Kingdom of Bounce with the Cousins

Another blessing of living in the Columbus area is that we are close to some of my (Val's) family. My third cousin Kristen, her husband Josh, and their daughter Kendal live about 15 minutes south of us. Kendal and Phoebe are developing a sweet little friendship. When Greg told Phoebe that we were going to spend time with Kendal today, she keep saying "Kendal!" with great enthusiasm. How are we related? Kendal and Phoebe's great great grandmother's name was Phoebe. Phoebe's two daughters (Viola and Mildred), are their great-grandmothers.

Today we spent time together at Kingdom of Bounce. For now, this is Phoebe's only visual for a kingdom. As we teach her about the Kingdom of God, I suppose we could start with the inflatable castles she bounced in today as an association, though I hope someday she will get to see the castles of Europe and other countries to have a grander picture. Of course none of these earthly kingdoms could compare with the present and future Kingdom of God.

Here are a few pictures from our fun. Both Mommies got a great workout from climbling and bouncing as well!

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." Mark 10:13 - 15

 

Elfans

This is Phoebe's name for her favorite animal at her new favorite place...the Columbus Zoo! Any guesses? That's right, elephants! We've gotten to go twice in the past few weeks, once with Mimi and Deeda and yesterday with Nonnie. Some fun memories include Phoebe being afraid of the horses on the carousel, seeing the elephant named Pheobe, watching the kangaroos jump around as the zoo employee walked through them, seeing a Canadian goose charge its reflection in a door, watching a manatee touch its nose to the glass right infront of us, and of course, listening to Phoebe talk about everything she saw in her own special way. We were all amazed at how close the exhibits let you get to the animals. We could literally reach out and touch some of them, though for their best interest and ours, we didn't.

Here's a little list of animals we saw, in Phoebe-ese. See if you can guess what they are:

Mingos

Anga-oos

Pain-gins

Skirls

Ish

Elfans

I-no

I-ons

   

Blooms and Butterflies

I'm growing more and more fond of Columbus with each new place we discover. Today we (Pat, me and the girls) went to Franklin Park Conservatory, which was built in 1895. Throughout the conservatory are beautiful blown glass sculptures, and at 1 & 3 p.m. each day this Spring, they release newly "hatched" butterflies. We took a picnic lunch and ate on the grounds, surrounded by multitudes of beautiful tulips and fragrant lilac bushes, and Phoebe got to see some of the butterflies up close. How varied and lovely is God's creation! Can you find the butterfly in the second picture?

3 Months Old!

Here's our little beauty at 3 months. Joanna is cooing, smiling, kicking, squealing, grabbing her toes, losing her hair, and sleeping through the night! Here she is in one of Phoebe's outfits.

Look at her at 2 months to see the changes, and here's Phoebe at three months...

Baaaaaaaa!

Phoebe and I went to the Slate Run Historical Farm last Thursday. It's a free park with animals and it's operated as farms were in the 1880's. Our goal was to see the sheep, as we were preparing to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the Lamb of God this past Sunday. Phoebe bravely watched the sheep from a little platform in the barn. However, immediately after I took the picture below, the sheep bleated so loudly that it sent a scared Phoebe into my arms shaking. Fortunately the other children thought the sheep's cry was funny, so Phoebe saw that it was nothing to be afraid of. She also got to watch a sheep being sheared (an image that was helpful for Mommy to understand the verses from Isaiah below), and was brave enough to touch the wet little snout of a baby pig.

 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Isaiah 53:6-7

But there's more...

There are so many more reasons why I go to church.

Why do I go to church? I go...
1. To witness lives transformed by God's amazing love and grace.
2. To surround our daughters with others who love and esteem God, and raise them in that environment.
3. To laugh and cry with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
4. To build friendships.
5. To give back to the church what God has blessed us with.
6. To talk to God.
7. To learn how I can be praying for others and be blessed and changed by others' prayers.
8. To be challenged in my daily walk with Christ.

But there's more. Church exists because of Jesus' resurrection, which our pastor preached about this morning (which has challenged me about the centrality and necessity of the resurrection in my life as a believer). However, not only do I get to go to church because of the reasons I've been listing over the past week, I get to have a relationship with God because of Jesus' resurrection. And this relationship is not limited to Sunday mornings, or even Sunday nights and Wednesday nights. My relationship with Jesus is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It, like all other relationships, requires communication (prayer), listening (prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit), learning about the other Person (reading and studying God's word), trusting (having faith in God's promises), being honest and vulnerable (confession of sin), sacrifice (setting aside my rights to do God's will) and being willing to be changed for the better (sanctification). What an amazing joy it is to know that I know God.

Do you know Jesus? If yes, let's encourage each other to celebrate Jesus' resurrection today and every day! If no, cry out to Him to save you. There is nothing greater than to know Jesus...the risen Son of God, who takes away our sin and restores our broken relationship with Him.

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21

Happy Easter!!

Reason #7: It turns my heart toward heaven.

Why do I go to church?

7. It turns my heart toward heaven. I’m not living this life just for as long as I have breath. I know that there’s more than this life…this is not as good as it gets. Going to church reminds me that, because of the miracle that took place on the first Easter, I have heaven to look forward to. God raised Jesus to life, and because of that, anyone who trusts in Him no longer has to fear death, because physical death means the beginning of eternity with Christ in heaven.

At church I’m also encouraged to live the most fulfilling life possible. God promises the abundant life…both here on earth and in life after death in Heaven.

Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice on the cross. Thank you, Father, for raising Jesus from the dead. What a glorious day Easter is! May we honor you in our worship tomorrow.

For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Reason #6: There are always chances to serve others.

Why do I go to church?

6. There are always chances to serve others. On Good Friday, we think about the weightiness of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice: becoming sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God (see the verse from 2 Corinthians below). He, the Son of God, came as the perfect servant (Matthew 20:28). While my service to others is very imperfect, at church each week, I have the opportunity to use gifts, talents and abilities God has given me to encourage others. I love to teach, and currently at church I get to teach 1st and 2nd graders about God. It is a joy to see them grow in their understanding of His character. I also get to see others being their best as they serve. It brings out the best in me and in my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

"...even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:... 1 Peter 4:10

Reason #5: The time is focused on God.

Why do I go to church?

5. The time is focused on God. God Himself is satisfying. To pause each week and think about who God is and what Jesus accomplished on the cross, without the distractions of everyday life tugging at me, fills up my soul with the knowledge and presence of the one true good Being in all creation.

And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." Luke 18:19

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. Psalm 63:1-3