I Know I'm Not Supposed To Be Here Today...

but I have been home with my girls and working hard on THE LAST SONG OF THE CD...I had it ready, I thought, but when theory came to reality, it wasn't right...so I had to revamp it. Anyway, I have been working on it the whole naptime of my girls (Greg took the boy child to visit Grandpa Bud (remember Bud-flower, Joe-coffee) and I am here by myself, for the moment.

Any-who, I had seen a blip about something I have no time for called the Thursday Thirteen. No time...but it sounded fun and so I thought I would give it a whirl. I am about as good at working my blog as I am driving in unknown territory:-) so as I was reading the directions, I thought, "The girl who wrote this thinks I might know something about how to work my blog...she isn't explaining it to a three year old like I need her to"...so I pasted what they had in my template.

Now as I look at it, I think it is supposed to just go in my Thursday post. But I am afraid to move it for now. So if you want to look at my "creation", it is at the bottom of the page. And Thursday I will just cut and paste it into my post. Probably late...that is ballet performance and field trip day;-)...

Just wanted you to know what was going on. OH and BTW, my Grandpa Bud is out of ICU...still a little tired I think, but out of the ICU is good. Joe is on a floor also...he is getting some medicines that if he can tolerate them today, he may actually go home tomorrow...Yea! Thanks for your prayers...

Kinesthetic Learner

For my fellow Elementary Education major readers, I am a kinesthetic learner...Not really a visual learner, not so much an auditory learner...I learn the best by experiencing things...especially if I am tired. And I am kind of tired right now. I have a cold, or allergies, or something...my grandfather had his surgery yesterday (remember, Bud-flowers...Joe-coffee:-)---Joe looks better, by the way...and who but God would put my best girlfriend's dad at the hospital where I was going to be?) and I went up and back for that....this weekend looks to be busy, next week looks to be kuh-RAZY busy...so my attentiveness to spiritual matters is not at its highest, I don't think...

But yesterday, as I was coming home from Tulsa, there is a spot on the highway that makes a Y...you can get on the turnpike (which is what I wanted) or you will take another non-pay road. For those who don't already know this, one of my obvious deficiencies is that I could not navigate my way out of a paper bag. So when I passed the right part of the "Y", I was a little concerned about how to get back to where I needed to be. Then I saw a sign that said 44W (my turnpike road)...

"Ahhhhhh," I thought..."I think I can still get on and be OK..."

I drove and drove...and I wondered if I had missed it.

And I drove.

Then I whizzed past a sharp turn that had no warning signs that it was coming that said "44W". I almost couldn't believe that was it. But as I drove a little more (and into a town), I realized that had to be it. I didn't see the turnpike anymore, which had been alongside of me...So I turned around.

As I drove back, I thought, "I kind of know where the turn with the sign was, and there will be one coming this direction, too."

As I approached the turn, there was no sign. But I really felt that was the turn, so I took it. As I made the turn, I saw a blur of 444444444444444444WWWWWWWWW...but the actual road wasn't right there...I had to go down an industrial road and around a factory...and again, I wondered if I was even going the right way.

But then I saw another sign for 44W and eased onto the turnpike.

With almost no gas.:-)

Not too far down the road there was a gas station. I got my gas, and with a full tank and a carb-laden snack, I headed home...the rest of the trip was uneventful.

So, as I was thanking God for helping me to get back on track, I thought, "How many times do I just get distracted and miss the "right" way? And how many times does God help me get turned around and find the way back? And how many times do I have to just have faith that the turn is the right one? And when I am just about to give up, how many times has God given me what I needed and more besides? Pecan pie and a Diet Dr. Pepper...how much better can it get for a non carb eater (normally...)?"

Don't get crazy...look to God...have faith that He will lead me...I'll probably have to learn it again tomorrow...but it was a good reminder for yesterday:-)

Have a great weekend...

Coffee and Flowers

OK, so a few thoughts before I go to be with my family for my grandpa, which I am so thankful to be able to do. If Greg hadn't been able to work his schedule around, I would have needed to be here for the children, and he did...:-)

Found 3 moths in the kitchen. Guess there will be a little upkeep for a bit on that deal. I'll leave the vaccuum cleaner out for Greg. I think that their days are numbered, anyway, unless they have learned how to eat through a ziploc bag.

Sherri's dad's blood pressure is still low, so please continue to pray for him.

My grandpa's surgery is Thursday, so pray for him

Hey...I was talking to a kind of smart friend of mine the other day, and she was telling me about a book she read that talked about ways to help kids remember Scripture. I didn't really get all of it, but one of the things was to pair it the Scripture with an object.

OKOKOK you don't get all that, but here is what I would like for you to do, and I will talk more about that another day.

IF you drink coffee, sometimes people call that a "cup of Joe"...ever heard that? OK so if you drink coffee, say a prayer for Sherri's dad when you do it, because his name is Joe. Or if you see it in the store...or on a menu.

IF you see a flower, say a prayer for my Grandpa Bud (see??? Flower? Bud? Bear with me here...)

Just if you think of it. Thanks... :-)

I will be missing Amazing Race tonight, so don't tell me who is the last team to arrive...I will watch it later...:-)

Have a Heart...:-)

OK, so one crisis down (with Kenny...he commented on my last blog and I talked to him this morning...be is back to causing trouble in the studio...) and now I have something else...

My best girlfriend, Sherri ('s) dad went in for a procedure (not heart related) and had a heart attack. He is a strong guy, but right now he is in ICU. Please keep him in your prayers...he is a special guy (his name is Joe).

Aaaaannnnnnnnndddd, my grandpa (Bud) is also having some heart stuff. Actually, his heart is great (I've always thought that:-)) but the arteries need some work, so he is going in the hospital on Thursday. I will be out of pocket probably Wednesday-Friday for that.

So if you could keep those two in your prayers for a bit that would be great. The more the merrier...(praying...not having heart stuff...you know what I mean.)

Extra-Update on Ken (don't forget to read Matthew 6:20 post below)

Out of surgery...if he eats something, he can go home. I think he feels good. Thanks for your prayers.

Matthew 6:20

QUICK REPORT-Talked to Kenny...his pain meds are wearing off, but the surgery is still a "go". Hopefully he will get to go home tonight or tomorrow. May hear something this evening. If I do, I will post it here...
*****************************

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

You know, when I used to think of moths, I thought of the butterfly's ugly stepsister who flitted around lights at night. And if I thought of them in the vein of distruction, it was with the idea of clothing...but generally I felt sorry for them, didn't kill them, tried to put them back outside so that they could flit around the lights in the evening.

So when a couple of relatively tiny moths got into my kitchen, I didn't think too much of it. At least they weren't disgsusting flies, right?

Then, within the week, I saw a few more in my cabinet. Hanging upside down like bats. "Well, a couple of moths flying around in the kitchen is one thing, but I can't have a whole moth family" I thought to myself. So a squashed them...which was pretty easy, because they were sleeping.

But then there were more...I made quick work of them, but they seemed to keep appearing. Finally one day, I decided that I was going to have to bite the bullet and go through that cabinet. So I took EVERYTHING out...looked in everything. Found what I think were their breeding grounds (ick), threw those away and put everything that was OK in ziploc bags. You know...so that any living moths would have no food.

I still was kind of in a state of disbelief...I had always been kind to moths. They are soft, they don't sting...I never thought of them as spreading disease (I'll have to check on that one)...how could they turn on me like that?

But although that cabinet stayed clean, the story was not over....somehow, word(?) got out that we had a walk in pantry in the laundry room.

For a couple of days I knew that they were there...but I had so much to do, I just couldn't make myself go through all the pantry stuff...after all, it was a PANTRY...instead, I just got out the vaccuum and sucked them up. And by the way, that works really well. They are so dumb they just hang there and wait and it seems that either it kills them or they can't find their way back out of the hose.

It didn't take care of the problem, though. They kept re-appearing...it was like a nightmare movie or something. And Friday/Saturday, there was all that stuff with Kenny and I just wasn't thinking "moth patrol" and when I went into the pantry Sunday, they were MOCKING me...not behaving themselves hanging from the ceiling...NO NO...they were flying around, flitting on things...

They had picked the wrong day for that. So I got out a trash bag and started looking through everything. Found their little hidey-holes, threw out some stuff, put the rest in ziploc bag and SUCKED UP THOSE RENEGADE MOTHS!!!!

I will never look at moths the same way again.

So here is the application (besides the obvious)

1. All the food was worthless if I had not secured it in some way as to keep bad stuff from ruining it. The same thing is true with our treasures, whatever they are. We may be thinking that we are using them completely for the Lord, but it doesn't hurt a thing to stop every once in a while and see if there are any parts of our treasures that are being messed up by other things (using them for ourselves in some way, using them for some improper purpose, etc)

2. If we find that there are moths in our treasures, don't short cut the process of getting rid of them. I used the vaccuum cleaner, but I also bought some "moth traps" from the Home Improvement catalog. It did catch some of them, but it did not eradicate the problem. It was not until I took the time to go through all my stuff that I was able to rid us of the moths completely.

3. If we have other areas of our lives that are not properly sealed up, the corruption can simply move from one area to the other (like from my cabinet to the pantry), so we need to be mindful of that.

Wasn't that icky??? :-) but it's over now...moving forward....:-) :-)

Update on Hoyt:-)

Kenny has a kidney stone...it's lodged, so it won't come out on its own, and they are doing surgery on it tomorrow at 2:30. They say that he will feel great afterwards...hope so. Thanks for your prayers.

News Extra-No Grafted In Tonight (April 22, 2006)

For those of you who are local, we play at Swadley's BBQ at 39th and Rockwell every 2nd and 4th Saturday night. Gospel music. If you look at my links, you will see some information about our band.

Anyway, our co-leader, guitar man, emcee, etc, Ken James, had some stomach issues this week. But not like what you might have or I might have...pretty serious, because he has a history of digestive stuff and had big surgery about 10 years ago in the areas that seem to be causing problems now. He was out of town at meetings all week, and finally went to the doctor yesterday afternoon and the ER last night.

He is in the hospital now. They are getting all the stuff out of his stomach and trying to figure out the next step. His lovely wife, Janice, is at his side...and I am so glad for that. The only thing worse than being sick is being sick in a strange place without those you love there to comfort you.

So anyway, please say a prayer for him and for Janice...and if you know anyone who was going to Swadley's tonight to see us (or anyone who knows Ken and Janice), pass this news along.

What To Do When You Don't Know What to Do

First, I want to say that here is something I would like more of: I would really like to be around more of the Titus women of our church. The ones who are really spiritually grounded, have been through some stuff, have good sense, and know how to pass it to the rest of us. I do know a few, but it just seems that when I am around them, I leave thinking "Man, I sure wish I could just hang out with her for a week or two and gather up more of those pearls of wisdom."

I'm not dumb and I have friends who are about my age who aren't either, but there is something to be said for just being on this earth, going through many events, mellowing, following things through to the end...just some things that you have to have been here awhile to be able to do.

So all that brings me to a really great Bible Study I was at yesterday. The text was from Job and his awful life and his "friends". And a wonderful Titus woman from our church taught from her own life and heart and I almost couldn't keep up with all the great things she was saying. Her lesson was on "What to do for People Who Have Lost a Loved One" (my title, not hers). So, these are not my words....they are Nita's. Nita Nita Nita. Not Me(-tah...just trying to make a rhyme so that you would remember:-).

So here is the condensed version of what she said...

1. Take the initiative, because people in mourning can't think. You are not being intrusive. They need to feel the support of those who love them.
*send flowers
*bring food...if you know the family, stay and eat.
*send a heartfelt note. You won't make them feel worse
*make calls for them
*make a list of who called, who brought food, etc.
*clean something...bathroom, refrigerator, make the beds

2. Be there emotionally for them
*Don't avoid talking about the person. Call him/her by name. You won't make those who are grieving more unhappy or "remind" them. That's all they can think about anyway.
*Know that sometimes grieving people have to talk and talk and talk. It's their way of dealing with it.

3. Things to say...
*"I love you"
*"I'm praying for you"
*"Do you want to talk about it?" (If they don't, assure them that the time will come when they will, and when they do, you will be available.)
*Tell how you felt about the person.
*Tell about shared times with the person, the rememberances, even funny things.
*Be yourself. Don't feel the need to "know everything" or have all the answers.

4. Things NOT to say.
*"It was God's will."
*Don't try to explain why it happened.
*"Buck up, you've grieved long enough...it's time to go back to normal" (for these people, there is no normal anymore...they have to re-find their way)
*"I know exactly how you feel."

See?? Wasn't that good? I always want to do things, but am not quite sure what to do, what is too much, what is not enough, etc. Yea Nita!!!!

Something for Everyone

OK...maybe not everyone...but for those who are following Amazing Race and those who aren't, but liked yesterday's post.

First, AMAZING RACE

I really really thought there for a split second that Eric and Jeremy might lose and be off the show. I was so excited...if that happened, there would only be pretty OK people on the show. But they were able to save themselves at the end.

THEN my team of BJ and Tyler looked like THEY might lose...which they did. But it was a non-elimination, so they are still in there.

Maybe for the best that Eric and Jeremy weren't last...I don't know if I could have stood it if they lost, but then got to stay. I probably would have thrown something at the TV.

NOW for you few few people who are not following the greatest show on TV...here was the other kidism that I forgot to put on my list yesterday...

According to my middle child, she and her little sister were sharing a bowl of (drum roll, please)...

MOUSTACHE-ios (pistachios)

And see, I am so naughty...I never correct that stuff. This same child called the kitchen the "chicken" forEVER...I just loved that one.

I have something very practical tomorrow...would have put it today, but I have to do a little picking up...we are having a "friend" over this evening (18 month old)...enough said. :-)

Kid Talk

I guess the biggest expense we have had in our married lives is our children. And they continue to be, in every way...time, money, focus, upkeep...the list goes on, but I won't.

They are great, most of the time...

Well, actually I would say that they are "good" about 50% of the time...

"Really good" about 20% of the time...

"Great" (now here I mean the kind that brings a proud tear to your eye and you just want to grab them and hug them) about 7% of the time...

"Slightly toady" (the kind that makes you roll your eyes--you know, arguing, messy rooms, huge pile of socks behind the door, last minute notification of cookie baking for school) about 18.5% of the time...

and

"In-danger-of-being-sold-to-the-gypsies-if-the-price-was-right (as my friend, Sherri, would say)"about 4.5% of the time.

But sometimes they are just funny. At least to us...and I am not saying who said what. Unless the gypsies ask...

1. "Is Del City in the same time zone as Bethany?"

2. "How come when the electricity went off, the batteries are still working?"

3. "If my (I) do (insert any naughty activity here...) Mommy 'pank me"

Maybe not Reader's Digest worthy, but this was free, right:-)?

Set your VCRs...Amazing Race tonight...

SHMILY

I'm not too much into romantic stories...usually they are about people who only show each other their very best and then when they finally get married, then all the secrets come out...:-)SCARY!

I am much more likely to want to read something about people who have developed more of an emotional tie that has stood the test of time, when the outward beauty may have faded a little, but he didn't really notice it...And where there's a little "history" between them. They know each other like no one else could...how could ANYONE come between two people like that?

So, anyway :-), you may have seen this story a gazillion times just this week, but this was my first (forwarded to me from my in-laws), and I thought it was sweet. So I am sharing it with you.

And while I'm at it, let me just say that it's nice to have inside stuff with the people that you really love. Maybe "shmily"....maybe something else. But I have known people who have a little "thing" with their spouses, children, best friends, parents...whoever. It's nice to have something that is just between you and the other person.

OK, enough of that. On to the story.

SHMILY

My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game from the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word "shmily" in a surprise place for the other to find.

They took turns leaving "shmily" around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more.

They dragged "shmily" with three fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. They smeared it in the dew on the windows overlooking the patio where my grandma always fed us warm, homemade pudding with blue food coloring.

"Shmily" was written in the stream left on the mirror after a hot shower where it would reappear bath after bath. At one point, my grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper to leave "shmily" on the very last sheet.

There was no end to the place "shmily" would pop up.

Little notes with "shmily" scribbled hurriedly were found on dashboard and car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows.

"Shmily" was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparent's house as the furniture.

It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparent's game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love...one that is pure and enduring.

However, I never doubted my grandparent's relationship. They had love down pat. It was more than their flirtatious little games; it was a way of life. It was their devotion and passionate affection which not everyone is lucky enough to experience.

Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other's sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble.

My grandma whispered to me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome and old he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew "how to pick 'em".

Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune and each other.

But there was a dark cloud in my grandparent's life: my grandmother had cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she
could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside.

Now cancer was again attacking her body. With the help of a cane and my grandfather's steady hand, they went to church every morning.

But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. For a while, Grandpa would go to church alone, praying to God to watch over his wife. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened.

Grandma was gone.

"Shmily". It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother's funeral bouquet. As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, my aunts, cousins, and other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time.

Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother's casket and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came, a deep and throaty lullaby.

(See How Much I Love You)

"Well, if I had a nickel,
I know what I would do,
I'd spend it all on candy
And give it all to you.
I'd spend it all on candy,
And give it all to you
Cause that's how much I love you, baby
That's how much I love you..."

Post Holiday Debriefing

OK, now that we are on the other side of the whole Passover, Good Friday, Easter week and weekend, I have to say that it was GREAT!

Greg was home for almost the whole thing, I was able to use the materials I made last year for a great deal of it, so it was just "following the plan", which I love to do.

In fact, I even took a nap once, slept an hour longer than usual in the mornings, and for the majority of the time, I only did whatever was right in front of my face. No planning out until the rapture, as is my usual.

It was very restful.

And now I am far enough away from it that I can finally say that I missed Amazing Race last week. That Wednesday change in time is about to do me in, and I did not think to set the VCR...so I called my friend, Sherri, and thankfully they had recorded it.

And now I will say hee hee hee...another of our marked teams went home (the dentist and his bride). Too much potty talk from those two. You know, here's the deal...I would really like for my kids to be able to watch this with us...they would like the whole idea behind it, but I just don't feel good about giving them a place to learn naughty words...even just the junior high potty kind.

The "Eric and Jeremy" team is the one that I just think MUST go home, but they keep coming in first. That is not working with my plan, but there is still time...

That's about all I know today.

Final Easter Thoughts

Our church has three worship services tomorrow. Since my husband and I are both involved in the music, we are to be there at 7:15 AM tomorrow morning. Lots of big celebration-type music, so I am sure it will be exciting.

Afterwards, we are having the Easter meal (you know...ham:-)) potato casserole, rolls, greenbeans, jello (that holiday favorite), deviled eggs, cauliflower casserole (for those still trying to low carb), Easter cookies (from Friday) and the tomb cake.

If you have a big glass pitcher from Pampered Chef, you can make the tomb cake. Just mix up a box cake mix...if you want to get really creative, take the mixed up batter and separate into three bowls...

Mix a different food coloring in with each. Then carefully spoon into the glass pitcher (greased!) and bake. Not sure how long...just keep an eye on it. OR you can make in a bundt pan.

When the cake is done, if you used the pitcher, loose the cake onto a plate. I usually cut horizontally in half and frost with canned frosting (chocolate). Then frost the whole thing. Cut a tunnel in one side and frost in the tunnel. Put a big cookie over the hole. Ta-dah!

If you use a bundt pan, cut the cake in half, and turn both pieces on the side. Frost. The tunnel will just be the hole that was in the middle. Add the cookie and you are good to go.

My group likes a few yogurt covered raisins scattered for "rocks".

Now, that aside...here are some thoughts from just a regular person...not a biblical scholar or anything. But I was looking at this and thought I would share it with you, for whatever it might mean for you.

When Jesus came to the earth, He came as the payment for our sins. So that if we repented of our sins and asked Him to save us, we could be reunited with the Father as His children, with, among other things, the benefit of someday going to Heaven when we die.

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. John 3:16, Amplified

But beyond that, it would appear that He also freed us, by His death, from the Mosaic Law.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 5:17-18 NIV

For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in and adheres to and relies on Him. Romans 10:14 Amplified

But then, if that is true, do we have guidelines that are given to us as New Testament believers, given to us by Christ Himself? Commands as it were?

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 NIV

I am inclined to believe that before Jesus died for us, He instructed us as to what He expected from His followers in the way of how they should act Matthew 5-7, as well as other places in the gospels...but it was different from the Law of Moses because the Mosaic Law only spoke of the outward action, while the Law of Christ spoke of action and an inward change. We would follow these words of His because of an inward change, made possible by His death and resurrection.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Because I am not that confident in my abilities to just feel love for Jesus and follow Him (doing what I think He wants me to do), this was comforting to me. My feelings are so transient, I would worry that I was somehow rationalizing some of my behavior. So for me, this was another in a succession of "it's-always-been-there-under-my-nose-but-I-really-just-"got-it"-for-the-first-time passages. Bear with me...I can be kind of slow to learn.

The Saturday Before Easter

You know...it just seems strange to have stuff for Passover, Good Friday and Easter, but nothing on the Saturday before Easter.

So this is what we did last year. I think it worked pretty well, so we will probably do it again.

Not too much preparation... We lit a candle, I think..then said this poem/prayer thing...blew out the candle, and went to bed.

I don't know who wrote this poem.

Yesterday I was crucified with Christ;
Tomorrow I am glorified with Him.

Yesterday I died with Him,
Tomorrow I am made alive with Him.

Yesterday I was buried with Him,
Tomorrow I am raised with Him.

Let us become like Christ,
Since Christ became like us.

Let us become holy for His sake,
Since for us He became man.

He assumed the worse,
That He might give us the better.

He became poor, that by His poverty
We might become rich.

He accepted the form of a servant,
That He might win back our freedom,

He came down that we might be lifted up.

He was tempted, that through Him
We might conquer.

He was dishonored, that He might be glorified in us.

He died, that He might save us.

He ascended, that He might draw us to Himself ,
Who lie helpless, having fallen into sin.

Let us give all, offer all, to Him who gave Himself;
As a ransom and reconciliation for us.

Our Friend, Neil...

(Please note...Good Friday post is below...)

We got word last night that a real treasure at Council Road, Neil Hooper, went home to be with the Lord. I don't know all the details of it, but Neil had some kind of leukemia. He had some treatments earlier and then had to have some more things done in the last month or so. The upshot of it (I think) was that he wound up not producing white blood cells and then had some infection. But that is not why I am writing this today.

I am writing this, because although I didn't know Neil really well outside of choir, the things I did know about him were really uplifting.

Neil sang with joy and exuberance. Not only was he a really talented singer in the technical sense, I always felt that he had in his mind that it was for the Lord. An offering of praise to God. And when he was in his section, that was contagious.

Neil was a wise man and knew when and how to speak his mind. I was in a meeting with him in the last year or so, and we were supposed to be giving our thoughts about choir. The discussion kind of morphed into one about worship... then the worship services and Neil had something very wise that he said. I don't feel at liberty to tell what that was (sorry!), but I think the rest of us were slapping at symptoms and he cut right to the heart of the matter.

Even as he was sharing his thoughts (which were not fancy, but were right to the point), I thought, "You know, he's right...but I'm not sure I would have had the courage to say it." I knew that what he said hit home with many people, and I noticed some revisions in certain areas that could have very well come from what he said that day.

Neil had a wonderful (albeit kind of mischievous) sense of humor. Once when we were singing a really upbeat congregational praise song, there was a typo on the IMAG. I am sure everyone saw it, but since it was a happy song, it wasn't really disruptive. But it came up over and over (because we sang that phrase over and over).

Orchestra blaring, everyone singing, praise team in the front, choir behind on the risers...I was standing right behind Neil, and at the key change, when that word came up (it was supposed to be "truth") he leaned to the left slightly to his choir buddy and sang out "TURTH!" (which was what the screen displayed). And went right on. Again, it was a joyful song, so a smile didn't hurt a thing, and I think it was only the target of the joke and me that heard it, but I definitely looked "joyful" for the rest of the song.

Again, Greg and I never hung out with the Hoopers (his wife, Carol is a wonderful, funny gal as well) but I did know him for many years as a part of the choir. And when I think of him, I think of a solid, wise, talented, funny, full-of-integrity man.

Sometimes as artists and musicians, we have a tendency to be a little high strung...slightly diva acting. I know of a few times when I have been that way myself...and if people had to give their thoughts of me to an audience, they would probably leave out certain portions out of respect for me or so that they wouldn't embarrass me.

But not Neil...I am sure he had his moments, like everyone, but I never saw them. To borrow a phrase from Norman, "I wish I had 100 "Neils" in my life." No chance of that though. A one of a kind....

Good Friday Activities

This is not original. When I put it together for our family last year, it was just that Easter cookie recipe and some of the Stations of the Cross stuff for children that I found online somewhere. Maybe after this week, I will try to find the original authors so I can give credit....but I can't today. If you look online, there are also coloring pictures for different Stations of the Cross. We don't do them all because some of them I have been unable to find in the biblical account of the crucifixion.

We make this in a toaster oven so that it doesn't use our big one. The verses are taken from The Message.

Easter Story Cookies (and expanded story)

1c whole pecans
1tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
zipper bag
wooden spoon
electric mixer
tape (duct tape or masking)
Bible


Good Friday “Service”
•Preheat oven to 300(this is important-don't wait until you're half done with the recipe)

Jesus Is Condemned to Death
Pilate announced, "Here he is: the Man." When the high priests and police saw him, they shouted in a frenzy, "Crucify! Crucify!" Pilate told them, "You take him. You crucify him. I find nothing wrong with him."

The Jews answered, "We have a law, and by that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God." 8When Pilate heard this, he became even more scared. 9He went back into the palace and said to Jesus, "Where did you come from?" Jesus gave no answer.

Pilate said, "You won't talk? Don't you know that I have the authority to pardon you, and the authority to--crucify you?" Jesus said, "You haven't a shred of authority over me except what has been given you from heaven. That's why the one who betrayed me to you has committed a far greater fault."

At this, Pilate tried his best to pardon him, but the Jews shouted him down...Pilate said, "I am to crucify your king?" The high priests answered, "We have no king except Caesar." Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified. They took Jesus away. John 18:5-12, 15-16

(explanation) Has anyone ever said mean or hurtful things to you or about you? Think of how you felt. Maybe you were scared, hurt, or really angry.
It is really the bad things that we have done that You are being punished for, Jesus.

(prayer) Please forgive us for the bad things that we say and do to others, and help us to be more like You, by loving people even when they are unkind and always remembering that You paid for our sins on the cross.

Jesus Takes His Cross
So Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him, 3and approached him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they greeted him with slaps in the face. John 19:1-3

•Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.

(explanation) He has been laughed at and spat upon. Now He must pick up the heavy cross and carry it while the crowd yells. He is so tired and sad, but no one cares.

(prayer)We care that You were tired and hurting, Jesus. We are sorry that You were sad. We know that You didn’t want this to happen, but were obeying Your Heavenly Father. Help us to be more like You by not always having to have things our own way, but God’s way.

Simon of Cyrene Carries the Cross

There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him carry Jesus' cross. Mark 15:21

(explanation) The soldiers are in a hurry. They grab Simon of Cyrene out of the crowd to carry the cross and make Jesus go faster. Jesus was grateful to Simon for his help.

(prayer)Help us to remember that carrying our crosses honors You. Also, help us to remember that it is OK to have help when we need it and that when we help others, we are doing it for You, Jesus, like Simon did.

Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem
A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. Luke 23:27-28

(prayer) Jesus, You told the women of Jerusalem to weep for us. Even in Your pain, You remembered us. Thank You. Help us to remember to pray for others and not only think of ourselves.

Jesus Is Stripped of His Clothes

Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God--ha! The Chosen--ha!"
The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine:

•Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.

"So you're King of the Jews! Save yourself!"

(explanation) It is hard for us to share or give things away with a good attidude. Sometimes we even have bad feelings when we have to share things we don’t want to share.

(prayer)Jesus, even wounded, bleeding, roughly treated by the guards and mocked by the crowds. You did not have to do this, but You did it to pay the penalty for our sins. Help us to remember that You may ask us to do things that might be embarrassing sometimes for You and help us to do them willingly.

Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus prayed, " Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing." Luke 23:33-34

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don't you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:25-27

(explanation)Is this the worst? The feet that carried the message of God's love and the hands that healed are pierced with nails as Jesus is nailed to the cross. More wounds, more pain and more humiliation for Jesus.

(prayer)Jesus, they tried to stop Your hands and feet from doing Your Father's work by nailing You to a cross. You endured the pain of it for us, as You gave Your whole life for us. Help us to have a forgiving heart when others hurt us. Help us to think of others, like You did when You comforted the thief and made sure Your mother had someone to care for her. We thank You and we love You.

Jesus Dies Upon the Cross

The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours-- a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, " Father, I place my life in your hands!" Then he breathed his last. Luke 23:44-46

•Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.

The sword that Simeon prophesied has pierced Mary's heart:
"This child of yours will cause many people in Israel to fall and others to stand. The child will be like a warning sign. Many people will reject him, and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger. But all this will show what people are really thinking." Luke 2:34-35

(explanation) The hopes of the Apostles are crushed. The veil of the Temple, symbol of the old covenant of God, is torn in two as Jesus' death opens a New Covenant with God.

(prayer) Jesus, You spoke lovingly to everyone gathered at the foot of Your cross. You knew the new life that Your death would made possible for those who accepted You as their Savior. Help us to always know when we should be telling someone about this wonderful thing that You did for us.

Jesus Is Taken From the Cross
When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: "This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!" All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home.

•Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus's followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

•Add 1c sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.

"God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. 17God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! John 3:16-17

*Beat with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks are formed (12 to15 minutes. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. "Isaiah 1:18

"There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. 52He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus." Luke 23:50-52

(explanation)Now, all that is left is to take Jesus' body down from the cross. All the gentleness, reverence and love that those who loved Jesus wanted to give Him through this terrible day is possible now.

(prayer)Jesus, with our prayers, we join in taking Your body down from the cross. We touch You; take the nails out, wash your wounds, take off the crown of thorns, with love and sorrow. We are sad, like the disciples and the women who were there, because this was a terrible thing to happen. Help us always to remember that this gift that You gave us was hard for You to do.

Jesus Is Laid In the Tomb

•Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Taking him down, (Joseph) wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used. It was the day before Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin. Luke 23:53-54

•Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

(explanation)Even in this time of sorrow, there is help. Joseph of Arimathea arranges for Jesus to be buried in a nearby tomb. His body is wrapped in clothes and sealed away. Everyone walk away, weeping.

(prayer)Jesus, we have all had to say goodbye to someone, whether for a long or short time. Saying goodbye makes us sad. Thank You that You can always be with us, because of dying on the cross for our sins.

"After sundown, the high priests and Pharisees arranged a meeting with Pilate. They said, "Sir, we just remembered that that liar announced while he was still alive, "After three days I will be raised.' We've got to get that tomb sealed until the third day. There's a good chance his disciples will come and steal the corpse and then go around saying, "He's risen from the dead.' Then we'll be worse off than before, the final deceit surpassing the first." Pilate told them, "You will have a guard. Go ahead and secure it the best you can." So they went out and secured the tomb, sealing the stone and posting guards. Matthew 27:62-66

•Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.

GO TO BED!

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven
overnight.

Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the
cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!

Explain that on the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find
the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9

I've fallen and I can't get up

OK...this is just extra posting. My reeeeaaaaaalll post for today is below this. But my picture and profile have
d
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to the bottom of my blog...
what happened?
If you have a thought, let me know. Thanks!

Final Thoughts on Passover

While I will be working on some Passover stuff (I mean 'preparations'...I got kind of a little bit of a comment from a friend who is very serious about anything affiliated with Passover and was somewhat taken aback when I called it the Passover thingie) tomorrow, Thursday is going to be very busy, because my son's class is re-enacting the Oklahoma Land Run that day and I am going to be performing with Greg at that event (thingie:-)).

So today is probably my last thought to you on Passover. This is our menu for the dinner...

*Potato Pancakes (I am still deciding what recipe to use for this...I think it will depend on my time...these are the appetizer)

*Matzo Ball Soup (this is new for us and comes from a box--eeeek! But I thought we should try it....probably not a very good effort...I'll let you know)

*Lamb (I have been told that Orthodox Jewish people would not do this, but it's part of the story, so we are...)
Lamb recipe that I am using

*Zucchini (Cut in half, salted to leech out the water, brushed with butter and Parmesan cheese and baked in the oven at 375 for about 45 minutes or until it looks brown on top)

*Peas (frozen peas cooked in the microwave with a blob of butter mixed in...I know...really fancy:-). But if I fancy them up too much, my kids won't eat them)

*Potato Casserole
Potato recipe that I am using


*Flourless Chocolate Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake recipe that I am using

Then there are the food that are eaten during the Seder.

Karpas (parsley and salt water)

Matzah (which I made last year, but I have some friends who told me I did it wrong...I didn't use yeast, so don't worry about that..:-)Here is a recipe link, but they have a disclaimer as well.
Matzah recipe link
So this year I just bought some. It says not to use on Passover, either...we are.

Maror-this is horseradish. I just buy a jar at the store.

Charoset-When I made it last year, I just chopped up some apples, pecans, grapes and added some sugar. Here is a recipe that is probably more authentic.
Charoset recipe


By the way, Charoset sounds like it would look and taste not-that-good, but it's pretty good, especially after the horseradish.:-)

And the grape juice.

Tomorrow, I hope to put our Good Friday night activities out here, so look for that (if you want to...)

Happy cooking!

The Haggadah (Krempl Version)

This is really long. Sorry about that. But I kind of looked for a Haggadah to link you with and I just loved the one we put together (from many sources) that I wanted you to have it. Feel free to change the names and use it...or parts of it. This is not an official Haggadah by any means.

Greg was the leader
Mike was the 2nd leader
Sherri and Angela were the women.
2 children and a youth also had parts.

We had a Haggadah book for each person at the table.

We used the Arch book The Princess and the Baby for the story of Moses. Our oldest girl just recited it (having heard it so many times...), and also did the 4 questions...

I was so taken by those gods and goddesses (as I said in a previous post). This segment and the similarities between the Passover Lamb and Jesus were really focal to me.

After the presentation of the gods and goddesses, we had pictures that we had colored of all of them. We took them outside and burned them. Not kosher, but an interesting effect.

For the "wine" we used those sparkling grape juice bottles.

Scriptures taken from The Message.
*******************

GREG: Welcome. We are gathered this evening to observe and remember Passover, God's deliverance of His people. God delivered Israel from the bondage of slavery and He commanded us to observe this holiday. We are not to celebrate in vain, but to give thanks to Him and to recognize an even greater Passover and deliverance. Through the death of the foretold Messiah-Jesus, we too will be passed over from death and released from the bondage of sin.

MIKE: "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." (Exodus 12:17)

Child 1: “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."” (Luke 22:19)

GREG: Light is a symbol of God's presence. Lighting candles reminds us that God is our light.
It is written in Genesis that the offspring of a woman would crush the serpent's head. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15)
It is through a woman that our salvation would come, our hope, our light. It is by the seed of a woman that Jesus was born. Let the women kindle the festival lights.

WOMEN: Blessed are You, oh Lord our God, King of the universe, Who sanctifies us by Your commandments and has ordained that we kindle the Passover lights. Bring light into our hearts and minds as we honor and remember Your Son, the Light of the world, Jesus.

GREG: The Seder plate has many items that we will use to experience the Passover using our senses. We will now begin reading the Hagga’dah, which means "the telling". We are called to celebrate Passover -- Jews and Gentiles. For Jesus said:

MIKE: "Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures--either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. 18God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.
19"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom.” (Matthew 5:17-19).

Child 1: “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of My mighty Hand he will let them go; because of My mighty Hand he will drive them out of his country."” (Exodus 6:1)

ALL: "I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians." (Exodus 6:6-7)

GREG: During the Passover Seder there will be four glasses of wine:
The Cup of Sanctification
The Cup of Judgment
The Cup of Redemption and
The Cup of the Kingdom.
We will say the traditional Jewish prayer before drinking each cup.

SHERRI: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26-29)

GREG: (fill the cups) Sanctification is the first step to our salvation. God is holy and we can not enter His presence with sin. He established the sacrificial system to cleanse His of their sin. Let us lift our cups, the Cup of Sanctification, and bless the Lord for His abundant giving.

ALL: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
(Everyone drink the first cup)
************************************************************************



Youth: (Psalm 24:1-6)
[1] The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
[2] for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
[3] Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
[4] He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
[5] He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
[6] Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

GREG: Let us wash our hands. As we wash, let us renew our commitment to God to have "clean hands and a clean heart".

ALL: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Your commandments, and has commanded us to wash our hands.
(Dip hands into water and then dry.)
*************************************************************

MIKE: “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” (Exodus 2:23b-25)

GREG: We will take the parsley (or celery), called kar-pas and we will dip it into the salt water. We do this to symbolize the tears and pain of the Israelites. After the following prayer, take the vegetable and dip it into the salt water and remember that even though we have painful circumstances in our lives, we will always have the hope of God to free us from our tribulations.

ALL Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.
(Dip the parsley in the salt water twice, then eat it.)
************************************************************************

SHERRI: “Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:6b-8)

Youth: “So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing.” (Exodus 12:34)

GREG: (Lifting the plate of three matzah) We traditionally put three Matzahs on our Seder plate. There are many explanations for why we use three. One is that it represents Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or perhaps because He is referred to as God our Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. (Removing and breaking the middle matzah) We now break the middle piece, the bread of affliction. We will eat one half and the other half is called the a-fi-ko-men, [ah-fee-KOH-men] the dessert. (Wrap the afikomen in a cloth.) I will hide the afikomen and later the children can try to find it to return it for a reward.
(Hide the wrapped afikomen.)

ALL: In haste we went out of Egypt.

Youth: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

MIKE: “In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?" tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders--great and terrible--upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."” (Deuteronomy 6:20-25)

Child 1: “And when your children ask you, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" then tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians."” (Exodus 12:26-27)

Child 2: (Rising to ask the four questions)
How different this night is from all other nights!
• On all other nights we eat regular bread. On this night why do we eat flat bread?
• On all other nights we eat only good tasting foods. On this night why do we eat bitter herbs?
• On all other nights we do not dip our vegetables even once. On this night why do we dip them twice?
(This refers to dipping the parsley twice in salt water before eating it.)
• On all other nights we eat our meals sitting. On this night why do we eat only reclining or sitting however we want?

GREG: Tonight is different from all other nights because tonight we will remember what God has done for His people.

ALL: Blessed is the Almighty God who has given His Word to His people.

GREG: We will now tell the story of Passover.
The Israelites were already in the land of Egypt. They had lots of children…so many that the land was filled with them. A new Pharaoh became ruler over Egypt. . . .and made the Israelites into slaves But the meaner the Pharaoh was to the Israelites, the more they children they had. The king then ordered that all newborn baby boys be killed. The Pharaoh charged all his people, saying "every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."

Child 2: The wicked king of Egypt was as worried as could be. “Israelites” he fumed and fussed, “That’s all I ever see. They work our land, they breathe our air. Those Israelites are everywhere. If I’m not careful, some fine day, they’ll up and take my land away…I’ll make them suffer. Then they’ll leave and Egypt will be mine. Those Israelites will know this king is not without a spine.”
He made them carry stones and sticks and great big heavy loads of bricks. And worst of all, he planned to kill the baby boys of Israel! (and on it goes...you can also just tell the story of baby Moses if you want to)

Youth: Moses grew and had learned of his heritage. After witnessing an Egyptian beating an Israelite, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh to the land of Midian.

SHERRI: A long time had gone by and the king of Egypt died. The Israelites were groaning under bondage and cried out to God. God heard their cries. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush telling him to lead His people out of Egypt into a land "flowing with milk and honey." So Moses returned to Egypt and Moses.

Child 1: Moses and his brother Aaron went to the Pharaoh to ask for the release of their people. But the Pharaoh's heart was hardened against the Israelites and would not release them from the bondage of slavery. Each time the Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, the land of Egypt came under a great plague, but the Israelites were spared from the 4th plague on. With the tenth and most awful plague, the heart of Pharaoh would be pierced.

GREG: Let us fill our cups a second time, And now we bless our second cup of wine, the Cup of Judgment.

ALL: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

GREG: As we view the plagues, let us consider that some scholars believe that each plague represented a god or goddess in Egypt. As God brought these plagues, He was also showing that is God above all gods.
To show God’s judgment, we will name the plague, the god, and pour God’s wrath on each individually.

ALL: Blood!

Youth: The god Osiris – the god of the underworld had the Nile as his bloodstream. In turning the Nile to blood, God brings death from the very source of life.

ALL: Frogs!

Youth: The goddess Heket served as the divine midwife. She is portrayed as a woman with the head of a frog. A source of life and happiness brings misery to the people.

ALL: Lice!

Youth: This plague targets Geb, god of the earth and health, by bringing insects rising from the earth to torment the people.

ALL: Flies!

Youth: These could be gadflies, which suck the blood, or scarab beetles, which gnaw clothes, furniture, plants, man and beasts. Beelzebub, the prince of the power of the air was glorified as the god of flies.

ALL: Disease to Livestock!

Youth: This plague was targeted at the sacred Apis bull. It is thought to show, with the previous 3 plagues (frogs, lice, flies) the absurdity of worshipping living things when God can control them with ease.

ALL: Boils!

Youth: This plague showed the goddess, Sekhmet, (who had the power to create and end epidemics) powerless, as the plague raged on, affecting even her priests, called the Sunu, with boils.

ALL: Hail!

Youth: God showed Himself to be more powerful than the goddess, Nut, who had the power to bring blessings and sun to the crops of Egypt.

ALL: Locusts!

Youth: God had now brought almost complete devastation on Egypt. The land was buried beneath a putrid mass of decaying fish and frogs, the livestock have been felled with disease, the crops destroyed by hail, disease and infection have ravaged with people and now Egypt is faced with an onslaught of locusts. “Nothing green remained on a tree or a plant in Egypt.” Exodus 10:15

ALL: Darkness!

Youth: The sun god, Ra, was considered to be the greatest of the Egyptian gods. He brought light and warmth to the land, regulated days and seasons. His faithfulness was never ending until this time.

ALL: Death of the firstborn!

Youth: This plague was brought against Pharaoh himself, who was considered to be a god by the Egyptians.

ALL: "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.” (Exodus 12:12)

Child 1: “And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a sign for you: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:13)

SHERRI: This day shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time.
You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time.” (Exodus 12:14,17)

GREG: PASSOVER: It is God that we honor in remembering that He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians. (Lifting the shank bone of a lamb) The shank bone reminds us of the lamb whose blood marked the doors of the Israelites. We read in Exodus that the lamb was to be without defect, brought into the household and cared for. It was then at twilight, the fourteenth day of the month, that the Israelites were to slaughter the lamb and put the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes. God gave His people instructions that only through obedience would they be spared from death.

MIKE: The Israelites were saved by God and not an angel or seraph or any other messenger. For it is written: "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord!" (Exodus 12:12)

GREG: I shall pass through the land of Egypt

ALL: "I" -- not "an angel"

GREG: I shall strike down every first-born.

ALL: "I" -- not "a seraph"

GREG: I shall destroy all the Egyptian gods.

ALL: "I" -- not "a messenger"
I am the Lord, I am the One God, and there is none besides Me.
(Set aflame outside)
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ALL: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us to wash our hands.
(wash hands)

GREG: MATZAH (Lifting the half of the middle matzah): Why do we eat this unleavened bread? The dough did not have time to rise before God revealed Himself and redeemed them.

MIKE: As it is written: “With the dough they had brought from Egypt, they baked cakes of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.” (Exodus 12:39)

GREG: We will now bless the matzah as a food.

ALL: (Leader holding all the matzah on the seder plate) Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
(This is the bread blessing Jesus pronounced at the Last Supper.)

GREG: (Leader holding the top and middle-half pieces of matzah) The matzah of Passover is not just food, but a fulfillment of a commandment -- let us bless the matzah.

ALL: “They are to celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.” (Numbers 9:11) Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us concerning the eating of the matzah.
(Do not eat the Matzah at this time.)

GREG: MAROR (Lifting the Bitter Herb): Why do we eat bitter herb which we call Maror? We eat bitter herbs because of the hardship that the Israelites had to bear.

SHERRI: As it is written: “They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.” (Exodus 1:14)

ALL: “They are to celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.” (Numbers 9:11) Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and has commanded us concerning the eating of the Maror.
(Everyone eat the top and bottom Matzah with Maror.)
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GREG: Let us now eat and remember the grace, mercy and love that God has for each of us, for He sent Jesus, our Messiah, to be our Passover Lamb. We too, like the Israelites released from the bondage of slavery, are saved from the bondage of sin.
(Eat the broken half-Matzah with Maror and Charoset.)

GREG: How great is God's goodness to us!
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• Leader says a prayer.
• Break to eat the Passover Supper.
• Everyone returns to finish reading the Haggadah.
• The afikomen must be found (by the children) and returned to the Leader for a reward. The reward is a symbol of the fact that Jesus purchased our Redemption at the price of His own life.
• Save room for the dessert -- the afikomen.
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GREG: (Lifting the afikomen) We will now eat the afikomen, the dessert. The taste of the afikomen should linger in our mouths. It is about the afikomen that Jesus said "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) The Passover can not be completed without the afikomen, nor can our redemption be complete without Jesus, the Bread of Life, our Messiah!

ALL: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
(All eat the Afikoman)

GREG: Many ask, "How does the Messiah, Jesus, fit into the Passover Story?" God gave us many signs and prophecies about our coming Messiah. Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies foretold of the first coming of the Messiah, in the Torah, the prophets and the writings. Just as the lamb's blood protected the Israelites from death, Jesus’ blood will protect us from death.
Passover is the first of feasts and Nisan, the beginning of months.

ANGELA: Receiving Jesus is the beginning of the New Covenant in our lives. Repenting of our sins and allowing His blood to protect us is the first step of our walk with God.

MIKE: The lamb was set aside from Nisan 10 to 14.

SHERRI: Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple and was on display from Nisan 10 to 14.

GREG: The lamb was to be without blemish.

ANGELA: Jesus was examined by many in the crucifixion week, including the chief priests, Pilate, Herod, Annais, and Caiaphas. He was shown to be without spot or blemish.

MIKE: The lamb was the firstborn.

Youth: Jesus was the firstborn of Mary and is said to be God’s Son, and the firstborn.

Child 1: The lamb is male,

ANGELA: as Jesus is male.

MIKE: The lamb was to be killed between evenings (3pm…the ninth hour.)

SHERRI: Jesus died at the ninth hour.

GREG: The whole assembly shall kill it.

ANGELA: All the congregation clamored for the crucifixion of Jesus.

MIKE: The Passover lamb was to be killed outside the city gates.

Youth: Jesus was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem.

Child 1: The blood must be applied to the door.

ANGELA: “Those who believe in the Messiah are of the House of God. The only way into the House of God is through the shed blood of Jesus, who is the Door (John 10:7-9)

GREG: The body of the lamb must be eaten that same night with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.

ANGELA: When we partake of Jesus, we must repent of the bitterness of our sin (bitter herbs). We are instructed to live a holy life from this point on (unleavened)

MIKE: The lamb must be eaten in haste.

SHERRI: We must be willing to leave the influences of the world (Egypt) and run toward the life that is in the Messiah.
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GREG: (Pour the third cup. Make an extra cup for Elijah.) (Lifting the extra cup for Elijah) The theme of the Haggadah before the meal was the redemption of the Israelites from Egypt. In keeping with tradition, we now move to the Messianic redemption. We open the door, indicating our readiness to receive the Prophet Elijah, herald of the Messiah. We must also now open our hearts to the truth.
(Have a child open the door.)

ALL: "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes." (Malachi 4:5)

GREG: Elijah was taken up by a great whirlwind in a chariot of fire. The Jewish people wait for him to announce the second coming of our Messiah, Son of David.

MIKE: “Before the birth of John the Baptizer, an angel of the Lord said, "And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."” (Luke 1:17)

SHERRI: “Later, Jesus spoke of John, "And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come."” (Matthew 11:14)

Child 1: “It was this same John who saw Jesus and declared, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"” (John 1:29)

ALL: How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. (Psalm 116:12-13)

GREG: (Lifting the cup) This is the Cup of Redemption, symbolizing the blood of the Passover Lamb. It was the cup "after supper", which Jesus identified himself -- "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (Luke 22:20)

ALL: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.
(drink the third cup)

GREG: (Pour the fourth cup.)

Child 1: Jesus said, “I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom.” Matthew 26:29

GREG: (Text is from Psalm 136) Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.

ALL: His love endures forever.

GREG: Give thanks to the God of gods.
ALL: His love endures forever.

Youth: “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:30)

GREG: The fourth cup was never drunk. Not by Jesus, and perhaps not the disciples. From the upper room, Jesus went outside of the city where He spent time in prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane.
The fourth cup, the Cup of the Kingdom, reminds us that Jesus did not drink the cup of the Kingdom at Passover or the wine offered to Him as He was dying. Let us not drink of the fourth cup. Let us wait to have this special cup with our Savior. After Christ’s return, we shall partake with Him—in His physical presence—in the Kingdom.

ALL: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.
************************************************************
MIKE: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:3)

ALL: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." (Revelation 4:8b)

GREG: We have now finished our Passover Seder.


May the Lord bless you and protect you.
May the Lord deal kindly and graciously with you.
May the Lord bestow His favor upon you
and grant you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

Spring Tea Plans

OK, so I am trying to stay true to my commitment NOT to blog on the weekend...so here is what we are doing tomorrow for the Spring Egg Hunt and Tea...

Early morning...Chocolate donuts and (for those who want it:-)) hot chocolate with "Peeps"...gotta carb load for the physical exertion to come.:-)

Late morning...

hunt for eggs in the backyard, which has all those pretty purple flowers, so the hiding should be easy. I always try to get Greg to hold off on that first mowing of the backyard, because I think those flowers look so "spring".

For the tea, we will have

colored bread (which is now thawing...got a little bit of a late start on that---eeeek!),
peanut butter and jelly
deli turkey
deli ham
spray cheese:-) with bagel chips
cheese slices in the cellophane wrappers
granny smith (green)applesauce in the individual containers
baby carrots
7Up Plus (the pink one)
Candy from the eggs

No scones, lemon curd, etc...also, no tea

Then, for dinner, I found some bunny shaped nuggets in the freezer section (what will they come up with next????. Fresh green beans that were steamed and refrigerated with Ranch dressing, tater tots, strawberries and (I am sure) more candy.

Monday...more talk about Passover. Have a great weekend!

The Invisible War

(but first a commentary about last night's episode of The Amazing Race:-))

Well...I didn't want it to happen. Dave and Lori were fun to watch, but it truly would have been amazing :-) if they had won the million dollars. So, a slight setback on getting rid of all the undesirables, but I am finished pouting about Dave and Lori....

On another note, I have been thinking about the next 10 days or so and how they are going to be really busy. All kinds of things that have nothing to do with each other, and all need attention. We are trying to finish up the Grafted In CD, so there is a push there. Next week there are some school events for our children that we will be attending.

And...we are going to do Passover again at our home on April 13th. If we had any Jewish friends here in town, they would probably be aghast at the way we do Passover. Maybe not...but there are parts of it that I find so interesting and we have tried to incorporate them into our Passover time. One of the most interesting to me is the part about the plagues...Even though the Bible states that the plagues were against the gods and goddesses of Egypt, that never really clicked in my tiny brain.

This is a link to a site that describes each plague and the god or goddess that was being insulted.

The Invisible War

Anyway, just wanted you to have it, in case it might make the season more meaningful to you. It's amazing to me how God plans everything so carefully...

You might even want to have a Passover celebration of your own this year. Probably more about our plans later.

2 Important Announcements (and some colored bread)

Well...important to me, anyway...:-)

1. Greg was appointed the Medical Director of the Otorhinolaryngology Department as of yesterday. So now, he is (drum roll please...)

Associate Professor
MD
FACS
Program Director
and
the Medical Director

I think that about covers it on that front. Just wanted everyone to know.:-):-)

2. Not nearly as important, but still noteworthy...the time for Amazing Race has been changed (this week, if not permanently) to Wednesday at 7:00 on CBS.
*********************************
Another thing we like to do for the Saturday Spring Egg Scavenger Hunt is have a little Spring Tea Party and have our sandwiches on colored bread. I am telling you this now, because if you decide to do it, it takes a little extra planning.

Spring Tea Party Bread

1. loaf Rhodes frozen bread
2. non stick spray
3. bread pan
4. food coloring (I usually use blue, red and yellow)

Thaw the bread according to the directions.

Split the thawed bread into three sections.

Add one color to each piece of dough and knead until the color has been somewhat incorporated. Sometimes I really work on it and sometimes just a little)

You can twist the sections together or just put all three separate pieces in the greased breadpan.

Let the bread rise, and then bake according to the package directions.

I will probably make this on Friday, but I bought the stuff for it today...Happy Baking!

Cascarones

At the Krempl household, we try to keep the Easter Egg thing and the Resurrection as separate events. We usually do the Egg Hunt (or as my son called it this week, the Egg Scavenger Hunt)on the Saturday before Palm Sunday.

One of the things that we did in San Antonio when we lived there was to break cascarones. Cascarones are colored eggs with confetti inside. Usually you hold it above another person's head and break it, and the confetti falls on their head and shoulders. And then someone has to clean up that mess (the mom).

We have our own version that we did last year and I think it goes along nicely with the whole Spring season. AND you can just break them over some dirt in your yard for future spring display of color.:-) Here's how we did it.

You will need

12 eggs
a box with Easter Egg dyes (the cheap ones)
wildflower seeds
tissue paper (to match the egg colors or not) cut to about 1 1/2 inch squares (1 per egg)
school glue

I usually make scrambled eggs a couple of times and that gets me these empty eggs. I just try to break them closer to the top (the pointy end) so that there is about a dime sized hole. Carefully rinse out and let dry.

Dissolve the egg dyes according to the directions.

Place the eggs in the dye. The inside will fill up with dye, but that's OK. When they are the color you want, dump them out carefully and put on the egg dryer thingie that came with the egg dyes.

When the eggs are completely dry inside and out (maybe even the next day) take the funnel and put about 2 teaspoons of seed inside (or however much you want).

Put some glue on a plate or a piece of paper or something so you can dab it with your finger. Holding the egg carefully, smear some glue around the hole and gently put the tissue over the hole. Let dry.

That's it! They don't have to be perfect and they are fun. Plus you don't have to eat all those hard boiled eggs.

I store these until the time to use them in the egg carton. They are fragile!

We will put these out with the candy eggs this Saturday.

More to come!