He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!!!

From Matthew 28
1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

May this amazing gift that is incomprehensible to us be living and working in each one of you today, and always.

When we were at my mom's this past weekend, my daughter came up from the basement all decked out in this beautiful wedding dress:


I about had a fit, thinking she had rummaged through my mom's heirloom items to pull out this dress. But, my mom, in true giving fashion, stated that she had pulled it out for the kids to wear as dress up since it wasn't doing anybody any good being stored in a bag in the back of a closet.

I was pondering that today, as I think about the things I don't use - saving them for a special occasion, or for a later date. How many candles do I have that are mere decoration, but have scents that would warm the house if I just lit them? Why do special dishes get stored away to use but once or twice a year? Is my family not special enough to periodically pull them out and make a memory just for the fun of it?

I like my mom's attitude. She brought such joy to my daughter and all her other granddaughters as well. Sharing such a special piece of her past, and seeing the joy of her grandkids as they "ooo" and "aahhh" over such a beautiful dress...what a blessing.

It seems I do this with God's love as well. I store it internally, keeping it to myself, pondering and thinking about how I can share it with others, but never quite taking that step out of my comfort zone. Thoughts of "there will be a better time", "I'm not quite ready", or "I might be rejected" all take center stage. I can justify it quite easily...I have hopes of people just seeing the joy radiating from me and then THEY'LL ask ME about what makes me tick...rather than me taking the first step.

I like my comfort zone. I like the boundaries that I have set up - the comfortableness of this lackadaisical attitude. But, that's not what I've been called to do. God didn't accept me into his kingdom only to have me take up space and sit idly by. He commissioned me to get my bum in gear and reach out to others. He's challenging me today to do that.

And every day.

I want to make my baby steps into giant leaps. I pray he gives me springs on my shoes.

I have decided, that if you ever want to know where your kids are, just go to the bathroom. In this house, 9 out of 10 times I go to the bathroom, within mere seconds a child will knock on the door with a comment, question, or deep need of something DIRELY important (in their mind at least). However, right now, all children are out of the house, and I have a few moments to ponder, reflect, and just sit. But, instead, I have been trying to quick empty the dishwasher, load it back up again, clean the counter, chang into something besides my most comfortable yoga pants, so I can head down to visit quick with Brad's aunt, who is visiting at my in-laws down the street. Two of my three children have walked down already, and the third is out with daddy for a bit of a date.

But, here I sit. Here I am, in between jobs...tasks that need to be completed - not even really in between, because the dishwasher sits open, in a state of transition - just emptied, ready for loading. But, the computer beckoned, and off I went to see what it had in store for me. I watched a little video, clicked "like" to a couple of items, starred a recipe to use in the future, and got an update from Bella Mella regarding her son, Andrew. Which prompts me to stop, right now, and pray, for a few moments. He's young, and battling cancer. It just hits me right in the stomach. Probably because I have been imagining it being my oldest, and I wonder if I would be a witness to my Lord and Savior through it all. Would I be able to comfort my son through the agony of treatment? Would my son feel the comfort of Jesus? Would others see Jesus through me?

I'm taking some moments to reflect on that, and pray.

Oh, and I'm also going to thank the Lord for the health he has given to us. What little things befall us each and every day that cause my mood to swing, or give me a "poor me" attitude. They are nothing in the grand scheme of things. We are blessed. I know it. I just don't always show it.

I'm going to reflect on that as well.

It's the best use of my time in these few moments I have, right now.

Won't you take a few moments to do the same?

It's back to school this morning, but not before I spend a few minutes sharing how wonderful our weekend was! The weekend was absolutely beautiful, and had a full moon to boot! We spent part of Saturday celebrating our nephew's birthday with a picnic and a trip to the zoo. The rest of the day was a combination of front porch time, reading, cooking, and being together as a family.

Sunday was such an exciting day - we ventured out to Lifelight. Lifelight is the largest free Christian music festival in the United States. Three days worth of people brought well over 300,000 people from my understanding. We ventured out to the venue (a field) on Sunday afternoon to listen to Decemberadio, Andrew Palau, Lincoln Brewster, and the Newsboys. What an exciting and uplifting time this was! To be immersed in God's message of truth and life, sitting and standing and praising God amongst thousands of other Christians...words fail to express the emotion. From my understanding, many unbelievers attend as well, and I think they would be hard pressed to walk away without feeling the Spirit!

Honestly, though, what touched my heart more than anything was seeing TJ, JT, and JD worshipping their Lord and Savior with hands raised up, singing along with all the Newsboys songs that they knew - glorifying God and praising him. My prayer for them is to have this faith ALL through their life! Andrew Palau spoke of being wayward for 27 years - it doesn't matter if you have a pastor as a father, or are raised in the most biblical of homes. Children with the best parenting in the world still stray from the path they were raised in. But, Andrew's parents did the only things they could - they loved him, prayed for him unceasingly, and continued to speak the word of truth to him. Eventually, (27 years later!) Andrew recommitted his life to the Lord. It gives hope to me as a parent, but I think it is also important for my kids to hear of these things that pull them away from what they believe - alcohol, drugs, pornography, and much more can lure them away from God. Standing firm through the trials and temptations is extremely difficult, but ultimately rewarding. I pray they came away from Lifelight with that message!

Andrew Palau:

Main stage:
Sunset:
Rockin' out with Lincoln Brewster:

May God continue to bless and keep our families safe in his fold, now and forevemore!

Rainy days are such a call to curl up with a good book, a blanket, and a cup of coffee. Well, at least in my mind. The cloud cover is heavy and oppressing this morning, so saturated that they must release the overwhelming amount of moisture nestled within. The drops meet the ground, first as a gentle pitter-patter, but soon increasing the crescendo to an all out escape, bathing the earth and washing it clean, while nourishing all that it touches.

So it is with God's love as well. Sometimes it is but a gentle whisper on the breeze, seeking us out, calling us to come near, and be with him. Other times the storms of life rage and we call out to Jesus to envelop us in his peace, comfort, and care. He's always there, he's always with us. Whether it be tears shed for a deceased fish, or comfort of the loss of a loved one, he's there. Whether it be for calm for today's test, or embarking on a new and exciting journey, he's there. Whether we ask for it or not, he's there. Nothing is more constant. Nothing is sweeter. Nothing nourishes better. God's love is HERE, and he wants you to take it.

For through life's trials and temptations, through the days ups and downs, through the good and the bad, through the ominous days of life, our God reigns, and does so with love and mercy. What an amazing gift he has given us - the ability to never, ever be alone. To never have to do something on our own. To never feel lost and not have a way out. Those days are gone - gone! The death on the cross crossed over that chasm that previously separated us from God, and drew us together. We are washed clean, with the blood of the Lamb, and nourished by it as well.

Time to curl up with my coffee, a blanket, and a good book...the GOOD book. God is calling me. Is he calling you today?

I'm staring at the computer and find I have sat here for a total of a few hours already this morning. After I took my dh to work, dropped off a car at the shop, stopped at Walmart for a beta fish they didn't have, promptly forgot the saline solution I meant to buy when I was there, I've perused multiple sites on the computer, searched for a kayak, checked into airline prices to San Diego, entered VBS registrations, monitored facebook, google reader, and three email accounts, set up payment with a past due patient account so they could avoid collections, walked up to the garden and picked some cucumbers, picked one almost red tomato (yea!), walked by the mess in my kitchen and living room, stared at the cupboards wondering what to fix for lunch, washed a zucchini to later make into bread, got out the playdough, and now I am back at the computer, feeling compelled to write something on my blog.

And, technically, I guess I did - write something that is.

Note how, really, nothing of any value is listed in that first paragraph. Where's the spiel on my relationship with the Lord and how I was building that up today? Where is the part about what I learned in my daily bible reading? Where is my challenge to others to dig deeper, search more, learn more, and do something of heavenly value vs earthly? To me, it's obviously missing.

I've come to the realization that I am a hopelessly selfish person. I've realized it over and over, but I hate when it comes crashing down on me yet again. The thing is, by the power of ME, I can not change it. I try, thinking I've got the world all under control, all the ins and outs of managing my life, but truly, I can't do one bit of difference in my life if I don't keep vested in the power of the Spirit. I am living proof of that fact. Today, I feel like I have a stinky slime of selfishness poured all over me - I lash out at my dh when he is not meeting my needs. I get short with my children when they don't do what I want them to do. I don't think of the feelings of others because it may mean I have to sacrifice something in the process. I hate the feeling, but sometimes I just wallow in it, digging deeper and getting more immersed in my "poor me" attitude.

It's directly related to my walk - if I neglect the Word, my time with the Lord, I easily slip further and further into myself and what "I" need. I become more important than others. All my good intentions go by the wayside and I can justify my behavior as being triggered by someone else. But, you know what? It's me. It's me. It's me. I'm the one at fault and the one who needs a heart change. A change from within, so that the outer view is a reflection of my clean and changed heart.

I need to get back in shape - spiritual shape. Summer is a time filled with SO many things - all can be good, but they also can be a distraction from the one and only thing that matters. My personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thank the Lord for grace and mercy, which is new every morning.

I still have a list a mile long, but all this is for naught if I am not doing it with a joyful, thankful heart. May God continually do a good work in my heart - and yours.

Blessings to each of you today!

For Today...

Dear Lord,

I'll bring you my shortcomings...Lord, I don't spend enough time with you and I want to change that. I know you're there, I trust in you, but I want to deepen the relationship we have.

I'll bring you my worship and praise...I praise you for the variety you created in men and women. I praise you for the differences that are deeply imbedded within us which makes us each unique and special. Your awesomeness is so apparent in how you created each and every one of us. I praise you for being the molder of the clay.

I'll bring you my prayer...Lord, draw not only me, but my family closer to you. My prayer is ongoing that we will be a witness to everyone we meet. I pray that we will touch a life each and every day. Help everyone see the light in us that only you can flame.

You spoke to me...In the gentle voice of TJ this morning. What a blessing when she wanted to "talk to me privately" about a concern with a friend. When I asked her what she thought we should do, she immediately said we should pray about it. Lord, you are speaking to me through her. May my first sense always be to pray, rather than it be an afterthought.

Please feel free to join your heart with others through the Simple Devotion link on the right...

May God bless your day!

FOR TODAY... (Please link to Peggy's daybook at right -->)

Outside my window...a very fine, light snow is falling. Accumulations to be just a dusting, but hopefully it will cover the brown and bring the world back to a glorious shade of white

I am thinking...how full our day is today, as usual, for a Monday

I am thankful for...my dh's attitude and self sacrifice; I am so blessed to be married to a godly man who is working on growing each and every day

From the learning rooms...all subjects today - Science test as well over forces - eeks

From the kitchen...JT is cooking himself some eggs and the pot of coffee just finished brewin'

I am wearing...typical Monday uniform - layers, layers, layers

I am creating...a clean space on my desk to work today

I am going...probably to the grocery store - man, I bought a ton of groceries last week but we plowed through them all

I am reading...misc. magazines around the house and one book which I'll clue you in on later...

I am hoping...I can better reorganize my days and I can not be drawn to the computer so much

I am hearing...the space heater running to heat up our school area. This plus three add't bodies keeps it cozy in here. Too cozy as the distractions seem to bother the oldest

Around the house...wash sheets in our bedroom today and do some general pick-up

One of my favorite things...A pastor who preaches the Gospel with skill, ease, and conviction

A few plans for the rest of the week: generalized clean up around the house, keep the basement in order, couple time with Brad

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
A flashback to fall, my favorite season. Most people have leaves. This year we had cornstalks!

Have a blessed week!

For Today...

Dear Lord,

I'll bring you my shortcomings...Again, my selfishness always finds a way to creep into my day. Lord, I continue to turn it over to you to rebuild and mold me more in your image. I am not perfect, but I do want to be more like you.

I'll bring you my worship and praise...Father God, you touch lives in ways many of us don't understand, or even comprehend. Sometimes you touch us in ways we do not even see until long past the day when you intervened. As the songwriter says, "You are God of all, before time began, you are God alone." May my days be full of worship and praise to you, the Father of all creation.

I'll bring you my prayer...Today, I bring you my pastor and his wife. Lord, the challenges are great to lead your flock, and I pray that you will uplift and uphold him as he seeks your will and guidance.

You spoke to me...I feel compelled to use the same verse as last week, to guide me in my works and ways... "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3

Please feel free to join your heart with others through the Simple Devotion link on the right...

May God bless your day!

For Today...

Dear Lord,

I'll bring you my shortcomings...My fuse is constantly short and I struggle to look outward vs inward. Lord, you know how I am made, and I pray you will continue to guide my eyes toward others and away from myself.

I'll bring you my worship and praise...Lord, I praise you for a good health report for a dear friend, that you have held her and her family in the palm of your hand while awaiting results of tests. I praise you for the way you work in our lives, through a simple touch, or an outright miracle, your hand is in everything. Each of us are amazingly made, and it is awe inspiring to see your handiwork.

I'll bring you my prayer...Father God, I pray for you to always be at work in our family, that you can make us a unit knitted together in you. Help us as parents to guide our children in your ways, and to be examples of you in all we do and say. I also pray that you will guide people to the classes at our church beginning this Sunday so that, as a church body, we can all become more deeply rooted in you in order to share the Gospel with others.

You spoke to me...You are guiding me to be less selfish, and I see this challenge in the days and weeks to come. Blessedly, you provide assurances of help when we struggle with earthly problems. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3

May God bless your day!
(To join others using the Simple Devotion, use the button at the right to link)