Easter 2016

I hope your family had a blessed Easter!  This time of year is one of my favorites, simply because it feels like new beginnings. Easter in particular is special to me, because it is symbolic of the new beginning God gave us by sending His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins.  So that we may spend eternity in Heaven with Him.  He bled, He died, but HE ROSE AGAIN!  And we will soon be caught up with Him in the sky and live forever with Him.  Those of us who believe and ask Jesus to take control of our lives.  Those who have gone before us….we will see them again! And live as heirs to the throne of our Creator.  Because we are His sons and daughters!  He chose us!  He adopted us.  He loves us more than we can fathom.

I love these babies more than words can say and more than they will ever know.  So you can see how it baffles me to know that God loves them even more!

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus;

He came to love , heal and forgive.

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone,

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living

Just because He lives!

Since moving closer to home, Russ and I haven't been to a Sunday church service back at our home church - that I can remember anyway.  It was so nice to worship with family and my extended church family that has loved me for as long as I can remember.  The pews were full, the music was amazing, and it was obvious that God was there…moving.  It was a wonderful Easter celebration!

Cousins

Of course, we celebrate Jesus's birth and resurrection continually throughout the year.  But it is so refreshing to have one day where the whole world stops and focuses on Easter - and what it truly means.  Whether they believe or not.  There are even believers who differ on setting aside one day to celebrate His resurrection on Easter.  What an amazing opportunity to place Christ right in the front of everyone's face!  I will take that opportunity any day!

He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike.  Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.  Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.  For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies to ourselves alone.  If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die of the Lord.  So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister?  Or why do you treat them with contempt?  For we will all stand before God's judgement seat.  It is written:

"'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,   'every knee will bow before me;  every tongue will acknowledge God.'"

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

-Romans 14:5-12

From our family to yours…we hope you had a blessed Easter Sunday!