Etc, etc.

I just thought I'd share that I'm currently reading a book for Pastor's Wives called You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes by Lisa McKay. So far it's good and I am sure that I will learn alot. She is a seasoned PW who they called an "unlikely Pastor's Wife"! Which is what I would call myself.

We are currently in the middle of ball season. Matthew is the only one playing this time and he is doing pretty good so far! We had to miss Tuesday because of revival (we do have to keep our priorities in order!).

We just finished CRCT testing (which I am sooo glad that is over with). Lily was really nervous because this was her first year having to take the CRCT. She thinks that she did pretty good. Matthew thinks he did okay too. Lily won two Braves tickets through the All Star Student Acheiver program. In order to receive this acheivement, you have to have had honor roll and/or perfect attendance during the fall semester 2009. I was very proud of her and also glad that we get to plan a trip to see the Braves! The kids are excited, we'll also try to do some other things in Atlanta around that time. We don't go to Atlanta very often so this will be a nice little vacation. We are shooting for July but we have to wait until we get our tickets in the mail to see if we actually get the date we requested.

Our revival this week was very good! We got to hear 3 great speakers! Last weekend was crazy because an old friend passed away (Mr. Emmett Hogg), a young girl from our church was in a bad car wreck we had Baptism services Sunday and revival started Monday. It was just busy. The girl, Jordan is stable but still has alot ahead of surgeries etc ahead of her. It's a miracle that she made it. So, now for this weekend, another busy one but hopefully all in a good way.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Psalm 31:27

Revival

Our revival is next week. This week we moved our Wednesday night service over to a sister church for their revival. I came in from work very tired and stressed out. I started to let the devil talk me out of going but I decided to go anyways. I had to ride out to our church first to check on something and I started to stop and get me a coke to help wake me up, I had a $10 bill on me (that was all I had), but I decided not to stop. I went on to the revival and was just a few minutes late. Just after I came in they had a woman come up and sing and right after she started singing I was so glad that I went. The songs that she sang and the way she sang them touched me (to the point that I teared up!). Her name is Donna Jackson and I could feel her love for Jesus radiating around her! The preaching was also very good, the message was about being thankful for everything that we have, good health, nice car, nice home, etc. It was just a great service and I was thankful that I didn't let the devil talk me out of going.

Now, after the service I wanted to buy one of Donna's CDs. I asked her how much the CDs were and they were $10. I had that $10 bill (that I didn't break to get a coke), so I handed it over! I thought it was neat how the Lord worked that out. He does work things out for us, if we really pay attention we can find so many things that He does for us if we would just listen to Him and follow His leading!

http://www.donnajackson.org/

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!
YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN 55 TODAY AND I SURE WISH WE COULD CELEBRATE WITH YOU.
HOWEVER, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE MUCH BETTER OFF IN HEAVEN!
WE LOVE AND MISS YOU!

Easter Weekend Recap

We had a great Easter weekend! I don't know about y'all but I am pooped! We were very busy with the egg hunt at church Saturday. Then getting up early Sunday morning for the Easter Sunrise Service (which we had a great crowd, alot of young couples and probably the biggest crowd we've had for sunrise service in years!). Then breakfast, which was wonderful, lots and lots of food.

Who needed lunch after such a huge breakfast? But, that didn't stop us! LOL We had a big lunch at home, Mama, Papa "O" and Kelly came and ate with us. Then we had to hunt Easter eggs again! Brittany and Krystal came over for that and we enjoyed a nice visit with them. Bryan's Dad and stepmom a.k.a. Grandaddy and Nanny also came out for the egg hunt.

We didn't have evening service at church last night since we'd had the sunrise service. Which gave me the chance to get caught up (a little) on laundry. I also had to clean Lily's room (again!) because she doesn't see the need to pick anything up! If she plays with it, it goes in the floor and then it stays there until Mama picks it up. (Hmmm, I wonder why she doesn't pick up? LOL) I know it's my fault, I know and we will work on learning to clean our rooms once I get everything organized the way I want it.

Now for the Lily quote of the day on Easter (to her brother) "Don't you dare hit a woman! (pause) "And don't you kick a woman neither!". I'm guessing she was referring to herself as a woman? LOL She will be there plenty soon enough, let's not rush it. Another quote from watching TV together last night is that she does not like Chad Dylan Cooper's new hair cut (he is a character on a disney show) "And that's why we broke up!". LOL

THE CROSS

The emblem of the cross is seen all over the world in the display of church steeples and crucifixes worn around people's necks. However, many people do not know the real meaning of the symbolism of the cross and what it means to those who look to the event of Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection for their salvation. The cross is the greatest symbol of love that was ever shown to this world. It speaks of a perfectly innocent man, who was brutally tortured in the most scandalous of deaths, for a world that spit in His face. We are just as guilty of crucifying our Lord as the people who actually did it because we have sinned and it was for sin He was crucified.

Anyone who would call God unloving for "sending" people to hell, has never really understood the cross. We are the ones who chose to sin! Yet, God in His great mercy, made a glorious way out of the inevitable result of our sin for us. He took it upon Himself, and it cost Him more than we can imagine--His Beloved Son. God put all of the sins of the whole world upon Him and punished Him in our place. This is a profound mystery, but it is the central message of the gospel-- that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him wouldn't die in their sins, but could inherit eternal life through faith in Him (John 3:16). I Peter 2:24 says Jesus bore our sins in His body, not in His spirit. He is the eternal and sinless Holy Spirit. (Jesus did not die spiritually. The Scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:21 which says, "For he hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin..." means He was made to be a "sin offering" for us, not that He literally became sin.)

However, if that was all that took place, the story would have a very bitter ring to it indeed. Preaching just the death of Jesus is only half the message. The gospel (good news) is that Jesus is alive today!

Jesus is the only man that ever came back to life from the grave. Every religion in the world outside of Christianity has a grave or tomb where their leader is buried. Only in the Bible is recorded the tomb that was found empty because Christ rose from the dead and is alive today!

copied from bible.com

HAPPY EASTER!