For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
I send greetings to all those celebrating Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through His sacrifice and triumph over death, Christ lifted the sights of humanity forever. In His teachings, the poor have heard hope, the proud have been challenged, and the weak and dying have found assurance. Today, the words of Jesus continue to comfort and strengthen Christians around the world.
During this holy season, we thank God for His blessings and ask for His wisdom and guidance. May the joy of Easter fill our hearts with gratitude for our freedom, love for our neighbors, and hope for peace.
I wish you a Happy Easter.
My Easter Message
Hey!
It’s Good Friday. If I may ask, what is good about the Friday? A Friday that the Son of God was killed should be Bad rather than a Good one. But as Jeremy Bentham, a great philosopher, in his famous philosophy said: if the consequences of any action is to the benefit (happiness) of the greater number of the people in the society, then the action can be said to be GOOD. Without any shadow of doubt, I dare to say that the Friday is indeed good. God’s son- Jesus died so that you and I might have life and have it more abundantly. If not for this gesture, we will all be dead now.
On Sunday, we’ll celebrating Easter. Let me start by asking. Which is more important- Christmas or Easter? Don’t be too quick to reply because you’ll agree with me that if He weren’t born in the first place, He wouldn’t have died. In the same vein what if He was born and did not die?
Some say that Christ did not say we should celebrate Easter. To such people, need I tell them that Christ also did no say we shouldn’t. Since they agree that He was born is enough.
Some don’t even eat meat on Good Friday. "Chei! If u eat meat, na Jesus Flesh u dey eat".
Haba!
"Let me ask them a quesion: if u eat meat any other day , which person flesh u dey eat?"
As we celebrate this Easter, let’s put one thing at the back of our mind. Christ is the reason for the season. So let’s not cut Him out of the groove.
Wishing you a wonderful Good Friday, Violent-free Election Saturday and a Blessed Easter Sunday.
HAPPY EASTER!!!
It’s Good Friday. If I may ask, what is good about the Friday? A Friday that the Son of God was killed should be Bad rather than a Good one. But as Jeremy Bentham, a great philosopher, in his famous philosophy said: if the consequences of any action is to the benefit (happiness) of the greater number of the people in the society, then the action can be said to be GOOD. Without any shadow of doubt, I dare to say that the Friday is indeed good. God’s son- Jesus died so that you and I might have life and have it more abundantly. If not for this gesture, we will all be dead now.
On Sunday, we’ll celebrating Easter. Let me start by asking. Which is more important- Christmas or Easter? Don’t be too quick to reply because you’ll agree with me that if He weren’t born in the first place, He wouldn’t have died. In the same vein what if He was born and did not die?
Some say that Christ did not say we should celebrate Easter. To such people, need I tell them that Christ also did no say we shouldn’t. Since they agree that He was born is enough.
Some don’t even eat meat on Good Friday. "Chei! If u eat meat, na Jesus Flesh u dey eat".
Haba!
"Let me ask them a quesion: if u eat meat any other day , which person flesh u dey eat?"
As we celebrate this Easter, let’s put one thing at the back of our mind. Christ is the reason for the season. So let’s not cut Him out of the groove.
Wishing you a wonderful Good Friday, Violent-free Election Saturday and a Blessed Easter Sunday.
HAPPY EASTER!!!
An Easter Love Story
An Easter Love Story
By Pat K.
Sunday, March 31, 2002
For the first time in my life (that I can remember) I didn’t go to church on Easter Sunday. The thought of getting dressed up depressed me. When I awoke that morning I had a sudden thought - to go to the beach for my own private worship.
I arrived at Leo Carrillo Beach before 9:00 a.m. It was a gloomy day, heavily overcast and chilly, but I didn’t care. I was glad to be at the beach again.
I’d walked about ½ mile south along the mostly deserted beach when I saw a large driftwood log. I sat down on it and started to pray, thanking God again for my new granddaughter, Mekenna Rose, for all my grandchildren, my children and the rest of my family and friends. Then I prayed for God’s Love and the Christ Spirit to enter my heart.
As I often do when I pray, I felt sudden joy and knew that God’s Spirit was indeed there. It was a love fest, just the two of us.
After awhile I felt as if God was smiling and telling me, “Go for a walk, my child. Take a break. Have fun.”
So I did. I walked for at least a mile before stopping to look for rocks. I was bent down looking when I suddenly felt a familiar presence. It was the same feeling that I used to get when Bert and I went to the beach and I would go off on a rock search. I’d be searching diligently, looking through piles of beach stones when all of the sudden I would feel his presence, turn my head, and see him standing there watching me.
It was the same this time. I felt him there, but of course I couldn’t see him.
I said to him (in my head), “Honey, you came.”
He said, “Yes, I’m here. Do you mind if I walk with you?”
I said, “Of course not. It makes me so happy to have you here.”
We walked along for a while and then I stopped to look for more stones. He said, “What exactly are we looking for?”
I said, “Oh, you know, mostly surf-polished pieces of glass. And any unusual or particularly pretty stones.”
He said, “Got it.”
I was soon finding more pieces of glass than I’ve ever found before. With each wave came more small “jewels” of glass. Some of them were oval shaped and perfectly smooth, like I’d never seen before.
I was absolutely delighted and kept saying, “Oh, it’s beautiful. Thanks, Honey.”
Then I heard his voice saying, “Heart of my heart,” which is what he wrote at the end of a letter to me.
I smiled and said, “You know what I’d really like? I’d like to find something that would be truly special, something to always remind me of this lovely day.”
Then a thought came into my head and I said, “I’d like a heart-shaped stone.”
Bert teasingly answered, “Hmm. Do you want it with both the right and left ventricles?
I laughed and said, “You know what I mean – a valentine-shaped heart.”
He said, “O.K. I’ll find one.”
I continued to walk, and continued to find pretty stones and more pieces of smooth glass, but no heart-shaped stone. Meanwhile Bert continued to talk, commenting on the beauty of the ocean and other things. He kept me laughing internally with his gentle teasing and funny remarks.
Finally, after walking at least 3 miles down the beach, climbing over large boulders and running from cove to cove just ahead of the crashing surf, I said to Bert, “Honey, it’s okay if I don’t find a heart-shaped stone. It was probably an impossible request. In all my years of searching beaches for stones, shells and glass, I’ve never seen a heart-shaped stone. So even if I don’t find one, I’ll always remember this as a wonderful day.”
But he answered, “I said I was going to find one for you, and I will.”
It was only a few minutes later that I looked down and saw it. It was lying by itself on a smooth stretch of sand and it was directly in my path. Had I continued walking I would have stepped on it.
I stopped, reached down and picked it up. It was a stone valentine, a perfectly heart-shaped rock, its surface smoothed by the surf.
I stood there for a few seconds just holding it and staring at it because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Then I said, “Oh, honey. Thank you. It’s beautiful. I can’t believe you found it!”
He laughed and said, “You’re welcome. Just remember, I love you and I always will, Heart of my Heart.”
I repeated to him, “Heart of my Heart.”
I continued to look for stones and glass, and got soaked several times because I ventured too close to the incoming surf. Each time I did, I could hear Bert chuckling.
We passed half the afternoon that way until I realized that my hands and feet were numb and I was getting very tired.
I finally made it back to the Leo Carrillo Beach, and left the ocean around 3:30. As I got into my car I realized that Bert was no longer there.
It was almost 5:00 when I arrived home. After greeting Mike (my son) and telling him about my day, I showed him the heart-shaped stone.
He nodded and confirmed, “That’s heart shaped all right. You can’t get more heart shaped than that.”
But it wasn’t until much later, after I’d washed all my stones and glass, put the heart shaped stone on Bert’s dresser and the rest in various containers, done a couple loads of wash, etc. – after Mike had already gone to bed, that it hit me.
I walked into my bedroom, picked up the heartstone, and held it in my hands. As I turned it over and looked at the “backside” I saw a small heart imprint in the stone. “Heart of my heart,” I gasped, and burst into tears. They weren’t sad tears. They were tears of wonder and joy……how in the world?
It was like a small miracle, a miracle of love.
By Pat K.
Sunday, March 31, 2002
For the first time in my life (that I can remember) I didn’t go to church on Easter Sunday. The thought of getting dressed up depressed me. When I awoke that morning I had a sudden thought - to go to the beach for my own private worship.
I arrived at Leo Carrillo Beach before 9:00 a.m. It was a gloomy day, heavily overcast and chilly, but I didn’t care. I was glad to be at the beach again.
I’d walked about ½ mile south along the mostly deserted beach when I saw a large driftwood log. I sat down on it and started to pray, thanking God again for my new granddaughter, Mekenna Rose, for all my grandchildren, my children and the rest of my family and friends. Then I prayed for God’s Love and the Christ Spirit to enter my heart.
As I often do when I pray, I felt sudden joy and knew that God’s Spirit was indeed there. It was a love fest, just the two of us.
After awhile I felt as if God was smiling and telling me, “Go for a walk, my child. Take a break. Have fun.”
So I did. I walked for at least a mile before stopping to look for rocks. I was bent down looking when I suddenly felt a familiar presence. It was the same feeling that I used to get when Bert and I went to the beach and I would go off on a rock search. I’d be searching diligently, looking through piles of beach stones when all of the sudden I would feel his presence, turn my head, and see him standing there watching me.
It was the same this time. I felt him there, but of course I couldn’t see him.
I said to him (in my head), “Honey, you came.”
He said, “Yes, I’m here. Do you mind if I walk with you?”
I said, “Of course not. It makes me so happy to have you here.”
We walked along for a while and then I stopped to look for more stones. He said, “What exactly are we looking for?”
I said, “Oh, you know, mostly surf-polished pieces of glass. And any unusual or particularly pretty stones.”
He said, “Got it.”
I was soon finding more pieces of glass than I’ve ever found before. With each wave came more small “jewels” of glass. Some of them were oval shaped and perfectly smooth, like I’d never seen before.
I was absolutely delighted and kept saying, “Oh, it’s beautiful. Thanks, Honey.”
Then I heard his voice saying, “Heart of my heart,” which is what he wrote at the end of a letter to me.
I smiled and said, “You know what I’d really like? I’d like to find something that would be truly special, something to always remind me of this lovely day.”
Then a thought came into my head and I said, “I’d like a heart-shaped stone.”
Bert teasingly answered, “Hmm. Do you want it with both the right and left ventricles?
I laughed and said, “You know what I mean – a valentine-shaped heart.”
He said, “O.K. I’ll find one.”
I continued to walk, and continued to find pretty stones and more pieces of smooth glass, but no heart-shaped stone. Meanwhile Bert continued to talk, commenting on the beauty of the ocean and other things. He kept me laughing internally with his gentle teasing and funny remarks.
Finally, after walking at least 3 miles down the beach, climbing over large boulders and running from cove to cove just ahead of the crashing surf, I said to Bert, “Honey, it’s okay if I don’t find a heart-shaped stone. It was probably an impossible request. In all my years of searching beaches for stones, shells and glass, I’ve never seen a heart-shaped stone. So even if I don’t find one, I’ll always remember this as a wonderful day.”
But he answered, “I said I was going to find one for you, and I will.”
It was only a few minutes later that I looked down and saw it. It was lying by itself on a smooth stretch of sand and it was directly in my path. Had I continued walking I would have stepped on it.
I stopped, reached down and picked it up. It was a stone valentine, a perfectly heart-shaped rock, its surface smoothed by the surf.
I stood there for a few seconds just holding it and staring at it because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Then I said, “Oh, honey. Thank you. It’s beautiful. I can’t believe you found it!”
He laughed and said, “You’re welcome. Just remember, I love you and I always will, Heart of my Heart.”
I repeated to him, “Heart of my Heart.”
I continued to look for stones and glass, and got soaked several times because I ventured too close to the incoming surf. Each time I did, I could hear Bert chuckling.
We passed half the afternoon that way until I realized that my hands and feet were numb and I was getting very tired.
I finally made it back to the Leo Carrillo Beach, and left the ocean around 3:30. As I got into my car I realized that Bert was no longer there.
It was almost 5:00 when I arrived home. After greeting Mike (my son) and telling him about my day, I showed him the heart-shaped stone.
He nodded and confirmed, “That’s heart shaped all right. You can’t get more heart shaped than that.”
But it wasn’t until much later, after I’d washed all my stones and glass, put the heart shaped stone on Bert’s dresser and the rest in various containers, done a couple loads of wash, etc. – after Mike had already gone to bed, that it hit me.
I walked into my bedroom, picked up the heartstone, and held it in my hands. As I turned it over and looked at the “backside” I saw a small heart imprint in the stone. “Heart of my heart,” I gasped, and burst into tears. They weren’t sad tears. They were tears of wonder and joy……how in the world?
It was like a small miracle, a miracle of love.
Easter: A Love Story that Will touch Ur hear
As the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing she was still groggy from surgery.
Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news.
That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver couple's new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.
At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs.
"I don't think she's going to make it," he said, as kindly as he could.
"There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one"
She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.
"No! No!" was all Diana could say.
She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four.
Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away
But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana.
Because Dana's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially 'raw', the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love.
All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.
There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger.
But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there.
At last, when Dana turned two months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time.
And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.
Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life.
She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story.
One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ball park where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing.
As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, "Do you smell that?"
Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."
Dana closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?"
Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet. It smells like rain."
Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced,
"No, it smells like Him.
It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."
Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other children.
Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.
During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well.
Her husband, David, held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news.
That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications had forced Diana, only 24-weeks pregnant, to undergo an emergency Cesarean to deliver couple's new daughter, Dana Lu Blessing.
At 12 inches long and weighing only one pound nine ounces, they already knew she was perilously premature. Still, the doctor's soft words dropped like bombs.
"I don't think she's going to make it," he said, as kindly as he could.
"There's only a 10-percent chance she will live through the night, and even then, if by some slim chance she does make it, her future could be a very cruel one"
She would never walk, she would never talk, she would probably be blind, and she would certainly be prone to other catastrophic conditions from cerebral palsy to complete mental retardation, and on and on.
"No! No!" was all Diana could say.
She and David, with their 5-year-old son Dustin, had long dreamed of the day they would have a daughter to become a family of four.
Now, within a matter of hours, that dream was slipping away
But as those first days passed, a new agony set in for David and Diana.
Because Dana's underdeveloped nervous system was essentially 'raw', the lightest kiss or caress only intensified her discomfort, so they couldn't even cradle their tiny baby girl against their chests to offer the strength of their love.
All they could do, as Dana struggled alone beneath the ultraviolet light in the tangle of tubes and wires, was to pray that God would stay close to their precious little girl.
There was never a moment when Dana suddenly grew stronger.
But as the weeks went by, she did slowly gain an ounce of weight here and an ounce of strength there.
At last, when Dana turned two months old, her parents were able to hold her in their arms for the very first time.
And two months later, though doctors continued to gently but grimly warn that her chances of surviving, much less living any kind of normal life, were next to zero, Dana went home from the hospital, just as her mother had predicted.
Five years later, when Dana was a petite but feisty young girl with glittering gray eyes and an unquenchable zest for life.
She showed no signs whatsoever of any mental or physical impairment. Simply, she was everything a little girl can be and more. But that happy ending is far from the end of her story.
One blistering afternoon in the summer of 1996 near her home in Irving, Texas, Dana was sitting in her mother's lap in the bleachers of a local ball park where her brother Dustin's baseball team was practicing.
As always, Dana was chattering nonstop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, little Dana asked, "Do you smell that?"
Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, Diana replied, "Yes, it smells like rain."
Dana closed her eyes and again asked, "Do you smell that?"
Once again, her mother replied, "Yes, I think we're about to get wet. It smells like rain."
Still caught in the moment, Dana shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced,
"No, it smells like Him.
It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest."
Tears blurred Diana's eyes as Dana happily hopped down to play with the other children.
Before the rains came, her daughter's words confirmed what Diana and all the members of the extended Blessing family had known, at least in their hearts, all along.
During those long days and nights of her first two months of her life, when her nerves were too sensitive for them to touch her, God was holding Dana on His chest and it is His loving scent that she remembers so well.
PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.
She thought he looked hungry, so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said, "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had not been ready to give up and quit.
Year's later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation.
When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life.
From that day he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.
He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.
She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all.
Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.
She read these words: "PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK." Signed: Dr. Howard Kelly
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.
She thought he looked hungry, so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said, "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had not been ready to give up and quit.
Year's later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation.
When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life.
From that day he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.
He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.
She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all.
Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.
She read these words: "PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK." Signed: Dr. Howard Kelly
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