The English word "excruciating" comes from the Latin "excruciare" meaning "out of the cross."  It is a wrod invented specifically to describe the pain of crucifixion.  We must never minimize the cross.  it is the center of our faith.  In the same way the jazz never leaves the blues behind, Christians daily carry their cross.

The Christian life is to be excruciating, that is, out of the cross.  We are to take our cues from what Jesus was doing on that true and in the process become strange fruit.

In order to understand the excruciating life that we are called to I’m going to make use of John Coltrane’s spiritual stages from his album, "A Love Supreme."

• Acknowledgement
• Resolution
• Pursuance
• Psalm

These will proved a prayer pattern to "examen" the cross.  Notice I didn’t say "examine."  The latter is a scientific term in which we place ourselves in the role of questioner.  I believe that when we approach the cross we should not cross-examine rather we should cross-examen.