house where everyone was - it was such a beautiful day - the weather was perfect - and there was another hunt to be had. Casey and his girlfriend hid the eggs this year - it was a bit tougher than normal and some kids weren't happy that they had to work to find their eggs. We had made it simple years ago to color code our eggs and each child has a certain color they have to find, if not it is a free for all and lots of arguing and fighting about who has more. So this makes it easier.

We didn't stay for dinner because we had to head over to Steve's mom's for yet another egg hunt and more food - it was an exhausting day - but it was worth it. Brayden had to go to school this week, he is off next week, so I know he is worn out -

Yesterday Steve and I did cafeteria duty - how fun is that~ we had so much fun, it was amazing to see all of the little guys eat the eggs and sausage when my son will not even try them. And the older kids, at least the older girls didn't want anything to do with that lunch - and Brayden even allowed me to come out and say Hi to him - all the ladies in the cafeteria said enjoy it now because soon he will not even want you talking to him ~ they grow up so fast.............

Today is Logan's first experience of going to the zoo - he is going with Jen and Amy because they are both off today - hopefully he behaves and keeps the two year old tantrums to a minimum :)

Miss and love you dad~

Much love to all,

Good Friday

according to http://www.gotguestions.org/ - here is the meaning of Good Friday:

Good Friday is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It is celebrated traditionally as the day on which Jesus was crucified. If you are interested in a study of the issue, please see our article that discusses the various views on which day Jesus was crucified. Assuming that Jesus was crucified and died on a Friday, should Christians remember Jesus' death by celebrating Good Friday?

The Bible does not instruct Christians to remember Christ’s death by honoring a certain day. The Bible does give us freedom in these matters, however. Romans 14:5 tells us, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Rather than remembering Christ's death on a certain day, once a year, the Bible instructs us to remember Christ’s death by observing the Lord’s Supper. First Corinthians 11:24-26 declares, “...do this in remembrance of me...for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”

Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). However, the results of Christ’s death are very good! Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” First Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a subdued service, usually in the evening, in which Christ’s death is remembered with solemn hymns, prayers of thanksgiving, a message centered on Christ suffering for our sakes, and observance of the Lord's Supper. Whether or not Christians choose to “celebrate” Good Friday, the events of that day should be ever on our minds because the death of Christ on the cross is the paramount event of the Christian faith.

Holy Thursday

Maundy Thursday, also known as “Holy Thursday” is the Thursday of Passion Week, one day before Good Friday (the Thursday before Easter). Maundy Thursday is the name given to the day on which Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, known as the Last Supper. Two important events are the focus of Maundy Thursday.

First, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples and thereby instituted the Lord’s Supper, also called Communion (Luke 22:19-20). Some Christian churches observe a special Communion service on Maundy Thursday in memory of Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples. Second, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as an act of humility and service, thereby setting an example that we should love and serve one another in humility (John 13:3-17). Some Christian churches observe a foot-washing ceremony on Maundy Thursday to commemorate Jesus’ washing the feet of the disciples.

The word “Maundy” is derived from the Latin word for “command.” The “Maundy” in Maundy Thursday refers to the command Jesus gave to the disciples at the Last Supper, that they should love and serve one another. Should we observe Maundy Thursday? The Bible neither commands nor forbids it. It is a good thing to remember the Last Supper and Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It is a good thing to remember the Lord’s example of humility. However, at the same time, we should avoid ritualistic observances of holidays unless they are truly focused on God and our relationship with Him.


May you each be blessed today with God's love!