Comfort from the Empty Tomb

Here are the 'cliff notes' from the sermon this beautiful Easter morning. I was deeply inspired by it and thought I'd share it. Happy Easter!
Jesus resurrecting from the dead is the single most important thing in the Christian faith. Because Jesus rose from the dead, our past can be healed, we can find power in our daily lives, and rejoice in the promise of heaven.

Question:
Why do we feel so comforted by the empty tomb?

1. Jesus is alive and has risen from the dead. We can be comforted in the fact that Jesus knows our struggles and daily trials and He will supply all we need due to the fact of Him rising from the dead.


2. There is life after death. - Because Christ has risen, we know that there is eternal life after death. That hope gives us significance.


3. Christ's atoning sacrifice for our sins was accepted - the empty tomb gives us confidence that we may have peace with God. Jesus predicted his death and resurrection. The empty tomb confirms that the Father has accepted Christ's sacrifice for our sins and restored and restored us to right relationship with Him.
   
4. Every believer will experience a bodily resurrection - Jesus rose from the grave with a glorified physical body. When the disciples thought He was a spirit, He told them to feel the scars on His hands, feet, and side.Our Lord also ate with them on two occasions, proving He had a physical body.
   Christ’s resurrection is a foretaste of what we will experience one day Our bodies will be renewed and perfectly fit for eternal life. We will need a physical body in eternity—we won’t merely be spirits.
   Just as a farmer plants a seed and expects a harvest in due time, our bodies won’t be forgotten in the grave. God will raise them up in absolute perfection one day. We will be faultless in every way, as Jesus is.


5. We do not have to fear death - Most people are afraid of dying. Why? Death is an unknown, and their sin and rebellion against God make them unsure of what to expect. But believers will have the confidence to stand before Him—not because of their good deeds, but because of His gift of salvation. Jesus is preparing a home in heaven for those who place their trust in Him. What must you do to see heaven—the kingdom of God? You must be born again, believe in Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross (John 3:16 - my Daddy's favorite verse)and accept Him personally as your Savior. If you do this, Scripture promises your sins will be forgiven.

Conclusion:

If Jesus Christ didn’t rise from the dead, our faith is in vain. We may as well live like the rest of the world—without direction, hope, or purpose. But our Savior triumphed over the grave and has gone to prepare a home in heaven for us. Because of the resurrection, you and I can have confidence that all Jesus promised will come to pass. This Easter, rejoice in the awesome significance of the empty tomb.

My Two sleeping angels!

Dave was supposed to be putting Lexie to sleep. Looks like he put himself to sleep as well. So sweet!

California Family

Dave and I had the pleasure of hosting John and KC Bobrowski and their adorable 2 year old son, Nicholas for the weekend. They are such dear friends of ours who live in Sacramento. We hardly ever get to see them so it was a treat (to say the least) for them to stay. Dave and John went to VT together. While in Lake Tahoe for a wedding weekend 3 years ago, KC and I became fast friends! I think we could cause some shopping damage if we lived closer. . . Our husbands are thankful for that! We also called last weekend the 'meeting.' KC and I kept saying, "so this is what an arranged marriage is like." Ha!
This was my first time meeting Nicholas. He has got to be one of the most precious and well mannered little boys. Not to mention beautiful! He was so polite to his parents, Dave/me, and especially to Baby Lexie (as he called her). He would go up to her and give her hugs and kisses. He even made up a song about her while she took a nap on Saturday. "Lexie, Lexie, Lexie, la la la la la. . . . ." It was so cute!
I know that when Lexie woke up Monday morning, she was pretty bummed to realize that it was just me and no Nicholas. She really had a good time with him.
I hate the trip was so short lived. Hopefully we will get to see them sooner rather than later.

What a cutie!

Auntie KC and the thirsty kids

I love this picture. Look at the face Nicholas is presenting!

Lexie is saying, "I like you!"

And sweet Nicholas decided to give one of his sweet hugs.

Could we be future in-laws? Ha! Lexie looks so serious.

Dave and John having fun watching basketball

Multi-tasking in Jeff and Lauren's kitchen

Cheers to a fantastic weekend with my twinsta!

Bath time in the sink part 2 and a stomach bug. . . .

We had another fun evening in Su Su and Papa John's bathroom sink. I love being able to see her reflection in the mirror. So cute!
Lexie went to bed at her usual 6:00 time. Well, she woke up at 2 Am this morning crying and was not happy. I picked her up and she was really hot. I took her downstairs and got her some juice. She starting crying harder waking my parents up. I seemed to have forgotten Lexie's medicine bag so my oh so sweet Dad got out of bed and drove to Walmart at 2 AM this morning for some Baby Motrin. She woke up again around 5 AM. She would only sleep if I were holding her. So my Mom crawled in bed with me and put sweet pea in the middle of us while we all tried to get more sleep.
After a day full of running a temperature and no appetite, she finally is starting to feel better when we got back to Atlanta. She had chicken nuggets and crackers for dinner. I also think it helped to see her 'Da Da' - considering we've been in Opelika since Monday. She is sound asleep. Cross your fingers that she will be well by morning!

Bath time in the sink

While in Opelika for the week, Lexie has enjoyed a lot of things like getting sweet kisses from Belle Belle (the westie), climbing the stairs, eating ice cream (given to her by Su Su), playing with Su Su and Papa John, and bath time in the sink. Lexie loves bath time! She could stay in the tub for hours and turn into a prune if I let her. Though for some reason she didn't like being in the whirlpool tub in Su Su's bathroom. She was crying and trying to climb out of the tub. I was about to get her dressed. Then she kept pointing at the mirror so I set her in the sink. And she LOVED being in it. Whether she loved looking at herself in the mirror or just sitting in the sink. Who knows. But the pictures below are pretty stinking cute (if I do say so myself)!

Grandpops and Grandma Mader visit

Last weekend we had the pleasure of having Lexie's South Carolina/Colorado Grandparents come for a visit. It had been about 6 weeks since Grandpops and Grandma had seen Lexie. They kept saying how much she has changed in those 6 weeks. I guess it's hard for me to see since I see Lexie every day. But I have noticed that she is forming into a little girl and not a baby girl anymore(though she will always be my baby girl). :-)

It was great to see you Grandpops and Grandma Mader. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Dinner with 4 DeLines

Friday night, Dave and I had the privilege to go meet the new addition at the DeLines house. Sweet baby Grant could not be more precious. Lexie is only 11 months, but it was so hard to remember her being 6 weeks old like Grant. Grant's older brother Hudson is such a sweetheart. He was really nice to Lexie and played with her while the adults socialized. I think she had a little crush on him! :-)
It was great to catch up with an old friend. Laura and I have known each other since we were about 3 or so. We were close in high school, lived across the hall in the dorm at Auburn our freshman year, and moved to Atlanta around the same time. Not to mention that her and Kevin are responsible for setting Dave and me up! Needless to say, it's always great to see them - I just wish it were more often.
Trying to take pictures of a 3 year old and an 11 month old were quite challenging. The pictures below were the best I could get. However, the last one came out really good! Did I mention how great Laura looked? Amazing!
Thanks for a great time Laura and Kevin! It was great to catch up with you all!

What a beautiful family of four!