Because he lives...I can face today

Reasons to complain this week:

1. On Monday, the washer leaked. Needless to say, I didn't get the laundry done.

2. On Tuesday Kev got a migraine. He was in bed for 6 hours Tuesday night feeling like his head was going to explode. Did I mention it was his day off?

3. Also on Tuesday I started working on my Dad's birthday present. I expected it to take a couple of days. It took five, including a final coat at about 9 o'clock on Saturday night before giving it to him Sunday.

4. On Wednesday, Kev stayed home as he usually has a residual headache after a migraine and doesn't feel great. We went to the chiropractor, ran some errands, ate lunch, and he laid down to take a nap. When he woke up he could hardly move because his back was in such bad shape. His back was in terrible shape for the next 4 days, and is still not back to normal, which meant spending his second day off this week (Friday) as well as Saturday basically not being able to do much of anything.

5. As soon as we pulled into the garage on Sunday night, mom called to let us know one of our cows decided to go out the gate. Since we had just got home from Iowa City we obviously weren't there to help, so my mom, dad, and brother got to chase him around for awhile. He finally decided it was time to go back in.

Reasons to rejoice:

1. With his back in bad shape, Kev had to go for several walks to help keep things loose. I got to enjoy several walks with my husband this week!

2. Despite having to change my plans with all of the aforementioned things, I really did get a lot done!

3. Time spent with family to celebrate Easter.

4. Despite his ailment, Kev made me a dirty snow cake-its delicious!

5. And of course, I can rejoice knowing that because Jesus died, satisfying the punishment God required for our sins (death), and rose again (overcoming death), I also will one day rise to spend eternity with him in heaven. Now that's a reason to rejoice!

Taking one of our "walks" (after church obviously)

Dad's birthday present

Springtime Thoughts

I'm so glad that we are finally seeing evidence of spring approaching. The green grass, the budding flowers-tulips & daffodils, the wonderful springtime breeze-all are quite refreshing in light of the buckets and buckets of snow that we're dumped upon us these last few months.

I don't know if this is an old thought, but something occurred to me recently, especially as we approach the Easter holiday. All this newness of life, the coming back to life of things that have died, the beauty of creation-it all points ultimately to the one who created life, and the one that sustains it. And it points to the life that was given, over 2,000 years ago. Though he was buried, Christ rose again-the dead came back to life.

Its pretty coincidental that Easter falls right at the time of year when spring is upon us. Of course I don't really think its a coincidence. For me to know God and to look upon all he has created and see the beauty and newness of life all around me can only point me back to him. And ultimately to his ultimate act of love, which was sending his son to die in my place, to pay the punishment for all I had ever done to break God's perfect law.

As I've been studying the book of John this year, I've come to realize just how grieved the disciples were by his death. They were heart broken. Those Jesus had explained to them that he had to leave so he could go back to the Father, they had a hard time understanding. But Jesus assured them that their grief would turn to joy.

And so will ours. Though we may be tempted and tried in this world, we can have hope, because our hope lies not in this world but in a heavenly one, where there will be no more grief, no more sorrow, no more tears. We can rejoice because we know, by his wounds, we are healed and we can rest assured, that if he overcame death, we also will be more than conquerors.

So rejoice this weekend-he has risen.

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:20-22