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!