What Gets You Excited?

My grandson and I anxiously awaiting the new arrival!
My grandson and I anxiously awaiting the new arrival!

Last week, my daughter had  another baby, giving us our sixth grandchild!  It was certainly an exciting day!  His big brother and I were in the lobby waiting for them to announce the birth.  He said, “Grandma, I am so excited, I can hardly hold it all in.”  He’s been working hard in first grade learning self-control and it was so funny to hear his struggle as I could certainly relate.  I, too, have a tendency to get excited about things and sometimes lose control.  I remember the day I realized I had fallen in love with Jim.  I couldn’t believe what had happened and  I just had to tell him.  However, it didn’t just come out in a simple, “I love you.”  I thought about it all day and struggled with how and when to tell him.  Then all of a sudden, it just blurted out, “I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!  We still laugh about it.

Talking about getting excited, with Spring just around the corner, I am finding it hard to contain myself.  Last week we set our clocks an hour forward and now we are having more light in the evenings.  I’m really loving that!  When we start getting more sun and the flowers start to bud, I literally come alive.

Grandchild, #6!
Grandchild #6!

Isn’t a new beginning refreshing?  We have new babies and they’re oh so cool. What an awesome miracle they are to everyone involved.  Then we get a change of seasons, at least here in Ohio, and we get excited about the newness of the world around us.  First Spring and then Easter comes.  Easter reminds us of the most important new beginning we can have.  You see, for those who will believe Jesus’ death on the cross was the sacrifice for their sins, confess their sins of their old life, and ask Him to come into their lives as their Savior;  they get a new beginning.  The old life is gone and the new life begins.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that we have a Savior that gives us a new beginning…a chance to do things right.

Who do you know that needs a new beginning?  Maybe it’s you!  Say a prayer today for you or someone you know that needs a change.  God is so willing to give you the strength to get out of the rut you’re in and give you a new start.  He doesn’t care what you’ve done, where you’ve been or who you are.  He just wants you to be His.  He wants you to experience the excitement of a new life in Him!  He wants to bless you with a new awareness of the world around you; just as though you were a child again.  He LOVE, LOVE, LOVES you!  Knowing that I am loved by the Creator of the Universe and Most High God, I get excited!  So excited I can hardly hold it all in!  I hope by now, you’re excited too!

In fact, now that we’ve been reminded of how exciting a life with God can be, this is a great time to invite those you know need a little excitement in their lives to church.  Easter will be here in just a couple of weeks.  Easter and Christmas are the two holidays even non-Christians will say, “Yes,” and attend.  Start making your invitation list today.  If prayerfully done, God will bless and guide you to those who He knows need a change of season!  If it’s you, here’s your invitation.  I’ve planted the thought, now you go find a local church you feel God is calling you to attend.  He will be faithful to lead you there as well.  All you have to do is ask!  If you’re local, come to church with me!  We’d love to have you.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your stories of  your new beginnings.  I’m absolutely positive I am not the only person who has exciting God stories to tell.  Won’t you be a blessing and share?  All of you wannabe bloggers who haven’t done it yet…here’s your chance!  Give God some praise and share it with others to encourage and excite them in their walk with Him.  Thank you all for being such a blessing to me.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you all!  Have a great week and don’t forget to go out and be a blessing!

1 Thessalonians 5:11(NIV)  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Psalm 5:11 (NKJV) But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.

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We Serve a Risen Lord! Let’s Praise Him!

I am back after several weeks of chaos in my life!  We moved out of our old home, lived in a hotel for a few days, moved into our new home, had no hot water for a week and wished we still lived in our old home or hotel…just something with hot water!  We now have hot water, issues still exist everywhere we look, but we are trusting that God has it all under control as we feel that He has led us to this place for His purpose unbeknownst to us at this point.  Thanks to everyone who has been praying and offering a hand as it has been a trying time for Jim and I lately.

I have actually been working on this all week which is a bit unusual for me to take that long to get a blog written.  The message this week is so important and I felt a great responsibility to say it well.  I am so humbled as I reflect on this week’s writing and try to eloquently express the sacrifice Jesus made for us.  As the holiday of Easter is upon us, I felt it necessary to remember Him in this blog.  But where do I start?  I am so unworthy and He has given His all, just for me…just for you.  When you really stop and think about what Jesus did, it is mind-boggling.  I ask questions like why did He have to die to save us and wouldn’t there have been an easier way?

This is something I love about God.  Yes, His ways are way more complex than my simple mind could ever conceive.  However, He does things that while blowing you away; so simply illustrate His point.  He is an awesome God that knew that we would need something extravagant to catch our attention.  At the same time, He showed His love for us by allowing His only Son to die on the cross for us.  Anyone who is a parent or child understands the strong ties between the two.  Sacrificing one or the other for the good of others resonates with each and every person alive as we experience the depth of His decision.

I need two hands to count the loved ones I have lost during the Lent/Easter season.  I’ve often wondered if God called them each home during Easter because He wanted to throw an even bigger party for Jesus that year and needed more people.  That’s how my mind works…is there a reason for a party?  LOL!  I can only imagine how awesome it must be to celebrate such a Gift and be right there with Jesus Himself!  Although this is always a time of reminiscing about my loved ones who have gone on when Easter comes around, I can’t help but rejoice thinking of them celebrating with Jesus!  My, what a glorious celebration there will be some day in heaven when I am reunited with my loved ones and Savior.  I look forward to being right there in the middle of it all, praising Jesus!  However, until then, I will hopefully have that same excitement here on earth as we celebrate Easter this week.

If you were to die today, are you assured you would be there for the celebration?  If not, a simple prayer to God acknowledging you are a sinner and asking Him to come into your life and forgive you of your sins would solidify that for you.  Yes, it really is that easy.  I want you to be there with the rest of us as we rejoice in Jesus’ sacrifice He made for us all…no matter where we’ve been, what we’ve done or how bad we might think we have been.  He doesn’t care.  All He wants is for us to invite Him in so He can wipe our slate clean and give us an eternal life in heaven with Him.

I don’t think we will ever understand the why it all had to happen the way it did and why Jesus had to die, but we can certainly rejoice that it did.  We serve a God that needed to show us in extraordinary ways His love for us.  What a privilege it is to serve a Savior that would not only be there in our time of need; but, actually would die for us.  I am in awe.  I am so humbled.  I have no words to adequately describe the appreciation I have for Jesus, my Savior.

I would love for you to take time to reflect on Jesus with me and tell me what He has meant in your life.  Leave a comment and let’s praise Him together! Jesus has given you a story, as He has me.  Take time to share it with all reading this blog that He might be glorified and others may be encouraged.  Thank You, Jesus, for all You have done!  I live for You!  May my life glorify Your Holy Name!  You are worthy to be praised!

2Corinthians 5:20-21

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.