Easter Sunday

We just got back from a mini-vacation...OK, so we got back home last night, but it's been a little crazy since today was Josiah's first baseball game of the season.

Anyway. I thought I would share some things I think you should read from my imaginary friends.*

Like this, written by Beth Moore over at her and her daughters' LPM blog. It's a little long, but worth it.

And this, written by Big Mama a few months ago.

Happy Easter!

Easter 2009

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* "Imaginary friend" is the term my husband uses for people I have met online but have never met in person or talked to on the phone...and they may or may not even know that I exist. :)

The Silence of God

You knew it was only a matter of time before I had another blog post featuring an Andrew Peterson song, right? :) Last month, my pastor wrote a devotional entitled When God is Silent. (Go ahead--please read it if you haven't already!) I thought it was a perfect time to tie in an AP song.

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The Silence of God

It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith
It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane
When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God

It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God

And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes...

There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a stone
All His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone

Photo used with permission by Omar at www.firstbornstories.com

And the man of all sorrows, He never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that He bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God

--The Silence of God by Andrew Peterson

The lyrics to this song were found here. Andrew Peterson's song The Silence of God can be found here on YouTube--definitely worth a listen!

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The statue in the photo above is the exact statue that Andrew wrote about in the song. It was raining the day this particular photo was taken, and the rain is causing the dark streaks on the statue. 

If you would like to see other photos of this and other statues at this monastery, click on the various links within the lyrics, or click here, here, and here. Once you click over, you can also click through the "Gethsemani set" that this photographer has directly to the right of the photo.

Wordless Wednesday: Sock puppet on a swing

My boys have a thing for sock puppets, so it should not have surprised me to look outside and see a sock puppet swinging on the playset.

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom or Wordless Wednesday for more Wordless Wednesday participants.

The Psalms of Ascent

I am revisiting the Beth Moore study I finished, oh, in late February, so let's pretend this is a time warp and go with it as part of the "What I Learned This Week" blog carnival hosted by Jo-Lynne at Musing of a Housewife, OK?

To keep this a little more readable without citing references constantly, I am simply grouping my notes by the weekly video sessions, since many of the references are the fill-in-the-blanks in the viewer's guide. This Bible study on the Psalms of Ascent brought in the history and the meaning of the Feasts to which the pilgrims were traveling.

To the best of my knowledge, I took accurate notes during this study. If you spot any errors, please let me know. If you want to add something you learned on this topic, whether through this particular study or something else, please feel free to leave it in a comment!

Ready?

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Stepping Up: A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent

by Beth Moore

Viewer Guide, Introductory Session:
The Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) were sung on the pilgrimages to the Three Great Feasts in Jerusalem:
1. The Feast of Unleavened Bread/Passover (Spring)
2. The Feast of Weeks/Pentecost (Early Summer)
3. The Feast of Tabernacles (Fall)


Viewer Guide, Session Two:
Passover pictures the death of the Messiah.
The blood of the Passover lamb was painted on the door frame with the hysop plant (see Exodus 12:7, John 10:11 and Psalm 51:7). The cleansing of sins came through the blood of the sacrificial lamb.

Jesus Christ is our Passover (1 Corithians 5:7).

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:17, Mark 14:1) pictures the burial of the Messiah. Leaven became symbolic of sin (Matthew 16:5-9). Beth quoted The Feasts of the Lord and said, “Ancient rabbis…believed that leaven represents the evil impulses of the heart. This fermentation implied a process of corruption.” The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week of sanctification to get all of the leaven (sin) out of them.

Jesus Christ is our Unleavened Bread because He is without sin and without corruption.

The Feast of Firstfruits pictures the resurrection of the Messiah.

Jesus Christ is the Firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20-24).


Viewer Guide, Session Three:
The Feast of Weeks (Hebrew Shavuot) derives its name from the seven weeks separating it from the Feast of Firstfruits. It is also known by the Greek name of Pentecost (for “fiftieth“) as well as the Feast of the Harvest (Exodus 23:16).

The Feast of Weeks was a time of remembering their bondage; therefore, we (present-day believers) should focus on the freedom Christ has given you.

The Feast of Weeks was a time of great generosity: generous grace, and generous giving.


Viewer Guide, Session Four:
The Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) has a strong emphasis on the Messiah (Psalm 118:24-26). This is the most Messianic of the Feasts, and there is always a great sense of expectancy with an invitation for God to bring the Messiah.
Palm branches are associated with the Feast of Tabernacles. In Matthew 21, there is an immediate leap forward into the Feast of Tabernacles. The palm branches showed the people’s expectancy that this was the Messiah.

This is also the picture in Matthew 17:4, when Peter asks “Shall I build three tabernacles?” He was thinking, “Is it time for the feast? This has to be the Messiah!”

The pinnacle moment of the celebration was the ceremonial water pouring each day, drawn from the Pool of Siloam and carried back to the temple to be poured out for God. (Beth quoted someone who said, “Those who have never experienced the joy of water drawing have never experienced joy in their lives.“ So…this was big.) The seventh day was the biggest celebration, and this is the setting of John 7:37-39 (see also John 7:2). The Israelite priests are dancing before the procession with torches and music, joyfully singing “Send Messiah now!” (Psalm 118) while the water is being poured out…and then Jesus says, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Jesus Christ is the source of living water (John 4:10, Revelation 7:17).

One of the things Beth said, probably a few times, is "He keeps the Feasts!" or "He keeps the calendar!" As we learned in the Beth Moore Bible study on the tabernacle, the tabernacle was a pattern of the reality in heaven. These Jewish feasts are a pattern of a spiritual reality fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

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If you have the chance to do this Bible study, please do it! And if you cannot do the entire Bible study, consider viewing the video sessions online at www.lifeway.com/women. You will be blessed by what you learn!

Visit Musing of a Housewife to see what others have learned this week.

Poor Emily

I'll show you this if you promise not to report Grace to the authorities...

When I first saw her dragging Emily around--and gleefully swinging her--I stopped in my tracks. Grace saw the slightly horrified look on my face and quickly assured me, "Oh, Momma, Emily likes this. She says it's fun!"

I'm not so sure about that. Emily looked awfully relieved when I removed the leash from her neck once Grace tired of this strange play...

You Capture: Spring

Or, "You Capture: The week I show you weeds from my yard." Whatever...

This is Week 6 of the You Capture blog carnival hosted by Beth over at I Should Be Folding Laundry. Each week Beth presents a new challenge and this week’s challenge was Spring.

I took this picture this morning after it rained for a couple of hours. Ahhh...nothing says "Spring" like rain drops on weeds waiting to be mowed. ;) But I thought it made for an interesting photo.

Speaking of weeds...

And my three year old calls these "magic." I'll let you guess what she loves to do with them.

Now, this is what I am looking forward to--morning glories! Because weeds aren't the only things growing 'round here...

Those tiny elephant ears will eventually grow into this, one of my favorite flowers (and a favorite of the bees, too):

This last photo was taken by my son, Robert, in 2004.

Check out I Should Be Folding Laundry for more You Capture participants.

Wordless Wednesday: Say "Cheese!"

Grace taking a picture of me.

And now it's Grace's turn to pose...

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom or Wordless Wednesday for more Wordless Wednesday participants.

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Happy April Fool's Day! So far, I've only had all my shoes hidden by Josiah and Grace...