He lives!

It Blows Me Away

Luke 23:44-46
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Luke 24:36-39
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

Thunder crashed in the distance, dark skies repelled daylight, and rain pelted over the ground. Good Friday morning, I found myself thinking about the day Jesus died. As I drove in the downpour I wondered why God loved me so much. I'm not perfect like his son. I'm not even good all the time. Yet God sent his son as a sacrifice for my imperfections, my sin. Because he loves me.

That blows me away. Sometimes I can't even comprehend the difference Jesus made in my life. He lived as a human, died at the hands of sinners, and came back to life because he wants to pour his grace over anyone who chooses to believe. As Easter nears, I praise God for the resurrection of Jesus.

April is National Poetry Month

Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets. I read many of his poems growing up and had to memorize this one in high school. 

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening 
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know. 
His house is in the village though; 
He will not see me stopping here 
To watch his woods fill up with snow. 

My little horse must think it queer 
To stop without a farmhouse near 
Between the woods and frozen lake 
The darkest evening of the year. 

He gives his harness bells a shake 
To ask if there is some mistake. 
The only other sound’s the sweep 
Of easy wind and downy flake. 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. 
But I have promises to keep, 
And miles to go before I sleep, 
And miles to go before I sleep.

He Has Risen

Penny Frost McGinnis

Buried Secrets: A Novel (Men of Valor) by Irene Hannon

Book Description:

After seven years as a Chicago homicide detective, Lisa Grant has hit a wall. Ready for a kinder, gentler life, she takes a job as a small-town police chief. But the discovery of a human skeleton by a construction crew at the edge of town taxes the resources of her department. A call for assistance brings detective Mac McGregor, an ex-Navy SEAL, to her doorstep. As they work to solve the mystery behind the unmarked grave, danger begins to shadow them. Someone doesn't want this dead person telling any tales--and will stop at nothing to make certain a life-shattering secret stays buried.

My Review:

Buried Secrets, the first book in the Men of Valor series, has a strong main character in Chief of Police Lisa Grant. I enjoyed her relationship with Detective Mac McGregor as much as the case the two join together to solve. Irene Hannon writes a seamless suspenseful story that kept me up reading way too late. The evilness of the perpetrator bleed through the pages. If you enjoy suspense and intelligent mysteries, you'll like Buried Secrets.

Disclosure:

I received a free copy of Buried Secrets from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my honest review.

A Gem in the Woods

I found this beauty on my walk today. The star shaped white trout-lily popped up through the remnants of autumn. Take a peek at the mottled leaves.

Cement and Grace

1 Corinthians 3:10-11
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

Down the street from our condominium, construction workers have been digging in the dirt. They’ve scooped, smoothed, and moved the sod and soil with shovels and backhoes. A cement truck roared into action this week as the workers laid block. Like the home we live in, the new structure will have a solid base to stand on. I’ve seen houses that don’t have a firm foundation. They’re unsettled, crumble and fall.

Penny Frost McGinnis

Much like a house, life needs a firm foundation. I could’ve built my life on my love of books, my job, my family, money, or my fondness for nature. Instead I chose to stand on the foundation God gave in his Son, Jesus. He’s my rock. As long as I stand on him, I stand firm. I love Jesus and praise him for his sacrifice. Like the cement truck that pours concrete for the house to stand, God pours his grace under me. Praise God for his Son!

Is your foundation solid?