colour my world/a Lenten musing

The first three photos were taken in summer of 2011 (I think) at my family's home in Illinois. Currently,  I miss colour. The world is white and brown, which is beautiful of course, since we all know I adore snow. But February is nearing its end now; I find myself longing to see green buds on the trees and hear birds singing in those trees. We have another snowstorm coming; exciting as always. But as I page through my Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog and pick what I will grow this year, I wish I could open the windows and feel a warm breeze. Spring breezes have a certain scent to them. I don't mean the ones that smell of manure and farms! I mean the other ones, those that smell warm.

Lent is also upon us. We sang the hymn in that last picture both on Ash Wednesday and last Sunday. When Lent comes so early, it's a bit of a shock; we think of Easter as being in the springtime. And it will be -- it comes on the last day of March. Easter, that is. So perhaps Lent being so early isn't a bad thing. As winter holds on and spring struggles to break through, we can be reminded of our Lord and Savior's struggle with Satan and death and how He won, just like spring overcomes winter each and every year.

Yes, I love winter. I kind of hate summer. Autumn is awesome. But spring is a good time to be contemplative, and that's something I look forward to as the weather warms up.

newness and renewal

I like spring.

I know we celebrated Easter a few weeks ago, but during the month of May I think about Easter everyday.
Looking outside, I see trees that are covered in blossoms.
The tulip bulbs that I planted last fall have grown and transformed into gorgeous royal purple flowers.
Of the herbs I recently planted, my cress has started growing, and fast.
And the dandelions are going to seed all over the place.

Springtime is a time of newness and renewal, which is why it's a perfect time for us to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord.

(Photos taken with Hipstamatic and/or Instagram.)


John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (NIV)

Sound and Silence

Greetings from Lake Michigan! It is 62 degrees and sunny; a simply gorgeous day.

Yes, I know. It has been spring for nearly a month now. But who's counting? Spring in Wisconsin in almost nonexistent. Nothing but winter, winter, winter, mud, then -- BAM -- it's summer.

That's not the point of this, however.

Have you ever noticed how the world is so much quieter in the wintertime? There is a silence that blankets everything, like the snow that blankets the grass, trees, and houses. The wind does not sweep through the trees with the same sound; there are no leaves. There are no birds singing; they spend winter in warmer climes. There is even a silence where you expect to hear the bugs and insects.
In the winter, though the white snow is one of the most beautiful sights, the world is dead.

And then in the spring we see the grass once more, though it may be brown and lifeless for a short time. But suddenly the world awakens! You can blink and the green appears. Birds sing once more, leaves bud on the trees that no longer look barren and haunted. No longer is the world silent.

What a perfect picture of resurrection! It is no wonder that we celebrate Easter in the springtime. Just as the world dies in the autumn and appears lifeless all winter, Jesus Christ died on the cross on that first Good Friday and was dead in the tomb for three days.
Just as the world awakens to new life each spring, Jesus Christ rose from the tomb, fully alive, on that first Easter morning.

Cherish the changing of the seasons, just as God cherished His fallen creation enough to send His only Son to die a horrible death and rise again that we might receive eternal life with Him.