...that He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter!

I trust that you are all celebrating this momentous holiday. Well, if you're not, I won't hold it against you. But in my house, Easter is one of two big Christian holidays. The only competition is Christmas. But we still get cinnamon rolls on both holidays, so I love them almost equally.

Just kidding. But the cinnamon rolls are a very yummy and delicious tradition.

Anyway, I wanted to share a little game I have for you:

Start a competition with your friends or family members to see who can get the most "He is risen indeed!" responses to "He is risen!" As it's only eight in the morning as I type this, I have only gotten three, but as the day progresses, I willl probably rack up to about 50.

Do we really savor the truth of these words- He is risen indeed?

I try to. After watching "The Passion of the Christ" a couple weeks ago, I have had a little taste of the brutality of the price He paid for us, but today, the final scene of the movie rings in my head: You see the tomb, and Jesus stands and walks out. You can clearly see the holes in His hands.

It makes me want to do two things:

1) Get tattoos of scars on the palms of my hands,
2) Raise my hands and shout for joy.

Because He's ALIVE!!!!!

(Insert joyous scream here)

Now, as a loving individual, I need to politely scream at you (virtually of course):

GET OFF OF THE INTERNET AND CELEBRATE THE DEATH AND LIFE OF OUR SAVIOR!!!

Love you all.

...that animals are smarter than they appear.

We're dogsitting this weekend.

Of course, with our bird in the house, I figured that this was going to shape up as an adventure.

I was RIGHT.

She has gone to the bathroom on our carpet, played numerous games with us, and whined when we left her for a previous engagement. All typical. But something was not to be expected.

Mozart (the bird) and Daisy (the puppy) have made friends. IT'S BIZARRE. She just spent about 10 minutes just staring at her little buddy. He is trying to call her back now that she is out for a walk. They're totally friends now, and it's kinda freaking me out.

But this has me thinking on animal behavior.

You know the way that animals follow the people around them? Yeah, you know what I'm going to say next: That's how we should follow God. Yes, I am predictable. It's who I am. But anyway, we should. And as Easter approaches, I say to myself, "This will be a fun topic to write about, since this is the time of year that animals are beginning to be born, and soon they will be following us around like they are totally dependent on us (which they are)."

So, to be clear: God is the owner, and we are the animals. Ever notice that when a puppy runs away from the house of a friend when they're staying there, they try to make it back to their home? Last year, when we watched a different dog for friends, he ran away and tried to make his way back home. Except things didn't end up that way.

I don't want to talk about it. He's alive, thankfully, but he got hurt.

Bottom line: It's time to start thinking about sticking at God's heels, no matter what. It's going to go more smoothly. Trust me.

What I still don't understand is how a dog and a bird can coexist without one trying to kill the other. I'll add that to my list of questions to ask God when I see Him.

Enjoy Palm Sunday.

And the YUMMY breakfast that I am helping prepare, if you attend my church.

Now go out into the world (on God's heels), and SPREAD THAT GOOD NEWS FAR AND WIDE!

...that loss helps us find ourselves.

I know it's not tradition for me to post on a Tuesday, but I need to get this out somewhere.

My grandfather died this morning.

We'd been expecting this for a little while, but it was still really sad. My dad's having a hard time with it, my sister and I have to miss school for the funeral, and my birthday was postponed. (No telling about my birthday.)

But this has me thinking. My grandfather was not believed to be a Christian when he died. (Look back to my post on being ready for more about my thoughts behind this.) I never wanted him to spend an eternity...down there, but it's keeping me on my toes for right now.

I'm a little scared for us all.

All of us Christians say we're in it, but are we really? I've been having some moments lately, and I realized...

...if I was the one to die today, I might not be in heaven.

Now, let me offer this as a rebuttal:

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

I was less than thrilled.

We need to realize where our priorities lie, and how we treat people. Our priority should be to model a Christ-like life, and we need to treat everyone like they're the beautiful creation of God that they are.

I know this was short, but cut me some slack- I'm grieving.

Just something to think about. Consider it.

...that music can be wise.

I absolutely LOVE music.

I especially love rock music. There are certain lyrics that just come to mind, and today I want to share with you some that I've been thinking of:

Something's missing in me- I felt it deep within me. Yes, love has left me to bleed alone. (Flyleaf- Missing)

Isn't everyone pretending they're all right? Isn't everyone about to fall? Isn't everyone playing beautiful tonight? Isn't everyone about to fall? (The Wrecking- About To Fall)

I'm just a step away, just a breath away from losing my faith today. I'm falling off the edge today. I am just a man- not superhuman. I need a hero to save me now. I need a hero to save my life. A hero will save me just in time. (Skillet- Hero)

Well, I don't know about you, but these songs hold a lot of meaning for me.

Their lyrics relate to so many people- including me. I do feel like I'm missing something. Sometimes I feel like love has left me to bleed. I am always pretending I'm all right, playing beautiful, and about to fall. And I certainly need a hero to save my life.

And then you have those whose albums center on sex, drugs, partying, and drinking. Wow. People don't really think about the words that their teenagers are listening to. I'm glad my parents have Christian music playing in their cars and in our home. I'm not knocking on secular music- some of it is okay. It's just the ungodly things that make me a little queasy.

Try this: when you listen to music, ignore the beat and the rhythm and just listen to the words- absorb their message. Take some time to go through the music you listen to, and reflect on if they're really what you believe. If you're listening to the radio, I recommend tuning in to K-Love and Air1, because they play music that is totally uplifting and most of the songs sound totally like the secular music you hear on the non-Christian stations.

I would also recommend staying on your toes when you're listening to music that's outside of your control. When you're out with your friends, try to pop in a CD that's at least not based on sex or partying. In restaurants, try to go out with a friend so that you can talk and not have to listen to the musical choices of the restaurant (unless they like Christian music). And avoid school dances and night clubs at all costs unless you go to a Christian school.

Bottom line: Be careful. Music is one of the easiest way for the devil to reel you in because his music is everywhere. Just try to expose yourself to positive tunes.