lessons from a butterfly

Sometimes life seems really low, but I like the reminder of the caterpillar who probably doesn't expect to become something tremendous.  God is shaping us in the hard times to become something beautiful.  We just have to trust that He will get us through the hard times.

Elijah's 3rd

Today happens to be my favorite 3-year-old nephew's birthday!  When he was born, I thought, "This is the cutest baby ever!" and, well, he happens to still be cute 3 years later.  I'm glad to have gotten to watch him through many stages of his life this far and squish his chubby cheeks.  (Because that's every auntie's favorite past-time.)

cutest baby!

Elijah's reaction to first meeting his sister, Ashnah

Always waiting patiently...right??

I promise I wasn't the one to teach him to eat like this!

No idea where he learned this

Maybe the aunties spoil him, but only once in a while

Having such a fabulous time at the park...especially since Auntie Tirzah's there, too.

Happy birthday, Elijah!

Friendship and identity in Christ

What God wants is simply our presence, even if it feels like a waste of potentially productive time.  That is what friends do together--they waste time with each other.  Simply being together is enough without expecting to get something from the interaction.  It should be no different with God...It is by losing our self in God that we discover our true identity.

~The Gift of Being Yourself

Rain drops on lenses and moss covered rocks...

Jesus is fairer

This weekend I got to play little bit logger, little bit ranch hand, and little bit game champion (oh, wait.  I lost, didn't I?).  It was nice to have my brother, Caleb, come up and help with several projects waiting to be done, and we always get in at least 1 late night for games.

While we worked on projects, under the piano proved to be a popular spot for the kids to play

Ashnah!

Elijah thought wearing the ear plugs was cool; I thought it gave me a headache.

"Smile, Elijah."

Working through this pile left from the loggers.

Dandelions are abounding in our yard--good source of food in the event of an economy crash...

But they aren't all dandelions.  Daisies are actually a welcome change.

Enraptured by the smell of lilacs 

Fairest Lord Jesus!  Ruler of all nature!

O Thou of God and man the Son! Thee will I cherish,

Thee will I honor, Thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,

Robed in the blooming garb of spring: Jesus is fairer,

Jesus is purer, Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight,

And all the twinkling starry hosts: Jesus shines brighter,

Jesus shines purer than all the angels heav'n can boast.

Beautiful Savior!  Lord of the nations!

Son of God and Son of Man!  Glory and honor,

Praise, adoration now and forevermore be Thine!

Whatever the cost

The fate of the apostles...

Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia.

Mark expired at Alexandria, after having been cruelly dragged through the streets of that city.

Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece.

John was put into a cauldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterwards banished to Patmos.

Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward.

James the greater was beheaded at Jerusalem.

James the less was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller's club.

Philip was hanged up against a pillar at Heiropolis in Phrygia.

Bartholomew was flayed alive.

Andrew was bound to a cross, where he preached to his persecutors until he died.

Thomas was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel in the East Indies.

Jude was shot to death with arrows.

Matthias was first stoned, and then beheaded.

Barnabas of the Gentiles was stoned to death by the Jews at Salonica.

Paul, after various tortures and persecutions, was at length beheaded at Rome by the Emperor Nero.

~Schumacher

...This makes me wonder, why do I (and all of us) then proceed to complain that the butter is barely too hard to spread, I don't have money to spend on that 10th sweater, it rains to much (or, in my case, it never rains enough), or my bed isn't very comfortable?  (By the way, my bed is comfortable, and I'm grateful.)  So often we don't realize our great abundance.  We are so hard to satisfy.  But when I read the fate of the apostles, or stories of other past and present persecutions, I feel really unworthy.  I have a lot of comfortable stuff, but why?  I am inspired by God's people who have gone before me and given up every comfort of the world to glorify God in every way possible.  May I, too, have the courage to stand up for Christ alone, whatever the cost.

"Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately, and forever."

"The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort...he has accepted God's estimate of his own life...in himself, nothing; in God, everything...he knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring.  He rests perfectly content to allow God to place his own values."

~The Pursuit of God

Gifts of love

Now thank we all our God with hearts and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices;

Who from our mother's arms hath blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God thru all our life be near us,

With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;

And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed.

And free us from all ills in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,

The Son and Him who reigns with Them in highest heaven--

The one eternal God whom earth and heav'n adore--

For thus it was, is now, and shall be ever more.

This week has involved organizing, mowing, a piano competition, and a trip to Seattle.  But the highlight wasn't in the competition (no, I didn't place) or in Seattle traffic (hard to believe).  It was, rather, in the amazing clouds on the drive home.  Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures because I was driving.  :(  (That is not to say that I am a bad driver, but that the photographer doesn't have backup.)  But the mix of clouds and sun, color and darkness, makes me want to melt in happiness!  I don't know if anything else can make me so happy and satisfied as good scenery in the sky!

For those less educated, as myself, on such topics,
Zymogenetics is a company involved in the development of therapeutic proteins.  :)

Christ has spoken all our freedom

 Light of the world with hope fills the sky

For gone is the power of the darkness.

The tomb that held the Son of God

Breaks with a cry from heaven,

"He who was dead is risen!

Up from the grave ascended!

The reign of death is ended!"

So shall we live, for His cross has gone before.

Christ has spoken all our freedom.

He's broken all our bondage

And opened God's heavens to man.

O Saints, rejoice and lift up your voice,

For we bear the wounds of our Savior.

And just as Christ was crucified,

We who are buried with Him

Are raised in newness with Him

We share His resurrection--

Our blessed liberation.

So shall we live, and so shall we reign--

In glory and power

Now and forever.

So shall we live.  

Blessed is the name of the Lord.

~So shall we live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1euDHcP452k

Christ's resurrection inspires us to live as we are called to because His love was demonstrated so fully by His death.  But He didn't just die; He rose again to remain our King.

"...if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again....Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation...For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
2 Corinthians 5:14, 15, 17, 21

Each year for Resurrection Sunday, we got to our church's sunrise service.  Now that we live on the peninsula, our sunrise service is held right next to the water with a lovely view.  I have yet to witness a sunrise service here that is unpleasant.  (well, other than the cold part.)

Our view for the church's sunrise service.

There is always a perfect little fire at the sunrise service,
but I'm never sure what the purpose is, as it doesn't seem close enough to heat anyone.

Light of the world with hope fills the sky, for gone is the power of darkness.

Pictures of new life, a representation of God giving us new life in Him:

Aren't alder leaves cute?

The huckleberries are back, which means we won't have to starve on hikes anymore.

During the Resurrection week, we also watch "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" as a family.  It is a relatively new tradition, and I'm always amazed at how well it illustrates Christ. 

"If the witch knew the true meaning of sacrifice, she would've interpreted the Deep Magic differently." ~Aslan

"Don't worry; He'll be back." ~Mr. Tumnus