He is risen, just as he said!

"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world." John 16: 21

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28: 6

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16: 33

"But these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:31

Bad Friday

This is what today should really be called, or worse. There quite frankly wasn't much good for Jesus during this horrible day. I want to take these few minutes to remember what Jesus endured for Me, for You, as we remember this most treacherous, terrible day for Him that loved us so greatly!

Betrayal by a close friend

Despised

Rejected

Humiliated

Mutilated

Stress to the point of sweating blood

Forsaken by his Father

Filthy with sin

DEATH

At least for me, sometimes I gloss over all these happenings, which four faithful historians described in such clear detail for us. We think of Easter as a day of celebration and Life, which it is. But it is only because Jesus Died first. Really, truly DIED.

How his disciples must have felt, not knowing (although they had been warned) that he was going to rise again. What despair, what darkness must have filled them to the brim! For two more days!

Growing up, the Good Friday service at my home church was one of the most powerful services of the year for me. When we think of all He went through because He loved us THAT much, it humbles me beyond the ability to express.

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down;

now scornfully surrounded with thorns, thine only crown;

O sacred Head, what glory, what bliss till now was thine!

Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call thee mine.

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners' gain;

Mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Savior! Tis I deserve thy place;

look on me with thy favor, vouch-safe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow to thank thee, dearest Friend,

For this, thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end?

O make me thine forever; and should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to thee!

Bernard of Clairvaux, 12th century

A yummy reminder...

 This week I was reminded of some people I love very much simply by making a very humble dish: home made oven baked fries. (see below for this simple and tasty treat).

I don't know if this ever happens to you, but me, being slightly obsessed with food, tend to relate any food I like to a memory, a place, a person, a particular joy...

In potatoes, oil, butter, and salt, I was reminded of my sister Rebekah and her dear hubby Josh, one of my closest friends ever Blonnie, and my brother -in-law Matt. So let me briefly introduce you to them:

Matt  is currently stationed in Hawaii serving our country in the Navy, and right now is God-knows-where doing God-knows-what for God-knows-how long. So please pray for him. He has a sweet fiance' and family that loves him and is praying for his Safety and Health.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Matt holding his two (at the time) nephews.

Next up on my sweet memory list is Blonnie, one of my dear friends from college, who now lives in Hawaii with her Army husband Joe. After spending four years eating with her, I can safely say that I have a pretty good idea of what she likes to eat. And now that she is also eating gluten free, any time I find myself eating something yummy without wheat I think of her.

 This is from Blonnie's wedding over a year ago...haven't seen her in person since. Have GOT to remedy that soon!!!

And last but not least, meet one of my sisters:  Rebekah and her handsome husband live in Chicago, and it is her birthday today! Happy Birthday to you Weeebekah! (as when I was young that is, sad to say, how I pronounced her name!) Last year I got to go see her for a sisters reunion over her birthday,  which was wonderful! We ate out at an absolutely wonderful rib joint, and had french fries and ribs till our sides were bursting with joy and fat.

 This is from our trip last summer: Luke and auntie getting some real bonding time in =: )

SO WHAT'S UP WITH THE FRENCH FRIES? You ask.

Well, it's really quite simple. All of these dear folk love them (who doesn't), and Rebekah gave me the salt: if you look closely, there is Black Hawaiian Salt from a delightful spice shop in Chicago generously sprinkled on them.  

Sometimes it can be the simplest things that can bring a smile to my face...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oven Baked Home Fries

4 medium Russet potatoes, cut into 10-12 wedges each

1 TB. oil

1 TB. butter, melted

1 tsp. kosher salt, OR black Hawaiian salt

Soak potato wedges in hot water for 10 minutes. Dry with paper towels, and then coat evenly with oil and butter on a large sheet pan. Roast for 25-30 minutes or so at 450, tossing every 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with salt and serve. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Sunshine on a cloudy heart

Today is supposed to be happy. I have two beautiful children and a husband that loves me. I have a God who created me and loves me so much he gave HIS son to die for my sin so I can be free...in this life and the next.

When I think of how much I have to be thankful for, I sit in awe. And yet,

"Each heart knows it's own bitterness, and no one else can share in it's joy." Proverbs

You know those days. Out of the blue (or sometimes not so out of the blue) come depressive thoughts. Loneliness, even if one is surrounded by people. Tiredness, even when you've had sleep. Jealousy, even when you're content with what you have. Sick children, even when it seems like they just got over being sick. Frustration at mundane duties, when yesterday they did not frustrate in the least.

Into such a day as this, Jesus came through the voice of a child to me. As I was sitting eating breakfast whilst Evan is crying for no good reason (at least to me), complaining inwardly how lonely and tiring life can be, Luke pops out (in between coughs) in a cheerful voice:

Rejoice, baby Evan, Rejoice

I kid you not!

Silly me for ever forgetting, even for a moment, that Jesus knows my heart, and he knows how to bring it joy. 

Each and EVERY day.

"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart

Where?

Down in my heart!

Where?

Down in my heart to stay!"

Rachel Ray... with kids

I was recently catching up on some Ina Garten and Rachel Ray at my dad's house ( I'm such a cooking show-aholic that yes, I have him record some of them so I can fill up my food-loving cup once in a while).

First I must say that I truly miss some of the "Great Masters" of the nineties...I grew up watching Julia Child, Jaques Pepin, and Marianne Esposito. I must be frank that some of the Food Network shows are a bit too flashy and celebrity infested for my taste. It is only food, and though I ADORE food, sometimes the over dramatization, crazy language, and nausea inducing camera movements get on my nerves. But when you're desperate, you're desperate.

So there I was watching a 30 minute meals show with Rachel Ray, and she whips out some chicken appetizer with Thai dipping sauce, couscous with raisins and curry with a quick shrimp-curry-coconut-peanut dish and shredded lettuce on top and you know what hit me? There needs to be a disclaimer on these cooking shows:

"Time frames are only for those who have no children around, and does not include clean up"

Seriously Rachel Ray (or anyone on FOOD Network) I'd like to see you make a three course meal with 27 ingredients AND little children hanging all over you, one hungry toddler whining, er, nay I say,  yelling 'RICE PUFF, Please, RICE PUUUUFFFF mommy!' and the other just plain crying for lack of undivided attention. (I'm sorry Evan, but mommy has to eat sometime...) If she could make a nice 30 minute meal under THOSE circumstances, she'd have my respect for life. 

As it is, the only show I've seen with a child involved was Jacques Pepin with his 30 some year old daughter. Enough said.

Nonetheless, I have found it possible to cook with my children because of two inventions, well, two inventions and one necessity. Most days, I cook, eat, and clean up with the help of these things:

Did you know homemade playdough takes less than 10 minutes to make WITH children? And it's average lifespan of distraction is about 30 minutes?? It's a miracle.

Bouncing baby = happy baby = happy mommy

And on very special days, like today, when BOTH of them are taking naps at the same time, and God gives you a healthy dose of inspiration (or just the joyful prospect of cooking in peace)...Good food happens:

Tuscan Sausage and Potato Soup

Chicken pot pie with Butternut squash and Green Beans 

( I think cooked rotisserie chickens are my new friend)

Cut up tons of stuff for taco salads

And a lemon bundt cake.

Just so we're clear, this NEVER happens. But I think I really need to be much more of an afternoon-nap cook than I have been. It's so much more efficient and less stressful. And when dinner time comes, no whining for rice puffs can happen if there's a delicious meal at the ready. 

Hope I've inspired you to cook or bake something delicious for your family today...

"Life's a drink. Drink it up."  Cheers~

Out of the mouth of babes...

You know those days when all you want to do is, oh I don't know, get dressed? Brush your teeth? Eat? Lofty goals I know. But amidst crying, whining, poop, floors so crunchy I wonder how the mice haven,t found us yet, disciplining, tripping over you name it, sometimes it seems like quite a feat to do these simple things not only for myself (and let's face it, sometimes they don't all get done everyday) but also for my children.

Yet it is into these snowy, sleeting spring days that God meets us. Not in some amazing, extraordinary life lesson, necessarily, but in that still small voice. The whisper. The moment (and I mean fleeting moment that you have to grab onto for dear life sometimes) of peace he brings into your life so that you can say with unmistakable confidence "Yes, he does care for me!"

Today that still little whisper came in the form of a song. Often, as it turns out, the songs I find myself humming and singing are praise songs I learned when I was a child. You would think I would remember and sing all the new songs from worship team we've been learning, all the amazing songs I learned in choirs in college that we spent hours pouring over, or humming the latest great hit from the radio. While these songs DO pop into my head quite often, they don't knock nearly as much as the hymns and little 'kids praise' songs I learned over 20 years ago. The super simple words, or the super simple melodies with deep words I didn't understand at the time, but now can glean great words of encouragement from...

So here is the song I find myself singing this afternoon. 

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven, 

To his feet your tribute bring; 

ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Who, like me, his praise should sing? 

Alleluia, alleluia! Praise the everlasting King.

Fatherlike, he tends and spares us; 

well our feeble frame he knows; 

in his hands he gently bears us,

rescues us from all our foes. 

Alleluia, alleluia! Widely as his mercy goes!

Angels, help us to adore him;

You behold him face to face; 

Sun and moon bow dow before him,

dwellers all in time and space.

Alleluia, alleluia! Praise with us the God of grace!

Henry Lyte, 1834

So here's to teaching my children songs about Jesus starting NOW, so that when they are older these words will not depart from them. For "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." Ps 8:2 I don't think any of us will ever fully understand the power of praise!
Andree' Seu, a writer for WORLD magazine, puts it this way: "This is heaven's secret weapon- a child's worship. Those of least account in the world (have the power to) hamstring principalities and powers with a song, ...God is 'enthroned on the praises of Israel' (Ps.22). His presence with joyful rule in your life awaits your decision to speak out words of thanks and worship - on your bed, in your car in the shower, against your foul mood..."

So with whatever your day holds, may your thoughts be drawn to words of praise, uplifting your spirit and bringing a smile to your countenance.