I hope you all had a blessed and joyous Easter yesterday! I know I did!!

I will actually end with how my Easter started but I had the honor of greeting at two of our church services yesterday and I know this may sound strange but I loved it! To set the scene, I attend a downtown church in Peoria that when you are greeting at the outside doors like I was you are facing out to the street and parking lots.

So this was the scene I was fortunate enough to see twice yesterday: Families coming out of their cars after parking, all dressed up a little extra special (heck, even I wore a tie to church!), the little kids in their bright, new outfits (the little girls with big smiles on their faces, the little boys wondering why their parents made them dress up and not even knowing that they will have to pose for several pictures before they are freed from their dressy wares).

It was a perfect spring morning in Central Illinois. I mean, I don’t know if it could have been better. We have had a colder and snowier winter than normal so people just had a little extra pep-in-their-step as they made their way from the parking lots to the church in the warm sun.

After church Laura and I (honestly Laura did most of the work) made the final preparations before the family was to arrive. We had 23 family members over for a delicious meal, games, hanging out, and an Easter egg hunt that covered most of our seven acre yard (we make the kids earn that candy!)

My older brother was smart enough to remember to have us take a four-generation picture when Grandpa showed up.

All-in-all this was one of those Easter’s that our family will be talking about 20 years from now. I am so thankful.

Now, back to the first thing that happened yesterday. With our work schedules in the morning, Laura and I seldom are doing our morning devotionals at the same time. But, yesterday it just worked out that way. We closed with a 3-minute video I had heard about on the “World and Everything In it” podcast from Good Friday. This was how we got our Easter morning going–by remembering that yes, we were going to have a great day and all–but the REAL reason we were celebrating was that 2000 years ago Jesus was raised from the dead! He died for our sins and then conquered death! That is a reason to celebrate!

So, to get your day going today–it is Monday I know–check out this short Tony Campolo video titled, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!”

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=FCCCECNU

Enjoy!

More to come,
Jeremy