Easter 2011

The cross. I have them all around my house for good reasons. I never want to forget what Jesus did for me so long ago.

I think about what it must have been like, carrying the weight of it down the dusty road on the way to Golgotha. I imagine how sharp the thorns were that they drove into his scalp. I envision the embarrassment he must have endured being naked raised above the crowd, his flesh marred beyond human recognition. I can hear the crowd mocking him, the soldiers casting lots at his feet.

The Son of God asking for our salvation... even as he suffered under the weight of our sin. He loved me that much.

God the Father, looking down on his ONLY Son, hearing him plead, knowing his suffering. Unable to look on him as he bore our sin. He knowingly sent him down to Earth to die for us. To die for murderers and thieves, to die for liars and terrorists. To die for children and women and men. All whom He loves equally. I cannot fathom this kind of love.

One of the first thoughts I had after having BWK was about this kind of love. I looked down at this precious baby I loved so much and thought to myself, "God sent his only little boy to die for me." The baby my husband and I had waited so long for. The baby that we dreamed about. I looked down at my son and tried to imagine knowing that I had delivered him only to send him to die for someone else. Someone who could just as easily deny his precious gift. I could not fathom it. I remember crying out to God in gratitude. I have always been grateful of His sacrifice, but it wasn't until I held my own son that I could even comprehend the magnitude of what He did for me. I am so grateful that Jesus died for me, and I rejoice that the grave could not hold him. Jesus is alive!

"Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was laying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember, I have told you.""
Matthew 28: 5-7

It seems that we are on the mend! Yay! I finished the second basket liner and obviously the first was beginner's luck that it turned out so well. I had some length issues with the second one in the curve on one side of the basket which resulted in some puckering. Oh well, it's a learning process! I'm definitely learning!

C's first two teeth are ALMOST in! The bottom two are almost in and bless his heart he has been having a tough time of it this week. I was putting Or@gel on his gums to soothe them but he started breaking out in a really bad rash so I'm not sure if he's developed an allergy to it. That means no Or@gel until the rash clears up so I can challenge him with it again... Allergies are no fun for him and very frustrating for me! I have them too so it breaks my heart when I see him scratching because I know how bad it is to feel itchy all of the time. I spent my whole childhood hiding inside because I was allergic to all things outdoors and would break out immediately if any grass or pollen touched me! I've grown out of some of it, but it still bothers me. C is fortunate to **so far** per the allergist not be allergic to mold, pets, trees. He says that those allergies usually develop later, but I'm hoping that maybe his is limited to just food. (That's hard enough.) I can't imagine being a boy and having allergies to grass and trees and pets. He's such a trooper. He has the biggest smile on his face even with the rashes and scratching.

B loves to play outside and is getting so independent. He plays by himself very well, but really enjoys having C to play with. He is a great help to me! We cook together almost every night. I know that sounds scary to most people, but my parents let me help them cook and I LOVE to cook as a result. I find that he really is much more open to eating different things when he has helped prepare it. He pulls his chair up to the cooktop and helps me stir, peel, and grate the ingredients.

A big mistake...

Did I say we were flu free? BIG MISTAKE! BWK was diagnosed with the flu about 4 days after running fever (and about 4 days after my last blog post) which meant no Tam$flu for him... Which meant Tam$flu for the rest of us! (Even little brother). The good news is that since we all (except little brother) had flu shots none of the rest of us got flu. The bad news is that the rest of us got some kind of mutant cold that has had us coughing ever since. Yuck!

Spring is here and we are all ready to be able to play outside in the beautiful weather we've had. Both boys love to swing and we've been outside most pretty days after work swinging until suppertime. C loves his swing as much as B did. It's so sweet to see his face when he really likes something. His little fat cheeks swish up so tight you can't even see his eyes anymore!

HK is still working on his shop/garage and now is in full swing keeping up the yard. This is a major undertaking when the grass starts growing. He has also started on our spring/summer garden. I love the smell of the dirt being tilled up! It reminds me of my maternal grandparent's freshly planted cotton fields at Easter when we would go hunt Easter eggs at their house! We are not planting cotton here of course, but probably purple hull peas, potatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and carrots I hope!

I am in the process of teaching myself to sew. I have always wanted to sew. ALWAYS wanted to sew! My mom knows how, but never really liked it, so I never learned. My paternal grandmother loved to sew and I think about her every time I see a sewing machine. She would have been very proud of my pursuit. I am not very good so far, but I have had a blast learning. I sewed a basket liner for the boy's Easter basket that turned out pretty good! I have one more to sew before Easter. The hardest part to me so far is trying to sew in a straight line! I had to make my own pattern for the basket liner and it is NOT easy trying to sew a straight line and also sew in a circle! Me and curves do not like each other so far.
Speaking of curves, the other basket liner is not making itself right now, and Easter is next weekend... so I better get started!

What's Up?

What's up is that I have been seriously busy living life (and loving it!). A quick overview of what's going on with us is: we were expecting... we had a baby... I went back to work... Christmas and the holidays came and went... cold and flu season hit... we were blessed not to get flu, but did get strep and a couple of colds... found out WCK has allergies after a visit to the ER... it's now spring and we're finally getting the hang of things around here I think!

As for me, I started the year out with a committment to memorize two scriptures each month with the LPM blog and have been very surprised that I'm actually hanging in there with it! It's been a blessing and I am now 6 scriptures the richer! I've also started a Bible study in Psalm and have enjoyed it. We've been away from church for several weeks due to sickness and work, so it's nice to have quiet time each day!

HK has been hard at work making cabinents in his shop with the assistance of the greatest little man ever (BWK)! I'm going to try to post some pictures of their progress soon.

What's up?

Ok, so after having a little break from blogging... I'm back. I know that I have not blogged since September, but I also have not done much facebooking, either. As a matter of fact, I had to take a little break from my computer because I realized it was consuming too much of my time, and it was time to put it back in it's place! So, after many months of silence, it's time for an update...
B is now a few days away from being two and a half and he still continues to amaze me daily. If he trips or falls down he immediately yells out, "I'm otay!" Too cute! Today I was checking my blog list and he started singing the Alphabet Song. I didn't even know he knew his letters! We started potty training offically this past Friday and so far have only had a few accidents. He even wore "big boy" underwear to church Sunday. He is growing up too fast.
As for us, RHK and I got an amazing Christmas present this year.... Drumroll, please... WE'RE EXPECTING! Yeah! I will be thirteen weeks this Friday, which is just over three months pregnant. We are really excited about having another baby. My due date is August 20th, which is exactly ONE day after B turns 3! God definitely has a great sense of humor. We have been trying to prepare B for the new baby, but he has repeatedly told us that he does not want a brother OR a sister in mommy's tummy, he wants some animals instead. RHK asked him the other day what kind of animals to which he responded, "LOTS of them!"
On a more serious note, we have just finished 11 days of revival at our church. I think that we all thought it was crazy to have revival for almost two weeks, but in the end, we wish they didn't have to ever leave. I did not get to attend every service due to the severe "all day" sickness that this pregnancy has blessed me with, but I wished I could have been. The Holy Spirit has been present and has touched our church in an incredible way. I have been broken and healed in the process and hope that I will be forever changed. Our pastor picked right up with an incredible sermon this Sunday morning that we all needed to hear. I feel so strongly that the Lord brought my family to HBC to heal us and bring us closer together. We have been blessed with a church family that is loving, caring, and accepting. God thank you for this wonderful body of believers.
I'm now approaching my time limit for computer time, so I'm signing off. Until next time, God keep you and bless you.

Birthdays

Today's blog is more of a personal journal entry than a post, so be fore-warned. The Lord is doing great things and I thought that I'd share. Ok, so I don't really think about birthdays the way I used to. Birthdays were about parties, presents, and cake when I was little. This year my Daddy asked me what I wanted and I truthfully said.... "Peace." Where did that come from?? I said it and chuckled, but I wondered why that particular word came out. My usual answer is "Nothing, really." And, in truth, there is usually something I really do want. Shoes. Clothes. My favorite pottery. The usual. But peace is really what I wanted this year. Peace of mind, peace at my work, a whole night of uninterrupted peaceful sleep, peace for family members who are going through trials of all sorts, peace for my friends who have issues as well, and peace for my body(a break from being worker, wife, and mommy). So although strange, it was heart-felt. My dad must have known from my chuckle that there was more to the story but he just smiled and left it at that. (Smart man!!)

I really can't pinpoint the exact moment that it began...A trip won by my sister-in-law on the radio?...A prayer breathed in the midst of trials at work?... Obedience? Lord, please help me!....A Bible verse from K-Love?... Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful. Proverbs 16:20... A prayer offered up for me by my mother?...A facebook post from my sister about allowing the Lord to clean the dirtiest parts of our souls?...A challenge from the pulpit asking God to show you your sins?...A podcast I listened to from John 15?...Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does not bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. John 15:2,6,8...A moment God knew would happen twenty-two years ago when I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior? Of course! God is faithful.

The enemy causes us to become so cynical. I had seen so much bad from the world I'd become desensitized. A hardened heart. Scaly, blind eyes. Yuck! I found myself getting rundown and weary. When our pastor dared us to pray for God to reveal our sin to us, I took his dare. "Why not?" I figured. I felt that God was stirring in me, and I thought I could take whatever it was He showed me. Wow. Boy was I NOT prepared for what I would see. I saw that I was covered with a filthy film of sin. God cleaned off my eyes just enough to start showing me the sin in my heart. I was not prepared to be shown things like UNBELIEF. PRIDE. IDOLATRY. Unbelief that He is God Almighty? No, I believe with all of my heart that He is Lord. No, what I saw was worse! He showed me there were simple things (idols) that I had been holding onto, hurts I was afraid to give Him, all because I didn't believe His word. I didn't believe that God, THE God over the universe, THE God who created me, could handle them. I guess I was trying to save Him pain, like my sins could cause him more pain than dying on the cross. Oh yeah, I forgot, He died for ALL of my sins on that cross BEFORE I was even born. Sins that haven't even happened yet He's already covered in His precious blood. Grief, Godly sorrow, and gratefulness swept over my soul. As a result, today I'm feeling full of peace! Thank you God, thank you Jesus, thank you Holy Spirit, three-in-one, that the gift I spoke of to my earthly father was made possible by my Heavenly Father centuries ago. If this is something you can relate to, I'd suggest asking the Father to show you your sins, too. It will change your life. Go ahead... I dare you!!!!

Thank you

Thank you Lord for peeling away
the scales from my eyes
You're showing me
the path to take
One day at a time
Thank you Lord for opening
the gates of my heart
Preparing me slowly
for the wonders of
what I will become
Thank you Lord for grace abounding
flowing from your Word
My desires in line with
no one else but
You and You alone.
Amen