Last week, we had some really cold days and after mowing the lawn on Thursday evening, I was chilled to the bone. I had two jackets, gloves and my rain boots on to mow but when I went to jump off the mower, my feet hit the ground with nerves screaming!!! My feet, my hands, my whole body was so cold. For sure, the coldest I've been all winter!!! I felt chilled to the bone. I was even still shivering after a hot shower and just couldn't warm up fast enough!!! But, the cold passed through and Friday and Saturday were a bit warmer!!! And yesterday, was a gorgeous Spring day!!!
I decided to go buy more of my garden plants on Saturday. It was sunny and I am so ready to get more things planted! I bought tomato plants, peppers, basil, parsley and an egg plant. I planted everything but the egg plant. Mainly because my garden beds are full and I requested one more raised bed to be added to my collection!!! Hopefully, Mike will get to that this week!!! I did notice some growth from the seeds I planted a few weeks ago. We really only had a few sunny, warmer days since then but the radishes and lettuce like it cooler.
We all woke up yesterday morning with sunshine beaming in our windows!!! It feels so good to have the sun shine bright and the tempts were looking wonderful!!! I had mentioned to the kids on Saturday about going to the park. I thought that when Matthew cleans out the car wash vacuums we would get a chance to walk over to the park while he finishes up his job. But, when I dropped Matthew off at the car wash, I then took lunch to the working men that are building our new church building in Honey Brook. Our church has been dreaming and saving up to build a church house for years and it's finally all happening!!! Mike is one of the men that are in charge of the project and even though this is requiring tons of his time, Mike is enjoying the project!!! By the time I got back to pick up Matthew, he said he was already waiting for two hours. :))) I'm not really sure I'm believing that time judgment but by then I wasn't going to stroll the park with the little ones and make him wait more. So, when I woke up Sunday morning and saw the sun rise and the temperatures rising outside, I mentioned to Mike that we should go to the park after lunch. Everyone was into that!!! Matthew wanted to hit balls with Mike at the park. I grabbed my Bible, a few snacks, camera, water and some bread to feed the one lonely duck swimming at the park. Mike loaded up Austin's hunting jeep on the back of his truck and the kids had a real blast riding on the park paths!!!
Here's Austin at the church project!!! He's glad to help in any way he can! :)))
I sat on the park bench just enjoying the warm sunshine. Somehow I already forgot how good the warmth feels and it reminded me of just how ready we all are for summer! I sat there watching Ashlyn and Austin break off pieces of bread and throw it in the pond. They gently said, "Here ducky, ducky!" I wish more ducks would join this one lonely bird at the pond but finally Ashlyn ran over to the other side and threw in more bread pieces. The duck swam to the bread and enjoyed it! It did finally come over to where Austin was and the kids loved feeding it!!!
They jumped onto the jeep and rode over to the playground. I threw a blanket on the ground and pulled out my Bible while watching them slide down the sliding boards and giggle and laugh and enjoy the outdoors. We had a very touching message at church and a very inspiring Sunday School lesson!!! Nelson Cobletz preached and Mike and I sat there drinking in every word spoken. Both of us have made comments to Jesus while attending Nelson's crusades in years past and so hearing his voice preach the gospel was spiritual food!!! Nelson had everyone's attention as he preached!!! I tried to jot down some notes in between trying to keep Austin and Ashlyn sitting still and listening! Some of the things I wrote down were this: "There's no greater honor than to be workers for Jesus!" I was challenged when Nelson asked, "Do you love to see God in your everyday life?" Can God trust me with His "work" even if or when I am falsely accused, hurt or wounded? God's perfect will is that we would be saved, filled with His Spirit and live with Him in eternally forever!!! God also has a permissive will and this is the part of life when things happen that we don't understand. Things God allows to prunes us, give us growth and make us stronger Christians. Nelson preached on how Jesus was fully the Son of God, yet fully the Son of Man. Yet without sin!!! He read the scripture in the Bible that talks about Jesus praying in the garden but was sorrowful. Why was he sorrowful? A new perspective was explained. Jesus knew he would make it through his upcoming crucifixion as the Son of God because of his deity! But how about the Son of Man? Jesus had never felt the rejection of his friends (his best friends/disciples) leave him. He hadn't yet felt the spits in his face, the beatings, the mockery that was about to happen to him. How would he bare that rejection? He cried out for help and an angel came to strengthen him!!!
Jesus understands what we go through! What we face. Jesus can feel how I feel when I say, "I don't know what to do because I've never felt this pain before." Oh glory ... thank you Jesus!!! He felt the natural but stayed in the spiritual!!! I was reminded to let God heal my pains! Let the things that break Gods heart, break mine too!
Nelson shared some of his personal story but he never focused on his past mistakes but on Jesus brings healing and life and joy and peace!!! He is an evangelist that goes to prisons to preach the gospel! He talks to people all the time that have messed up big time and need encouragement. He said, "Don't waste the pain of the past. Let the pains of the past help heal others. Let beauty come from ashes. God uses people who fail because there isn't any other kind."
His whole message to us that morning was bold! God knows that we humans mess up. I fail. I sin. Satan wishes to sift Christians like wheat but Jesus told Peter, "I pray that your faith not fail you." When I mess up in life, which I do and will, I need to cry out to God and ask for forgiveness. Turn from sin and set my eyes on eternal goals. I need to put my focus on Jesus and let Him use me today!!!
When we got home for lunch, Mike and I were anxious to hear from the children on what was preached. Hadassah and Jess were inspired and asked us what we thought about the preacher. :) I was eager to tell them that we listened to him preach many, many times!!! As a young girl, my parents would often take our family to the Gospel Express Tent Crusade often!!! Nelson's emotions come through his sermons and his way of evangelical messages are convicting!!! Thank you so much for coming to preach at Honey Brook!!!
Anyway, I laid on the grass at the park and opened my Bible to Revelations. We just finished up a study on this book and never before was I enjoying this book more than now!!! As we sat in a circle with our Sunday School class each week, I learned, studied, looked up verses, listened to other messages on this book and simply drank up all the things that are prophesied to still happen. On Sunday, we finished with the last two chapters and I was awed as we read how the streets of heaven are made with pure gold, clear as glass. Christians will be live together with Jesus and God forever and ever! There will be no more need for a sun because God will be there!!! The book of Revelation has a whole lot of information about what's still to happen to this world, good and bad. It was so awesome to finish the book with promises of a new heaven and a new earth! A world that us Christians will forever be without sin and pain and problems. Forever with Jesus and in God's presence forever! I wanted to reread these verses. The sun felt warm on my back and as the children were enjoying the slides, I was refreshed too!!!
Mike and Matthew were at another part of the park throwing and hitting softballs. Matthew's ballgames have begun and so practice in now a most for him!!! After a while, I saw them drive out of the park and they soon returned with Mike running and Matthew on roller blades. It was then that I got up and started walking the park paths too! I've been wanting to start up running or walking and now I had no excuses and wanted to get some calories burned too!!! Ashlyn and Austin followed us around the paths on the jeep. This day at the park was so fun and we hope to do this again soon!!!
Weekends are so fun for us!!! Yard sales are beginning. The kids can sleep in. Mike is busy selling sheds! Hadassah cleaned out the vehicles and washed them off! Warm weekends that we just had are so wonderful!!!
I found these shoes at a local consignment shop and I'm really enjoying them!!! I looked up the normal store price online and it said, "$57.00!!!" I paid $8 for my pair!!! Score!!! :)))
I had to chuckle when I looked up at the temperature gage in the Yukon yesterday!!! Mommy D. has an outdoor thermometer hanging on the side wall of her Florida home. Every time we call her during the winter months, I ask her how warm it is. She walks over to the warmest spot on the property and reads the numbers. I thought of her yesterday when I was parked in the sunshine at school and waiting for the children to come out. Now, in reality it may have said 91 degrees but as soon as I put it in drive and drove away, it went right back to 70! :)))
The Tigers won their game last night!!! Way to go boys!!!
Looking ahead at our week it will be filled with school days. Baseball games. Community Clean Up Day at school. Volleyball practises. My life right now is very active with the children and sometimes I need to be reminded to stop and take it all in. Like yesterday. We needed groceries so I made a stop at Sharp Shopper and then Costco. Austin is my little tag along and it's fun to have him with me. We grabbed some lunch at home and then made a quick stop at a greenhouse. I'm starting to buy some flowers and I'm soon ready to get some planted! We then went to school to pick up kids. Jess came along home and we dropped the girls off and then I took Matthew and Ashlyn around to some businesses to collect funds for our Community Clean Up school fundraiser! It was then time to whip together some spaghetti for supper and off I went again to take the girls volleyball practice. Dishes were done and baths were given and off we went one more time to go watch Matthew play ball!!! All day long I felt like I was go, go, go. The sun was shining and I would have had plenty to do at home all day long too but being a mom of four active, healthy kids, keeps me stepping!!! I love it!!!
April is coming to a close in a few days and then it will be May!!! Time has a way of just passing right along! We are getting ready to start our "school days count down" and we look forward to summer time!!!
Enjoy the sunshine!!! Get outside and feel it!!!
God is so good!
