Please Let them Live!

There is a very sweet couple in our church, Mr. and Mrs. S. who are from West Virginia, near where my in laws grew up. They instantly connected with my husband (seeing as how he's from WV) and are such a dear, sweet couple. We didn't get to know them too well when we first arrived because they spend their winters in Florida, but they're back now and we're getting to know them now. My husband loves to garden, and we both love to eat the fresh veggies, and I like to also freeze what we can't eat fresh. Saves on the food bill! Well, Mr. S. made sure to grow some plants just for David over the winter while in FL. How nice was that??? He has been wanting to help out with planting our garden, and Saturday he and David were finally able to connect.

He came over late morning and before they got started on the garden he showed me the flowers he had brought for the flower beds (which are currently weed beds!!).  I was very touched! However, I'm not very good at keeping things alive. I seem to have inherited my mother's black thumb when it comes to vegetation. I mean, I plant stuff, do my best, but I will never be featured in a gardening magazine for my gorgeous flowers! I have extra pressure this time around. Not only did this dear man bring these plants for me the one plant he brought has a special story...

Mr. S. told us that during a vacation he and his new bride were on they were driving through the hills of WV and came across these beautiful, wild plants. He had not seen them before and didn't know what they were called, but really wanted to have some for his garden. So, they pulled over and went to the house where they saw these plants growing to ask the owners what they were called. The owner of the home had no idea but said this particular plant had been in his family for generations, and they just kept planting them and letting them seed. This man told Mr. S. to leave his name and address and when the plants went to seed he would send him some. Six years later Mr. S. gets a small package in the mail with a note. It was from the man he had met 6 years prior. The man apologized for not sending the seeds sooner. See, his wife had passed away not too long after Mr. and Mrs. S had met him and it wasn't until recently when he was sorting through papers on the desk that he saw their address. Mr. S. was delighted to get the seeds, planting them and even carried the plants to OH, where they live now!

So, I feel extra pressure now to keep this plant alive! I mean, it comes with such a sweet story, the plant is from WV, a part of home for my husband and AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!! I just want them to live!!!! :)

Holy Week

This week is Holy Week. It's the week between Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his crucifixion. Tomorrow will be Good Friday (the day Christians observe the crucifixion) and Sunday will be Easter, the day we celebrate Christ's resurrection. I have not wanted to breeze through this week just marking days off the calendar and getting from 1 activity to the next. I have wanted to spend time thinking, contemplating, meditating on what this week is about. What must it have been for Jesus? How must it have been for him being treated like a king one day and a short week later being nailed to a cross like a common criminal? And the whole amazing thing about it is that he knew this was all going to happen and he still did it. "What love the Father has for us. A love beyond all measure..."

As a pastor's family it's hard sometimes to remember that this is indeed a very holy time and not just a time to get through services so we can go home and be a family again. And yet, it's also somewhat easier to be constantly thinking about it. As my husband prepares for the Good Friday and Easter Sunday services I pray for him. I pray for him to hear the words the Lord wants him to share. Easter is a very big Sunday where people who don't usually attend church come. It is the pivotal celebration in Christian faith. For without the Resurrection we would have no reason to follow Christ.

I love Easter. I love it more than Christmas. I love it because it's simpler. I love it because of what it means. I love it because I know my Savior loves me so much that he chose to die a horrendous death for me. I love it because he didn't stay dead but rose again so that I (and you!) might have eternal life. I love that I get together with my family, who also share in the knowledge of this saving grace, and I love that we'll be together in heaven one day. I love that we don't have to rush around like rats in a maze buying this, that and the other just to make sure it's a great holiday. I love Easter. It's not nearly as commercialized as Christmas and so to me, has kept a lot of its sanctity.

I hope as this week is winding down you have been able to take a moment, or several moments, to think about what this Holy Week means. What does it mean to you? If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and don't know where you'll spend eternity might I encourage you to either let me know or find that person you know beyond doubt is a Christian and talk to him/her? My prayer for you is that you don't go another Easter without knowing the saving grace Christ has for you and truly know what Easter is all about. If you do know Christ as your Savior make sure to take time and think about what this week was for Him. What it means for you.

Worshipping Differently

Sunday was an interesting Sunday for several 100 people. There are several churches here in our town who are going through the "Experiencing God" series during Lent. It's been so neat for David to participate in this with the other pastors and it's been encouraging to me to know there are several others learning the same things I'm learning during this time of the Christian calendar. In any case, the pastor's decided it would be fun to do a pulpit exchange one Sunday--that was this past Sunday. We got lucky enough to switch with the pastor who pastors at the church literally a few hundred yards from our house! :) It's an African-American church, which made it doubly exciting for us! David and I were greatly looking forward to our time of worship at this church. The way African-Americans worship speaks to my soul. Could be because the music, charisma, length of service, etc is more what I grew up with in Africa and so it touches a part of me that gets forgotten in our very "white" services! I was not disappointed by the service! Though I wasn't able to experience it as I had wanted to (due to needing to be in the nursery with Cora, as all she wanted to do was be up on stage with her daddy!!) I was able to hear and see on the TV in the nursery what was going on. God blessed the service and spoke through David, and I know hearts were touched.

Our time on Sunday has lead me to think about some stuff. What kind of worshipper are you? Are you the person who sits in the pew with her arms crossed making sure things go as they always do? Or, are you the person that loves it when there are different things happening during the service, to mix things up a bit? Have you never been in another church, because surely only your church does it the best way? Or, do you make it a point to experience a different worship service every now and again? And, no, I'm not talking about switching religions, but rather simply experiencing a different church. Just going to a different church (even if same denomination) can open you up to different ways of worshipping.

Please don't be "that" person in the pew who is against any and all things different. Don't be that old lady who gets all flustered if things don't go your way. Don't be that young person who is opposed to doing things traditionally. I mean, what do we think heaven is going to be like? Just so you know, I have a feeling we have NO IDEA what worship really is. I have a feeling we'll ALL be in for a rude awakening when we get to heaven and see what worship really is.

I want to challenge you to step outside of your box (even if taking a baby step means sitting on the other side of the sanctuary for now) and go be a visitor in a different church for a Sunday and see what you can learn. You might just find that the way you've been doing it all your life is somewhat boring, or could be improved upon! :) :) :) And, no, I'm not crazy! :)