Good Friday Archives - Lauren Sparks

Spring has sprung and here in Texas that means it’s getting hot and muggy already. School activities are ramping up into high gear as the days on the instructional calendar tick away.

Another month has gone by. It happens all the time, but these days I am very aware that the months turn into years.

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One more school year with my Allie at home and then she will step out into new adventures without us. It’s hard to believe.

Physical therapy appointments and exercises filled the first part of my month. Unfortunately it only exacerbated my sciatic pain. I received a second sedated epidural injection on the 19th and wait impatiently to see if it offers me any additional relief. In between I worked a little, banquet dress shopped for Allie (she has 4 to attend), and got to hear her choirs perform their UIL show twice! We also watched a digital premiere for Baylor University with Allie (her current first choice for college) and started planning some in-person visits!

Easter Treats

Our church held a special Maundy Thursday service during Holy Week and we attended Easter service Saturday night with Chuck’s parents so we could drive out to spend Easter day with my parents, my PawPaw and my sisters’ families. There was food (of course), confetti eggs, an egg hunt and cooking with Aunt Kristen (a holiday favorite for the kids). And on Good Friday Shelby had an egg hunt with Best Buddies.

Allie Rose and a whole slew of her smart friends were inducted into the National Honor Society in a ceremony that left much to be desired. But an honor for her none the less. Then the next night she starred as Giselle in a one act play of Enchanted. I am more than a little biased, but I think she’s the perfect princess! Watch a short clip https://www.facebook.com/1363398330/videos/298641175786727/

Updates on the Hubs

Chuck still had a few doctor’s appointments sprinkled in there. He is trying to eat a little more by mouth so he can eventually evict the feeding tube, but swallowing still hurts a lot. He also has some lymphatic swelling getting in the way of his throat. So we have applied for insurance coverage on a new device to help with this. We are having fun with how good it looks. My sisters deemed it his luchador outfit (think Nacho Libre). The wrestler names they have suggested: El Detallista – The Retailer (he works for WalMart) or El Sobreviviente – The Survivor. I think I like the later!

April Entertainment

I did not mention any books in my round up last month. That’s because I’ve been struggling to get through one for the last 6 weeks. I’m not sure why except that I’m still taking medication for my sciatica that makes me sleepy. And most of my reading time is in bed at night. First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies by Kate Andersen Brower seemed like a perfect book for Women’s History Month, but now that month has come and gone. I loved Brower’s The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House (highly recommend), and this one is full of interesting stories and details. But it jumps around so much from one administration to another and back again that I get whip lash. I’m still going to finish it; hopefully before another month has gone by. I have trouble quitting on books – whip lash and all.

We talked my sister Kristen into going to see Uncharted with us. A surprisingly clean movie – which is hard to find these days. And it was fun. A very Indiana Jones-like escape. And we tried a couple of new shows on broadcast TV. Good Sam might be a new favorite, although not without issues. We haven’t watched a medical drama since ER but this one has an interesting twist. And The Thing About Pam was good if you like true crime. We tried Only Murders in the Building after hearing good things but the language was a little much for us.

One particularly sedentary day hubby and I watched two movies. I didn’t like either one, for very different reasons. Free State of Jones, although a good historic story, was so gory. We followed it up with The Fighting Temptations for something lighter. It was lighter, but not compelling at all! We then landed on a documentary on Hulu. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story shows promise. At least the first episode grabbed us.

Before May Becomes Another Month that Has Gone By

On the day this post goes live, Allie’s show choir puts on their annual Jazz Show. It’s always a highlight. Her solo and her general outlook is Accentuate the Positive! I hope you can as well today. I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Let me know what captured your attention. And as always, I thank you, I love you and I hope May treats you well!

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

Grace and Truth’s own Tammy Kennington put so many of my feelings into words. I don’t live in a state of dispair, but have definitely felt it these last few years. She expressed it – and prayed for it – better than I could. Read Two Prayers to Help Overcome Bitterness When You Struggle With Sorrow.

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

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We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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First things first: The winner of last week’s giveaway (A copy of Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters by Blythe Daniel and Helen McIntosh) is…Summer Marrero! Thank you so much to everyone who participated. And now, on to this week’s post.

During my formative years, I lived at the end of a long caliche road in Elm Mott, Texas. You blink and you miss this little country town driving up Interstate 35 from Austin to Dallas. My rich friend, Deanna, lived about half way down the road. Her family owned a bigger plot of land, a golf cart, and a trampoline. They lived in the only house with more than one story and the road bore their last name. In my book, Deanna was rich.

One Easter Sunday I remember her telling me about the egg hunt they have every year. Her parents hid plastic eggs all over their property and all the kids and grandkids kept their eyes peeled for the gold one. All the pretty pastel eggs held candy and fun trinkets. Those were ok. But the gold one – it had $50 inside. The golden egg turned this hunt into a sport. It was the coveted prize.

On Good Friday, we remember that God loved us so much that He made a way for relationship with us – now and for eternity. Romans 3:23 NIV disputes the myth that we can ever be good enough to earn God’s love and mercy (“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”). Because we sin, our punishment is death. And not just the ceasing of life that we all experience here on this earth. An eternal death that is separation from God – here and forever. (Romans 6:23 NIV “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^[a]Christ Jesus our Lord.”) Jesus, who never sinned, took the punishment for all of us who have. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV He died on a cross, but death could not hold my King. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death for us, allowing us to be in relationship with the perfect Creator of the Universe. It’s too much. I don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. And in His great love and mercy, we don’t have to try. Romans 10:9-10 NIV assures us, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

This is what we celebrate on Easter Sunday (and EVERY day).

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The true “golden egg” of this holiday is this “gift of God”. This “eternal life in Christ Jesus” when we make Him Lord over the whole of ourselves. This freedom – worth immeasurably more than $50 – God offers freely to whoever will believe in it. In Him. You don’t have to search for this prize. Our Heavenly Father holds it out to you with an open hand. If you have questions about how to reach out and take it, I would love to visit with you virtually or in person. Email me confidentially at lauren@laurensparks.net. I can’t wait to talk to you more about my Savior. And I pray you find rest and refreshment in your “golden egg” this Easter.

“For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:36 NIV

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And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

Mix it Up Linky, InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

Dream Team link up, The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Different Dream,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

A Blogging Good Time, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent