Random thoughts about Easter

Easter is about emptiness. 

An empty cross. 

An empty tomb.

 Christ emptying Himself to atone for my sin. 

My own emptiness apart from the filling of the Holy Spirit. 

My own emptiness in trying to find fulfillment and meaning in life apart from Christ. 

A friend recently shared a new perspective on the words Jesus spoke from the cross. One gospel records this: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Could it be that God’s wrath was ready to pour forth on those who were bruising His only Son? Could it be that Jesus’ words were really a plea on our behalf, and that it was His request for forgiveness that stopped Almighty God from "wiping us off the map?" And then as God Himself stayed His hand and turned away, even Jesus felt the abandonment and said, “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?”

I’d never thought of the death of Jesus in this way. Thanks Joan for sharing your vision.
Easter Sunday dinner we try to do special meal in honor of the day. Here was the spread today. 

My sweet friend Amber posted an idea that she'd tweaked a bit from a friend of hers. So I re-tweaked it and came up with these little nests for chocolate eggs. So easy and yummy. 
Just use your favorite no-bake cookie recipe, form into little nests and add the eggs! Mmmm. 

I pray your Easter Sunday is full of celebration as you ponder again the resurrection of our Jesus. 

Christmas at Thanksgiving

We celebrated many things at Thanksgiving this year. First off it was Grandpa Showalter's 90th birthday. And it was Thanksgiving Day. The day after Thanksgiving we celebrated Christmas with the Showalters. 

Daniel read the bedtime Scriptures to Grandpa and Grandma. 

Elsa: eager, faithful kitchen helper

Tristen's new favorite person: Lish

Dad and the brothers bonding.

Grandma and my sister, Kristine. 

If you're interested in updates on the Grandparents you may visit kristineshowalter.blogspot.com.

Grandpa with his birthday cake. Aunt Audrey made one of his favorites: black walnut cake with carmel frosting. 

And beyond these few there are so many pictures of uncles, aunties, cousins, play time, food, Christmas gifts, grandparents, silly faces, food, lounging, cousins, food. You get the picture. I needn't post them all. 

Who Started This Christmas Stuff?

A woman was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable; and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year - overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.

Finally the elevator doors opened, and there was already a crowd in the car. She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two kids in with her and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed, she couldn't take it anymore and she stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."

From the back of the car, everyone heard a quiet, calm voice respond, "Don't worry, we already crucified Him."

For the rest of the trip down in the elevator, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. This year, don't forget to keep "the One who started this whole Christmas thing" in your every thought, deed, purchase and words. If we all did it, just think of how different this whole world would be.

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I don't know who penned this little story, or if it's even true. Maybe it's a story to make us think. Today my wonderful husband-pastor preached a message from Isaiah 9:6-7. Those verses that tell us a few names of Jesus: Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Too often we read through them quickly. Or we hear someone sing them in all their majesty as part of Handel's Messiah. We have those verses memorized. We know them. But stop for a moment to consider. . .

Wonderful. What is wonderful? "Just wonderful" you say. No, this Wonderful means wonder, marvel, extraordinary, hard to understand. That's my Jesus. He's Wonderful. Maybe kind of like "indescribable"?

Counselor. And isn't your first image the psychologist, the psychiatrist, the shrink, trying to find out what's wrong with someone, the someone who has deep emotional problems and hates their family? Hmm. Try again. To advise, consult, give counsel, plan. That means that my Jesus is open to questions. He wants me to ask. He's there to give counsel and advice. He is my Counselor.

Mighty God. So often the portraits of Jesus almost make me think He's wimpy. Soft hands. Weak face. Wait. He's also the Mighty God. Mighty means strong man, mighty man, brave man. And that means absolutely anything but wimpy. Sort of makes me think rather of a hero. Conquering King. Standing up to the ultimate evil. Smashing the bad guys. Rescuing me.

But there's more. It's Mighty God. And yes, mighty and God are two separate words. The word for God here is the Hebrew "el". And yes, it means "God", but it can also mean "strength and power." So I guess that packs a lot of meaning into "Mighty God" doesn't it. To start out with just "mighty" and then add "God" to it. . .  sort of turns it into "the strong, mighty, brave God Who is full of strength and power". I don't think it's redundant at all. 

Sorry. That's all I've got for now. My pastor says if the Spirit is willing (and doesn't change His mind before next week) he'll finish the message and tell us about "the Everlasting Father" and "the Prince of Peace." 

So if your week gets tough, don't forget your Jesus is Wonderful, Counselor and a Mighty God. Walk with Him. He knows where you live. 

Celebrate!!!!

Yes. It's really true. Today is National Candy Corn day. Grab a handful and. . . celebrate!!!

(And for all you moms out there, tomorrow isn't just that holiday we wish would go away, it's another one we don't even know about: National Knock-Knock Jokes Day. P.S. Don't tell the kids. Cause if you do, it'll be a very long day.)

D.C.--Day 2

Day 2 began with a tour of the Capitol Building. Kris' friend Julie Blackorby so generously opened her home to this whole gang of 7 Hobbits. Another neat thing is that Julie works on "the Hill" as a staffer for Senator Jim DeMint from South Carolina. Wait. I think I already mentioned that in the last post. Oh well. 

Julie took us on a tour of the Senate building where she works, and then underground to the Capitol. But quite possibly the most incredible part of the entire tour (which I still am convinced the children never really "got") was when Julie introduced us to a friend of hers who took us into the Senators cloak room where we left all our cameras. And then from there we went directly onto the Senate Floor. 

What an amazing feeling. There are all those desks of the men and women who represent us in Congress. They'd just begun their Memorial Day recess, so the place was pretty empty. But to stand there and realize that not many are allowed that privilege. Pretty special.  

Here are the kids behind Senator DeMint's desk. 

This picture still gives me chills when I look at it. I don't even know if I realized the lighting when I took this shot. I think this is quite possibly my favorite picture from the whole weekend. 

"THE" rotunda.

In the rotunda there are brass plates on the floor marking the original places of the desks from long ago. We found Representative James Buchanan from Pennsylvania.

Elsa and Julie, our most helpful guide of the day!!

Then a most memorable picnic on the Hill before we made our way to Union Station and the Metro, en route to. . . the ZOO!!!

Ah. The beautiful Union Station!

And whom should we see getting on Amtrak but the very band, Dr. Magpie, we'd seen the night before at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. They kindly allowed a quick pic before they departed. 

Yes, I know it's blurry. But that's how the Metro feels. 

The National Zoo. 

Auntie Kris treated us all to freshly squeezed lemonade or cherry lemonade. Mmm. It did wonders on that hot day!!

We were dragging at the end of the day. 

But since our Metro passes were still good we stopped off to get a glimpse of the White House.

And we found the doorbell. Long since disconnected. We really wanted to have tea with Laura on the lawn, but it didn't work out. Maybe another time?

Five Hobb(it)s peering through the gate. . . 

And the last laugh of the day was to find this stone. Kris was born in 1980 as was a friend of hers who told her to look for this stone in a park. Kris and I looked and looked and looked and couldn't locate it. Even after a phone call. Finally, we found it. We didn't realize it was the address for the place. Oh well. 

Then we all headed back to Julie's house where the supper I'd made ahead of time was awaiting us in the crock pot. Then Daniel took some time with the kiddos so Kris and I could have a couple of hours to just be sisters. So, we went to Starbucks and sat and talked for several hours.

 Ahh. How thankful I am for my sister. I love you, girl!!

One glorious weekend in D.C.--Day 1

We began the afternoon on Thursday by picking up Kris at Union Station. (She was in D.C. staying with a friend and had invited us to come spend a few days with her touring the city.)

After unloading our "stuff" at a friends house where we would stay for the next few days we made our way back into the city looking for supper and a parking spot. Obviously we weren't locals. If we would have been locals, we would have known where to find supper and we would have known that parking is nearly nonexistent in D.C. at 5 pm. After much driving and prayer we found both supper (at Potbellies!!) and parking. 

The next event of the evening was a free concert at the JFK Center for the Performing Arts. They do a free concert every evening of the year at 6 pm. The group of the evening was Dr. Magpie, a group of 6 guys playing acoustic instruments. It was an incredible hour of bluegrass, jazz and everything in between. Tristen slept through about half of it.

After the concert we went to the mall for a while and walked around the Washington Monument. I took this shot of the Capitol building while standing in front of the monument. 

Quite possibly the perfect end to a wonderful day: Baskin Robbins ice cream. 

Contentment.

Baskin Robbins has for many years been Dad's favorite ice cream store so Kris and I had to take these pics. Just to make him drool. 

And tonight's parting shot: the Washington Monument at sunset. 

Come back for Day 2 and Day 3 later (when I get a chance to post pics. . and the rest of the story). 

Happy Mother's Day Girlfriends!

Daniel preached a fantastic message to parents today from Psalm 127 and Deuteronomy 6. Since we'll have a missionary at our church on Father's Day, today was for everybody, not just mothers. 

As I listened to Daniel I was reminded of how much his parents invested into his life. And especially his Mama. Mama took the command from Deuteronomy 6 very seriously. It was her life's goal to get God's Word into her children. Today I heard the results of her labor. 

Mama went to be with Jesus in January of 2006. I miss her. I miss her wisdom. I miss her prayers. I miss the influence of her life on my children. But her investments into the lives of her own children will prayerfully produce results in the lives of her grandchildren. But that means I must live Deuteronomy 6 as well. Oh God, grant me wisdom. 

And today how grateful I am for my own Mama. I watch her continual sacrifices to bless the lives of others. I watch and listen to the things God is doing in her life. I hear her growth. And I marvel. God bless you Mom. I love you!!

On a lighter note, a dear friend sent me this last week. Daniel shared it before his message this morning. If you have children you'll realize just how true this is. Read it and laugh. 

Thoughts on the Birth Order of Children:

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as
your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

_____________________________________________________

Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last
time, breathing didn't do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

______________________________________________________

The Layette:

1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them,
and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and
discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

______________________________________________________

Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper,
a frown--you pick up the baby

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten
to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to
rewind the mechanical swing.

______________________________________________________

Pacifier:

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until
you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it
off with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

______________________________________________________

Diapering:

1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour,
whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to
complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

_______________________________________________________

Activities

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing,
Baby Zoo, Baby Movies and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners.

______________________________________________________

Going Out:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter,
you call home five times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to
leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

______________________________________________________

At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child
isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children

______________________________________________________

Swallowing Coins (a favorite):

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays

2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.

3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

Happy Mother's Day ladies!!