Worship Under the Stars

     Last night my church hosted Worship Under the Stars, a community worship event.  We partnered with several area churches to sing praise and celebrate.

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     We had the best time.  The choir included about 400 people from different churches, and the crowd had about 2,000!  The whole event was held at a local outdoor amphitheater, and I was so encouraged to see (and hear) everyone come together.

From top left: (1) the crowd picnicking before the concert, (2) just before we started, (3) the choir…the part I could see anyway, (4) the amphitheater, (5 & 6) the final song, “Let the Light Shine,” everyone had glowsticks!

     I wish all of you could have been there!  Before the concert there was a picnic, jumpers for the kids, and a petting zoo.  I know it seems redundant, but I was so excited to watch as the Lord worked everything out for us.  We were blessed with no rain and temperatures that were not quite as hot as they could have been (but still pretty warm). 
     Even though I had been going nonstop all day long, I was so glad to spend the last few hours of my night here.  My heart is so full right now!

     One final thought for today that I have really been mulling over (and loving)…

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Happy Easter

     I cannot believe that the first week of April is gone!  This year is flying by much too fast – I’m still writing 2011 on papers.  I hope that you’re all having a wonderful weekend, and that you have something fabulous planned for Easter.  Around here it’s been a lot of cooking and cleaning so far, but I am so looking forward to tomorrow. 
     In the past few days I have seen some really incredible posts about Good Friday, Easter, and faith in general.  Let me just say – this is one of the main reasons I love you sweet bloggers.  Not only are you willing to share your recipes and ideas, but you share your hearts and your faith, and it is really incredible.  I know I posted a few days ago about faith and living the life you have, but I have really grown to feel a sense of camaraderie with those of you who read my blog and whose blogs I read, and I have been so inspired by your willingness to share.  I am by no means posting this because I think I’m some sort of blog-evangelist, but I wanted you all to know that y’all keep me accountable. 
     I visit blogs because they look nice or have a great tutorial that I want to see, but nine times out of ten, I stay because there is a sense of fellowship with the author.  I know that my own blog bounces around from lifestyle to food to crafts, but I am working hard in my own life (which includes this little slice of blogosphere) to be not just a hearer of the Word, but a doer also (James 1:22).  I cannot wait for church tomorrow morning.  Our pastor is speaking on forgiveness, and even now I am feeling convicted about it.  I am anticipating an incredible time of worship tomorrow, and I hope that each of you will have that as well. 
     I am sure that next week will be full of wonderful Easter recipes and dress photos, but I also know that many of you will be sharing what the Lord is doing in your lives, and I cannot wait to read about it.  

                                       Christ is Risen–Matt Maher

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And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.  Mark 11:25

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  Luke 24:46-47

Allyson 

This Morning

1 Corinthians 15
The Resurrection of Christ

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ¹¹ Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 

 

     This was the basis of our service this morning – “The God Who Dies – And Lives Again.”  I feel so blessed to have been able to be a part of the congregation this morning.  Some days are just overwhelming like that.  Once the audio of the sermon is online, I am going to link to it.  Here is the audio for the rest of the series.  I hope your day was just as wonderful as mine was.