The Atonement

The Atonement

by Nephi J. Boyd

 

The blood Christ promised to shed for you and me

Fell first when left alone to pray in dark Gethsemane.

Great drops of sweat and blood and tears there stained that garden sod

As Jesus, Savior of the world, kneeled down to pray to God.

 “O father, if it be thy will this bitter cup to drink

Not my will be done but thine, I mean not to complain.

For he who would his own life save, to him it shall it shall not be,

But he who gives his life to God, shall live eternally.”

And while our Lord was praying his enemies drew near

With ropes to bind those hand that healed, undammed by sword and spear.

His friends he left to stand on guard, were peacefully sleeping on,

His most beloved apostles, Peter, James, and John.

They took him unto Pilot  and with hateful voices cried:

"This man declares he is a king; let him be crucified.”

But Pilot, though an enemy, whose soul was stained with sin, declared,

“This man is innocent I find no fault in him.”

Then he sent him off to Herrod, the ruler of the land

Who’d slayed john the Baptist; his blood was on his hands

SO the conceited smitten Herrod would have not more to do

With the prophet of the living god, he stained his hands anew

He clothed him in a robe of white the garment of a king,

Then sent him back to Pilot, a very clever thing.

But the wife of Pontius Pilot had sent her slave to say,

“Do nothing to this just man, for I dreamed a dream today.”

But the Sadducees and Pharisees, the scribes and rabbis’ cried,

“We want him killed! We want him killed! Let him be crucified!”

Then Pilot, the weakling that he was, conceived another plan

 Had him whipped and scourged and stripped and said, “Behold a man.”

His blood ran freely again, the blood he freely gave.

A sacrifice cosigned by God, a wicked world to save.

Roman soldiers standing by conceived a plan and said,

“We’ll make a crown of thorns for him and place it on his head.”

His scepter was an old dry reed they pushed him to a seat,

Then spat on him and mocked him, and kneeled down at his feet.

One mocking soldier snatched the read from out of Jesus’ hand

And struck his crown, such a might blow it left a bloody band.

Then Pilot had some water brought from within

And said, “I wash my hands of this vile in human sin.”

Then the people answered with anger borne anew,

“His blood be on us and on our children too.”

And then it is recorded, Pilot feared the angry clan

And said, “I give you the life of this just man.”

He had a scribe write on a sign the words he now would use,

“Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

Then Jesus, weak from torture, his shoulders cut and sore,

Was forced to carry his own cross while all our sins he bore.

And when he fell exhausted, the jeering crowds drew near

To laugh at him and mock him and his all his suffering cheer.

And when they reached the summit of that rounded sandstone hill,

The birds were signing sweetly and the air was clear and still.

And Jesus thought how lovely and glorious it would be

To live with loving friends again, those days for Galilee.

But the solider took no thought of this; they had a job to do

So they hoisted him up on the cross and drove the long nails through.

They put nails through his hands and feet and then to make more sure,

They drove a cruel nail through his wrist to finish up the chore.

His blood again began to flow; some drops were shed for you

His suffered, bled, and died for all that we might live anew.

So when we drink the water and eat the broken bread,

Give thanks to Jesus Christ our lord for he is at the head.

Let us remember and be sure our heard and hands are as clean as they can be.

Let’s bow our heads and whisper, “We do remember thee."

*sorry for the typos. credit goes to author 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5TKw3WuGA

Worth It?

Here I am. Sitting in a Southern Utah University Current Politics, intently listening (can't you tell?), pondering the value of my 8th semester of over-priced schooling. Had I been on track, I could be enjoying this last semester, drinking in the last months of iced-over sidewalks, over-paid instructors, and drafty buildings. I could be completely my work with pride, knowing the I'm about to enter the real world and be done with busy work forever. I could be tearfully parting with text books I rarely opened, and discarding scantrons I bought in bulk to avoid the shame of charging 19¢ to my debit card.
But, alas, I'll be here next year. As my friends are getting jobs or starting families, I will be lucky enough to suffer through 3 more semesters of education teachers who don't practice what they preach, zealous RMs that take advantage of a day I left my wedding ring by the kitchen sink, and advisors who still don't know my name after semesterly meetings for nearly 5 years.
But, all in all, it hasn't been a complete waste. I now feel educated enough on the matters of politics and psychology, even history, to carry on an intelligent conversation about current events (such as the name of Dixie State University being racist). I find it invigorating to argue with my professors and their politically correct views with my own that, I feel, echo the conservative opinions of my upbringing. I no longer thrive on being beloved by the teacher for well-constructed papers that mirror their beliefs or being the reliable one who always volunteers to pass out papers. I would much rather be valued for my opinions and views, however cynical and hope-shattering they may be.
On an unrelated note, I went sledding on Sunday for FHE with my spouse. I cannot believe I've been missing out on this for 21--almost 22-- years. Thanks a lot, Mom and Dad.

Positive.

This hunting thing is turning out to be a wonderful time for me to self-reflect. I think about all sorts of things all day; the constant monologue running through my brain all day is entirely exhausting, but is, nonetheless, a thing that is mandatory in order to keep me sane. It's been driving me crazy to not be able to update this blog here, as I always have the most interesting things to say, but my laptop has been out of commission due to the lack of a power cord. Although my Kindle Fire is great for recipes, Netflix, and all things Pinterest, it is not ideal for blogging.

Speaking of recipes, I have something burning in the oven. Excuse me.

Worry not. It was just the wax paper that was sticking up touching the heating element. It only burned a little bit, but now my house smells a little more smokey that I find desirable. Hopefully the candle I just lit detracts from that.

School starts in exactly 32 hours and as much as I enjoy new clothes, crisp text books, and a renewed sense of urgency to achieve a diploma, I cannot help but dread the time it will take away from house cleaning and taking care of my husband. I'm quite certain that the dishes, as always, will find their way to the sink and counter tops, forming towers that teeter precariously, carefully brushing the ceiling before they cause a fight between my significant other and I. The dishwasher is broken and this has been a constant thorn in our sides, causing slight arguments and reconciliation that involved filling the counters and tables with cleaning, drying dishes. Why must these modern conveniences that I have grown to depend on constantly disappoint me?

Like the AC in my truck? My parents were so sweet as to bestow Ben and I with a great little truck (insulated and carpeted covered bed. Great for over excited teenagers on Lover's Lane after dark. Or newlyweds ;) ) It was out for months before we remembered to get it fixed. When we had to make trips down south for any sort of occasion, it required days of planning. I had to freeze water bottles, buy popsicles, because we simply could not endure the heat on the way down there. Luckily, we were tough enough to get to enjoy Allen opening his mission call, and his first experience at the temple. I guess I should just be happy that we didn't have to travel by house and buggy.

I guess this an excellent return post. We'll see if I won't have oodles of more time to myself to update this thing. Cross your fingers. I know you've missed me.

Paradise

Found this picture on Ben's camera from his trip to Panama last January. Maybe if I'm nice to him (& remember to have his basketball shorts washed and dried before basketball on Tuesday nights) he'll take me there.

I also found this picture...

He's so good looking. How did I get so lucky?

Back to... Normal?

Whew. Finals week... we barely survived. I'd show you a picture of the shambles my house was in, but I'm fearful of my mom seeing it. She'd be so disappointed.

Now that the semester is over, I can get back to whatever it was I did being a wife before school started. Work and cleaning and cooking for that husband of mine.

This is what the dishwasher looked like 2 times last week--full of bowls and not of plates. Cereal can be easily substituted for a steak & potato dinner when one's wife is cramming for a Microeconomics final. I haven't really heard him say it, but I bet Ben is glad I have more time these days. We've had lovely home-baked meals the last few nights (they may or not have been good. He always assures me they are even when they are not).

I tried the gardening thing. I planted a pea plant, a strawberry plant, and spinach in pots to put on the patio until it gets a little bit warmer, then I was going to plant them in a garden we dug out in the empty lots behind us. The HOA hasn't found out yet. Thank goodness.

But notice that I said I was going to plant them... They sort of died. I was doing so good! Watering everyday, building a trellis for my pea plant, putting eggshells in the potting soil, admiring my one sprouted strawberry...

 Isn't it gorgeous? Never mind the size. It's perfectly red in every way.

Well, all my plants froze Sunday night. Cedar City and I have a love/hate relationship. Realizing my plants were frozen Monday morning, I went into desperate mode, thinking I needed to be quick in reviving them from their Ice Age state.

So I stuck them in the oven. It does not sound good, nor did it end well. Regardless of the fact that the oven was only on 230, my plants got crispier than I had intended. So, I will be starting over. But baked spinach is delicious, by the way.

Arch Nemesis

I have this little issue. Its a teeny-tiny, itty-bitty issue. In fact, its almost inconsequential, except for the fact that our whole lives are hinging on it.

Birth control. 

I have those stupid little pills that are constantly being popped out of the package and sucked up by the shag carpet that came with this townhouse. The fact that they are so tiny is quite convenient because I don't have to down a gallon of milk in order to keep it down, but it also means one very sad thing:

No baby for Ben & Angelie. 

Which makes me sad and relieved all at the same time.

All Alone

It's a Saturday afternoon. My husband's day off. And he has left me all alone. What is he doing, you ask? What else?


Hunting. 

When we were dating, he took me hunting. You know, the good kind where we'd drive around in the truck, holding hands and talking. I was even brave and showed up for the deer gutting process once when he killed this beast of a buck. He shoot it to impress me. How could I not have been impressed?


 


















Not the most disgusting thing I've ever participated in, but pretty close. 


For some reason, I thought that hunting was a Fall/Autumn time activity: a short season where I would join the Deer Hunt Widow Society and get some well-deserved alone time. I was willing to indulge in the "Me Time" at least that often, as I quite enjoy the company of my husband. 

Sadly, he is on his umpteenth Horn Hunting trip. 

*Side note: I told my beautiful mother that Ben was going Horn Hunting. She thought I said "Whore Hunting." I told her not anymore, because he's married now. Bless her precious heart. She always makes us laugh inadvertently. 

It is possible that I could go with, except I'm not sure he knew what he was getting into when he put this ring on my finger. I cannot actually stand hiking or being outside much. I've gone trekking through the brush once or twice with him, but I'm afraid my thousands of questions about this type of tree or rock formation and my whining will be the downfall of our union. 

I hear an big truck engine outside. Maybe this means he's found thousands of dollars worth of Elk Horns and we'll be rich. Wish me luck!