Happy Easter!

I love Easter.  I love egg hunts and Easter baskets full of treats.  I love ham and pickled eggs.  I love time with our family.  And I love the Father who loved us all so much that He was willing to pay the price for my sins on a terrible cross.  And I love even more that the grave couldn't hold a love as big as His and that the tomb was empty on Easter morning.

I had a few really amazing experiences this Easter that helped prepare my heart.  The first was Maundy Thursday service at church.  It's a difficult service, focusing on the pain and agony of the crucifixion, but this year's message focused on how God was thinking of me (and you) when he did all of the things that He did.  And as hard as it is to believe, he knew all of us, all of our needs, even then.  And acted on our behalf.  It's hard to wrap your head around, but I tried so hard.

Friday afternoon I was blessed to get a chance to fill a slot at the Prayer Vigil- when our church sanctuary is transformed into a beautiful, serene spot to pray, and is staffed from 3 pm Friday until 6 am Easter morning in 30 minute slots for prayer.  My 30 minutes turned in 60, which was an incredible blessing.  Before going in, you prepare yourself in the prayer lounge, and I just happened to stumble upon the Max Lucado book, "Six Hours on a Friday" before going in to pray.  It talked about the three messages of the cross.  And they hit me like a ton of bricks.  First, my life is not futile.  Secondly, my sin is not fatal.  And lastly, my death is  not final. Framed around a serious health crisis with a good friend from the church, this message was clearly Heaven sent.  And my prayers during that whole 60 minutes were for Mike, and for the others whose needs were listed for all of the prayer warriors.  I prayed for God's will to be done for Mike and his family, and he got to celebrate the Resurrection with Jesus on Sunday morning as he left this world for the Heavenly home he so longed for.  God, I'm sure, greeted him with open arms and said, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."  I've met few like him and his family.  But what an example of a life lived in faith.

We left for Lewistown on Saturday morning and had a blast hunting eggs, eating a delicious supper and enjoying each other.  Followed by church at Maitland, three kiddos looking amazingly cute in their Easter finery and lunch at Mom and Dad's and I'd say it was a pretty perfect Easter.

I hope that your Easter was a blessed one, and that the true meaning of the holiday found its way to your heart like it did mine.