Meme

The other day I was thinking about FaceBook Memes. You know, the 20 questions to get to know you better sorts of things? I was thinking about them because it is rare that I see the sorts of questions that I REALLY want to know the answers to. I think it is fun to know someone's favorite food or vacation spot or first love, but I really would rather know:

What are the life experiences that have affected you the most for good or for bad? Can you think of three?

What do you believe is the meaning of life?

Aside from the birth(s) of your child(ren) and your wedding day, what would you say was one of the happiest days of your life and why?

What would you say was the saddest?

Can you think of a huge disappointment you've experienced? More than one? What would it be?

If you have one, tell of a recurring nightmare you have.

If you did not marry the person, why didn't you stay with your first love?

For you, what was the biggest shocker about college? Your job? Being married? Having kids?

Do you think anyone would be brave enough to answer?

Kideos

Family Fun magazine recently shared this link:

http://www.kideos.com/

It is a YouTube site FOR KIDS. IOW, no pornographic Sesame Street and no obscene kid songs for the young surfers to accidentally crash into.

My little people are LOVING it. :)

Here are a few of the recent finds that I..um I mean the younger bunch...have enjoyed:

I Kings 17:8-16 A Jar and a bowl... (click for the sermon for today)

"A jar and a bowl, a jar and a bowl that never will be empty..." 

This little Sunday School song runs through my mind whenever we hear the story of Elijah asks the widow with a young son for their last bit of oil and flour with him. Even though there was a drought and this was her last bit of food, she gave it to the prophet of God anyway. I do not know how she managed to do that without grumbling in her heart...maybe she did grumble...that part does not matter in the story because whether she did or not, God blessed her with a jar that was never empty of flour and another that remained filled with oil so that she and her only son would not die from starvation.

I told my husband today that I love this story because I feel that this is the story of all of our married life. Despite some very desperate situations, God has never once stopped providing for us...even though some churches did.

Sometimes, I really, really do not want to give an increase in our offering to the Lord ..shoot, sometimes I do not want to give an offering at all when things are so tight (I am  bad Pastor's wife, I know), I remember this one story and know that God will always provide for our needs. There are others who are in much greater need than we are..we have full pantries and fridges..we are not in the widow's position at all.

And God does not only provide earthy food for us, but also His own Body and Blood for our forgiveness! There is no greater Food or Feast than that! 

Good Shepherd Sunday

Tomorrow is Good Shepherd Sunday! Third Sunday of Easter always is. I LOVE this hymn and I hope we get to song it tomorrow:
http://nethymnal.org/htm/k/i/kinglove.htm

What is the answer to this question?

I was told a joke by my 4 year old today. Get ready. Remember I have 6 boys now and how the humor is bound to go.

Son #5: Mama, Peanut butter is peanuts and butts.
me: oh dear.
Son #5: Is that laugh worthy, Mom?

OH boy and oh dear!

Prayers for dd#2

My dd#2 recently found out that she was in the top three-therefore winning a monetary prize- in The East Carolina University Young Artist Competition for Pre-College Pianists and Organists.

She is excited of course, but terribly nervous. You see, up until now, she has only played for church services...for the Glory of God, not for herself. She is very uncomfortable about it! She wants to be able to play as though she is at least worthy of third place/$300. It doesn't help that this is the organ:

 Wow right?

The organ she regularly plays at Peace has 2 manuals and no pedals. The one she is blessed to practice on everyday at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church  is actually a pipe organ with two manuals and pedals, but is small enough to fit in a small balcony. Neither are anywhere close to being called "magnificent."

Anyway, please pray that she will overcome her fear once she practices on this beautiful instrument and that she just does her best.

Tree of Life

So the sermon today was on the text from Ezekiel about the Lord putting life back into the dry bones. It is one of my favorite stories because those bones did not ask the Lord to raise them..they were dead in their sins. The Lord came to them and gave them back their lives for His glory.

But that is not what I thought about today.

I was thinking about this point in the sermon:

"That's why, when you gather round the Lord's Table to eat Jesus' body given and to drink His shed blood, you know that your God Jesus is there to bless you. And you are not cannibals, eating dead food, but it is the risen Lord Jesus who comes down to feed you at Holy Communion. His ever-living body is given to you, and life-giving blood is yours! Your God is there, breathing His breath of life on you in the forgiveness He brings in this sacrament of life!"

I was thinking about how Adam and Eve feasted on Tree of Life every day. It sustained them. They could not remain in the Garden after the Fall because God did not want them to eat of it any longer. To be full of sin AND live forever..what a terrible punishment that would be! Anyway, then I was thinking about how we receive that Life..through feasting on the Bread of Life...who is also called The Vine. We are given what was taken away from Adam and Eve because Jesus came and took our sins upon Himself - allowing us once again to feast on that Tree/Himself each time we receive His Body and Blood in the Holy Supper!

Then there is the whole "Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches" thing. We cannot give ourselves life, nor can we make ourselves alive either spiritually or physically by doing something. We must be grafted into the Vine-the Tree of Life itself! And just like with those dry bones, God breathes Life into us while we were dead in our trespasses through His own Name in baptism! He grafts us into Himself by His Voice-just like at Creation-how He spoke and things came to be-He speaks at Baptism and creates us anew!


How cool is that?