He took my sins and my sorrows,
he made them his very own;
he bore the burden to Calvary,
and suffered and died alone.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful
is my Savior's love for me! ~Charles H. Gabriel
This year, Easter at my house was pretty simple. My kiddos have gotten older and they assured me that they were 100% positive that they would survive without our usual holiday traditions. So, no dyed Easter eggs, no egg hunts, no bunny cake, no Easter Bunny visit, no posed Easter photos, not even an Easter dress for me. It all seemed just a little bit more than I could bear. I can't remember an Easter without dyeing eggs and was determined to do it even if I had to dye them by myself. I think the thought of a nearly 40 year old woman dyeing Easter eggs by herself must have freaked the hubby out a bit, so he sweetly offered to help me come up with some new family traditions. After all, isn't Easter about new beginnings?
We decided to attend the Easter Sunrise Service. I have never been to the Sunrise Service. The kiddos were not just really thrilled about waking up that early and were probably thinking I wish now we would have just made her happy and gone on and dyed those eggs.
We all agreed that the outside service was really nice. The music was beautiful. The weather was perfect. The sermon was wonderful. After the benediction, our pastor pointed out the glorious sunrise. Collin remarked, "Yes, It's just like God was looking out for us."
I thought about Collin's comment during our "new" tradition of Easter brunch and throughout the rest of the day. He's exactly right. When Jesus died on the cross, God was looking out for all of us. Through Jesus' death and resurrection we are set free from sin, death, and selfishness. The blood of Jesus that flowed to the earth below, bought our forgiveness. What a sacrifice!
For me, Easter is so much bigger than I will ever be able to put into words. I pray that I can do a better job of following Christ's example, by putting the needs of others before my own. I want to be more compassionate towards others and live a life that is more loving and caring, as He did.
My sister and her family will be leaving in July to live as missionaries in the country of Ghana. Isn't that awesome? They have been on several short-term mission trips in the U.S., Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Greece. They feel that God has been preparing them through these trips for their move to Ghana. They will be living there for 6 months.
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| My sister and me - Easter 1975 |
I will miss them so much. I know that there are lots of details that still remain to be worked out, but I know that they have placed God in full control. He's looking at their hearts and I know He's finding willing and eager servants ready to share their love for Jesus and gratitude for all He's done for them. Please pray for them as they begin this journey.
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| Follow them on their journey at www.fivefollowers.blogspot.com |
Finally, there are two guys from Winona, Mississippi, (Ben McNeer and Ben Stanton) that are raising money to build school desks for children in Africa. They are selling t-shirts for $20. One t-shirt builds one desk. The t-shirts come in red, green, yellow, and white. I bought mine from:
Hammond Pharmacy
405 N Applegate
Winona, Ms 38967
662-283-8802
They are also available at :
Special Treasures
501 Summit Street
Winona, MS 38967
662-283-5721
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| My t-shirt in yellow |
If you are interested in supporting The Desk Project and would like to purchase a shirt, I would be glad to try to help fix you up! Just let me know!
I hope you all had a great Easter! I know I sure did! Yes, it was a little "different," but oh so much better!
Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve...
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
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