Sunday, March 16th  11:59pm

Today Kathy and I went to FBC Mountain Park, which is MY church. I hardly ever get to attend there because I usually am speaking at another church or out of town. It was a real blessing to me. A very special spirit. The waves of love for me and for my family just poured out towards me. It was really quite overwhelming. Kathy said I went through a whole package of kleenex. The music in particular affected me. Songs of love for the Lord.

In my One Year Bible during this part of the year there’s a lot of talk in Leviticus about sacrifices. Most of them deal with fire. On February 20, the day after the fire, while I was in the hospital I circled the word “fire,” “burnt sacrifice” or charred bodies FIFTEEN times. I know, because I just got up from the computer, went to my Bible and counted them. I was the burnt sacrifice! And I thought my son was dead. The horror and the sorrow I felt . . . . and still feel when I think of my son in that cell, all by himself with no one to talk to. It breaks my heart.

I’m not sure why all this had to happen. But I believe one thing, “In whirlwind and storm is His way.” My son had wandered from the path. I talked with a friend of mine who is a chaplain at the Detention Center. David was the first person to see my son after he was put in prison. I called him today and begged him to go by and visit Jesse again. He asked me, “Do you think Jesse is at the end of his rope?” “I think so, David. He seems broken and forlorn.” “That’s when God can raise him up to the heights.” Pray that this will be a prophecy that will be fuflilled.

When I was in church today, during the music, I become full of His spirit. The waves of love pouring down from the Father, I raised my hand in adoration praising Him. Waves of love. He loves us so much.

And then I thought back on Leviticus. “What he demands of us is not burnt bodies of bullocks, but a true sacrifice of praise.”

Although I couldn’t sing, the muscles in my throat were clenched, as I raised my hand in adoration, I had a true sacrifice of praise.

Paul talked about being a living sacrifice. I’ve thought about that a lot in the last month. I think about the Father, sending His only son, a living sacrifice. . .the pain He must have suffered to watch his little boy die. When I thought my son was dead, and I knew in my heart nothing could survive the heat of that blaze, when I rode in that ambulance on the way to Grady. . . .the complete sorrow I felt was a pain much more severe than charred flesh.

I never really understood the depth of the Father’s love for me, until I really realized what He did. He sacrificed his Son, for me.

Life is so fragile. I covered news for years. I’ve seen SO much sudden death. We are but a wisp of smoke and we are gone.

Make your life count for something more than what can be burned up in a single moment!

I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced really severe grief. Try and call up those emotions again. Re-experience them. Now transfer those feelings onto the Father and get a glimpse of what He gave us for us! He only had one little boy. That is great love, my friend.