My cousin Ian

The past few weeks have been a blur. Two weeks ago today, my cousin Ian went to be with Jesus. He was driving in a neighborhood near his home in Virginia Beach, and his car hit a tree. It was a tragic accident that has left our family in shock. He was 19 years old and one of the coolest kids I know. So full of faith in Jesus. So full of love. When you were with Ian, you really did feel special. I am reminded of a day last summer when we got to connect here in Colorado. We grabbed breakfast and talked non-stop for 3-4 hours. So.much.fun. And then, last fall at Sarah and Justin's wedding, we chatted for hours. I'm going to miss you, Ian. 

Jody and I were able to fly back to Virginia for his memorial service, which was last Thursday. I am so grateful. We were able to collectively honor Ian. His service was so focused on God, and during the service one of the clearest and most balanced explanations of the Gospel and salvation was given. We were able to see family members we haven't seen in years. It was so worth the travel.

Throughout this whole time, a few truths have sustained me. For one, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. While we have lost Ian, we have confidence that he is with the Lord. There is no doubt that Ian loved and knew Jesus, and that now he is with Him in eternity. His diabetes truly is healed. This verse has been forefront in my mind and thoughts throughout:

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died." - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

And then, I have also been meditating on something my sister, Anna wrote. She said,

 "Yesterday, I lost my amazing cousin, Ian due to a horrific car crash. As we were in the hospital together praying through it all- friends, family, and pastors alike, I couldn't help but feel God's presence in the chaos and uncertainty. But now that I think about it, you actually died a long time ago. The moment you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior- you died to yourself and you would live forever and ever. We just didn't expect you to go so soon. Now you and Grandma Etta and Pop are partying it up with Jesus. Keep smiling that handsome smile! We all love you and miss you already."

It's so true. We are already dead. Dead to sin, but alive in Christ. Romans, chapter 6. I am so grateful that Jesus conquered death and the grave, and we can face eternity with confidence.

At Ian's memorial service we sang a great song by Hillsong, called 'I Will Rise'. Incredible. So worth listening to.

Ian, I'm going to miss you. But I know you're with Jesus. Have a blast. We'll see you soon! 

Resurrection Garden

It will be Easter in just a few weeks. It seems early this year, and I'm not sure if Spring has quite arrived in Colorado yet. We might have some 60º or 70º weather, but we just as well might have a snowstorm that dumps a foot of snow on the ground. So we'll see.

In the meantime, my heart is preparing for Jesus' death and resurrection in a real and tangible way. 

Jody and I saw a picture of one of these and were inspired to make one of our own. It was a late evening already - 8-9PM - but we decided to do it anyways. We scrounged for rocks in a parking lot. They had to be just right. We hunted for sticks in our yard with a flashlight. We made a late-night run to Walmart for the pot base, the mini pot and the grass seed. We already had dirt and the string to tie the cross beams together. It came together in a matter of minutes, really.

But it's started a work in my heart this year that is different from years past. Somehow, making a visual of Calvary - where Jesus paid the price for my sin - and the tomb - where He conquered death and the grave and oh, so much more! - has begun the process of making room for Him in my heart this Resurrection season. Watering the seeds daily and making sure they get lots of sunlight has brought his death and resurrection to the forefront of my heart and mind.

Jesus, come and set up residence in my heart and life today.

I'm making room for You.

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. 

No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. 

Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

John 15:4

Room Do-over

Three years ago, when we moved into our little duplex, we decided to paint it a bunch of fun colors. Blue-grey for our bedroom, bright blue for the bathroom, red for the kitchen, and an avocado green in the second bedroom. Well, what I thought was an avocado green anyways.

It ended up turning out like this.

The only problem was that - over time - it seemed to start glowing... literally, glowing. Hardly the kind of room you want to spend time in. And when you have so little space to begin with, it's a serious knock on useable space. It had become the catch-all room. The space you threw stuff in and then closed the door. I'm sure you all have some such spot. 

Over Christmas break, Jody and I decided to do something about it. We wanted to reclaim the room. We primed it. Painted. Stained. Spray-painted. Nailed. Melted. Cut. Potted. And here is what it looks like now!

We haven't fully decided if we're done yet. We'd like to get some window treatments at some point. And perhaps a plant stand... but at this point, we are just so thrilled to have an extra space that really does function as a study / quiet time room.  

This is where I spend my early mornings with the Lord. Perfect sunlight streaming in. Warm blanket for my lap. Excellent rocking chair. You should try it out.  

This is the side wall. It seems like it's uneven here, but we didn't see the point in clogging up the walls unnecessarily. Perhaps we'll add something to the right side later. 

My closet used to be wide open to the world. And then we saw these curtains at IKEA, and decided that they were more fun than a door. I love it! 

So thankful for the room...

All the beautiful plants... especially the succulents.
The bookshelves for all my Louis L'Amour  books.
The sweet book-ends that Jody made from old records.
The fun record pen/pencil holder.

We love it!

Desert Day Rest

In church world, there is always buzz about Mary vs. Martha. The discussion is based upon a passage in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 10:38-42), that describes a scene in the life of Jesus and the two sisters of his friend Lazarus. The two sisters were Mary and Martha, who hosted Jesus at their home. Here's the text from that passage.

Luke 10:38-42

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; ⁴² but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I often think about Mary and Martha, because 1) I am a woman, 2) I am in church ministry, 3) I am my mother's daughter and therefore have an attentiveness to detail, and 4) I am my mother's daughter and therefore love to sit at the Lord's feet, as well. 

Throughout the course of my week, I am constantly trying to balance the time I spend getting things done with time spent with the Lord. It can be exhausting always evaluating the levels of "margin" in my life, especially because there can be guilt and discouragement when I don't quite reserve time for the Lord like I know He deserves... Thankfully, I am blessed to work at a church that values rest, as well as knocking out what is on my task list, and the church leadership has proven so by allowing and even encouraging us to take one day a month to spend with the Lord. 

I love that. I love it, because it keeps me sane. I love it, because it helps me not to resent church ministry. It helps me pace myself in this marathon of life. It gives me the chance to hear myself. To hear God. To get outside and enjoy beautiful Colorado - a place I love so well. 

One of our favorite places to go is the Cherry Creek Open Space, which is a five minute drive from our house. It's in the middle of the Denver Metro area, but you would never know it when you're out there. You can't hear cars or anything. Just the wind in the trees. The sound of water from the lake. 

These pictures are from a Desert Day I took late last fall. I took my camera, hoping I would catch some of the late fall colors. I remember being surprised that there were still leaves on the trees (I think it was early November). Penny was at the vet all day, getting a medicine bath for the mange (poor girl!), so it was just Eu-mi and me in the great outdoors. I snapped a bunch of pictures, because it was just a perfect late fall day. 

When I see these pictures, I think of David's words in the Psalms.

19 

Psalm 19

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Works and the Word of God. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
² Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.

So thankful for Desert Days... they give me the chance to be a Mary. 

Wintertime Happiness

Jody and I have often bemoaned winters in Colorado. If you don't like to (or don't want to spend the money to) ski, then there is little you can do. So we have spent previous winters holed away in our place watching movies, reading books, and generally waiting for the temperatures to rise and the snow to melt so we can get up in the mountains and do our summertime backpacking and camping. But not this year!

This year we decided to embrace wintertime. We got snowshoes! Oh yes. And it is everything we hoped for. We actually bought them before we'd ever gone snowshoeing, but we figured that snowshoeing is basically hiking (which we know we love) with some extra help to navigate deep snow. And it's true. We love snowshoeing for the same reasons we love hiking. Once you have the basic gear, it's free. You can go anywhere, blazing your own trails through the trees, not just the ski slopes. And, my favorite feature is that you get to be alone. Away from people, cars, the noise of the city.

There's nothing better than being outside in the mountains... And... wait for it... Oh wait, you can't hear anything. It's what heaven is going to be like, I'm sure. 

The first time Jody and I went snowshoeing, we went with Uncle Pete. Uncle Pete is my dad's best friend. They met back in the 70s (or was it the 60s?), when Dad lived here in Colorado - even before Dad met my mom. Dad didn't get married until he was 30, so his 20s were spent living it up in Colorado back when it was really a cow town, undiscovered by the hordes. Dad and his buddies did everything here - hunting, fishing, skiing, camping... everything. And Uncle Pete was one of his buddies. Well, fast-forward to the present, and Dad and the rest of the family now live in Virginia, but Uncle Pete is still here in Colorado. And they talk, oh, almost every day. For me, it's been so fun to re-connect with Uncle Pete as an adult, now that Jo and I live here. We check in every few months, and it's always such a great time. So many great stories from when he and my dad were younger!

The day we went snowshoeing for the first time, it was 8 degrees out. Though the sun was shining, it was freezing, and the wind was blowing. If we hadn't packed winter layers, it would have been absolutely miserable. Thankfully, we had everything we needed to stay *mostly* warm, and I learned a valuable lesson. Playing in the snow is only fun if you're really prepared. Otherwise, it's wet and cold. (Yay for Eddie Bauer's First Ascent gear! Totally the best EVER!) 

Happy. Happy. Happy!