A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

by Chrissy Larson

Soon, we'll all be putting last-minute touches on another chapter in our books. It's hard to believe an entire school year has come and gone, yet it has.

I remember my mixed emotions around August of 2008 . . . I wondered how my family would fare, coming into a new co-op, after having been rooted in one for the last 16 years. But God was very clear in letting me know that change was coming.

My dad thrives on change too. He loved to buy old houses and fix them up, only to sell them and move on to another. My mother and I counted how many times she moved since she got married and it was astounding! (I think it was close to 15 times and he is NOT in the military.) She never intends to move again.

It's fun to open the door of your new home and look for what will be your bedroom. But it's not any fun to open your heart all over again to perfect strangers, hoping to find someone who will allow you to enter their already established social world. I had a fairly easy time making friends but I hated the usual awkwardness.

No sooner did I jump that hurtle, he was either talking about another move or it was a natural time to change schools (elementary to middle or middle to high school.) Nothing could be more inconvenient.

But, who ever said life was convenient. I've learned a lot through it all . . . I'm not afraid of new situations; my confidence is in Him and not myself; I'll lead OR follow, whichever is needed; I don't know a stranger; I'm not afraid to open a new door or shut an old one; I don't burn any bridges AND always try to finish well. (That's when it's the hardest to maintain integrity.) One last thing: it pays to be obedient, even when sacrifice is involved.

Sometimes I get weary and wish I could put my pen down. I'm tired of putting last-minute touches on chapters . . . I just want to finish the book! I've concluded that as long as I have breath in my lungs, I'm not done. Usually, He brings a word of encouragement or allows me to see His hand on my life. My true significance is jolted and I get my focus back.

I'm still not satisfied with what I've done and know I still need to put my mark on this life. The impression I've made is not deep enough. For those who know anything about sewing, it's like having a pattern that repeatedly needs cutting out. Jesus is at the core of every being; yet there are so many who refuse to look within.

So, should you continue to visit this cite, I warn you: I'll drive you to excellence hoping you will be driven to your knees in humility. I hope you remember some of the words I've penned, yet I never want the enemy to forget the threat you and I are to his schemes. It's my desire that you know the intent of the Almighty God and what He has for you. Your future is amazing!!!

My plan is to keep pushing and prodding, keep wishing and waiting, and yes, keep reeling and writing until you see. Whatever it takes, no matter the cost, in spite of the inconvenience, whether I move on or I stay, I intend on making a difference!

How do you intend to make a difference?

WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE?

by Chrissy Larson

Just when I thought my eyes exhausted all the possibilities, God amazed me.

Over 30 years ago, I spotted love in the gleam of a man's eye. He was young, independent, and blonded by the sun. The love, I noticed, was not directed to me as much as it was lavished on the Lord. This made me love him all the more.

Then his love gave me a son and I was raptured all over again. I felt like a Queen put in charge of a royal prince. The first time I laid my tired eyes on him, he gave me a smile and a coo that took my breath away. He grew to be my best friend; someone in whom love could trust.

Five years later, the look of love took on a feminine side. She eased into my life with a redeeming quality that refreshed my passion and cultivated my wonder. Love looked exciting and mirrored me.

Six years and two lost-loves later, the unexpected look of love whisked me away and captured my heart once again. This time, the neediness was intoxicating. We mutually met on equal terms and my appreciation for him grows every day.

Last, but not least, the Lord had mercy on me and extended His grace in the form of an angel. Her look of love was that of prophecy and promise fulfilled. This kind of love stretched from my past to my future.

But today, love took me by surprise. It's now coupled together with treasures a princess brought to my prince, including the richness of her heritage. Along with the gleam he inherited from his father, and the depths of my eternal gaze, this blended little one emerged with 10 fingers and 10 toes, skin as soft as silk and the face of an angel. Her cry is for the Lord of Hosts and her voice will be heard among the nations, preparing the way for her generation. With her full lips and button nose, she ransacks our hearts and steals a grand new love now awakened.

Today, this is what love looks like.


(Maggie Elizabeth Larson)

There IS a HOPE!

by Matt Malone

1 Corinthians 15:55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

Easter Sunday is a very important Sunday, but why? It's certainly not about bunnies or getting some good ole Easter candy. THE TRUE meaning of Easter is about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Three days earlier, Jesus was beaten and crucified on a cross for the payment of our sins. But since He died, Jesus' disciples thought that all hope was gone, for He was their hope and now He had died. They forgot what He said about Him rising from the dead. When Peter and the other disciple saw the linen cloths lying in that tomb, they believed, and there was a hope again! Now there would always be hope! Praise God!

Ever been scared of death? I know I have. We shouldn't be, should we? Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so will His believers and death has no power over us. Something that God has really been teaching me lately is that He is our all in all; He is our hope and in Him we find eternal life. Since He is all these things, then the world has nothing to offer that is greater than this. He's also been teaching me that even in the worst of times, He is still right there with me, even when it doesn't seem like it. During our trials, that's when we should draw nearer to God. If we do, He will surely reward us and make us stronger in our faith. For He puts us through trials not to harm us, but simply because He loves his children and wants them to learn as they go and succeed in life. The best is yet to come.

So with all this said, my questions are . . .
Who is Jesus to you?
Do you find joy in the resurrection?
What does Easter mean to you?
What matters more to you, Easter or Christmas?

There's really not a right or wrong answer, I just want your personal opinion :-P.
I encourage all of you to read 1 Corinthians 15 (all of it.)