**AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ**

OK, OK, I know...long time, no blog!

This is really beautiful…

THE WRONG FUNERAL
God doesn't make mistakes. He puts us where we are meant to be. They say there are no mistakes, for everything there is a purpose. This one makes you think. Enjoy! We'll never know where our paths will take us!
Consumed by my loss, I didn't notice the hardness of the Pew where I sat. I was at the funeral of my dearest friend - my mother. She finally had lost her long battle with cancer. The hurt was so intense; I found it hard to breathe at times. Always supportive, Mother clapped loudest at my school plays, held a box of tissues while listening to my first heartbreak, comforted me at my father's death, encouraged me in college, and prayed for me my entire life. When mother's illness was diagnosed, my sister had a new baby and my brother had recently married his childhood sweetheart, so it fell on me, the 27-year-old middle child without entanglements, to take care of her. I counted it an honor. 'What now, Lord?' I asked sitting in church. My life stretched out before me as an empty abyss. My brother sat stoically with his face toward the cross while clutching his wife's hand. My sister sat slumped against her husband's shoulder, his arms around her as she cradled their child. All so deeply grieving, no one noticed I sat alone.
My place had been with our mother, preparing her meals, helping her walk, taking her to the doctor, seeing to her medication, reading the Bible together. Now she was with the Lord. My work was finished, and I was alone.
I heard a door open and slam shut at the back of the church. Quick footsteps hurried along the carpeted floor...an exasperated young man looked around briefly and then sat next to me. He folded his hands and placed them on his lap. His eyes were brimming with tears. He began to sniffle. 'I'm late,' he explained, though no explanation was necessary.
After several eulogies, he leaned over and commented, 'Why do they keep calling Mary by the name of ' Margaret?'' 'Because, that was her name, Margaret. Never Mary, no one called her 'Mary,'' I whispered. I wondered why this person couldn't have sat on the other side of the church. He interrupted my grieving with his tears and fidgeting. Who was this stranger anyway? 'No, that isn't correct,' he insisted, as several people glanced over at us whispering, 'Her name is Mary, Mary Peters.' 'That isn't who this is.'
'Isn't this the Lutheran church?' 'No, the Lutheran Church is across the street.' 'Oh.' 'I believe you're at the wrong funeral, Sir.' The solemness of the occasion mixed with the realization of the man's mistake bubbled up inside me and came out as laughter. I cupped my hands over my face, hoping it would be interpreted as sobs. The creaking pew gave me away…sharp looks from other mourners only made the situation seem more hilarious.
I peeked at the bewildered, misguided man seated beside me. He was laughing, too, as he glanced around, deciding it was too late for an uneventful exit. I imagined Mother laughing.
At the final 'Amen,' we darted out a door and into the parking lot. 'I do believe we'll be the talk of the town,' he smiled. He said his name was Rick and since he had missed his aunt's funeral, asked me out for a cup of coffee.
That afternoon began a lifelong journey for me with this Man who attended the wrong funeral, but was in the right place. A year after our meeting, we were married at a country church where he was the assistant pastor. This time we both arrived at the same church, right on time...
In my time of sorrow, God gave me laughter. In place of loneliness, God gave me love.
This past June, we celebrated our twenty-second wedding anniversary. Whenever anyone asks us how we met, Rick tells them, 'Her mother and my Aunt Mary introduced us, and it's truly a match made in heaven.'
Yes, I do Love God... He is my source of existence and Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I would be nothing. Without him, I am nothing, but with Him I can do all things, through Christ that strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)
REMEMBER, God doesn't make mistakes. He puts us where we are meant to be.

Easter Pics

Here's some pictures of our little family taken during the Easter holiday. The picture above was taken as we were coming out of church. My, how that little boy has grown!!! He will be 8 in a couple weeks. How time flies!! Below is David posing with his "brick" on the new softball dugouts at his school. I'm going to take his picture by the brick every year to record his growth. There were no other bricks with 'Class of 2019' on them!! LOL, Mom's hopeless!

This is David, counting his loot at the at the Easter egg hunt the day before Easter.

I hope you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday. Not only does our God reign, He is alive for evermore!!!!!

Seven Last Words of Christ

Although the order cannot be determined, here are the last words of Christ from the cross, as He was dying for our sins:

•The Word of Forgiveness
–Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
•The Word of Salvation
–Luke 23:43 “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
•The Word of Desolation
–Mark 15:34 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
•The Word of Suffering & Sovereignty
–John 19:28 “I am thirsty.”
•The Word of Community
–John 19:25-27 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
•The Word of Commitment
–Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last
•The Word of Completion
–John 19:30 “It is finished.”

The cross was not a mistake. It was not a mishap. It was a part of God’s plan from the very beginning. It is the intentional sacrifice of the Good Shepherd on behalf of the sheep.

“It is finished”
i. NOT, “Whew, that’s over.”
ii. NOT, “I’ve had it!”
iii. Greek: 'tetelestai' – “It is in the present condition of having been accomplished!”
iv. It is complete!
What is complete? Our salvation. Praise His Name! He Lives! He is seated at the right hand of the Father ever making intercession for us.

God ALWAYS works for two things:
1. our good
2. His glory

ALL of this is from my notes from Pastor Ryan's classes.
Happy Resurrection Day, everyone!

Prophesies that have come to pass

Here are some of the Easter prophesies that have come to pass, regarding our Lord Jesus Christ:

a. Betrayal by a friend (Ps. 41:9)
b. Being forsaken by his disciples who were offended at him (Ps. 31:11)
c. False accusation (Ps. 35:11)
d. Silence before His judges (Isa. 53:7)
e. Being proven guiltless (Isa 53:12)
f. Numbered with the transgressors (Isa 53:12)
g. Being crucified (Ps 22:16)
h. Mockery of the spectators (Ps 109:25; 22:7-8)
i. Gambling for his garments (Ps. 22:18)
j. Prayer for his enemies (Isa 53:12)
k. Being forsaken by God ( Ps. 22:1)
l. Yielding of His spirit into the hands of the Father (Ps 31:5)
m. Bones not broken (Ps. 34:20)
n. Burial in a rich man’s tomb (Isa 53:9)Vinegar to drink for thirst (Ps. 69:21)

These are from the series Pastor Ryan did on the 7 last words of Christ from the cross. He sent me his notes and slides. I just got them, and there's SOOOOO much in there!! I'll be sharing more over the days toward Easter.

Think About This...

We all know that we are saved by Grace, and not of ourselves. We know we can't EARN salvation - the price has already been paid.

But often [and I have been guilty before] we try to produce good works and hold our selves to standards we can't possibly meet, and invariably let our selves down. i.e. "I'm going to pray and read the Bible 1 hour every day"... those are wonderful goals, but we always let ourselves down at some point

***You can never do MORE to secure your salvation than the Blood of Jesus has ALREADY done!!!***
NEVER, not one iota.

Now just as an apple tree produces apples, WE should all be producing the Fruits of the Spirit [Gal 5]. But, stop and think:
NOTHING can do more towards my salvation than the Blood of Jesus has already done!!!


Yes, those thoughts were shared by Pastor Ryan and I probably did a rotten job trying to re-articulate them, but they really hit home to me last night at church.
Have a great day everyone.

Gone fishin'

Today it was in the 70s here in Cackalackie! If we didn't have events to go to, such as Taekwondo and Basketball, we would have gone to the beach. Any Carolinian worth their salt [ocean salt of course] heads for the beach the moment the chill is gone from the air. Alas, hopefully, we'll get there next weekend.

TODAY however, we went fishing at a small lake on Fort Bragg. Here's my little sweetie casting out like the pros:

We didn't catch anything, but it was wonderful just to get out there in the fresh air.

Steve is feeling better, but not all the way. Course you didn't hear him complaining, because we were out fishing!!

God created all these beautiful places for us to go so that we can enjoy closer fellowship with Him. Of course, we enjoy being out in nature, because it's quiet and beautiful. But, I also think it draws us closer to Him. To the praise of His glorious name. [Ephesians 1]

OK, so it ain't the NBA!

Here's a picture [and hopefully a video] of my little sweetheart playing basketball. This child has come a LONG way in coordination recently. Although he's not being actively recruited by any major colleges, he sure is making his mom & dad proud!


It's actually considerable progress that he will even dribble the ball and try to shoot this year. He has always just passed the ball to someone else right away. It's good to see his self-confidence improving, even if the physical skills haven't quite developed yet!

David is a wonderful child. He's truly the best thing to come around since they put pockets in pants! Hope you enjoyed my 'Mom-bragging' moment!!

The Greatest Show on Earth

We got to go and see the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus on Friday. It was awesome. Here are a few pictures we took:

We got to the show early. They had an area where the kids could try on circus costumes and pose with performers. David had a blast and tried on MANY costumes. The coolest thing was that in the pre-show time, many of the performers came out to the ring and did mini-acts. David was chosen as an 'assistant' to the magician!! It was SO funny, I videoed it, but the video is too big to post here. I will try to copy it in a different format to see if I can get it on here. Here is David with the magician and the other 'assistant'.

Here are some other cool perfomances we saw:

A grand time was had by all!!

Thoughts about our Lord

1. The greatest degree of satisfaction comes from our relationship with Him.
2. The two things that God ALWAYS works for: His glory; and our good.
3. Not a single blessing God wants us to have can be hindered by laws, Congress, etc.
4. God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him. He is NOT most glorified when you dress your best or sing your best or try your best. He is MOST glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

These are not all original thoughts. But they are ones that I really love, and I thought I would share them with you all. Your thoughts are always welcome.

A movie of the snow

I've never posted a video before, so I'm going to try posting one now. Let me know if you can view it. It is a .mov file. Here goes:

This is my loving hubby pulling my sweet little son around our backyard, using his lawn tractor. After that, we went in, made a fire in the firplace, and drank hot cocoa together! Stay warm everyone!

Snow in Cackalackie

Here's a few pictures from a rare Carolina snowstorm. While our new president [who is younger than me by the way] was being inaugurated, NO ONE in Eastern NC was at work or school! We got about 4" of snow. In fact, they've already cancelled school for tomorrow!

This is our house. It is hardly ever covered with snow!

Here is my angel making an angel!!!

Sledding in the front yard!

Sledding in the back yard with Dad.

Anyway, we had a lovely day. Went in, made a fire in the fireplace, and drank cocoa after all that!

For such a time as this...

That is one of my favorite phrases from the Bible. I use it frequently when I see God's hand in something and how He works stuff out, etc. Well, of course, that is a central phrase in the book of Esther.

We [various blog buddies and I] have been talking about getting more into the Word this year. I LOVE God's Word. It excites me!!! BUT, do I read and study and meditate on it like I should? Well...[ahem] not always. I have lately really been craving MEAT from the Word. Last fall, our ladies group did a Beth Moore Bible study on the Psalms of Degrees and it was AWESOME.

Do you want to hear Moore? We just started the study on Esther today. Yes, it is a Beth Moore study, hence the play on words above. I go to a big church and the Bible study is given 3 times a day 6am, 9am, and 7pm. I usually go to the 7pm one, but tonight I have to be somewhere else so I went to the 6am one. This study is going to be a great one too! We started by getting the whole ladies group together last Friday evening to watch 'One Night With the King', which is a movie based on the book of Esther. So, I am EXCITED about this study and diving deeper into the treasures of God's Word.

Course, I have the Veggie Tales version of Esther where she is a green onion and Mordechai is played by Pa Grape. Yes, I AM that hopeless...

Where has God been leading you in His Word?

Deep Philosophy Here!!!

GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER:
1. Sag, you're It.
2. Hide and go pee.
3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.
4. Kick the bucket
5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
6. Musical recliners.
7. Simon says something incoherent.
8. Pin the Toupee on the bald guy

SIGNS OF MENOPAUSE :
1. You sell your home heating system at a yard sale.
2. You have to write post-it notes with your kids' names on them.
3. You change your underwear after a sneeze.

OLD IS WHEN:
1. Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.
2. You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.
3. Getting a little action means I don't need fiber today.
4. Getting lucky means you find your car in the parking lot.
5. An all-nighter means not getting up to pee!

Thoughts for the weekend:
-Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctr Alt Delete' and start all over?
-If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor!
-Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.

Ponderisms:
-I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.
-Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
-The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
-Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
-Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
-n the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
-How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
-Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out?'
-Who was the first person to say, 'See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt.'
-If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
-Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if he's going to look up there anyway?
-Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

But Most Of All, Remember:
A Good Friend Is Like A Good Bra. Hard to Find, Supportive, Comfortable, And Always Close To Your Heart

Happy New Year, Good Friends!!!

Food for thought - Happy New Year Everyone!

GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER:
1. Sag, you're It.
2. Hide and go pee.
3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.
4. Kick the bucket
5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
6. Musical recliners.
7. Simon says something incoherent.
8. Pin the Toupee on the bald guy

SIGNS OF MENOPAUSE :
1. You sell your home heating system at a yard sale.
2. You have to write post-it notes with your kids' names on them.
3. You change your underwear after a sneeze.

OLD IS WHEN:
1. Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.
2. You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.
3. Getting a little action means I don't need fiber today.
4. Getting lucky means you find your car in the parking lot.
5. An all-nighter means not getting up to pee!

Thoughts for the weekend:
-Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctr Alt Delete' and start all over?
-If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor!
-Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.

Ponderisms:
-I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.
-Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
-The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
-Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
-Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
-n the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
-How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
-Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out?'
-Who was the first person to say, 'See that chicken there? I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt.'
-If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
-Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if he's going to look up there anyway?
-Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

But Most Of All, Remember:
A Good Friend Is Like A Good Bra. Hard to Find, Supportive, Comfortable, And Always Close To Your Heart.

Happy New Year, Good Friends!!!