Delicate Ones

Gratitude:

768. her appreciation for the delicate ones
769. His intricate design

770. how wings on butterflies are so very different than bees and birds and yet so much the same--amazing!
771. the way they noticed each "fallen" butterfly with broken wings

772. how bugs, worms and other insects attract her and she can even hold them and not be grossed out :)
773. how He makes even the ugly to appear beautiful, if you really look (this butterfly is the most gorgeous of all the ones we encountered--but only on the inside)
774. symmetrical beauty

775. camouflage--it's obvious now but wasn't so much before

776. mini airplanes--design taken from creation, of course

777. friendly beasts

778. more family time

779. the way they land on us

780. butterfly lovers

781. community--even for creatures

782. our own little, sleepy, delicate one.

He Still Moves Mountains

What's your mountain? God can move it! Don't believe me? The praise reports I've heard lately prove His existence, His power and His love for His people. I was blown away yesterday by yet another story of a marriage that was filed for divorce and the Lord flipped the whole thing around within a matter of days. This couple is incredibly changed--both husband and wife, individually. I shook my head with tears brimming as the wife recounted how the Lord masterfully gifted His godly sorrow upon them for their sin and how each of them is so overwhelmed by who they were in the marriage, that suddenly, the other person's "issues" don't seem as looming anymore. Only a great and loving God can do this. Before it happens, no one would ever desire to feel the pain of their own sin but after the truth is brought to light by the Holy Spirit, the unbelievable miracle that ensues is astounding!

Be encouraged, Friends! Your situation is not too big for God to handle!

Matthew 17:20 Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Mark 10:27
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Lovin' Family Time At Easter

747. how the yearly family photo changes-heights are obviously different but the cooperation is also noticably better :)

748. two fantastic brothers-in-law

749. swift little legs that run to beat all the cousins to the eggs (Go, Ben!)

750. the grandkids photo with Mama and Papa

751. even better: being released from the photo to go hunting for eggs!
752. finding toads instead

753. Papa's photogenic smile

754. hanging out with Daddy for a whole day

755. sorting through a boy-scuffle

756. my handsome guy who I can still catch staring at me and when our eyes meet, I smile sheepishly

757. starting new traditions with sisters and girlfriends who are sisters (catching that one?)

758. the boy who will climb anything... I mean it (Go, Sam!)

759. the swing that has been in our family since I was a teenager

760. the yard-sale wagon that has entertained every grandchild for weekends at Mama and Papa's

761. sisters who laugh in photos when you say, "Laugh." (the only people who can make me "lose it" in laughter till I hurt)

762. the bravery and mentorship to me of this younger sister

763. girly-ness to the maximum (don't make this kid wear pants just because it's a cold day!)

764. my only one who will actually gobble up all the eggs she finds

765. how he went back to that tree over and over like it was an "egg tree" and would just somehow grow eggs

766. the joy of a prize won and cousins to share it with (Jake's remote truck) 767. this woman who made the whole day memorable for all of us

All Things Are New

He has made everything new.

As winter melts away, spring arises in all her glory.

Baby animals are born and the colours of the world return.

We participate in the creating.

"Behold, I make all things new." Revelation 21:5

...especially, us.

This Is Friday, And It Is Good

It's called Good Friday but when the historic happenings of this day are researched in detail, it's horribly grotesque and sad. My husband and I will experience The Passion Of The Christ movie once again in order to have these images refreshed in our minds for the coming year. I squint through laced fingers over my eyes but I have to see. I need to picture what He may have looked like. I need to fall in love with the way He told stories to the people, how He loved the children, how He led His disciples, how He healed the "nobodies", how He willingly allowed Himself to be taken to the slaughter. And then, when I do fall in love with Him, I watch the death and remember it was my sin that held Him there.

Are you a visual person? When I'm in prayer, I must picture my Jesus. I imagine Him on the hillside and in the boat on the sea... and carrying that cross... it helps me to focus on Who I am praying to. This God of the universe in human form--listening to me.

But it's all GOOD because we know the end of the story. Just days later He lives again and every Easter hymn and every picture and every symbol makes my heart leap because they all proclaim that I get to live too... forever--because of what He did that Friday.

We've just got to remember. Remember with me that this day is good.

(photos of decorating our Easter Tree this week--given to us by Molly's Sunday School teachers, Angela, James and Randi-Lynn--Thank you!)