Happy Resurrection Day, 2008!!

We had a fantastic Resurrection weekend. Cousins stayed with my folks for a few days before Easter, so we had the fun stretch out longer. :-) The boys chased a rabbit with the dogs, made a song video, and had a ton of fun laughing. The girls dressed alike,
had fun with the camera in Dot's room,
and giggled.
Resurrection morning we met at church for a nummy breakfast,
followed by a wonderful service.
Whenever K sat in Gma K's lap, Emily had to join the fun.



This guy knows how to get the ladies. See the kitty in his arms? lol :-)

I made matching socks for the girls. So fun.

I wanted to remember that occasionally my crew got really gussied up.

He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!!

Howdy!

This is a hello to a Sister and Great-Aunt in Texas!!

Sister D. spends a LOT of time with her little grandbaby. When we say Gma is coming, Darling looks out the window and up the hill, all excited. Gma is pretty protective of Darling. Once Darling tripped over Papa's big boot. He then felt a bop from Gma on the leg. "What's that for!" he asked. "Darling tripped over your foot!!" she replied.

When are you going to come visit?! Hint, Hint!

Happy Birthday Dessert!!

Dessert celebrated his birthday this week.

He wanted meatballs, mashed potatoes, and cooked carrots for his birthday meal. He's been such a good sport with not being the little one anymore, it was fun to spoil him a little on his birthday.

He loved his presents and has enjoyed playing with them. He got money as well, so he feels rich! :-)

DH & I feel rich with all these precious sweeties! :-) We love you, Dessert!!

Experiencing the Resurrection: A Book Review & Giveaway!!

What does the resurrection of Christ really mean for us? What does it reveal about the heart and mind of God? And what real differences can the miracle of the resurrection make in your life today?
Discover answers to those and other questions as you examine God’s Word with this companion study guide to the book Experiencing the Resurrection by Henry Blackaby and Melvin Blackaby.
Packed with practical notes, advice, and questions for reflection, this highly interactive guide—ideal for small group or individual use—shows you how to witness Christ’s resurrection in and through your life. Each chapter of the book is explored in a flexible one-week format with “life change objectives” that arise from applying the truth for each day to your life.

"If there were only the cross, sin would win." We would lose out on heaven. Satan would win. The central power to our beliefs as Christians is based in the fact that we serve a RESURRECTED Saviour.

This book is a good reminder about the truths about Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. It points out the fact that Jesus did not resurrect Himself. God resurrected Him from the dead. God resurrects us from spiritual death, not physical death. We can live a resurrected life by enjoying our eternal destiny - heaven.

The primary reason for our life is to help others know about Jesus, and the opportunity that they have to serve a risen Lord. How deep we experience the resurrection depends on how deep we experience His death. The death to self and our will. Are we born again spiritually?
"Physically...we progress toward physical death. Spiritually...we progress toward eternal life."

One of my favorite parts in this book is a story about a Muslim in Africa. He became a Christian and his friends questioned his beliefs. "He answered, Well, it's like this. Suppose you were going down the road, and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn't know which way to go. There at the fork were two men, one dead and one alive - who would you ask which way to go?" (p.97-98)

The author asks three questions: (abreviated quotes)

"1. Do you want resurrection life? The secret to resurrection power is that you have to die before you can be resurrected. It's a decision of the will to be crucified with Christ, that the Father might raise you to new life.

2. Are you pursuing resurrection life? Would others conclude that you want to know the Lord more than anything in the world? Are you willing to risk seeking after the Lord, knowing that it might change your life?

3. What is your decision? If you're asking God to let you experience the resurrection, you're asking Him to take you into a place you've never been. So don't complain when He does."

The book covers a number of people in the Bible who experienced God's working in their lives. In each one they were brought to an uncomfortable place, and there met God meeting their needs and showing them His power.

To cover the different aspects of the Resurrection, the book is divided into three parts. The third section, my favorite, covered resurrection peace, joy, power, authority, confidence, and hope. Each one was thought provoking, and had great comments.

This book would be an excellent book for a brand new Christian or a Christian who wants a reminder on the power of serving a Risen Lord.

The resurrection of Jesus can become

"An every day encounter that changes your life."

You may purchase the book at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590527577 It is on sale for $11.55.

Author Bio:
Dr. Henry Blackaby, president emeritus of Blackaby Ministries, is the author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling classic Experiencing God. He has spent his life in ministry, serving as a music director and as a senior pastor for churches in California and Canada. Today he provides consultative leadership on prayer for revival and spiritual awakening on a global level. He and his wife make their home in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Melvin Blackaby coauthored with his father, Henry Blackaby, the Gold Medallion winner Experiencing God Together. He travels extensively as a conference speaker. He and his wife and their three children live in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, where he serves as senior pastor of Bow Valley Baptist Church.

Do you want to win your own copy of this book? (This is my first give away. :-) ) Please leave a comment. This opportunity is open to anyone in the US. This will end on March 24, at 8:00pm.

A March Weekend

Saturday, Duke participated in his Spark's Float-A-Boat. He did a great job on his boat. It took a bit to get the hang of how to move it most efficiently, and then he was a speedy boat racer! The words on the boat say, Shine For Jesus. He really wanted a light on his boat, and he and Dad finally figured out how to put one on!

I spent most of the day at a Republican Convention. I enjoyed it. Dot and her friend watched Darling, while the rest of the crew cheered Duke on at the Float-A-Boat.

Sunday, Dunk and I did Mighty Church. In the afternoon Darling went to her first birthday party.

After we got back, I took the kids sledding in town. They had a great hill!! I went down a few times and then walked with PH. I forgot my camera for pictures, but PH got some! :-) The kids sledded an hour and a half! After the events of the weekend, I was so looking forward to bedtime.

Monday, Dunk spoke at a singles group almost 2 hours (with the traffic) from here. He did a great job and was well received. He spoke on personality styles, and their most common marriage/best friend combinations. It was at a Northwestern book store coffee shop. I liked the atmostphere. PTL for Christian book stores. Dot came with us, and she and I drooled over the books for a few minutes before the rest of the group arrived.

It is so nice to have a quieter week and weekend coming up. I've got to pay bills, bake bread, and wash out my refridgerator while it is low on groceries. :-)

We had homemade spaghetti sauce on our spaghetti tonight. Mmmmm... is that good! I think it was actually a year and a half ago that I cooked and froze the sauce. We were so busy that winter with remodeling, that I didn't take the time to get it out and cook much of it. Then after Darling arrived, I couldn't eat it with nursing. This winter it has been perfect! :-) I don't put up alot. Just corn every so often, and spaghetti sauce. Mostly we just eat out of the garden. I'm looking forward to sinking my toes in that warm dirt. Today was so warm, I was feeling spring fever. I wanted to call a 'spring day' so bad, but we need to get caught up a bit, and I will really not want to do school when we hit May!

Darling Goes to a Birthday Party

Sunday, Darling went to her first girlfriend birthday party! She had a great time.

The Birthday Girl!

Looking up at a birthday balloon.

Watching the birthday girl open her presents.

How much can I help?

A posterior view of the birthday girl's ruffly tutu! :-)

This weekend Dot had a friend over and she gave Dot a curly doo!

Doesn't she look Gorgeous!

Thanks, Friend!

Outside!!

Darling doesn't get to be outside too often, so she was thrilled to go out in the snow with big brother Drum.

She slipped and Drum comforted her head.

Later all the boys joined her.

A little rose among the camo leaves. :-)

A Busy Week!

What a crazy week! The kids loved it. Last Sunday Dunk and the five older kids went skiing with the B's. The weather was fantastic, and they had a blast. They came home late and slept in.
The next couple of days we did school, and Drum worked on his ES test on-line. His second time he passed it!! Were thrilled. Now he is ground-team certified and can go on missions with CAP. He also passed a test on Monday which means he gets promoted tonight. He's so excited.
Thursday, Dunk & the 4 boys went ice-fishing with a work friend. They caught a few fish, and had a ton of boy fun. They met early and ate breakfast at McD's. Even Dessert was up and so excited to go!! That evening ballet and speech were cancelled, so we had a fantastic evening watching a movie, National Treasure, and being together. We get so busy, it is fun when something cancels.
Friday, everyone caught up on school, and I got out of the house for the first time that week!! Dunk, Darling, and I went to get my folks from the airport. Then we went to Don Poblo's. Food was so good. The lady at the tortilla station made little cutout tortillas for Darling. So cute!! She loved them. She did so well at the restaurant. PTL. After 3 hours in the car, I thought she'd blow her top. We had a 45 min wait, where she walked around and watched the tortilla lady. I think that helped for when she had to sit again. All the people in the restaurant were facinating to her! :-) (why didn't I take a picture? It was sitting in my purse!) We had a nice time visiting.
Saturday, Dime, Deer, and Duke had basketball. Then Dunk took Drum & Dime to their volleyball CAP event. Then later I brought Dot and her friend to join them for a CAP Lock-In. Then Darling, Dessert, Deer, and I went to my folks for a few hours. We had a great time and I SKUNKED MY DAD at cribbage. (sorry, Dad :-) We came home and I made Dot's 2 pies for Sunday. (we both forgot, or she could have made them earlier)
Early that morning the troups rolled in to bed. They had a fantastic time at the Lock-In. Even Duke and Dunk got to try out the simulator. Deer got up and headed to church with her grandparents, I made chili for Dot's mission event, then rolled her out of bed to get ready. She helped serve at a chili feed for a fundraiser for the house they will work on during her missions trip this summer. It went well, and then she & I and Darling came straight home to hit the hay again!! It felt so good to nap!!
It was a busy, but fun week! Whew! Now on to the next......