Once again, we have failed to update as promised. But we (as of next Monday!) will officially be getting the internet again, so updates will actually be possible. I must say, while we have enjoyed not paying for the internet, not having it has been significantly more difficult than initially imagined. It is hard too communicate certain things with certain people, it is nearly impossible to know anything that is going on in the world (especially since we do not have cable), it is hard to research things that I want to look into at this time in my life (things like homeschooling methods and curriculum, games and traditions for the family, ideas and examples on blogs about how to train and disciple your children, recipes, I have been trying to compile a homemaking binder, working on my other family blog about memories, traditions, and ideologies, etc).
I do believe however, that this experience has taught me how much time I wasted in the past on the internet. Particularly on things like facebook and my email. I have been significantly more productive without them. Hopefully now that I see how much I don’t need facebook or my email, I will stop checking them incessantly and start remembering that I should honor that Lord by “making the best use of my time, for the days are evil”. Hard to see how I am bringing the Lord honor with my time as I facebook creep people I hardly know, or haven’t talked to in over 5 years.
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| At the petting zoo |
Things are great here in Dale. Braden is about to start the summer Holiday World season in a few weeks (and he has been putting in the hours to prove it!) and we have been very busy with life in general on top of that! At the beginning of March, we were able to go to South Carolina for vacation! My sisters, my mom, and us all met up at Hilton Head Island. It was so nice and relaxing and we had absolutely wonderful weather. Low 70’s most of the time. It was great to spend time with Jenny and Jace and their children Joshua and Adali (they are too cute!) and Melissa and Jeff and there raspberry sized blessing in her belly! The baby was only a sesame seed when we were in SC though. We were all there when she got to find out! Praise the Lord for His blessings!
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| At the beach... Asher had some breathing problems because of the wind, as you can see... |
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| Joshua giving Asher a kiss |
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| On the beach again |
What I never realized was how difficult vacations can become when you have little babies! You always are worrying about if you have time to do something before they are going to be screaming for a nap or you are waiting for a nap to get over, deciding when and where you should nurse, trying to find a place where you can change them. Yikes. Always the adventure. But, how wonderful it was to have Braden and I’s first vacation with the start of our family!
Asher is such a joy! He has truly lived up to the name we prayed over and chose for him. Asher means “Joy or Happiness”. Everywhere we go he is always smiling at someone or kicking his feet in his spastic, excited way! He is always such a happy kid (unless he has a pretty good reason not to be). As for how well he sleeps… eh. That is still something we are working on. A lot of times he will sleep a good 9 or ten hours. You suddenly started to feel like you are always going to be getting a good night sleep and maybe the nighttime spells are over then, BAM, he is waking up every 2 hours and making the nights very miserable indeed. It isn’t so bad now, I can always take a nap when he does (and a lot of times Braden will take him in the morning and let me sleep for another hour or so), but I must confess being a little nervous when we have more than one. Regardless though, I can’t wait to have another! (Cross your fingers for a girl!) Motherhood has been so much more wonderful than I could ever have imagined. I pray that the Lord would continue to give me a heart to grow and nurture my family and not resent what I have had to give up, but to delight in the precious gifts I have gained! Now I just have to get up the courage to brave pregnancy again…
I am continuously reminded in this season of new life of the goodness of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Today as I write this post (though it will be posted later), it is Good Friday. And, oh, today is Good! Jesus Christ gave up his life on this day 2000 years ago. Satan rejoiced that the Son of God had been killed by the very people he came to rescue. Even Jesus’ disciples had abandoned him in the garden where Judas betrayed him (well, all but Peter and another, but Peter would deny that he knew him at all before the end of the night). These are the same men that saw him feed thousands with a few fish and bread, the same men who had seen him raise Lazarus from the dead, and walk on water, the same men who had themselves been given the power through him to cast out demons and heal lepers and paralytics. They had fled in fear of their own lives and abandoned the one who gave them life and purpose. Yet Jesus, even though he could have commanded a legion of angels to come and rescue him from this horrible fate, chose to die for these pathetic, hopeless sinners. Sinners just like me. He suffered the agony of a painful crucifixion, but what was worse, on that cross he bore the wrath of God for the sin of every man and woman who would ever come to call upon him as Lord and Savior. Jesus: A man who had never done anything to merit anything but eternal love and devotion. Praise God for his faithfulness to us hopeless sinners.
And then, in 3 days, he would do what none ever could. He would raise himself from the dead and crush death forever. Now, death is but sweet relief for those he came to save, those who would call upon his name to salvation. What wonderful news!
However, scripture teaches us that it is only good news for those who have come to accept Christ as their Savior and allow Him to be Lord over all your life. In order to be given Life and Life Eternal, we have to let go of our own life. We must die to ourselves, as Christ died for us. The resurrection is only good news for those who willingly give their lives over to Christ and walk in obedience to God and his Word (the bible). For those who don’t, for those who continue to live how they choose without a thought to their own sin and blindness, I plead with you from the bottom of my hear today to understand that accepting Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for the atonement (or reconciliation) of your sins the only way to heaven and salvation. Your good works are “as filthy rags” to God (Isaiah 64:6). We can never be good enough to earn your way to God. In Galatians 2:21 the bible says, “If [salvation] could be attained to attained though good works, than Christ died for no purpose!” Jesus would not have had to die if you could have made a way to heaven on your own. But he did, and without him, we have no hope to be with God in the kingdom of heaven.
Thank the Lord that he has given me the eyes to see his goodness and the heart to savor the sweetness of his mercy and love! Without him, I cannot imagine the person I would be. So remember, Good Friday is so much more that a day off school or a time to attend an evening mass. It is the day that God himself said “It is finished!” and removed the stone barrier that stood between God and mankind. What a way to go out, eh?
