The J Crew: April 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

Another round....

of 13.1.

I participated in another half marathon last week-end.

Enjoyed running with these beautiful ladies.

{Myself, Jodee, Jalainey and Journey}

Went well. Finished strong. Thankful.

The best part of the race?

Coming home to this....

{And money too!}

And the five loves of my life...

Nothing better than that.

Nothing.

*****

"Now bid me run and I will strive with things impossible”

{Shakespeare's Julius Caesar}

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Easter

We held Easter on the homestead this year.

Here are a few {not really a 'few'} pictures of our day.

The crew. In their Sunday best.

All smiles Sam.

Sunny Shep

Shoe-less Sol.

Nifty Nora

Reading about the Resurrection.

{Deeply and unspeakably thankful for an empty tomb}

The ladies.

{And mom in her slippers}

{Wardrobe change}.

Easter Egg Hunt.

Ready for the hunt.

Nora, telling everyone her game plan.

Shep and dad, ready for the hunt.

A good start.

Big bro, helping little sis.

Solly, doing good.

Little lady having a good time.

Searching the hillsides, far and wide.

{And braving the native animals}

Dad and Sam.

Shep, and his bounty.

Sol, all smiles.

The crew, enjoying the fruits of their labor.

A good day to celebrate.

*******

A very different Easter for the people of this church.

******

"Christ the Lord is risen to-day," Sons of men and angels say.

Raise your joys and triumphs high; Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply."

-Charles Wesley-

Saturday, April 14, 2012

A few extra...

shoes on the homestead this week-end as we host a few extra boys...

Extra workforce.....extra mud....extra fun....

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Why didn't the groundhog see his shadow?

Because we had him....

Incarcerated.

Last week we found the critter that was getting into the corn.

Puxatony Phil was the culprit.

And we had to investigate.

The crew, deliberating what to do with Phil.

Phil, awaiting the verdict.

We decided to let Phil off on probation with time off for good behavior with the promise that he wouldn't get into the corn again and that he would clean up his act.

He agreed.

He was then released on his own recognizance into his natural habitat.

I think we just might have saved Ground Hog's day.

Sure of it.

And that makes this girl happy.

That's pretty much worth it.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter...

from the crew..

*****

"Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling"

-Augustus M. Toplady-

Friday, April 6, 2012

Good Friday.

“At, three o’clock Jesus cried out…”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

{Mark 15:34}

"What kind of path was it that led him to this point, to the horror of this moment? That was Jesus. That was God’s path to us, to the dark place to which we all belong, because we have abandoned God and abandon him again and again. Sent by his Father, Jesus went and came to us and thus to this place of God’s wrath and seclusion. Why is that? Simply and clearly, in order to take the place of each one of us, to be the object of God’s wrath and be abandoned by god- so that, except for him, no one has to be in that position! He entered the godforsaken state that was our due, in order to take it upon himself, to bear it, and to take it away with the divine power given to him. He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” in order that we might no longer have to ask that question. Certainly, no life lacks moments, hours, days, weeks, perhaps years, in which we don’t believe we can ward off the idea that we would like to be abandoned by God- we have so often abandoned God. One and all, we are mistaken, however, if we feel and think that way. In light of Good Friday, the state of being godforsaken can only be a shadow, only a pale memory, only a bad dream. It could well be true, but it is not true- not for you and not for me or for anyone- that God has forsaken us.”

(Insights: Karl Barth’s Reflections on the Life of Faith, 29)