looking up

It's late here in the bungalow and the wind is howling outside.
The wind chimes are merrily clanging away and the rain is pelting on the window.
I generally take the weekends off from posting but so much has been going on in my life that it seems senseless to keep it bottled up when I have a perfectly good place to put thought to pen.

Yesterday I began answering the phone with ..
"good morning .. paska helpline".
I wasn't wrong once.

The funniest story of the day was the call that came in late morning.. .
. . we will call her paska caller number 3 . . .
she was giggling as she wondered if a half brick . .as in a half pound of butter might be a problem as the recipe called for a half cup.
Such an easy mistake. . .I'm made a few doozies myself.


I said .. ."have you mixed in your flour yet?"
She said .. ."it's already in the bowl rising".
I said. . ."then let her rise and we'll see. It might be a bit heavy."
I told her to let me know and I went to my cupboard and pulled out the kitchen aid and the blender and we I began to make paska.

At around three in the afternoon the phone rang again and paska caller number three was calling to say she had lovely bricks on her counter ready to take to her family gathering.
I said. . ."come and get some"
She said "no. . .I'll make an angel food cake"
We rang off and within minutes. .
Paska caller number three called back to say her husband was on his way over.

Next year. . .
I will hold a one day symposium for the group. . .I affectionately call the brick bakers.
I love it that they try and I'm absolutely certain all that is needed is a show and tell with paska tasting at the end of it all.


Later in the afternoon we went to our Good Friday Service at church.
It was designed to be a self serve walk about with stations set up for each part of the Crucifixion Story.
We started in the main meeting room where a worship team was leading us in songs that stilled our hearts and brought us to the place where our focus was on Christ and the sacrifice he made for us.
We read Bible passages that related to the events surrounding the Friday that Jesus died for us.
Those of us that claim Christ as our Lord and Saviour took part in the last supper.

The rest of the time we could wander through the different displays set up to allow us the feel a little part of what it must have been like to be there ..
a part of the crowd.

I stood looking up at the cross where my sins were forgiven and I wondered again at the God who loves the world this much.
Jesus said "it is finished" just before he died.
and I believe him.

As we quietly left to come home .. .
I looked up at the stormy dark skies . .
lifting my face to the heavens and thanked Jesus again for what he did for me ..
for everyone who believes.

Is there anything more wonderful that complete peace in your soul?

There isn't for me.


So ..
now it is 1:30 am on Saturday morning and the storm outside is still raging . .
but inside here in the bungalow ..
there is peace.

Roughly quoting Tony Compollo . . ."Friday is past . .
and Sunday is coming".

My thoughts are already turning to the risen saviour.

All for now . .