When I reflect on the events and the circumstances I have experienced over the years; when I “ponder anew what the Almighty can do” and marvel at the way He has so skillfully woven His will into the tapestry of my life; when I consider the sundry pathways upon which I have traveled – the mountains, the valleys, the sharp turns and dark tunnels; when I think of how the Master Potter continues to shape and mold me into an image that is both beautiful to His eyes and functional in His hands; how could I ever put my trust in anything less than His sovereign wisdom? Then as I begin to search the Scriptures to learn, to grow, to seek the face of my Creator, I find a God who  defies every earthly definition of love, who defines the very term itself, and who demonstrates it powerfully in the perfect sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ and I am gripped by the irony, by the scandal, and the power of the Cross, upon which the Son of Glory bore the weight of all my sin, took the punishment that I deserve – and died for me!