Mackenzie Standing

It's Holy Week, and here in blog-land I want to celebrate that! Check out the posts on Palm Sunday , righteous anger , and service  if you missed them. In the tale of Christ's death, I am the antagonist. I am Peter. In the moments when I should stand up for my faith and defend all that Christ is, I stay silent. I claim that I will never fall away, but when push comes to shove, the rooster crows and I've disowned Him three times. I am Judas. I spend personal time with Jesus and think I know Him really well, yet there are still times when our relationship is strained. It's then that I turn him over to be arrested for a measly thirty silver pieces. Hey, it seemed right at the time. I am Pilate. I give in to peer-pressure and conform to the crowd, both denying Jesus and saying that it's not my fault. I am the governor's soldiers. I mock Jesus--maybe not out loud, but sometime in action. I spit on Him. I strike Him. I divide up His clothes and cast them out...

It's Holy Week, and here in blog-land I want to celebrate that! Check out the past posts on Palm Sunday and righteous anger if you missed them. It's been beautiful here in Bozeman the past few days. We've had blue skies, temperatures in the 40s-50s, and tons of sun. This can only mean one thing: It's Chaco season. The first day of the year that I whip out my Chacos is always one of my favorites. It almost feels like a challenge to me. Yes, the weather may still shower me with snow, but in my heart of hearts I know  that deep down, it's really spring. I have proof; I wore my Chacos. Here's the thing, though: much as I love my Chacos, they're not the cleanliest of shoes. I don't know how often you wear sandals (and rest assured, I'm from the Pacific Northwest, so I am well accustomed to people strutting around in all their socks-and-sandals glory) but if you're anything like me, you tend to wear them everywhere  during the summer--I'v...

It's Holy Week, and here in blog-land I want to celebrate that! Check out yesterday's post on Palm Sunday if you missed it. When I was in middle and early high school I was in a youth band called Flipping Tables. I don't exactly remember how we landed on that name, but I do know it was a step up--we had called ourselves "Hello Kidney" for a significant period of time (if you're super curious, ask me in person for that long story sometime). We'd point back to the moment in Jesus's ministry where He tossed the temple tables as our springboard for the name, talking about how we all loved that passage in the Bible. I'm sure we all did, but I must admit, I don't think many--if any--of us cared about the point of the passage. I don't want to miss it this Easter. Soon after arriving in Jerusalem and during the last week of His ministry, Jesus ended up in the temple. He saw people changing money, buying, and selling in the courts. He became an...

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Linda Belton might fight me and say that time is Christmas, but I must disagree. Easter caps it all. I love everything about the season. I love Easter eggs and baskets and pastel colors. I love the spiritual practice of lent and choosing to fast to focus on Christ. I love Palm Sunday and all the guests at church. I love all the lives that get jump-started that day. Most of all, though, I love that there was a man who loved me  enough to die for me. And I love that He didn't stay dead. Today is Palm Sunday. In the Christian Church, Palm Sunday remembers Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. On that day, people laid palm branches and cloaks on the ground and shouted "Hosanna!" as Jesus rode in on a donkey ( Matthew 21:1-11 ). Palm Sunday kicks off what is called Holy Week, which takes place the week before Easter and remembers Jesus's last days on earth. Palm Sunday has always been one of my absolute favorite day...