Palm Sunday

Luke 19:28 - 38

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' say, 'The Lord needs it.'"
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?"

34 They replied, "The Lord needs it."

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

How wonderful that God is using Lent to tenderize my heart to Jesus' sacrifice for my sins. To be tender in thought and spirit to the all that Jesus did for me. That is what I am so thankful for today.

In the first part of this scripture, I kept focusing on the phrases, "The Lord needs it." (verse 31b and verse 34). I thought to myself, "What does the Lord need from me?" This was at 7:oo am this morning (as I was reading this on my school computer). Two hours later, I was in the middle of a tense parent/teacher conference and I realized the the Lord needed me to be humble, to listen, to empathize, and to even apologize. Tough stuff but it proved so wonderful. The parents and I were able to resolve all the issues and we were even able to laugh and be on friendly terms by the end of the conference. God is truly good. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

God is also good because Bobby took me golfing after work. At 4 pm, we took off for the golf course and we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together out just goofing off and golfing. Such a beautiful way to end the day. I am blessed by this wonderful man who knows what I need after a stressful day.

Warren, Weddings, and Willingness

We went to Love Worth Fighting For marriage event this afternoon. So awesome! So awesome! So awesome! Having had failed marriages in both of our pasts, Bobby and I know that we want this new marriage to not fall victim to any past mistakes or oversights. We treasure our relationship very very much but we don't want to be naive or arrogant to think that we won't need help or need to work at it. We were both abandoned by other spouses but we know that that doesn't necessarily mean that we weren't culpable. Therefore, throughout the event, we both had open ears and open hearts to what God was speaking to us. Kirk Cameron, the main speaker, was good but even better was the combination of him with Warren Barfield, Christian singer. It was a great teaming of two terrific speakers and communicators. I highly recommend this event to EVERYONE! Married and unmarried.

http://www.warrenbarfield.com

Check it out!


Prior to going to the marriage event, we went to church which was such a blessing. Preaching was great as well as the worship! Sommer, Jeremy, & Breckyn came which just added to the specialness of it. We ate lunch and then went to help Morgon and the college students set up for their ministry project which was a block party for a lower income neighborhood. Morgon has done such a wonderful job in her willingness to follow her Savior and her willingness to put her faith in action!

I am super psyched to have Anna come home in 4 days! More wedding planning but nothing major. Anna is such a low key daughter that this whole wedding has not been anything like I had heard from other mothers! No meltdowns, no bridezilla, no craziness. I truly love my daughter and how NON-high maintenance that she is. My good friend, Amy Mesneak, told me last week, "Elizabeth, you raised your kids to be hippies but hippies with a level head." Ha ha. I think this is an accurate observation!

This is the Stuff

A Day in the Life of Me.....#1 - I have gone not ONCE, not TWICE, not THRICE, but 4 times to try to get Ben’s envelopes for his graduation invites. The sizes keep being all wrong! The first 2 times, I tried to do it over the phone (with Gerald’s Office Supplies) and then the third time I thought I had it right but NO IT WAS WRONG!! This in between getting my daughter's wedding rehearsal invitations done as well. Ugh!

A Day in the Life of Me.....#2 - I paid all of our medical bills ($500 worth) today at lunch. Poor Bobby! With coming down with the flu, then an abcess, and most recently his hernia, we have paid tons to doctors. I told him thank God for medical insurance! It would be 3 - 4x more otherwise!!

A Day in the Life of Me....#3 - Yesterday at lunch I got in the car to run errands only to find an ENTIRELY flat tire!! I used my lunch getting it fixed. This is on top of trying to buy food and decorations for Jerad’s surprise birthday party. Morgon asked me to cook for it and it is going to be at our house! YikeS!!!

A Day in the Life of Me.....#4 - my Spanish III preAP classes are making pinatas and I am using my conference periods rushing to WalMart to buy supplies almost daily as we run out. Oh my...Why do I do this to myself? I ask myself this EVERY YEAR!! ha ha!

A Day in the Life of Me.....#5 - got up early today to thoroughly clean my house, do laundry, and begin cooking for Jerad's birthday party. Got done at 11 am and went to Breckyn's last soccer game. Ate lunch and then rushed home to translate a church flyer into Spanish for a church event for tomorrow. Now, Bobby and I are going to go clean the backyard and get it ready for the party (it's a cookout). Before the party, we have Breckyn' first baseball game to attend!!


My dear friend, Ember Sherman, says the song below reminds her of me. I think she is 100% correct!!

This Is The Stuff" - Francesca Battistelli


I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please
Cause I can't find my phone

(CHORUS)
This is the stuff
That drives me crazy
This is the stuff
That's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff
That gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust
You know exactly what Your doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines
While I'm running behind

(CHORUS)

To break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world...

This is the stuff
That drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff
That gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust
You know exactly what Your doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

This is the song that my friend, Ember Sherman, says reminds her of me. She is correct as this is the perfect picture of my life!!

My deeds slew Christ

"I slew him--this right hand struck the dagger to his heart. My deeds slew Christ. Alas! I slew my best beloved; I killed him who loved me with an everlasting love. Oh eyes, why do you refuse to weep when you see Jesus' body mangled and torn? Give vent to your sorrow, Christians, for you have good reason to do so." - adapted from "The Tomb of Jesus" by Charles Spurgeon

O Almighty God, who alone can order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: help us to love what you command, and desire what you promise. Among the world's many distractions, may our hearts be surely fixed where true joy is found, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. - adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

I am really being blessed by my Lent Devotions via Bible Gateway. The quotes above were from today' devotional. They speak so powerfully to my heart and really convict me. I am challenged to continue to be moved by Jesus' sacrifice long after Easter.

So, it's approaching the middle of April and my busy time is almost here. Ben's graduation (May 13), Ben's reception (May 15), Anna's wedding (May 28), summer school (June 1 - 30), Spain trip (July 12 - 22), and Forrest Summer Vacation (Aug 1 -8). Wow! Busy, busy, busy!! But I won't lie and say that I am not looking forward to any of it. It's all gonna be GREAT!!!

six months

http://www.lhj.com/recipes/easy/comfort-food/good-eggs-6-new-brunch-recipes/?page=1

This is what's for dinner. It is coming out so delicious so far (yes, I have sneaked a couple of nibbles as I have been cooking!). I can't wait for Bobby to come home to see this entrée! We have a Spain meeting at 6pm so I rushed home to make a quickie meal for supper. Back 2 weeks ago when Bobby had his procedure done at the hospital, one of the things I did to occupy my worried mind was look through magazines for new & yummy recipes. This was one of my favorite finds!

This past weekend was a great weekend. Breckyn had 2 soccer games in which he played magnificently. He has improved so much! I really think he has found his sport of choice. We then golfed with Bobby's brother Jeff and wife Carol. What fun! Despite the wind, we enjoyed ourselves. Bobby then decided we needed go catch our 2nd game of Indoor Arena Football in Amarillo. Sommer, Jeremy, Jordon, and Lane (Bobby's 2 daughters and spouses)joined us which proved so fun. We spent the night in Amarillo and went to visit my dad the next day. It was "Family Potluck Day" at my dad's nursing home so it was wonderful to spend the time with my sisters and their families. My dad was so tickled to see all of his family there. Sylvia even brought her 4 grandchildren which added such a special note to the day!

So, all in all, our 6 month anniversary of marriage was truly Super Stupendous!!!

Gushy

"So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun." Ecclesiastes 8:15

I am so thankful for my husband. He is my perfect counterpart. He lightens my load especially in regards to the emotional and psychological aspects of my personality. I, naturally, lean towards being a workaholic and serious in nature so when he sent me the scripture above today it so blessed me. This last weekend, like every weekend, he challenged me to *have fun* and enjoy life. He took me golfing with him, to the Frank Phillips College baseball field to eat a hotdog and enjoy the game, and then to watch a great movie, Lincoln Lawyer. He is such a great husband whom I dearly love.

Gushy newlywed, I know but oh well…..life is too short not to gush! Lol!

Dove Chocolate

There is a commercial on TV about Dove Chocolate Bliss. Well, I experienced my own bliss today. Spent 3 1/2 glorious hours with my dad at his nursing home. The last few weeks, I have only been able to spend maybe one hour a week with him due to either time constraints, people that were with me, or just the time of day (my dad goes to sleep at 6pm!). I hate it but the truth is that Sunday mornings are the absolute best times (for me) to visit my dad. The nursing home is quiet, the nurses are available (and not stressed out), my dad is very alert and cheerful (as I am), and I get to be there when he gets his vitals taken as well as other medical procedures. It's just a perfect time

But when it's my month to teach Sunday School for the college students, then it's a totally DIFFERENT story. I have to try to SQUEEEEEZE time with my dad in between other stuff. Stuff like attending Breckyn's ballgames, time with Bobby's daughters, time with our new grandson: Kingston, our adopted college student Lizzet, etc. It's just regular life but now raised a couple of notches since I have gotten married. Bobby and I are working at blending our families and it can get stressful because I hate it makes me feel that time with my dad is last and comes after all the other commitments. It leaves me feeling so sad and bummed because time with my dad is one of the most precious things to my heart.

Therefore, March was my last month to teach Sunday School. That 'season' of my life is closed for now and this new 'season' is beginning. Time to devote to my dad and my new family. I have peace and I think God says that it's "okay". :-)