New life is ALL OVER THE PLACE! .......

Happy Easter Monday everyone! I hope that your Easter was filled with the love of Jesus and that the joy of His resurrection surpassed your wildest dreams!

Easter, and this whole 'spring-y' season are filled with the testimony of new life. Yesterday, I went walking through my garden and was amazed at how quickly so many of the flowers burst open. It was just a few days ago when I ventured out to check on the stubby stems and VOILA! Today they are in FULL bloom! And to be honest....I am feeling the same way....overwhelmed with 'bloom-y-ness"....it's the opposite of "gloominess". Yes, I feel as though new life is springing into my spirit.....ahhhh the fantastic corny-ness of it all! And yet, here's why.....

As many of you know, Tim and I are finishing up the last two months of our four-year term in our group home. The kids are beginning to understand the magnitude of the move and it has been my deepest desire to see all the kids come to a realization of how much they are loved and that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them more than any one on earth ever could.

I shared a couple of weeks ago that our 12-year-old met Jesus and the joy that filled him was unlike I'd ever seen.....that left one more boy in our care who hadn't met Jesus....hadn't experienced the joy and comfort of knowing a loving God who'd be with him for all eternity.

This weekend, he met Jesus! No, he didn't DIE...he became ALIVE!

Here's his story.....

He is a quiet, guarded kid. He's always been uncomfortable with any form of affection. The occasional bright-eyed, beautiful smile occurs only when you've REALLY amused him. He's well-behaved, for the most part, and unfortunately, has learned a lot of things from the other boy who came on the same weekend....the kid who stole Tim's camera. However, there is a softness, a compassion about this kid that I've never seen in any of the other kids we've had. He is always patient and though doesn't say much, strives to speak truth as much as possible.

He's endured many hardships and at 11 years old, he's experienced more rejection than people 4 times his age. His maturity amidst his circumstances is astounding. This week he had just moved from one relative to the next...he didn't say much.

Knowing that this had been a hard week, we took the Easter holiday to the extreme....we always have an Easter egg hunt and mass-quantities of Easter goodies, but we felt like we needed to make him a really BIG Easter basket complete with fake plastic grass (you know the kind) and various cheesy "break-after-one-use" dollar store items. We included a little tiny Bible, too.

He didn't comment on the basket, but gobbled down most of the candy. Before bed, we asked him if it would be okay to go to church because it was a very special day. He said he didn't mind, but wanted to know what time it ended. :) He's very particular about time.

Sunday morning I made a special Easter breakfast because my parents always did and with this kid being the only one in the house, I wanted to make sure he felt extra special....'cuz he is. Then we talked. I asked him what he thought about Easter and what it was really about. He said he didn't know. I asked him if he wanted to know...and amazingly, he said, "yeah".

I told him that Easter actually started with Christmas. That God sent His precious and only Son to earth because we were hurting each other with selfishness and malice. That Jesus came to teach us that there was a better way to live.....one that says instead of beating up the guy who stole your i-Pod, give him your PSP and cell phone as well. Our boy just listened. Then we got to the angry people who didn't like what Jesus was saying even though it was from God.

Jesus died at the hands of angry men just because He loved them. God wanted to communicate just how precious the people of the world were to Him by showing them the greatest sacrifice. Because of that sacrifice, we can talk freely to God and live forever with Him. AND that wasn't the end of the story....Jesus is ALIVE TODAY!

Long story even longer, our boy seemed mildly bored, but listened and then we headed to church.....we felt that since our church is located in the same building as a Starbucks, we needed some hot chocolate and a latte before heading into the sanctuary. Good call.

Our boy had never been to church and the look on his face as he watched these "crazy weirdos" dancing and raising their hands while singing to the projection screen was just a little bit nutsy. I tried to translate. And Tim was leading a portion of the worship so that helped, too.

Then children's church was cancelled. He was stuck in the service with me and Tim. I thought that was gonna frustrate him, but playing Mah Jong on my cell phone helped and he even looked up some of the Scriptures in my Bible during the message! Mmmm. Then it came time for the invitation to meet Jesus.....and then communion.

I carefully asked our boy if that was something he was interested in. He shrugged and said, "I dunno." I told him that he didn't have to and that it was a really big decision....it meant that all the people all over the world who believed in Jesus were a part of the his family...that asking Jesus to take control of His life meant that no matter where he went, Jesus would be with him and would walk beside him no matter what came his way....that Jesus would send His presence in the form of the Holy Spirit into his heart to help him bless the people around him and love them with the love God showed when He placed His Son on the cross....that this was the biggest decision he'd ever make, so if he didn't want to do it, that was okay.

Then he turned to me and said, "okay, how do I do it and how long is it gonna take?" I think my smile from ear to ear scared him a bit. We prayed and he asked Jesus to take complete control of his life....to teach him to treat others with love the way He does....to forgive him of all the crappy things he's done and that he was happy to one day see Jesus face to face in Heaven. Whoa.

Then we took communion....he commented on the stale cracker and wondered why we only got a teeny cup of juice....I told him that when he gets to Heaven, there will be a feast and he can have more. :) I welcomed him to my family and had him meet more of his new brothers and sisters....they were ecstatic to meet him and prayed blessing over him. His smile was priceless even if he said nothing.

Then he got a new BIGGER Bible....he smiled bigger. I gave him a hug and he didn't push me away. I told him that Jesus was there ...now inside of him and he could talk to Him anytime he wanted. He nodded and said, "When are we going? I wanna hunt Easter eggs." I laughed and asked if he would ever want to come back to church....he said, "Yeah, maybe...." Good enough for me! His smile has remained and even today he is sure of his decision. A new life is forming in him. I am humbled by the power and mercy of God.

Be blessed.