He is Risen!

Pastor's message centered around the "So What's of the Resurrection," from 1 Corinthians 15.  What does the resurrection mean to me today?

Verses 3-8
 ³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Verses 20-23
 ²⁰ But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
Verse 58
 ⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Pastor gave 3 So What's from these verses:
1.  Something is over - verse 16:  the domination of sin and death
2.  Something new has begun - verse 23:  the first fruits are a picture of what's to come
3.  Some things never end, verse 58:  whatever you do in the Lord is never wasted.  Our entire life - our lifestyle - living in the power of Christ will last forever.  His resurrection makes it possible that what you do for Him will last.
 

He is risen indeed!

Another "Grand" Weekend

It was so much fun to have 4 grandchildren overnight earlier in the month that I convinced Amy she and Ricky needed a break, too, so we could keep their kids.

So she brought Chase, Joanna and Katy down and met me at our house on Friday afternoon.  Andy and I set up a tent in the upstairs attic room and equipped it with sleeping bags for Chase & Joanna.  I slept in one of the single beds up there so they wouldn't be alone.  Little Katy slept in the pack and play that we set up in the downstairs front room. 

Fortunately, it was a nice afternoon, so the kids were able to play on the swing set for a while.  We had done some repairs on it, buying a new rope ladder, new swings and a new tarp.  (The one I had made a few months ago didn't work out.)

For dinner we had pizza, then ice cream for dessert, of course.  We watched a Disney movie, then read Uncle Wiggly stories till bed time.

On Saturday morning, we had waffles for breakfast, and Chase also had a bowl of cereal.  That boy can eat!  Dawn and Kira came over around 9:00 to hang out and have cousin time.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Our upstairs apartment guest, Beth, invited us all up for smoothies.  She had bought a blender and made a delicious fruit smoothie that we all got to taste.  Joanna was the only one who didn't like it.  She took one taste, then announced that she didn't like strawberries!

Unfortunately, the weather was damp and drizzly on Saturday so we had to stay indoors.  But we still had fun playing together.

After Dawn left with Kira, Beth showed the kids her motorcycle.  Joanna wanted to ride, but we had no helmet for her.  She liked sitting on the cycle till Beth turned it on.  Then she was ready to get off!
 
 We watched another Disney movie while Katy was taking her nap.  The kids also had some Poppop time and Joanna enjoyed drawing and writing notes.
 
 
Then when Katy got up, we decided to take the kids to Chick-Fil-A to let them play in the indoor play area before buying dinner.  They had a lot of fun there.

It was another wonderful time with lovely children.  I think we wore them out, though.  Actually, it was mutual because we were tired, too.  Although, it was a relief that Andy and I did not fall asleep in the car on the way home!

 

 

My Name is Phyllis

I have always been unhappy with my name.  It's too unusual, it's hard for people to spell, it's too THIS, it's too THAT. My discontent with my name may have started in high school when one of the boys in my class teased me by calling me Phyllis Diller.  Here's a woman who made a living by being ugly and making jokes about it.  I didn't want to be associated with her!  

But recently, the Lord has been speaking to me about this issue and the need for me to be content in all circumstances and situations.  We are told that in heaven Jesus will give us a new name and I got to wondering if I would even be happy with the name He gives me.  I really should practice contentment in this life, here and now.  

Then this past weekend I went with 125 other women from church to Lancaster County to our women's retreat.  Our guest speaker was Christine Wyrtzen who spoke about being a daughter of promise.  In one of her sessions, she listed 10 characteristics of an orphan and 10 characteristics of a daughter/child of God.  One of the characteristics of a daughter is that she has a name that means something.  Rev. 2:17..."I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it."  Christine told a story from her childhood that one day she overheard her parents talking about her, discussing a test she had taken in school.  The father told her mother that Christine didn't do very well and was afraid she wasn't very smart.  Christine remembered that conversation and for the rest of her life worked hard to get good grades and do well, but always thought of herself as "dumb."  Years later when her dad was dying, she told him this story.  He was shocked that she had overheard that conversation and told her that a couple days later she had taken the same test and had done very well.  But the overheard conversation, which really was never meant for her to hear, stayed with her the rest of her life.  Then Christine had always hated her middle name of Eloise.  So recently she decided to research the meaning of the name.  And wouldn't you know it:  it means "smart."  What a sense of humor God has.  

So that made me curious as to what Phyllis means.  Google came through with a meaning of:  

Phyllis \ph(yl)-lis\ as a girl's name is pronounced FILL-iss. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Phyllis is "greenery". Greek mythology: a character of this name dies for love, then is transformed into an almond tree. The name is used by poets to stand for the idealised country lass.

Greenery???  Well, what do you know!  I love gardening and have ever since my mother led a 4-H flower club for me and my sister when I was 10.  Yes, I would say God does have a sense of humor.

So then I was curious to see if there were any other famous Phyllises besides Phyllis Diller.  How about Phyllis George, Miss America of 1971? 

 

Or Phyllis McGinley, an American author of children's books and poems.  

 

Or Phyllis Schafly, a Constitutional lawyer and a politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum.

 

Well, I've decided it's time I become comfortable with my name and rise to the challenge of giving my own meaning to my name.