The Riches

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. " Matthew 6:33, NLT. OK I get Air 1 bible verse of the day and this was on there yesterday. I have read this verse over and over and heard preached over an over, but never got a revelation like I did this morning. I was passing a church bulletin board this morning and it actually had something serious on it-"Thank God for what you have-Trust God for what you need!" How many times as Christians do we forget to TRUST in God for EVERY NEED??? I know to trust in God, but this morning "I KNOW TO TRUST IN GOD FOR EVERY NEED." Talk about getting slapped upside the head. I felt like I was in a V-8 commercial. I got hit hard.

Ghost of Blogger's Past

OK, I have went to several people's blogs today and I have noticed that I am not the only one who has been slipping on the blogging lately. What does this mean? Are we truly too busy in this day and time, are we having trouble finding things to write about or are we just plain not doing it????? What's your thoughts?

Origins of Easter Eggs

I was very curious yesterday of "Why we associate eggs with Easter?" So I found this article this afternoon and here is why.
Eggs are traditionally connected with rebirth, rejuvenation and immortality. This is why they are often associated with Easter. On a more practical level? In the early Christian calendar eggs were forbidden during Lent. This made them bountiful and exciting forty days later. Easter eggs are sometimes decorated with bright colors to honor this celebration. Russian pysanki is one of the most elaborate forms. Conversely, the abstinence of eggs is associated with Lent.

"Eggs were colored, blessed, exchanged and eaten as part of the rites of spring long before Christian times. Even the earliest civilizations held springtime festivals to welcome the sun's rising from its long winter sleep. They thought of the sun's return from darkness as an annual miracle and regarded the egg as a natural wonder and a proof of the renewal of life. As Christianity spread, the egg was adopted as a symbol of Christ's Resurrection from the tomb. For centuries, eggs were among the foods forbidden by the church during Lent, so it was a special treat to have them again at Easter. In Slavic countries, baskets of food including eggs are traditionally taken to church to be blessed on Holy Saturday or before the Easter midnight Mass, then taken home for a part of Easter breakfast. People in central European countries have a long tradition of elaborately decorated Easter eggs. Polish, Slavic and Ukrainian people create amazingly intricate designs on the eggs. They draw lines with a wax pencil or stylus, dip the egg in color and repeat the process many times to make true works of art. Every dot and line in the pattern has a meaning. Yugoslavian Easter eggs bear the initials "XV" for "Christ is Risen," a traditional Easter greeting. The Russians, during the reign of the tsars, celebrated Easter much more elaborately than Christmas, with Easter breads and other special foods and quantities of decorated eggs given as gifts. The Russian royal family carried the custom to great lengths, giving exquisitely detailed jeweled eggs made by goldsmith Carl Faberge from the 1880's until 1917.

In Germany and other countries of central Europe, eggs that go into Easter foods are not broken, but emptied out. The empty shells are painted and decorated with bits of lace, cloth or ribbon, then hung with ribbons on an evergreen or small leafless tree. On the third Sunday before Easter, Moravian village girls used to carry a tree decorated with eggshells and flowers from house to house for good luck. The eggshell tree is one of several Easter Traditions carried to America by German settlers especially those who became known as Pennsylvania Dutch. They also brought the fable that the Easter bunny delivered colored eggs for good children. Easter is an especially happy time for children and many Easter customs are for their enjoyment. Hunting Easter eggs hidden around the house or yard is a universal custom and so are egg-rolling contests."
---Easter eggs, American Egg Board

"Because the use of eggs was forbidden during Lent, they were brought to the table on Easter Day, coloured red to symbolize the Easter joy. This custom is found not only in the Latin but also in the Oriental Churches. The symbolic meaning of a new creation of mankind by Jesus risen from the dead was probably an invention of later times. The custom may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring. Easter eggs, the children are told, come from Rome with the bells which on Thursday go to Rome and return Saturday morning. The sponsors in some countries give Easter eggs to their god-children. Coloured eggs are used by children at Easter in a sort of game which consists in testing the strength of the shells (Kraus, Real-Encyklop die, s. v. Ei). Both coloured and uncoloured eggs are used in some parts of the United States for this game, known as "egg-picking". Another practice is the "egg-rolling" by children on Easter Monday on the lawn of the White House in Washington."

I thought this was very interesting. I hope you do to.

Rebirth

I am so happy Spring is here. This is my favorite time of year. This is the time of year when we really can see God's beautiful creation at its finest. The rebirth of plants, trees, flowers, even animals. Only God could make such beauty. Imagine, if you can, could you have come up with the radiant rose on your own or the majestic oak tree, that blooms those gorgeous green leaves that change colors. I think not. It takes a mind that goes way beyond ours to come up with the beauty that we see around us. Oh yeah, I also like spring because its the best time for kayaking, hiking, and camping. So what's your favorite time of the year?

Drugged

OK now my brother sent me somehting I wanted to share.

Holy Humor

Tony sent me these this morning and I just had to post them.

A father was approached by his small son who told him proudly, 'I know what the Bible means!His father smiled and replied, 'What do you mean, you 'know' what the Bible means? The son replied, 'I do know!'Okay,' said his father. 'What does the Bible mean?' That's easy, Daddy...' the young boy replied excitedly,' It stands for 'Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.'
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There was a very gracious lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country. Is there anything breakable in here?' asked the postal clerk. 'Only the Ten Commandments..' answered the lady.
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'Somebody has said there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, 'Good morning, Lord,' and there are those who wake up in the morning and say , 'Good Lord, it's morning.'
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A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter. Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: 'I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses.'When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note 'I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.'\
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There is the story of a pastor who got up one Sunday and announced to his congregation: 'I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets.'
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While driving in Pennsylvania , a family caught up to an Amish carriage. The ow ner of the carriage obviously had a sense of humor, because attached to the back of the carriage was a hand printed sign... 'Energy efficient vehicle: Runs on oats and grass. Caution: Do not step in exhaust.'
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A Sunday School teacher began her lesson with a question, 'Boys and girls, what do we know about God?' A hand shot up in the air. 'He is an artist!' said the kindergarten boy.'Really? How do you know?' the teacher asked. the boy answered.'You know - Our Father, who does art in Heaven... '
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A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump. 'Reverend,' said the young man, 'I'm so sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip.'The minister chuckled, 'I know what you mean. It's the same in my business.'
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People want the front of the bus, the back of the church, and the center of attention.
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Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about.
The daughter answered, 'Don't be scared, you'll get your quilt.' Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning's Sunday school lesson was about He said 'Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming.'
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The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute The substitute wanted to know what to play. Here's a copy of the service,' he said impatiently. 'But, you'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances.'During the service, the minister paused and said, 'Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up. 'At that moment, the substitute organist played 'The Star Spangled Banner.'And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!
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Give me a sense of humor, Lord,

Give me the grace to see a joke,

To get some humor out of life,

And pass it on to other folk.