How often do you feel physical thirst? What is the best way to quench it? By drinking water, of course. Water has many important qualities and is a huge component of our physical well-being. [Source]

We are all well aware of this. You might also be aware of some common issues relative to dehydration and thirst:

• people often don't recognize their thirst, mistaking it for hunger
• not getting enough water each day
• trying to satisfy our thirst with other things such as coffee, soda, juices, etc

You know what is even more interesting? Many of us are experiencing at least one of the above without even realizing it. Even if you are drinking a gallon of water a day. You might still be thirsting. For what? For living water. For something more out of life. [Source]

This past week we started a series in our church that is widespread. It is being discussed in our Sunday classes, in worship, and read in a study book throughout the week. The study, John Ed Mathison's Treasures of the Transformed Life, warrants this much attention because it discusses very relative issues. I hope that you will read through this, as I approach it in a way that I believe we all can relate to. What are you thirsty for....in life?

One of the biggest hurdles we may encounter in our lives is feeling unsatisfied and empty. Consider the things society claims will satisfy us. Money, power, material possessions, strength, beauty, control, popularity, etc. Do you think these things satisfy for the long haul? We can probably all agree that the above are nice to have, and satisfy for a time. But those things are not guaranteed. They do not last. And we will undoubtedly come to a point where even with all of that it is still not enough. In essence, we are trying to satisfy our thirst for pure water, by turning to other options that still leave us dehydrated and craving more. I know that I could strive and strive and strive to be extremely fit, to have an extremely popular blog that goes somewhere, to be the best mom, etc. But depending on those things would still leave me empty because I wouldn't have anything lasting to depend on. By trying to gain control over everything, I would still end up spinning my wheels because there is always something or someone else bigger, better, greater. [Source]

Another problem is that we may not even realize we are empty and thirsting for more. Our lives might be sailing smoothly along and we are quite content. But what will happen when our shiny bubble bursts? What will happen when a challenge presents itself and you have no control over it? Suddenly the emptiness will reveal itself. There will be a need for something greater to help lift you up. For me, the knowledge that God is committed to me and loves me keeps me thriving and living a joyful life, despite the frustrations I currently face. I can vividly picture where I would be right now if not for my faith. And it isn't a pretty picture by any means. Faith in God's love can fill you up in the every day moments and the challenging moments. You never have to worry about being empty when you know God is simply crazy about you.

And just like with physical thirst, we may experience spiritual thirst by not getting enough of that living water. God is undoubtedly committed to us, but we must also be dedicated to Him. We must be willing to reach out and make an authentic relationship with Him to truly feel the joy, peace, and satisfaction He can bring.

[Source]

Our pastor shared some lyrics from a song that really rang true to me...

We go through life, parched and empty, standing knee deep in a river...dying of thirst.

How insane is that image? Someone dying of thirst, yet surrounded by water. That is the way we may be living. We may feel a desire for more out of life. For more satisfaction. More happiness. More fulfillment. And all we have to do is reach out and drink. All we have to do is make the commitment to recognize we are not alone and we need help. All we have to do is embrace the love that our God has for us and give love in return. He doesn't expect us to be perfect. He just expects us to love Him, love others, and do our best. That's not a tall order in my opinion...especially when you receive the gift of never going thirsty again.

• What do you think satisfies you? Has something you thought satisfied you, left you hurting?
• What situations leave you feeling empty? Do you think faith could alleviate that feeling?

Last night I felt peace and joy like no other by visiting out church's annual prayer path that commemorates Easter. The prayer path is a series of different stations setup in the worship center of our church that serve to take you through various events of  Holy Week and to focus your praise on Easter and its true meaning. It is amazing how something that starts out so simple, truly turns into something beautiful after 30-45 minutes. And in some cases, leads to tears. *raises hand* Year after year I can't make it through without some tear duct action. Who can blame me?

It is the most glorious thing to remember and truly puts things into perspective and makes me grateful. I enjoy this experience so much, I just had to share it with you all. Forgive the poor quality pictures as it was dark inside and I wanted to be as discreet as possible in capturing it all (aka take one quick shot instead of a few to get the perfect one). But I hope it will give you the same sort of feeling and recollection of what happened this week many years ago. Join me on the short journey, will you?

We start the path with a few minutes of quiet. This is a time to calm your mind and become prepared for the remainder of the path. Take the time to really focus your mind and leave behind any outside distractions.

Praise

The next stop relives the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Remember the people waving the palms to glorify him and shouting praises for his good works. Take the time to think about all the reasons God deserves praise from your life. From the little blessings to the big ones, we all have reasons to be thankful. Consider all of those blessings and really say thank you to God.

Pillars of Praise

Think of one word or phrase that describes God to you and ways He is worthy of praise. Write it down on the pillar as a testament of God's strength and steadfastness in His love for us.

Following his entry, Jesus broke bread with his disciples at The Last Supper. He served them and gave them guidance. He warned them of his upcoming death and what it all meant. At this station, participate in communion by taking the bread and the wine as symbols of what Christ has given to you. His death for your life.

Bread and Wine

Fourth on the path, is the visit to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed right before his trial and persecution. He cried out to his Father God and laid all of his burdens out for Him to hear. He received comfort after his prayers, and although Jesus knew he faced something very difficult, he trusted God's plan and His duty in order to save us all.

Gethsemane Stones Cast Aside

Here, you are to consider something you hold onto that removes the focus from God in your life. Write it on a rock, and place it at the foot of the cross to physically show the act of letting go. I chose to let go of worry.

Following this is when Jesus was tried under Pontius Pilate and convicted to be crucified. Even though Jesus could have easily saved himself, he didn't. He died so we could be set free. After this we no longer lived in a world of law, but instead a world of grace and mercy. We are set free. To represent this, you are to walk through the barred iron gate and show you are free.

Leave the Prison

The next stop was where the tears came for me. I don't think anything more needs to be said than to look up at a cross with nails driven into it and a crown of thorns on top.

cross with nails

He went through that for me. And you. How amazing! And how could I not appreciate that? And to drive the point home...take a nail and hammer it in yourself to show that he took one for you.

Immediately afterwards, joy is restored when you stop to consider the Resurrection. He came back to show he was the perfect sacrifice, the son of God, and that His promises would be kept. Now we can know that there is abundant and joyful life in believing in Him. To demonstrate this, each person is to write a blessing on a sheet of paper to put in a dish...which will overflow, just as God's blessings overflow in our lives.

overflowing basket of blessings

The path ends with Jesus' visit with the disciples. Here, he instructs them to go out and share about him. To share his love and show people a life of mercy and grace and peace. How are we to reflect that same commitment as the disciples did? By being lights to the world in how you act, how you love, and how you praise God for who He is. Light a candle and exit the building to show that you are bringing your light into the world, to share with everyone.

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Isn't that amazing? And it only reiterated my thoughts on a recent post by Averie. She asked how people got involved in their various religions. What brought them to it? What keeps you in it? I have to say that religion is not what matters. Religion, in my opinion, is a focus on the organization, the guidelines, the rules, etc. Faith is what truly matters. There is a big difference in my opinion. Religion is important to know the basics of a particular belief, but the thing that can change your life for the better is faith. Religion will send you to church on Sunday and then home to move on with your life. Religion is possibly a compartment in your life, a checkbox to fill for being a "good person", etc. Religion is where hypocrisy and negative reflections come into play because your beliefs don't spill into everything in your life. Religion is not living, breathing, praising faith and belief in something. It is going through the motions of what is expected. Faith is the deep down, heart and soul, my-life-is-incomplete-without-it TRUTH that makes a difference. Do you have faith? Or do you have religion?  Faith is the relationship with God and understanding of what he does for you. Religion is saying you believe in something and not acting it out. You might think religion or no religion is enough,  but if you lived with faith, you would come to realize it is not. Not even close. Follow a path of faith. It will do things for you that you could not even imagine.