Happy Resurrection Day!

Something that has really struck me is how low Easter falls on the Holiday List.  I mean, if you really think about it, most families get together every Christmas and Thanksgiving to celebrate, eat food, maybe even exchange gifts.  Halloween and Birthdays are loud, full of laughter and suprise. 
And then there is Easter. All quiet and pastel.  It's still up there in the top five for most... thanks to candy and egg hunts.

I guess what I'm wondering is how can I celebrate Easter in a way that makes this day the most special holiday in my year and glorify God with every ounce of my being to show my gratitude for every sin he took from me on the cross, the three days he lay in wait, and the power he showed in raising back to life to save a sinner like me.

When I asked God this, his servanthood came to mind.  Just the other day I posted the 53rd chapter of Isaiah and one thing I noticed was how Isaiah (while prophecying about the coming Christ) continued to refer to him as "my servant".  That's an interesting way for a mere human to refer to Jesus, don't you think? 
But that's what he was.  He is my king, and also my servant.  I'm not going to lie... that feels very strange to say, almost sacreligious.  But he demonstrates his servanthood again and again in scripture -- his ultimate service which we reflect on today was his paying the ransom for our many sins, taking on the full wrath of God so that we can be saved, inspite of ourselves.

So, in my attempt to glorify God today, and make this holiday stand out among the rest in my life, my goal is to serve God in every way possible. I hope to be aware of those around me, seeking ways to serve others and honor that example that Christ has set for us and I'd love to encourage you to do the same!

Thank you Jesus for saving this soul!  I really can't express how grateful I am.

His righteous decendants

Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?

My servant grew up in the Lord's presence, like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground.

There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.

He was despised and rejected -- a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.

We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weakness he carried;

It was our sorrows that weighed him down.

And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be healed.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.

He was like a lamb to the slaughter.

And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

Unjustly condemned, he was led away.

No one cared that he died without decendants, that his life was cut short in midstream.

But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.

He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone.

But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave.

But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and cause him grief.

Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many decendants.

He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's good plan will prosper in his hands.

When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied.

And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death.

He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Isaiah 53

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father!" Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Galatians 4:4-7

Secrets secrets are no fun...

Secrets secrets hurt someone! (a song I learned as a child)

Well, that may be true, but suprises are a different story! They make people happy!

I've got a suprise. 

And I can't tell you.

But I really want to!

No. no. I can't.

But I can give a sneak peek!

Curious?  In just a few weeks I'll be able to share more.  But since it's a suprise (and the suprise recievers read my blog) I can't quite yet.  By the time I can, you guys will probably forget all about this, but I finally finished the suprise and MUST celebrate!
Baaah, it's killin me. I better go before I spill...

Mr. and Mrs. Coffee Mugs

We have some friends getting married in 10 short days -- Congrats Kendra and Steve-o!  I worked with both of them at JaMoka's Coffee Co., so of course I had to get them something coffee related as a wedding gift!  And of course I had to use my Silhouette vinyl cutter!

This was pretty easy. I found the mustache and lips I wanted, added the Mr. and Mrs. on my Silhouette machine and cut them onto black adhesive vinyl.  The only hard part was keeping from getting wrinkles in the vinyl since the mugs were rounded.
I seriously love these!  If I drank coffee, I'd probably make a pair for Wade and I.  But I don't.  I know I know.. I said I worked in a coffee shop.  Don't judge me!

Their wedding isn't until next weekend, but I couldn't stand it any longer and went ahead and gave them their gift the other day.  I'm horrible with waiting when it comes to gifts!  Speaking of which, I have several other gifts I'm working on and its driving me crazy not being able to show them off on my blog!  Only a few more weeks and I will be able to!  I love making stuff for other people!

White is the new Colorful

I love white.  In fact, when asked what my favorite color is, I'm either going to answer with White or Grey, depending on the day.

I saw these white rabbits at Potterybarn.com.  So when I was given an old owl statue by my mother-in-law, who knows I like owls, this idea immediately came to mind -- paint it white!

 

Here is the original owl statue.

Cute, ain't he?

I bought a bottle of white glossy acrylic paint and went to town!

Above is a photo after the first coat.  As you can see, the green on the bottom of the statue is showing through like crazy.  I lost count of exactly how many coats of paint I used, but I'd guess around 4.

I know what you're thinking...

You can't count to four without getting confused?

In my defense, I had to let it sit and dry inbetween coats, and even went to a movie before I did the last one.

I love it!  Looks exactly like I hoped!  In fact, I think I'm going to have to restrain myself from painting anything and everything white that I can get my hands on!

Believe me, I know that this is a bookshelf. And trust me, it does have books on it.. somewhere.  One of my biggest problems is loving everything too much!  I can't minimilize! 

different views

I recently got photoshop (for my own fun and enjoyment) and have been playing around with it a lot today.  It's pretty confusing, but I love all of the free actions online! Just click and your pic looks different. Here are some I found today and applied to an old picture I took of my beautiful neice, Deci, when I first got my new camera in 2009.

That's one cute chicka, right?  I think the first one is my favorite action, which one do you guys like best?

going viral

I always love videos like these, but to actually know the people in the video makes it sooo much better! This is a clip from this year's Man Camp at church.  Wade had to work this year, which I'm starting to think is a good thing!  To read about Wade's experience at Man Camp last year, click here! 

I am posting this for three reasons:
1. I have nothing else to post about today!
2. We are trying to make this video as viral as possible!
3. It's HILLARIOUS!

ENJOY THE SLOW-MO!

Tin-Foil Chicken

Over the weekend I said I would post the recipe for the A-MAZ-ING tin-foil chicken we cooked out on the grill! Well, here it is!

On a tin foil square, lay a few rings of sliced onion, a bonesless skinless chicken breast, sliced bell pepper, a pineapple ring, 1 1/2 tbls teriyaki marinade, 1 tbls brown sugar, and 1 tsp ground ginger.

It doesn't have to be pretty.

Fold the foil into a packet around the chicken and grill over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Do not turn over!

Open and Vio-la!  You're done!  Looks yummy right?

Serve over rice (I love the 90 second stuff)

My husband loved, I mean LOVED, this recipe!  It's gonna be a repeater for sure! My only edit would be to add more peppers and onions. For me, there are never enough!

I also tried a blackberry cobbler recipe, but I'm not going to share it yet, as I'm still perfecting it.  Looks pretty darn good though, right?  I love spring food!



"If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'!"

I've been in the Gospels for quite some time now, between my church's study on the book of Matthew and my own personal bible study on the Life of Jesus in the book of Luke, and one thing that has particularly struck me is how often Jesus' disciples just don't get it.

The disciples eagerly followed Jesus when He first called them.  They were common fishermen, not likely to be seeked out by religious leaders to be disciples, a huge honor.  So when Jesus approached these men, they left their lives for the sake of His.  I've always wanted to think they must have sensed how special He was, and that's why they left.  But the more I look at the disciples, I'm not sure they quite got it.. not yet at least.

After traveling with Jesus as He taught, after seeing many healed from leprosy, fever,  and being freed from demon-possession, they showed their first bit of proof that maybe they didn't quite grasp how powerful He was. 
They set sail to cross a lake with Jesus and while He slept they came upon a huge storm.  They were terrified! They woke Jesus, asking Him to save them, and His reply was, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!"
Wait a minute, they asked Jesus for help.. doesn't that mean they had faith? 
Well, apparently not. Because the next verse says, "The disciples were amazed. 'Who is this man?' they asked, 'Even the winds and waves obey him!'" (Matt 8:23-27)

And we all know the fish and bread story.  Just another example of a time when they didn't realize they power of Christ.  (Matt 14:13-21)

This is followed by Jesus, walking on the water and calling Peter out to meet him after the disciples cast doubt about whether or not it really was Jesus.  After Peter walks on the water to meet him, starts to sink because of fear, and is rescued by Christ and taken back to the boat, the disciples exclaim, "You really are the Son of God!" (Matt 14:22-33)

It's amazing to me how these guys could spend 3 years side-by-side with Jesus and be unable to grasp the entirety of Christ's deity.  How much more difficult is is for us, then?  I wonder how many times I've totally missed the opportunity to see God work because I forgot about his power and only saw thing through my human, fallible eyes.

Um, maybe they didn't get it because all of his lessons were in parables, you might say.  And maybe you're right...
But at the last supper, (Matt 26) Jesus gives it to them straight.  First he says, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."  (He's talking about Judas, who already had betrayed him.)  And you know what the disciples say?  "Am I the one, Lord?"
That says to me that they were all capable. 
The real kicker is when Judas innocently asks, "Rabbi, am I the one?"
"You have said it," Jesus replies.
Then they keep eating.
Huh?  
I would think the disciples would be enraged!  Apparently, that one went right over their heads.
As they ate, Jesus explains that he is about to die and that that very night, they will all desert him.  I love what he says next,
"But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there."
Even thought Jesus knew they would all abandon him, He was already planning to forgive them.  How merciful.

The ever zealous Peter declares, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will!" 
Jesus tells Peter, Oh no no.. in fact, before the rooster crows in the morning, you will deny three times that you even know me."
Peter can't believe what Jesus says, swearing that he would die with Jesus before he ever denied him.  Unfortunately we see what comes next...
Jesus goes to pray and asks his disciples to do the same, because tonight he will be handed over to death.  What happens next? Jesus goes to check on the disciples and there they are, heads bowed, eyes closes..... asleep.
Asleep??  Again, they don't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.

Just a few verses later, Jesus is handed over and arrested.  At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled (Matt 26:56.)  Do I really need to say it?

And, as we all know, Peter does indeed deny knowing Christ, three times.  The first time he says it indirectly, "I don't know what you are talking about!" when asked about being one with Jesus.
The second time he makes an oath, "I don't even know the man!" 
The third he swears, "A curse on me if I'm lying -- I don't know the man!"
Hence the blog title, "If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'!"
Can we say, Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!?

At this, he remembered what Jesus had said and wept bitterly. 

Despite the fact that these guys walked the same roads as Jesus, ate with him, laughed with him, cried with him, they still failed him.  They were human, just like us. 
But the good news is, in spite of our failures, Jesus never fails us!
He did as he said and overcame death and met them in Galilee just as he said he would!  He forgave them.
In Luke 24, it says that when Jesus met them in Galilee, he showed them his scars and "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures."
They finally got it. 
Not because of the steps they took on their journey, and certainly not because of their unabashed devotion to him, but because He revealed it to them.
Our only hope is in Him, not ourselves... and thank God for that. 

Spreadin' the Love

through flowers, food, and friendship...

This weekend, my friends and I got together to serve some awesome ladies in our community who are working hard to follow Jesus as they turn from the poisons of this world.  They just got a new half-way house where we tore out all of the old, dead bushes and started from scratch. 

My friends are so creative.  By the end of the day, we had flowers, bushes, trees, stepping stone, and a river rock bed for the flow coming out of the gutters. It was so beautiful!

Even more lovely than all that were my beautiful friends, donating their saturday to get dirty, dig up the old, and replace it with new life. 

This is my gorgeous friend, Amber. She was one of the few who knew what they were doing. Thank goodness for her vision!

The finished product looked so good! I wish I had taken a "before picture" to compare.  In just a few weeks this flower bed will be full of vibrant color!  I can't wait to see it all grown up.

More important than all of the flowers and food we enjoyed that day, we were able to spend time with the ladies of the house. Each flower was planted with them in mind, just to make them smile and feel at home.

"The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."

Isaiah 40:8



breaking ground

This weekend, Wade and I have started some baby steps on a lot of land we plan to build our home on.  Plan, being the operative word.  We are also keeping our ears open to God's voice to make sure we are heading in the right direction. Luckily for us, the land is on his dad's property, which I LOVE and has so much privacy!  Its gorgeous out there.

So today, we went over and pulled up a fence, which I learned used to house cows and has aparently been there since the beginning of time. It was really crazy to see how full on trees had grown right around and encased this fence in its tree trunk.

It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun! I never do stuff like this, (except in Mexico) and I have a feeling I'm going to have to learn to "work the land" in the coming years if we do, indeed, build our home here!

It was a beautiful spring day, so I took some pictures of things I saw that made me go, aww!

Look closely to the left of the bird, you can see her white and black speckled eggs!  This bird is so funny, because if you come close enough to the nest, she will go out away from the eggs and flap around like she broke her wing, that way the predator will target her instead of her babies.  Talk about sacrifice. Reminds me of Jesus, giving His life up to save mine. 

"Hey, payment for sin.. yeah you, death!  Come over here and get Me!  Leave those babies alone!"  Geeze I love Him :)

(We had a storm the other night, and that bird sat right on top of her eggs through the whole thing!  From what I hear, she was soaking wet the next day, but she stood firm!)

These trees are so gorgeous right?  My awesome sister-in-law Audrey and her hubs Q used to live here, so its kinda sad to see all of the open space where their trailer used to be! I know Audrey loves these trees too.  (They moved to Oregon, btw).

GORG-E-MOUS!