This is why I Love Being a Children's Pastor #4 Twinkly Eyes and Toothy Grins

I love it when kids are having fun at God's house!  I love the sound of their giggles, their eyes bursting with happiness and smiling so big it makes your cheeks hurt!  Let me show you what I mean!

Those are some cute kids huh?  These are pics from our Easter Egg Hunt today.  They walked in the door with so much energy and asked their teachers 3000 times when was it going to be time for the Egg Hunt.  They apparently all were stricken with a serious malady in the night, losing their short term memory because after the 3000 times they asked their teachers...they asked me 3000 more times! 

But neither I nor the teachers minded a bit!  You see, along with filling those baskets with candy and their tummies with hot dogs today, we got to fill them with the amazing story of Jesus preparing himself and his friends for a trip to the cross that would change their lives forever!

Here's a quick review:  because Jesus gave his life for us we have direct access to the Father!  We don't have to go through a priest to talk to Him! (Big round eyes and oohs were heard around the room as I reminded them of that curtain thing in the Easter story...you know where the curtain was torn, symbolizing that every believer has access to the throne room of the most high God.)

Because Jesus gave his life for us we don't have to bring a farm animal with us to church to present as a sacrifice!  (Twinkly eyes and uncontrollable giggles were heard as I told them how glad I was that I didn't have to bring a goat to church, cause they are just too smelly!)

So in the middle of the 3000 questions, I got the privilege of telling the kids these things.  It was so cool!  All this excitement before the hot dogs and Easter Eggs!  Woo Hoo!  Hoorah! 

Come to think of it, I don't know if I really got this as a little kid!  That Jesus dying on the cross affected how religion and church was conducted.  He was thinking of me, through all of the suffering, the questioning, the humiliation that he endured; he did it all because he loved me, he died for me and for you!  And our lives are different because of it! 

You know what? That puts a twinkle in my eye and a grin on my face!

I Know...I'm Weird

I really love bookstores.  I loved bookstores before it involved the must-have cup of coffee to carry around while you browse.  Here's what I like:
1.  that all the pages don't feel the same
2.  that they come in different sizes
3.  that some books have pictures
4.  that some books do not have pictures
5.  the journey each one represents to a reader
6.  the smell of a leather bound book...(don't even get me started about how great a new Bible smells!)
(I'm sure there are a few more, but that's enough).

Now to the weird part:  you know what I don't like about bookstores?
1.  that I can never. without a doubt. even-though-I-might-have-the-best-intentions. read all the books that are in the bookstore.

This is not a new issue for me.  When I was in the 6th grade I thought I would read all the books in my school library.  I got all the way through the A's, and realized that I just couldn't do it! 

Being a cosmopolitan woman of 2010 I don't present a problem without presenting a solution...my solution is:  they could stop the publishing of all books for a certain amount of time so that I could catch up. 

But I know they won't do that.  So a trip to the bookstore means my tummy gets this tiny, tiny, kind of fuzzy feeling of defeat, and I have to make myself stop thinking about it.

Because I can't.  ever. without a doubt. even-though-I-might-have-the-best-intentions. read all the books.
I know...I'm weird. (sigh)

The Egg Plate

It's always fun for me to hear stories of families; their things, their traditions, their why's and the who's that connect them for always.

The Egg Plate is one of those "things" from my husband Keith's family.  When you go to his Mom's house, you can be assured of wonderful southern hospitality, which includes a big, country breakfast.  Her eggs are always served on the same plate, The Egg Plate, and I've never seen her serve anything else but eggs on that plate.  Funny how the Egg Plate thing was passed down from mother to daughter, and Keith's Mom has one now too.

Keith's Grandmother died a few years ago, and I was privileged to receive HER Egg Plate.  Since then, when I make eggs for my family, I always use it.  Every time I pull it out of the cabinet to serve eggs, I think of the unspoken tradition, and the way this plate represents a little piece of "sameness" in the midst of our ever-changing world.

There are other items that are in my shelves of course, that represent the past.  I'm so glad for the stories that they carry, the people they represent, and the memories they help keep alive.