Good Friday:

April 22, 2011


(image credit from Brenton Little / text added by me)

Hi friends. Today is an important day in what I believe. Easter for us is not about easter bunnies and chocolate eggs. Don't get me wrong: we totally had easter egg hunts and all the fun stuff when we were kids. My mom actually sometimes filled the eggs with coins & dollar bills (score!) and it was a good time ;) But today, I will reflect on what Jesus came to do for us many years ago.

I know 'religion' gets into so many politics and controversy, but none of it really matters for me! It's sad that people are divided and fight over these trivial things. What matters and lays at the core of what I believe is that Jesus came to make atonement for the sins of all. He rose again 3 days later and defeated death, so that we might live with Him forever! All He asks is that you believe and accept Him. No strings attached. You don't need to do any crazy stuff after. Just believe. That's it in a nutshell.

So anyway, I came across this site, oceaster.com - it's a pretty cool interactive site, I'd check it out just for the design of it.. plus there's a cool message in there too ;) If you haven't been to church in a while or feel like going to check out what this is all about, I'd encourage you to go this Sunday! I will be up in Sacramento with my mom and am honestly a little bummed that I'll miss the service here, this awesome guy is speaking and you can find service info here. It's at a big amphitheater though so if you think you'll feel lost, I know Ruby's church is smaller and more intimate. Check out her blog for some info about a service at her church as well.

I know this isn't related to the normal content of what is posted here. But from time to time, I really just feel compelled to share with you. Today is a day where I can't not share the good news! Whatever your own beliefs are (whether you have different beliefs or none at all), you know I always appreciate you letting me be open and vulnerable, even if you don't agree with it. Whew, that was a novel. If you got through it, thanks for taking the time to read! ;) I've just been sitting here for 45 minutes figuring out what to write & share with you.

Well anyway, I thought I'd leave an Easter thought written by a great author:

"I do not mind telling you that within me I find the Easter message and the reality of the Resurrection more beautiful and glorious than the Christmas scene. Christmas tells us that Jesus was born; that He was born for the humiliation of suffering and death and atonement. But Easter is the radiant and glory-filled celebration of Christ's mighty triumph over the grave and death and hell! When Easter comes, our voices are raised in the triumphant chorus: The three sad days had quickly sped; He rises glorious from the dead! There is the real beauty! This is more than the beauty of color; more than the beauty of outline or form; more than the beauty of physical proportion. In the living Christ is the perfection of all beauty; and because He lives, we too shall live in the presence of His beauty and the beauties of heaven, forever!" - A.W. Tozer

80 hello's:

  1. Thanks for sharing. I'd love to see Francis Chan speak. His book was amazing.

    Beautifully written, Danni. Thank you and have a safe and Happy Easter. xx

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  2. ah! i love every bit of this! delightful!

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  3. thanks for being such a bright light for Jesus, Dani! You definitely stand out in the blogging world, in a great way. That website is awesome—my husband and I LOVE Chan, wish we could see him for Easter!

    Have a blessed Easter celebrating our Risen Lord!

    —Joanna

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  4. SO glad you wrote this, Danni! You're an encouragement. Sometimes it's hard to get past the cutesy pastel Easter and instead reflect on Jesus and truth and grace. I hope that you have an encouraging and peaceful Easter!

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  5. I'm so glad you had the courage to share your heart. Thank you. You have such a huge audience, and it means a lot that you are not ashamed. What a beautiful reminder.

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  6. Thanks for sharing. I forwarded that quote on too. happy Easter!

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  7. Happy Good Friday, Danni! May your weekend be a blessed and enlightening one full of love!

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  8. What an encouragement to see your post! Thanks for sharing! It's good to see how bloggers are sharing! You've inspired me to post about my faith. Thank you!

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  9. I was so pleasantly touched and surprise by your post today. I check out the blog daily and this is the first time i have commented. Thank you for reminding me and others what today is about.

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  10. Thank you for the lovely reminder! I enjoyed this post.

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  11. And Happy Easter to you, too, Danni.

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  12. I love that quote by A.W. Tozer! What a beautiful message to remind us what Jesus did for us. - Allison

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  13. I'm not in the least bit religious so Easter itself has no significance for me (not even chocolate eggs; my family never did that) but I do think it's nice to see somebody talking about what this weekend means to them and why. Even as a non-believer, it seems a shame to me that the origins of so many religious festivities are so often overlooked.

    Here's to a lovely weekend.

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  14. i don't comment often, but i just wanted to let you know how much i appreciated this post. thanks for sharing + for having the courage to speak openly about Christ!

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  15. Bravo! Thank you for using your space to speak truth into not only this weekend, but our faith(and an extra special "thank you" to the respectful comments from all your readers)!

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  16. This is a beautiful post! Thank you so much for sharing Danni. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter weekend.

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  17. thank you for sharing danni! i hope you have a wonderful easter.

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  18. I LOVE THAT YOU QUOTED TOZER!! Jesus is awesome--thank you for using your blog as a vehicle to give Him glory.

    Jesus is ALIVE!! <3

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  19. I was delighted to read this. Thank you for sharing the beautiful and true meaning of this weekend, Danni! I hope you have a lovely Easter.

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  20. Thanks for sharing, Danni. It's so important that bloggers who love Jesus say so. :) And thanks for sharing oceaster.com, too!

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  21. its not a just a symbol, its real :) Amen.

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  22. thank you for being bold in his name.

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  23. That's a beautiful image!

    I feel that, no matter what your beliefs, Easter is a holiday worth celebrating--even if you don't believe in the resurrection, the celebration of life returning where there was death is beautiful. It's happening all around this time of year in the natural world; whether or not it has religious meaning for an individual does not change the fact that it's worth celebrating.

    That's just my take on the matter. I'm a Christian, yes, so the holiday does have religious significance for me, but even if it didn't, I'd be celebrating. It's spring and the world is coming back to life.

    I love how bold you are in sharing in such a public manner, and how sweet and courteous these comments are!

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  24. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ! Thanks for sharing - and for not apologizing for your beliefs. :)

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  25. Talk about being loved! Thank for sharing this beautiful reminder of the ultimate gift.

    Have a blessed Easter!

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  26. Thanks so much for sharing! Jesus has my heart, and I am thankful that you took the risk and the opportunity to share the real purpose of Easter with us!
    Ann

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  27. What a beautiful post to honor Our King! I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family, celebrating your life in Jesus!

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  28. Happy Easter to you! Glad to know that there are others who are celebrating Jesus in this season. And yes, Francis Chan does have a way with words... but I hope you enjoy your weekend in my hometown :) If you're looking for a similar amphitheather type of service, Bayside Church is hosting one on Sunday at 10am at Arco Arena (Sacramento). Blessings!

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  29. That's my church! :)

    In fact, I made all the banners for this Easter service! And I also lead the drama team (which will be presenting with the dance team at the Easter service), and can I say? This service is going to be absolutely AMAZING. Francis Chan is going to be awesome of course, but there is so much more. It's going to be so, so amazing!

    I've been reading your blog since I ran across your booth in Chinatown during the Chinese New Year parade. It's kind of cool to see my project up on your blog! :)

    - Rebecca

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  30. danni. every time i come here and get a taste of your boldness in Him, i am blown away and SO encouraged!! thank you.

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  31. Bless you for sharing your faith and heart...
    He has risen, He has risen indeed!

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  32. Thank you for this testimony! Such a refreshing thing to see and read. Your faith is strengthening to so many people.

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  33. Thank you for your willingness to share your beliefs on your blog. So often it's easy to push them aside and focus on other pretty and less controversial topics, but you are truly an inspiration when it comes to not being afraid to tell people what you hold dear.

    He has risen indeed! Happy Easter!

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  34. Way to go for being open and sharing about your beliefs, Danni! Oh, I really, really like Francis Chan and I was forever changed by that Crazy Love book he wrote.

    Happy Easter to you!

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  35. I am so grateful for Christ and His life of love, sacrifice, and service. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings about Easter--it is so important to look past all of the commercial gimmicks to the meaning of the holiday.
    Have a wonderful Easter.

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  36. Great post! It's nice to know that any kind of sharing is ok, isn't it? I liked your post and was just as happy to see the comments.

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  37. <3 <3 <3 <3
    He is Risen!

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  38. this was so beautiful written, danni! thank you for your boldness and testimony.

    and i loved francis chan's book - he spoke at my college a few years ago and have continued to be encouraged by his messages.

    HE IS RISEN INDEED!!

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  39. That was beautiful, Danni! I always support others in their beliefs when their religion gives them strength and purpose and gratitude, I think it's totally appropriate that you share like this on your blog because this is YOUR space! Happy Easter to you - enjoy this time of celebration and reflection!

    p.s. That website is AMAZING, oh my goodness!

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  40. Amen, amen, amen. Enjoy celebrating our Savior with your family!

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  41. Hey Danni, I follow quite a number of craft blogs and have been noticing many cool posts about Easter crafts which I really like :) But your post here is the coolest because you actually talk about the meaning of Good Friday, which comes before all that Easter fun and joy. BRAVO!

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  42. It's so cool to see which bloggers I follow are Christians!no love this. Thank you so much. God gives is talents and abilities to glorify him and that is just what you are doing!

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  43. He is Risen Indeed. Happy Easter! Loved this post

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  44. beautiful post! :) God Bless!

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  45. Will you be attending church in Sac? I grew up there, but now live in Seattle. One of my favorite traditions from my home church was the "blossoming of the cross," where people brought flowers to insert into a chicken-wrapped cross. The cross looked amazing at the end! Thanks for sharing this. This morning, I read the passage of Christ's death and although I've read it many, many times, His sacrifice and love still gets to me.

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  46. that's a cool quote photo! my family does the money in eggs too! love this post!! thank you so much for sharing!

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  47. Just got back from a Good Friday service and my church and saw your post. :) Thank you for so boldly sharing your faith and why we celebrate Easter! <3

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  48. i loved the message on the website you shared! :D it seems that in america the church is lot more open for the younger generation than here in italy.

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  49. Hi Danni-
    Just wanted to say what these comments really already say, but thank you so much for speaking up for Jesus- amazing!
    Romans 1:16- I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God!
    Love x

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  50. This post simply speaks to me Dani.. You have truly allow yourself to be God's vessel.Thank you for writing such a brave and powerful testimonial.

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  51. Thanks so much for posting Danni, and thank you for sharing your heart. Beautiful quote.

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  52. Love that you posted here. You're a light!

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  53. I love that Tozer quote so much. How does one person write so delicately and yet move people so profoundly? Love it!

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  54. This post is a beautiful example of speaking the truth in love! The gospel of Christ is not only the power of salvation but also the source of all hope... Hope that allows us to create, give, love. It is obvious that your relationship with God is the inspiration for the beauty on your blog. Thank you for giving Him the glory and sharing the His story! Happy Easter to you!

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  55. beautiful post. hope you dont mind me linking to you through the photo!

    xo

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  56. A moving post, and a moving photo. I have a post planned for tomorrow and it's so scary to put beliefs out there and it's sad when I have that fear.

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  57. Thank you for sharing the TRUTH. Well said. Your honesty is encouraging. God bless and happy Easter.

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  58. Great post. Happy Easter to you.
    Menaka Indrani

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  59. Hi! I've been following your blog for a long time, and love all your beautiful design, and now I'm excited to hear that you're one of my sisters! So cool to read your love for Jesus here! Thanks for everything! Anna

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  60. Happy Easter Dani! I want to say thank you for that beautiful post! It is so amazing to see that you took advantage of this platform to praise our Savior Jesus Christ! I love reading your blog everyday and it is awesome to know that you are a believer who is brave enough to publicly give him praise! I pray you and your hubby have a blessed Easter! I also want to invite you and every one of your readers to come to Rock Harbor in Costa Mesa any Sunday! God bless!

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  61. I'm not a christian, but I wholeheartedly respect your openness and expression of your beliefs. Happy Easter to you!

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  62. thanks for your transparency and boldness to share, danni. what Good News Easter truly symbolizes <3

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  63. Beautiful post! A joyful Easter to you, too!

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  64. Thank you for shining for Jesus, our savior, in the blog world! Have a glorious Easter Danni! Jesus is risen and alive!!!!

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  65. i love and am encouraged how openly you share about your faith. thank you for using your talents & gifts for His glory - my spirit is always a little lifted after reading your blog, especially the one today. press on, dear sister & carry His name.

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  66. Amen! What a beautiful blog post about what Easter really means.

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  67. oh this is beautiful. thank you for your lovely thoughts and sincerest words.

    tif

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  68. this is beautiful. thank you for sharing.

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  69. Danni, thanks for posting this and for sharing. It was beautiful and sincere.

    Easter is such a wonderful time of year - even the flowers are peaking out of the earth to celebrate our risen Lord.

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  70. Danni,
    It makes me so happy that one of my favorite bloggers is also a fellow believer in Christ! Thanks for sharing what Easter really means!

    PS - Francis Chan is the man! I went to his church in Simi Valley on and off through college.

    PSS - I'm also from the Sac area! Woohoo Norcal!

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  71. I love A.W. Tozer! What a beautiful quote. And what you just shared is definitely the best news ever! Our Saviour is alive! What can be better than that?

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  72. Bless you for standing tall in Christ Our Lord and Saviour - at the end of the day nothing else matters. I know having a popular blog you could shrink back and decide not to speak your love of Jesus as there will be people that will tune out.
    I LOVE that you have posted about Easter - our future, our hope. So beautiful.
    I also believe it speaks of your authenticity as the voice of this blog. Do not ever hide that voice. Thank you for sharing.
    Much love xx

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  73. JUST read this and am laughing because i think our 1st sentences for easter posts are quite similar.Which I consider a compliment because you have such a way of presenting yourself that when you do talk faith it's a message anyone could read and keep coming back. & I believe its working in the unseen. -k

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  74. Beautifully written. Easter is becoming more and more significant to me the older I get. x
    P.S I too am a Chan-fan! :)

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  75. i love this post. it is nice to see people writing about what they are passionate about! thank you for all the inspiration. i love your blog!

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  76. Nice read! and I'm glad to see my art being put to good use! peace and blessings,

    Brenton

    brentonlittle.com

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Friends, Thank you so much for reading + supporting my blog, and for taking the time to leave me a comment. Your comment support truly means so much to me. Have a lovely day! xo, danni