He Was Despised

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. — Isaiah 53:3-4

This passage is talking about how Jesus was treated.

The Son of God, who gave His life for us.

And yet he was despised.

And rejected by mankind.

Suffering and familiar with pain and grief.

Even though He took on our pain, we hid our faces from Him.

We held Jesus in low esteem.

He bore our suffering.

And we despised Him.

Jesus Was Despised

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. — Isaiah 53:3

Yesterday my team moved down to the 4th floor of our building.

For the past two years we have been on the 7th floor with beautiful views.

Now the views are not quite as spectacular, but we do have two patios with balconies.

We're talking about putting a conference table and chairs on at least one of them so we can have outdoor meetings.

During this season of Lent, we remember what Jesus sacrificed for us.

He was despised and rejected by humankind.

Christ was familiar with pain.

Jesus was despised.

And we held him in low esteem.

Crucified on a cross with criminals by His side.

All for love.

Amazing!

 I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. — Isaiah 41:9b

God has chosen me.

He has called me by name.

I am His, and He has not rejected me, in spite of my sin.

I keep missing the mark, but He keeps hanging on to me, correcting me, and bringing me back to His side.

Here is the view from our room in Palm Desert.

This is the golf course where Kirk golfed during our stay.

Even at 6:00 a.m., it was already 90º outside.

As one of our friends mentioned, this beautiful scenery reminds us of God's presence.

It is comforting to know that He is with us wherever we go.

He has chosen us!

Everything God Created Is Good

For everything God created is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. — 1 Timothy 4:4-5

Everything God created is good.

Tonight at about 5:00 p.m. the weather dropped to about 50 degrees.

Abby and I met for a swim.

It started raining on our way home.

Then it stopped for awhile.

About 8:30 it actually started hailing!

Our front courtyard was covered in white.

Hopefully our plants will survive.

Everything God created is good.

God's Servant

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. — Isaiah 41:9

For the past few days we have been shellacking our completed puzzles.


When they're dry, we can hang them in our garage along with the one Kirk and I finished years ago.



Here's the one that reminds us of the trip Abby and I took to San Francisco in February.

So glad we had a chance to do that together before the shelter in place began.

We had a great time and are looking forward to our next trip together.



Hopefully all three of us will be heading to Palm Desert for a week in July.

God called us from wherever we were.

He calls us servants.

He has chosen us.

We are blessed.

God Called Us

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. — Isaiah 41:9

God took me from the depths of despair and darkness.

He called me by name.

And brought me into the light of His grace.

He has chosen me to be His servant.

I am not rejected by Him, even when I fail Him.

Today Abby is sick, and she feels miserable.

Kirk and I are sad that we cannot take away her pain and sickness.

With rest she will feel better soon, but she has not been able to sleep.

We call out to God for healing and restoration.