(lent) 34

34.


number of years in which the comic Cathy appeared in newspapers.


age that is considered to be, on average, 'the most expensive year of one's life.'


number of years mother of two, Victoria Rohring thought her children were dead before being reunited through CraigsList. * The children had been taken by their father and had been misled about the whereabouts of their mother.


amount of tsunamis that have hit the California port town of Crescent City since 1934.* the latest came as a result of the earthquake in Japan on March 11th, 2011. Destruction and terror have hit the Asian island nation hard in almost unimaginable ways. (video)



verse in chapter 23 of Luke in which Jesus states: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."



the Psalm in which David praises enthusiastically His refuge and strength, God the father.
I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
David praised God despite being under great duress. The honesty of David can and should be a source of great encouragement for all Christians. Real. honest. raw emotions. real. honest. raw struggle.
and. yet. he. praised. the. Lord. enthusiastically.


joy. strain. separation. pain. pressure. exuberance. intimidation. tragedy. strong. fervent realism.

the patterns of life. placed upon our shoulders. sometimes willingly. sometimes innocently.

and Jesus took these burdens to the cross and while on the cross, with burdens firmly placed on his shoulders, he struggles to lift up his body in order to breathe. and with a breath he breathes out these words: 'Father, forgive them...' with the few breaths he had before giving up his Spirit, he asked His Father to forgive... them... to forgive... them, those who rejected Him... he asked God to forgive them...
and how many times have I rejected Him? and how many times have i missed it, that He forgives. because of the cross - in spite of His struggle - He forgives... me...