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Spring has come early in Southern Indiana arriving weeks ago. We have many trees in bloom. The dogwood is one of the most beautiful that we have. Either with white or pink blooms, these trees have the prettiest shapes. I love them. Don’t you?

There are many details about the crucifixion of Jesus. How He was beaten, stumbled and fell as He carried the cross, and was between two thieves are just some of the things the Bible tells. However, it does not tell us what type of wood the cross was made of that Jesus was nailed to and crucified. Legend and some Roman history states that the cross was made of dogwood.

Because of its firmness and strength it was chosen as the wood for the cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly sorrowed the tree. Knowing this, the crucified Christ in His gentle pity for the distress and suffering of all said to the tree: “Because of your sorrow and pity for My sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a gibbet. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross — two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints — brown with rust and stained with red — and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember My crucifixion.”

This is yet another sign in nature to remind us of the great love and gift from Jesus. I don’t know about the legend but that aside, the flowers have four petals that form a cross. Each petal looks like it has a nail print stained with blood. The center of every blossom looks like a crown of thorns. All of this is a lovely reminder of God’s wondrous love and Jesus sacrifice for our eternal life. Abba has left reminders all around. We just need to open our eyes and hearts.  We need to keep remembering.

“They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!”
Matt. 27:29 NLT

“…He went out to a place called The Skull. In the Aramaic language it was called Golgotha. There they nailed Jesus to the cross…”. John 19:17-18 NIRV

I love flowers. Grown in pots, in the ground, cut and placed in vases, they are all beautiful to me. At Easter churches often have lilies given in honor or memory of loved ones. Their unique scent fills the sanctuary and their beauty puts smiles on faces. Do you know why white lilies are called Easter Lilies? No? Let me share their tale with you.

The plant grows from a bulb, which symbolizes the tomb Jesus was placed in after his crucification. These bulbs are planted in the ground the cool of Autumn. They seem to miraculously come to life after having survived the dead of winter. The lush green stalk grows tall and blooms form. The blooms are white, the color of purity, and shaped like the angel Gabriel’s horn, which represents the resurrection or coming of the Lord. Gabriel is the herald of good news.

These sweet smelling, fragrant flowers represent life and hope, new birth after death, victory, and all good things. Our Heavenly Father has left us another message. This time in a flower. There is life after death. We have hope. Jesus is pure, holy, and our sweet, Divine Savior. While we already know this, Jehovah doesn’t want us to lose sight of it, especially on Easter.

Next time you look at an Easter Lily, think of your Heavenly Father and His message to you. He cares enough about each of us to leave subtle reminders all around nature about the birth and resurrection of His only Son and our Savior, Jesus. More love letters from Abba to us. Don’t you feel the joy and hope? Don’t you feel loved? I do.

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the l ife. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Everyone has a different way of seeing things. My perspective is not the same as anyone else for multiple reasons. One of the main reasons is thatq I am short, very short. All my life I have had to look up when speaking to people. I have to tiptoe to reach thing and sometimes to touch the floor when sitting in a chair. My car seat needs to be all the way up so that I can reach the pedals. Yep, I am short.

My sweet hubby, Den, is a little over a foot taller than I am. He has the opposite issues. Over the years he has learned to scrunch down so that in pictures he looks closer to my five feet than his six plus. The difference in our height comes in handy when we are looking for something we’ve lost or for me when I cannot reach something. If we are mushroom hunting we both have very different views even if he is crawling around. That man loves morels! What he sees and what I see are two different views of the same woods. Together we work well and usually find some of those little delicacies.

Den never realized what my eyes took in on a daily until during a slightly heated conversation I grabbed him by the ear and yanked his eyes level with mine. “There, that is what I see.” I bluntly stated. “I cannot see over the railing.” His response was “Wow. I had no idea you were so short.” Really? After all these years together he was just noticing. I was speechless. Later he went on to explain that to him I would always be as tall as he was. His equal. To him, my husband says, I am the love of his life, his other half, better half, the woman that raised his children. Actually he said, he saw me as ten feet tall. Now who was saying “wow”? I was and adding a lot more. My husband humbled me. He saw me as much more than a five foot short woman, like I saw myself.

It is hard to see anything from someone else’s perspective. Maybe we need to try harder to see what the person is like on the inside and not just the outside packaging.
Jesus does that. He looks at our heart not our height. Jesus is more interested in if we are loving and helping people than if we are using a ladder to reach something or stooping down in pictures. He is interested in the real person.

What about you? Do you see people on how they look or act? Do you just see scruffy hair, dirty clothes, or their size? Do you see a short person or maybe someone that is tall in their church or community. We need to look through eyes like Jesus. We need to look with eyes of love.

“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” John 7:24 NIV

Heaven Help Us was the perfect name for our bookstore. The things that happened there often made us want to say that. Sometimes in a laughing way and other times in a prayer. We had been opened less than six months when a senior citizen came in for a Bible. I took him back to that section and began to help him.

The man perused the different types and translations. All of a sudden he squinted his eyes, frowned, pointed at me and said “I have some friends from church that wouldn’t think twice about burning your store down and these heretical bibles with it. You just need the 1611. What do you say to that?!”

I said what I normally did in a crisis…….”Dad!!!”

Fortunately Dad was at the store and up front.  When he came to the Bible section I asked the man to repeat what he had said to me. He did. I was so fired up, and Dad could see it in my eyes. He caught my eye and discretely shook his head.  What?!   I was prepared to jump in with Dad. This “Christian” had come in to our store to buy a Bible and threatened to have friends burn it and all of the Bibles except the King James Versions. What kind of Christian does that? Did he realize what Jesus would say?  Did he realize what I had to say?!

Dad’s reply as a simple “Well, sir, I certainly hope they don’t.” Dad patted the man on the shoulder and told him that I would take good care of him and “hope you have a good one.”

Well, that wasn’t what I expected nor the man. He expected confrontation. He expected to be disrespected not treated cordially. He expected Dad to go Old Testament on him, an eye for an eye.  Nope.  Dad went the other way.  He went New Testament and turned the other cheek.  Dad treated him like a friend. He showed the love of Jesus to a man that came into the store to argue, intimidate, and fight. Dad immediately forgave the man and taught me to do the same.  I could feel Jesus among us.  There was an instant calming and peace.

The transformation in that customer was phenomenal. He decided on a Bible, a plain black, King James Version with Christ’s words in red. No bells or whistles.  Just a plain Bible.  He bought mints at the check out, too. As he left he told me to “have a nice rest of your day and say the same to your father.”

If I had spewed the words of hatred or admonition that I wanted, this encounter would have ended very differently. Very badly. Dad was the calm voice of reason.  The unconditional love of Jesus ebbed from him to the customer.  Being nice always has its benefits even if you are being offended. Try it next time and see what the results are for you.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 15:1

Life is busy. Having family dinners are rare and family breakfasts are even more so. Holidays offer a great time for families to start their day together before all of the festivities begin. It is a wonderful time to start a family tradition and make memories.

Breakfast is a good time to discuss the meaning of that particular holiday with your family. Ask children what Easter means to them. Will their answers be Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets filled with goodies? Will they know the true meaning of it that we celebrate Jesus’s resurrection. You might be surprised. Take time to read scripture about the holiday. Maybe share memories from your past. Use special dishes instead of paper plates.

It is easy to make little bunnies out of yeast roll dough or angel biscuit dough. Start with a ball, clip or shape two ears, roll a little tail, and use a toothpick to make holes for eyes. There are many casseroles that can be made the day or night before, refrigerated, and baked that morning. Add fruit, your bunny rolls to the casserole and you have an easy, delicious breakfast or brunch.

This holiday start the day by sharing breakfast and your faith with your family. Tell them about Jesus and how He has impacted your life.  What He has done.   Share memories you have of your own parents and their faith. Make Easter more than eggs and bunnies. Make it about the Lamb. Remember, the things you do today are the memories for tomorrow.

“That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith – and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother…to your mother…and now to you!”
2 Tim. 1:5

Holiday Morning Casserole

1/2 pound sliced bacon, diced
1/2 pound ground sausage
1 medium yellow sweet onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
8 eggs, lightly beaten
salt, pepper, curry, garlic – sprinkle of each in eggs
4 cups frozen shredded hash brown or O’Brien potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (save 1 cup for topping)
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese, or
1/2 cup milk if you do not like cottage cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
In a large skillet, cook bacon, sausage and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. Place eggs in a bowl and sprinkle seasonings. Lightly beat until frothy. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in eggs and meat mixture. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with 1 cup cheese. This can be done the night before and just baked in the morning.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with fruit and muffins or rolls.

Bunny Rolls

Yeast roll dough, homemade or store
Egg wash, one beaten egg with 1 T water or milk

Preheat oven to 375°.
Form dough into balls. Put a little bit on the back for a tail if desired.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place dough.
Cut the ears with kitchen shears while the dough is soft, rounding edges.
Use toothpick to make eyes and a line for the nose.  If desired use a peppercorn for eyes.
Brush with egg wash using a pastry brush.
Bake at 375° for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Are you a dog person or cat person? Do you like chocolate or vanilla? Ebooks or hard copies? Regular or decaf? What is your favorite color? Everyone has preferences or favorites. Some people like both and do not claim a favorite. I like both dogs and cats. For me a case can be made for each one. Chocolate or vanilla depends on my mood. Chocolate for really extreme moods and vanilla for mediocre, maybe both on a rare day. Books depend on where I am. If I am reading in bed, an ebook on a tablet is a lot easier to see than a regular book with a book light. Decaf please! The older I get the more caffeine is not my friend and wants to keep me awake at night. Color? I have a few I really like and a few I don’t like at all. Give me reds and keep the oranges. Did you answer along with me? Agree or disagree? How about people? Do you have preferences there, too?

Children and grandchildren are a different story. I love them all fiercely, deeply, unconditionally, and equally. It is amazing that God has made us so that we can love like that. I am glad He did. I could never choose between my children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews. Neither would I want to do that. Nor would I place any conditions on my love. Would you?  So, how is it that we are able to love like that?  Jesus.  He has an unconditional love that He shared with us and taught us.

The good news is that we are made in the image of God and He doesn’t have favorites either. Abba loves us all equally and deeply. More than we could ever imagine. His love is unconditional. While we were still sinners God sent His son Jesus to earth to save us.  He did not send Him to save some of us but all of us.  There are no favorites. Even the criminal on the cross hanging beside Jesus accepted and believed Jesus was the Son of God.  Hanging there that man was saved.

Jesus loves us so much He died so that we might have eternal life.  He was beaten, had a crown of thrones not placed but smashed down on His Precious head, and then had nails hammered through His hands and feet.  He suffered and died for us so that we might live. All for us.  Even you and me.  No greater love than that, and the offer is there for all who accept and believe. All you have to do is ask.  Why wait?  Make Jesus your favorite.  He sure is mine.

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Gen. 1:26

We  received a lot of questions at the Bookstore.  Customers thought that because my employees worked there and I owned it that we had read every single book in the place. We were all big readers, but there was no possible way we could read that many books. Customers would ask for the best fiction book we had.  The newest book we had.  Not all questions were about our books. Kids and adults quizzed us.  One question we often got was if Adam had a belly button?  Hmmmm, I don’t know, but I would say yes.  Another question was how Noah kept all of the animals alive on the ark.  Another question was if the King James was the true, original Bible.  Actually, it wasn’t.   Biblical type questions were the norm, and we were not Bible scholars.  Just Bible lovers.

We one day a middle aged woman came in and browsed the fiction section. I noticed her thumbing through several books.  Finally she brought one to the counter to check out.  My employee said that she wanted to speak to the person in charge.  I greeted her and asked how I could help her.  She had a question that no one had ever asked before.  “If I don’t like the ending may I return the book for a refund?” she sincerely asked.

Wow.  I couldn’t do that.  I hadn’t read that book.  It might have a sad ending.  I ran a bookstore not a library.  When I declined she said that she couldn’t take a chance on buying something that might make her unhappy or upset.  She left without buying the book.

It made me think about my life.  When it is over, am I going to be pleased with the story and ending?  Will it be complete?  Is God going to be pleased?  Will He say “well done, good and faithful servant” or will He be unhappy?  I still have time to change my story and my ending.

What about you?  When the last page of your story is read will it be a happy ending?  Are you a good and faithful servant?  There is still time if not.  Abba allows second chances.  He allows many more “do overs” than just one.  All it takes is to repent and begin anew to change or exchange your ending.

If you are unsure of your story’s ending and it is a blank page, now is the time to start rewriting it.  Recommit to the Lord.  He will help you live the story that He wrote for you.  Your ending will be what God desires.  Will you like it?  You betcha!  It won’t be bad, but good.  Are you ready?

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!'”  Matt. 25:21  NIV