Easter

We had a wonderful Easter holiday this year. God blessed us with some greatly needed rain! We celebrated with Mark's family out at his sister's home on Saturday. The kids hunted for a million eggs (okay, so it wasn't one million...but close), jumped in the bounce house, colored eggs, and just joyfully ran wild with their cousins.


We attended church this morning and it was a spectacular service. Ian decided to join us for "big church" and he did great. Our church started two new traditions this year. The first was to bring bells from home to ring along with the music being played during worship. So we took two bells from my Grandma Bricker's collection that she'd saved for me and Anna to have. Sadly, Grandma passed away very recently so taking "her" bells to church to ring on Easter was very special way we could honor her life of joyful service and care for those she loved. Her heart was full of the Lord and we could certainly feel her presence today. Ian calls her our "angel in heaven".


The second tradition was called the flowering of the cross. Each person was to bring fresh cut flowers from home to place on the cross during the opening music. It was amazing seeing the entire sanctuary come down and place one or even an entire bouquet of flowers on this enormous cross. As the congregation sang "Revelation Song" they stood the cross upright and it was a gorgeous sight. Full of color and life! It made the lyrics 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty. Who was, and is, and is to come' seem that much more powerful.

What a blessed day. There is no greater freedom than to know that our heart is spoken for. The Lord is risen!