Luke 24:8

The question was posed tonight: "Why was it the women and not the apostles who first saw the resurrected Lord?"

Several answers --all of them true-- were proffered.   One person gave a theological answer.  One gave a practical answer about the women's loyalty to do what needed to be done (anointing the body).  Another gave a practical answer about the men's hiding in fear, so that meant the women would of course see Him first since they were the only ones out. 

But Pastor suggested an answer which I found hilarious in its sheer truthfulness. 

Luke tells us that the women "remembered His words."  Women do indeed have a tendency to remember what someone said, where he was standing when he said it, what tone of voice he said it in, and what else was going on when he said it.  Women remember details and love to talk talk talk, hash it all out, and talk about it some more.  Men say, "Huh?" 

Maggie

I met with the psychologist at the public school this week.  We've arranged for an evaluation for special-ed services.  There will be some assessments.  Then the government will put together an Individualized Educational Plan that we can accept, adjust, or reject.  We hope to keep homeschooling, but we do need to find out how we can get help for things that we will not be able to provide for Maggie after a certain age.  I told the psychologist that what seem to be insurmountable hurdles to us are health insurance and help with her finding a job.  She responded that those are easy for them; they do that all the time, and it will work out.  So that gives me some hope that we can continue to do what's best for our daughter, and still get past those hurdles.

When I mentioned Maggie's teacher-aiding in the kindergarten classroom at our congregation's school, the psychologist mentioned the high school's early childhood training program and asked if that would be work Maggie would be interested in.  Yes, she'd be interested.  Yes, she'd be good at it.  But because she's immune depressed, she gets sick easily, and she takes a long time to get over it.  The psychologist said that a daycare or a school is probably a very poor choice for work then.  Hmm.

Maggie's been sick for two weeks now. 

Last winter's illness really got to me.  I found it to be more worrisome than her open-heart surgeries.  (Maybe because it dragged on so much longer?)  And it makes me suspicious of what might be coming whenever she starts another cold.

A little cough during Holy Week turned into a bigger cough.  She didn't sing at Easter.  She's been lazing around, resting.  She improved enough that we went ahead and did the oral surgery, which went fabulously.  But in the last day or two, she's taken a turn for the worse again. 

And then I wonder why I'm fretting over history lessons and Ivanhoe and long division, when sometimes it seems the goal is just to be able to sit up, try to eat a little, and keep breathing.  I get used to life when we're acting fairly like "normal people."  But then something comes along to remind me that simple stuff is a little trickier, and I ought not be taking the "regular life" for granted.

God Is Faithful

The God of peace Himself will sanctify you wholly 
and keep your spirit, soul, and body sound and blameless 
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  
He who called you is faithful, and He will do it.

This verse from the rite of private confession (taken from 1 Thessalonians 5) always struck me that God would be true to His promise.  And He will!  But it's not just that.  It's also that He is the one who IS faithful, who believes rightly, who is blameless.  He is faithful to keep His word, but He is also the faithful man in every way.  His sanctity, His faithfulness, is given to us and becomes our own, so that we too are blameless.

Tea Party with Tigger

Chocolate Pudding

After oral surgery, a person needs soft foods.  Soft foods include pudding.  Chocolate pudding.  I don't often care to make chocolate pudding; it always seems to have a graininess to it.  But the kid who had her teeth ripped out of her head ordered up chocolate pudding instead of vanilla or banana. 

Instead of following the recipe (starting with the vanilla pudding recipe, and adding cocoa powder and increasing the sugar) I just threw in a 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips before I started cooking the pudding.  It was so good!  Oh my goodness.  I've never had better chocolate pudding in my life.

Not the Slave, But the Son

The Lord told Abraham, "[Eliezer] shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir"  (Genesis 15:4).

Sunday's [1-year] epistle was "This is He who came by water and blood -- Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood" (1 John 5), and a week ago John swore that blood and water came out when the soldier pierced Jesus' side (John 19).  The Church is created from the water and blood which come from Jesus' side. 

In Abraham, we see some truths about Jesus.  The one who came from Jesus' own body shall be His heir.

Zoe and the Recorder

Oh, the way her face lit up when she first heard the squeak she made!

Waiting for God's Promises

So Pastor's talking this morning about how long Sarah and Abraham waited for that baby.  Twenty-five years.  Along the way, they had options for God.  But those weren't what God had promised.  They had to wait.

Then Rebekah, their daughter-in-law, had to wait.  So Abraham didn't see his grandson until 85 years after God told him he would be the father of a great nation. 

And then Rachel didn't conceive very quickly either.

What I'd never noticed before was Leah's side of the family.  In the line of promise, Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar was waiting around for a good long time before she conceived too. 



The angel told Joseph to name the baby JESUS "for He shall save His people from their sins."