Come to me.

summer lovin'

i'm pretty sure it's not technically summer yet, but it sure feels like it. :)
makes me wonder how hot this upcoming summer will be...

Sunday Glorious Sunday

"He is not here; he has Risen! Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" - Luke 24:7-8

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain,
Then bursting forth from glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

Good Friday

"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"...and when Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split." - Matthew 27:45-46, 50-51

Today is Friday, but Sunday is coming.

treasures in Heaven

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in a stead. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Matthew 6:19-21

Before today, I never noticed that the passage on 'Treasures in Heaven' (Matthew 6:19-24) is immediately followed by Jesus' teaching on worrying. Significant? I very much think so.

perspective

here's an excerpt from a gungor blog entry that really resonated with me:

"Sometimes it is good to step back and remember the bigger picture. I think that this has something to do with what Lent is about. It’s about remembering who we are and why are here...It’s reminding us of our humanity again. We paint crosses of ash on our foreheads to remind us that we come from dust and to dust we shall return. We give up things we like as a way of taking a step back from the blur and chaos of our lives, taking a clean look at what we have set our hands to, gathering strength for another day of work in the valley. " - Michael Gungor

click here to read this entry in its entirety.

free.

You're the higher power
Darkness cannot stand
No longer bound to sin
I am free.

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
- John 8:36

Yours.

My strength in life is I am Yours
My soul delights because I am Yours

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!"
- 1 John 3:1a

Your love never fails.

book nook: midnight at the dragon cafe

midnight at the dragon cafe
judy fong bates

the thing that drew me most to this book was the fact that it's centered around a chinese girl who grew up in canada, in a small town in ontario, after immigrating from china at a young age. as a canadian-born chinese female, i thought it would be a good fit.

this book tells the story of an immigrant family from china who makes the move to canada in search for a "better life". they end up owning a chinese restaurant out in the sticks and while there is no doubt that their immigration provides more opportunities for their daughter, their life is hard. plus there is the inherent tension that exists between the mash-up of chinese culture with canadian culture. oh, and there is definitely no shortage of drama in this family.

fong bates did a pretty good job of telling her story. while it isn't an autobiography per se, i think she probably drew from her own experience growing up in canada. i thought her writing style was good - clear and easily followable - but i found the strength of the story line to be inconsistent.

overall it was an ok read. i'm glad i read it, but it will be a book i only read once.