Food For Thought

I found some very old photos that my brother had sent me. One of them is of me, at about 8 or 9 yrs old. I would post it, but it's horribly faded, not to mention blurry. Regardless, I've stared at this picture until my eyes have crossed. And for what it's worth, I have no recollection of it. I don't remember the clothes that I'm wearing...which are cute, by the way. Red striped t-shirt and white overalls. I don't remember ever having those.
What's worse, I don't recognize the house this picture is taken in. The room has very loud wallpaper, and you would think a person could remember something like that. Not so. Nor does the furniture look familiar. Tragic. I hate forgetting things.
I guess it's a sign of getting older. So let's get off this road onto another...I could use fewer signs.

I am so thankful that my God never forgets me. He not only remembers me, but "He knows the way that I take" (Job 23:10). Never does my foot take a step but what He is watching me. He cares for me and ever pours love and grace upon me. Isaiah 49 even reminds me that I am engraved on the palm of His hand. He's amazing. I have His word, that He'll never cast me away or forget me.
But I also have His word that He has thrown my sins away - as far as the east is from the west - and He remembers them no more. (Psalm 103) As His child, I'm forgiven! One of my new favorite verses is Psalm 130:3 "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?" That Psalm goes on to speak of His forgiveness and redemption.
So I'm confident He will never forget me - and confident He'll never remember my sin. Good food to chew on. Tastes good, too.

Not all is love for Romeo

Well, it's been a whole week since I've written anything. It's amazing what a cold can do to you. Something so simple and common, but really just sucks the zip out of your day. At the moment, I'm not sneezing or coughing, so I'll get a few words in here.

Do you have any insight as to why my cat throws up? Not every day, mind you, but enough to be a nuisance. I'm guessing it's a combination of two things - one, the constant consumption of his wonderfully fluffy hair, and two, he's just a pig when it comes to his food. Most cats are nibblers, eating a bite or two at a time when they want. No, not my Romeo. When I put food in his bowl, he eats every morsel within about 2 minutes, and I can usually hear him licking the bottom of the bowl. He doesn't take the time to chew, but rather just swallows it whole. This is easy to discern because I only feed him dry food - which inevitably results in a "crunch" when chewed. There is no crunching. Just some noises that resemble a small hog in front of the feeding trough. So, I think this is why he throws it back up.

Is this too weird for a blog entry? Sorry, I'll try to more deep and insightful next time. But somedays, you just gotta be real.

He is Risen!

What a great day for any believer...the high point for Christianity. Oh, I know Christmas gets all the lights and fanfare...but without the cross and empty tomb, the manger would have little significance. Praise God for the resurrection!

Luke 24: 2-8

"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? he is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words."

John 20:19-20

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."

I love reading the story every Easter, and trying to imagine the sights and emotions as the women came to the tomb...only to find it empty. Jesus had previously spoken of his crucifixion and burial, and had even told them he would be raised to life (Matthew 16:21). But now they were experiencing it first hand.

When I visited Israel several years ago, we spent time at the Garden Tomb site. I loved it.

This is the entrance to the tomb. It's surrounded by a beautiful garden, and was a most memorable place for us to have communion together. But I could hardly wait to go inside. I remember taking that first step, and peering inside. And you know what? It's empty!! There is no body, no corpse, no bones. The only thing inside is the sign:

What joy!!! We serve a living God! Not some idol carved out of stone or wood, but the true living God. Hallelujah, He is risen!!

Another Easter Memory

What's Easter without a good bonnet!?!


Every little girl in the South probably wore a bonnet at some point in her life. I honestly don't remember wearing this one, but the picture is proof. And besides...it's way too cute not to share with you.

Yes, I know....adorable.

In these Easter photos I've shared, you can see our yard, and some flowers in bloom. We had a beautiful yard, and lots of acres to roam. Mom and dad had a greenhouse/nursery for many years. So I'll share a memory that not too many people have the privilege to claim as their own.

We attended a small church in our little country town, and our family was an integral part in practically everything that took place. But at Easter time, we did something special. We hauled truck loads of plants/shrubs/rocks over to the church to create a garden tomb scene (John 19:41). This was a wonderful scene and it literally filled up the front of the sanctuary - leaving enough space for the pastor to preach from the pulpit. This was not simply done in an hour's time. I can remember working on it Friday evening and then much of the day on Saturday as well. Sometimes we had friends working with us, and even the pastor would help. It seemed like a lot of work just for one Sunday service. But I can say, it was beautiful. We had large rocks (that we moved from around mom's flower beds) that we used to make a tomb...and one large one to be the stone over the entrance. We had it moved to the side, of course, to show the tomb was empty. Mom even would fold up a white cloth to place inside to indicate the linen clothes left behind (John 20:5). The tomb was surrounded by various plants, many that were in bloom, and it truly was a "garden" within the sanctuary.

I don't remember the year that we started it...but it became a wonderful part of Easter. The congregation loved it - as did the pastor - and mom and dad enjoyed serving in this way. They willingly gave of their time and talents to give us a visual illustration of the true meaning of Easter.

Why is it "Good" Friday?

Luke 23:33-34, 44-46

When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals - one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

It was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

I was once asked, "How can it be called GOOD Friday, if it's the day they crucified my Savior?"
Well, this is how I see it. Jesus died so I wouldn't have to. Sin separates us from God, and in order for right relationship to be established with Him, the sin had to be dealt with. But as a sinner, I could never be good enough to make things right. That's why there had to be a perfect, spotless sacrifice....Jesus. He died once, for all, and the penalty for sin was forever paid. And when I said very simply, "Forgive me", He did. Now I have that right relationship with God, and also have the promise of spending eternity with Him in Heaven. And that's GOOD.
If Jesus had not gone to the cross for me, I would forever be lost in my sin, with no hope. But I can be full of joy, knowing that my sins are forgiven, and the God of all creation loves me.
Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
That's good news friends.

And there's more to come.....because Jesus didn't stay in the grave....

Easter Sunday

I was looking at greeting cards in the store, and thought it strange that there were "Easter Cards", and then there were "Easter Cards - Religious". How far we have fallen.

So many people never even give a second thought to an old rugged cross or an empty tomb, yet they celebrate a big rabbit and dyed eggs.

As I reflect on my childhood days, I cannot help but be grateful for Christian parents. Sure, they made some mistakes...everyone does. But they did the best they could, and they loved us. And part of that demonstration of love was teaching us about Jesus. They took us to church every time the doors were open. They read the Bible to us, until we were big enough to read it to them. I can remember our family gathering around together in the living room for devotions - reading the Word of God together, and praying. And they taught us the true meaning of things like Easter. Yes, we had a basket full of goodies, and got to have an Easter egg hunt. But never once did we think that was the real reason for such a day. We knew Jesus was the reason. We acknowledged Good Friday, and recognized that Jesus died for our sins. We needed a Savior, and out of His great love for us, He willingly sacrificed Himself for us, so we could have eternal life with Him. And we celebrated resurrection day - Easter - as Jesus rose to new life on the third day! You see, there's nothing wrong with having an Easter egg hunt - or eating a chocolate rabbit, ears first, thank you. But it is wrong to take Jesus out of the picture.

I'm thankful that mom and dad loved us enough to make sure we knew about Jesus - until that day when we came to know Him for ourselves.

So the picture for today is my brother and I all dressed up for church, on Easter Sunday.

And can I say, "thanks mom and dad. I love you."

Easter Goodies

A recent post from my Twinkie friend has spurred me on to reminisce about Easter happenings of days gone by. It has also caused me to turn my house upside down in search of some very specific photos. Well, two days later, and several boxes strewn, I found them. I'll try to post them throughout the week leading up to Easter.

A beautiful sunny day in the south and azaleas in bloom made for a great Easter egg hunt - after church, of course.

I'm about 2 yrs old here, and my big brother is almost 5. What a cute pair we were!!

Please note the matching red tennis shoes, which I'm sure enabled us to go speeding through the yard in search of multi-colored eggs.

With full baskets and tired feet, it was time to sit and ponder. And draw very near to our chocolate bunnies. Oh, the joy of a chocolate rabbit at Easter. Mom learned very quickly that we preferred the solid chocolate rabbits, instead of the popular hollow ones. But it's one of my earliest memories.

I can remember waking up Easter morning to find a basket full of goodies in my bed. This was much better than some trivial visit from the tooth fairy - this involved food! And it was in my bed! Bliss, I tell you. There were plastic eggs, and jelly beans, and always a chocolate rabbit. This particular year in the photos, I had the "Mama Bunny" in the pink box, and my brother got the "Daddy Bunny" in the blue box.

The baskets at Easter continued until we "got too old" for that sort of thing. However, we never outgrew the need for a chocolate rabbit. So mom continued to buy them, and just put them on the table at breakfast. When I moved from home, and experienced my first Easter in a different state, I'm proud to say I received a chocolate rabbit in the mail. Yes, a solid chocolate rabbit from mom.

And when eating a chocolate bunny, ALWAYS eat the ears first!!