Easter Sunday - "He Is Risen!"

On the third day...

Matthew 28:1-20

Jesus Has Risen

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 

² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

He is Risen Indeed! For this, I will strive to live my life as Jesus has commanded. I will do my best to love others and to treat them as I would like to be treated. Afterall, it's the least that I can do to show my gratitude for what he did for me ... and for you.


 

Good Friday

If you are not aware of the meaning of Good Friday, then please read this exert from the Bible that will explain a little more about what Jesus did for you on this day. He's a pretty awesome guy!

Matthew 27:27-54

The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

 The Crucifixion of Jesus
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”


I know that was a lot to read, but it's tiny in comparison to the price that was paid. In 2004, I wrote a poem that described my view of Good Friday. I have not shared my poems with many people outside of my family so this is a big step out of my comfort zone. This poem has been used at my church, and I'm honored to say that it was published in a book in 2006.

UPON THAT HILL

One nail placed in your tired feet,

One nail in each coarse hand;

The thorns and dirt upon your brow,

Just so I might understand.

 

You looked out upon the rolling hills,

The enemy laughing at your feet;

You forgave the ones that tortured You,

So that my life would be complete.

 

Your eyes filled with adoring tears,

Your heart swelled with a humble pride;

Your body left there for all to see,

An amazing love with no place to hide.

 

So on that cross, upon that hill,

You breathed a slow sigh for me;

Your blood was shed, Your life was lost,

So that my life would be set free.

 

By: Kristy Morrison

 

 

Isaiah 53:5 - "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."

 

Grateful

As most of you know, Parker, our 13 month old, was diagnosed with pneumonia yesterday. This girl has had some big name illnesses since her arrival: heart murmur, really bad reflux, the flu, stomach bug, and now pneumonia. Those are enough to bring some adults to their knees and she's taken every one of them like a champ. She's a tough little fighter, but she didn't fight alone. She's backed by a pretty awesome God. A God who stands in our corner, fights our fights, and never lets us down. He gives us strength when we are weak, and he restores us to perfect health.

Often times we call on God when we are at our weakest, and when he heals us we might remember to say thank you. I'm here to give him a huge THANK YOU. I'll be honest, I don't always remember to thank Him, but I do my best. I pray everyday for His protection over our family, for the wisdom He gives us as parents, for guidance, and for health. No matter what we're going through, I feel that things could always be worse so we will praise Him even in the storms of life.

As I laid in bed last night, I took a moment to truly thank God for the perfect timing of Parker's doctors appointment and how her pneumonia was caught in the earliest of stages. She was already showing improvement last night after just one dose of antibiotics. What a blessing! As I prayed I got an image in my head of our five family members standing together and a gigantic God standing behind us with His arms open wide saying "Look how big I am. I got this." The image made my heart smile. It was a great reminder that we are always being looked out for.

The below picture is kind of like the image I saw. This is the Christ of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs, AR. Also known as "The Big Jesus" in our family.




Please know that no matter what you are going through that you are loved. If you don't know this amazing God that I speak of then I will be more than happy to share Him with you. Just ask.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

Computer Problems

 

The above picture perfectly describes our thoughts the past two years about our computer. No joke. It has been running so slowly that we were at the point of literally throwing it out the window. If they weren't so expensive, we would have bought another one by now. I've taken it to an unnamed computer repair place twice with no results. Both times I paid for a service that made no changes to my computer. Thanks for nothing. We give up.

 

UNTIL ... a guy I play soccer with posted on Facebook that he can fix almost any computer problem at a fraction of the price of the unnamed guys ... and you only have to pay if he actually fixes the problem. What?! I'll be honest, I was skeptical. I know my friend is a "computer genius" and I'm clearly a "tech tard," but was he really up for the challenge? This has been going on for two years. He accepted the challenge. You know what? He looked over our computer and had it running perfectly with one visit that took less than one hour. He's a genius! The below picture is how I look now while I'm working on our computer. I literally wrote this blog in 15 minutes as opposed to an hour of having to pause, restart, pause, restart, raise blood pressure, restart. You get the point.

 

So, if you live in the Tulsa/BA area and you need some computer repairs, please give our friend Keith a call. Message me on Facebook or email me (morrison25@cox.net) for his info. I support him 100%! Thanks for bringing back our sanity, Keith!

 



What Did You Call Me?

I've been called a lot of things over the years. Such as wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, great aunt (yup), niece, etc. I love those titles, but this past week I was called three things that I haven't been called in many years. I was called skinny, tiny frame, and strong. Who? Me?

I'll admit it, I didn't let those words sink in at the time. I brushed them off. I'm sure I made a face of disbelief and moved on to talk about something more comfortable. Why did those words make me uncomfortable? They shouldn't. I should have believed them. I should have said thank you ... and meant it. But I didn't, at least not at first. Those words made me uncomfortable because they made it sound like I've reached my health goals, but I haven't. I still have work to do and I will not stop until I reach the original goals that I set for myself. However, those words were HUGE compliments and a testament to the work that I've put in thus far. The women who called me these things may not even remember they said it, but I do. So, thank you! I will accept your compliment and I will store it away in my small victories file and I will rejoice!

Psalm 20:5 - "May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests."

Trash to Treasure

I realized as I was painting our dining room that I might hold a very valuable secret that can save you a lot of money. Did you realize that Lowe's (and I'm sure other local hardware stores) have returned cans of paint that they sale for $5??? You can buy an entire gallon of paint for only $5! Sure, you're technically buying someone else's rejects. But, if you look at it like I do, then you see it as "one man's trash is another man's treasure."

At Lowe's, these paint cans are usually found to the left of the paint counter and they are clearly labeled as $5 on the top of the can. They also sell smaller sizes for $2.50. We've bought quite a few of these cans over the years. Some work out and some don't. But in reality, a small sample can costs $3 so why not buy a whole gallon for $5 because you can always find another use for it or give it away. If you haven't bought paint in a while, a gallon costs around $35. Ouch!

In our new house, we've used a $5 can to paint our master bathroom, our kitchen/dining room, and we'll soon be painting our master bedroom with another one. That's $15 to completely change the look of three rooms in our house.

So, what are you waiting for?! Run over to Lowe's and check it out ... but don't buy anything that we might like. Kidding!

The New Me - Month Five

The 13th was the official day that I had been working out consistently for 5 months. My devotional that night was very fitting. It said, "If we throw away our hopes and dreams because the situation looks grim or change takes too long, we may miss what God is about to do. When we continue to trust, God works faithfully to accomplish good."

Working out, running, eating healthy ... those things take time. Change takes time. My measurements at the end of month five are exactly the same as they were at the end of month four. I'll be honest, I wanted to see a change, but maybe my measurements are what they are going to be from now on, and maybe they'll change again next month. Only time will tell. I do know that I won't allow myself to become discouraged when I don't see a change ... because, as I said before, change takes time. Galatians 6:7 - "...a man reaps what he sows." If I continue to do what I need to do, then in time, I am confident that I will see the changes that I want to see.

That being said, I would like to announce that my biceps are starting to show some progress. OK, they're not the big guns that I'm working for, but they're at least a nice pellet gun for now. Wait for them ... they'll be back (said in my best Arnold voice).

Workout Routine / Accountability: In month five, I committed to Boot Camp M, W, and F. I ran on T, Th, and Sat. I played soccer on Sunday.

Day 124: Ran two miles with Hatch. 14 burpee's (continuing the burpee challenge started last month)

Day 125: Boot camp. 15 burpee's

Day 126: Ran two miles. 16 burpee's

Day 127: 17 Burpee's

Day 128: Boot camp. 18 burpee's

Day 129: Ran 3.56 miles with Dawn and Hatch. 19 burpee's

Day 130: Boot camp. 20 burpee's

Day 131: Sick with fever

Day 132: Sick. Missed boot camp

Day 133: Sick

Day 134: Still sick, but played 2 soccer games. I also had to catch up on some burpee's so I did 21, then 22, then 23, then 24. Whew!

Day 135: Sick. Missed boot camp

Day 136: Sick. Catching up on burpee's again so I did 25 and then 26

Day 137: Boot camp. 27 burpee's

Day 138: 28 burpee's - The burpee challenge is over! Still trying to get well so I'm not running yet

Day 139 (March 1st): Our challenge for March is push ups. We will do push ups every day of the month so the 1st is 1, the 2nd is 2, and so on. Boot camp. Still sick. 1 push up

Day 140: 2 Push ups

Day 141: Soccer. 3 push ups

Day 142: Boot camp. 4 push ups. Walked 3/4 mile after work with the family and our two dogs. I started full time work today for the next 4 months. I will continue to do boot camp 3 days a week, but I've cut down my running from 3 days to 2 days. I don't want to overdo it, and I'm also not willing to take time away from my family to run so I'm no longer going to run on Saturday mornings with my boot camp girls.

Day 143: Finally running again! Ran 2.62 miles with Dawn and Hatch. 5 push ups

Day 144: Boot camp. 6 push ups. 60 crunches

Day 145: 7 push ups. 50 crunches

Day 146: Boot camp. I ran my fastest mile at boot camp with a time of 8 mins 31 secs!
8 push ups. I decided that I cannot do push ups any longer. Push ups made my left shoulder sore in January and the push up challenge this month has brought back the same pain. Last time it took two weeks of rest to be pain free so I'm back to resting it.

Day 147: Instead of push ups, I'm switching to leg throw downs. 9 leg throw downs

Day 148: Soccer. 10 leg throw downs

Day 149: Boot camp. 11 leg throw downs

Day 150: Ran 2 miles with Hatch. 12 leg throw downs

Day 151: Boot camp. 13 leg throw downs. Five months down!


Five Month Results:

• Like I said before, my measurements stayed the same as last month. No loss, but no gain either!
• I lost 2 pounds this month!
• Since I was sick, I missed two days of boot camp and I didn't run for two weeks straight. I only ran one day on the third week. Sometimes rest is the best medicine.
• In month six I've committed to a slightly different schedule. I will attend Boot camp on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I will run on Tuesday and Thursday. I will keep playing soccer on Sunday.
• This next month I will be preparing for my first marathon relay. I will run this in Fayetteville, AR, with my husband, brother, sister in law, two best friends, and both of my girls preschool teachers (we will be entered as two teams). My leg of the race is 5.75 miles. I'm so excited!
• One of my running partners suggested that I total up the miles that I've run over the last 5 months. I was amazed to find out that I've run a total of 49 miles. Wow! And that's coming from someone who used to hate running. Change is good!

Like I said before, I've given myself 6 months as long as it takes to get back in the shape that I want to be in so I'll update you again at the end of month six.

 

Parenting 101: Lost & Found

As most of you know, I'm a mom of three beautiful girls ages 4 1/2, 3, and 1. These girls have kept me on my toes since the day they were born. I would not trade them for all of the money in the world ... maybe a little rest ... I'm kidding. These girls have changed the way that I view others, the way that I view the world around me, and my outlook on life in general. They have molded me into a better person, someone that I could have never become without them in my life.

Over the last 4 1/2 years, I realized that a part of me has been lost. I also realized that a part of me has been found. These lost and found chapters of my life make me the person that I am today.

Here is a (very incomplete) list of things that I have LOST after becoming a parent:

1. My sanity
2. My patience
3. Plenty of sleep
4. A clean house
5. An organized house
6. A crumb free floor
7. The freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want
8. Eating at a leisurely speed
9. Enjoying a meaningful conversation with my husband before the kids go to bed
10. Quiet
11. Watching what I want to watch on TV
12. Alone time with my husband
13. Drying my hair before it air dries because I'm too busy getting little ones ready for the day
14. Doing just about anything outside of the house after 8pm
15. Listening to my music when the girls are in the car
16. Getting anywhere on time
17. A clean floorboard in my car
18. Clean windows
19. Focus
20. Going to the bathroom alone
21. Relaxing on the couch
22. Being spontaneous

Here is a (very incomplete) parallel list of things that I have FOUND after becoming a parent:

1. Better judgement on what really matters in life
2. A new, deeper kind of patience
3. Middle of the night meetings with some special ladies
4. A messy house filled with toys that are lovingly played with and books that are eagerly read
5. A house with a messy kind of organization ... I can find a lost shoe in no time flat
6. Crumbs remind me that my family is fed
7. I truly enjoy doing whatever my kids enjoy doing
8. I will only shovel down my meal while hand feeding my last baby for a short time longer then it will be over
9. It's OK to keep your kids from interrupting a conversation between you and your spouse
10. A quiet house makes me suspicious
11. I enjoy watching Disney shows/movies, and sharing my old favorites with my kids
12. Watching my husband interact and love on his daughters makes me love him more
13. I will live if my hair is not properly dried
14. Nothing happens outside of my house after 8pm that's more important than tucking my kids safely in bed
15. Listening to my kids sing bible story songs is music to my ears ... even if they sing the wrong words
16. The fact that the five of us make it out of the house without forgetting something is a miracle. We will still arrive, whether it's on time or not
17. Toys on the floorboard of the car are a great distraction while traveling
18. Tongue licks and kisses on the windows can be easily wiped off
19. I can multitask like no other
20. If the kids are in the bathroom with me then I at least know that they're not getting into trouble
21. Playing tag leads to lots of giggles
22. Planning events around my kids naps is best for them and me
23. Sloppy wet kisses are awesome
24. It takes endless energy to keep up with my kids
25. Love that passes all understanding
26. Three new best friends for life
27. I'm blessed beyond measure
28. I am becoming my mom ... and that's a good thing

Yup, parenting is absolutely worth every moment of insanity, impatience, and overwhelming love.

Psalm 37:26 - "...their children will be a blessing"