Easter

 
"In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

No guilt in life, no fear in death.
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
'Til He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand!"

Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

A Week To Remember!

This week:
(1)my favorite basketball team, UNC, won the NCAA Men's Championship--whoo hoo!

(2)my favorite singer, Taylor Swift, won the American Country Music's Album of the Year!

(3)one of my dearest friends has found romance & I'm so excited for her--whoo hoo!!

(4)Easter, last but not least, the most holy of Christian holidays, comes Sunday!!!

It is a 'sweet' time, and glorious!--from momentary Earthly victory to Eternal Victory:)

HALLELUJAH!

Spring is HERE!

 
I'm sitting here on a bright sunny April Sunday afternoon, soaking in all the blooming azaleas & dogwoods & red bud trees within sight, & am feeling miserable:(

I spent a pleasant Saturday mowing the yard, blowing the driveway, picking up sticks, & washing down my front steps railing; all this making me feel good to see my "tidy up the neglected yard" mission accomplished---till the sinuses started attacking:(

That vague headache began yesterday, but by this morning I awoke with a full-blown jackhammer in my head & throbbing sinus pressure:(!!

Wonder why such a pretty time of the year comes at a cost?
NC shines in April & May & I love every part of the glorious spring!

SO, if I'm frowning more than usual, you'll know why!!!
Just hand me a Kleenex when my eyes begin to water & my nose drips, & I growl--ugh:)

A footnote:
(I will have to mention one other downside to our glorious springtime---the green "plague", pollen, blanketing everything within miles of the Raleigh area! No car washing, window washing, picnics, deck washing, etc., can be done for weeks! Well, maybe that's a positive?)

Medium

One of my favorite TV shows is Medium, starring Patricia Arquette.

"From Emmy Award-winning executive producer, creator and director Glenn Gordon Caron ("Moonlighting") comes "Medium," a popular, chilling drama series inspired by the real-life story of research medium Allison DuBois. Emmy winner Patricia Arquette stars...as an extraordinary young wife and mother who, since childhood, has struggled to make sense of her dreams and visions of dead people."

Why do I like this show?
I enjoy Patricia Arquette & Jake Weber for one:)

But I admit I was drawn to the storyline that someone could possess the ability to dream someone's murder in order to prevent it or to redeem it in some way.
It's the notion that we know so little about the spiritual world. Most of us are completely clueless to the invisible world swirling around us. As a Christian I believe in the spiritual realm. I believe there are angels watching over us. I believe good & evil spirits are engaged in warfare every day, every hour, every minute.

(BTW, there is a real Allison DuBois. If you Google her bio, let me say I do not advocate her beliefs)

But, I think Medium is done well, & it can make one ponder God's Creation...especially the great mysterious unseen realm-

"For now we see through a
glass, darkly; but then face to face: now
I know in part; but then shall I know even
as also I am known." 1 Cor.13:11

The Choo Choo in Chattanooga

 

Last Thursday my friend & co-chair of Peace's Comfort & Care Ministry, Lou, & I traveled to Chattanooga, Tenn., to attend the Presbyterian Church of America's 2009 Mercy Conference.
We flew from RDU to Charlotte, & from there on to Tenn. The weather was overcast & drizzly & rainy--my kind of day:) I do believe we spent more time waiting to take off than actually in the air!

We found Chattanooga to be a friendly town. We stayed at the Choo Choo Inn pictured here. The Inn is the restored original train depot & is at least a hundred years old. Much revitalization is going on in the area, & I found downtown Chattanooga to be a charming place.

After arriving at the hotel too early to check in, we grabbed some lunch & headed straight for the Tennessee Aquarium, the "crown jewel" of Chattanooga (that's my opinion:)), right along the banks of the Tennessee River. The Aquarium is as interesting & beautiful as the first time I saw it more than 10 years ago! And recently they've added a penguin exhibit:)!
After enjoying the Aquarium we rushed back to the "Choo Choo" to check in, ordered a take-out supper, took our luggage to our room, then dashed to catch the church shuttle van to New City Presbyterian, our host for the Conference.

New City is such a unique church it requires it's own blog, but suffice it to say, the people were warm, hospitable, & made us feel right at home the entire time. Throughout the two & 1/4 days we heard inspirational & uplifting words, powerful praise songs directed & led by James Ward, & attended workshops where we listened, took notes, & were encouraged & challenged.
After returning to the hotel Thursday evening we headed straight to bed, exhausted.
Friday the entire day was spent at New City listening & singing, praying, discussing, meeting people, plus eating lunch & supper together, from 9am to 9pm. Then Saturday morning we attended one last workshop & one more plenary session before it was time to say our thank you's & goodbyes.

The flights back went smoothly, even with gloomy rainy weather following us from Tenn. to Charlotte & on to Raleigh, where we arrived home by 7:15 pm.

It was a whirlwind trip, our minds are full of mercy information, & we are feeling like we need another weekend before the normal routine resumes!!
The experience was exhilarating. It was also a treat for the two of us to go together to hear about mercy, our passion. On the way home Lou & I attempted to sort through our notes & thoughts to put it all in perspective.

The main questions are: what did God desire us to learn from our time spent at New City, & what information is most important to share with Peace Church??
We may not know right away.....

Our First Family Bike of 2009

 

Here is the "Fam" after riding the American Tobacco Trail last Sunday afternoon, our first bike ride together here:)

Since last year Kelley has purchased a jell seat to make her Trek bike more comfy, & Seth bought himself a Trek bike for his birthday last November (plus we gave him/them a bike rack), so this was their first time on the ATT:)
Hurray!

Oh, what a fun trip on a warm breezy March day:)
We covered 6.6 miles--not bad for the first group bike ride of the season:)
Also Keith & I were excited to see work is progressing on the Chatham County section of the trail. Eventually the Wake County trail will connect to the Durham portion via Chatham County.

Afterward Seth, Kelley, Skye, Keith & I headed over to Baskin-Robbins to get ice cream:) Ah, what a nice way to end a Sunday outing:)

Keith wants us to try out a trail along the New River just over the NC border in Va., near Galax, soon. And our neighbor Christa has suggested biking the Potomac River Trail in DC:) Sounds like some neat biking ventures ahead:)

Hope to see many of you on the sweet & shady American Tobacco Trail soon!

O What A Beautiful Morning:)

 

Nothing like a prett snowfall on a Monday morning in March:)
Wyatt & I loved our mini walk along the Vineyard geenway around 6:30am....other than a slight breeze & a flurry now & then, all was calm, all was quiet:)