Why would God make snow?

Saturday am: We woke up to 10 inches of snow this morning and it's still falling. Having a blizzard heading in your direction on Friday is a gift. Yesterday Alan (one of our small group members) called in the morning suggesting that since the kids are off school and everyone just hung out inside all day, why don't we all grab whatever we have on the stove and get together for dinner. Great suggestion! There was homemade beef vegi soup, lasagna, a crock pot of pork chops in mushrooms, baskets of bread, a huge salad and a pot of rice. After ten kids and seven adults decimated the food, most went out sledding until midnight. What a wonderful thing to spend time sharing food, fun, laughter and our lives.

This morning at breakfast, Brock and I said grace and thanked God for providing a warm breakfast on such a cold day. Out of nowhere, I said to Brock “I think that God invented snow simply to delight us.” Ohmygosh! There is that word; delight. A couple of days ago I ran into Mike Mack, minister of small groups at NECC who told me that he got stuck on a scripture verse that morning. Not stuck in a sense that he didn't understand it, but he found that he could not leave it. It was Psalm 37:4 which reads, "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." It was cool to think about it over the last couple of days, but the true meaning hit home this morning. "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." When Mike and I stood and talked about it, I immediately thought that all the desires of my heart would be tangible, monetary things. This morning I realized that all the desires of my heart were family, friends, sharing a meal, having fun and loving God for all He does for us. Thank you God for making us slow down. Thank you for helping me see clearly what you mean when you speak and thank you for the snow. It is delightful.

This Week's Study - The Passover Seder

As leaders, Kevin and I feel that the more we dig back to Jesus' Jewish roots and the culture of the 1st Century in general, the deeper the meaning or our studies. Although half of our group loves history, and the other half doesn't, this has been an effective tool to really bring out the meanings of the scripture we're studying. Last week, we went deep into what it meant to be a Rabbi in Israel during the time of Jesus. It was fascinating to discover that Jesus' disciples were the "not good enoughs" and went on to follow their trade instead of continuing their life-long work of attempting to become a Rabbi. A comforting thought for those of us who think we're not good enough to do His work with our hands. This week, we are going to be studying the Passover Seder. We are anxious to learn more about the significance of the 4 cups of wine, and the bread as Jesus fulfilled another prophesy at the last supper. With Easter just 3 weeks away, this should be really cool. Shalom.

The Shack, a new novel by William P. Young

Ohmygosh! Please read this book. If you have anyone in your life who is going through a difficult time, this book would be a great gift.

(This BLOG is NOT intended to be a book review site, but I have books on my mind this week).

Young's poetic and artistic license in fleshing out the 3 persons of the trinity was remarkable. I find myself thinging of Sarayu several times a day (read the book). Immediately after finishing it, I realized that I will NEVER understand the depth of the love God has for us. I have a better understanding of why bad things happen to good people, and that He will never leave us in times of trouble. Yes, these points and 10,000 more can be found in scripture, I just felt like God's hand was on this author. I can't help but feel closer to Jesus and have a better understanding of the nature of God by reading Christian fiction. (Yes, Marti and Kevin, I always return to scripture to verify details of any writings) If God wanted me to understand Him a little better by reading this little book, mission accomplished. I can't wait for the movie. Tell your friends.

The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross

I heard an amazing interview with Nabeel Jabbour the author of The Crescent Through the Eyes of the Cross. He helped me see what I look like to a Muslim living in America.

“A war is raging for the minds and souls of Muslims today,” writes Nabeel Jabbour. “The eternal welfare of 1.4 billion people is at stake. They are being pulled in two directions—fanaticism on the one hand and moderation and open-mindedness on the other. How we deal with this window of opportunity will determine our relations with Muslims for generations to come.” At the same time, the Christian church must realize Jesus died for Muslims. In this book, Dr. Jabbour aims to help Western Christians go beyond mere tolerance to a passion for Muslims. He explains how that can be done in ways that are sensitive to Islamic culture, and he presents suggestions on how to build vital relationships with Muslims.From the Preface:Although I am a Christian writing to Christians, the focal pointof this book is the fictional story line about an Egyptian Muslim, an international student in the United States with the name Ahmad. I know Ahmad well because I have met him in hundreds of Muslims over the past five decades.