God is good even when you are not looking for him. This has been the case this April with my family. Everyone has been busy seeking other things. And still, God is there with us. 

I don't know about you, but I love the story of Easter. We celebrated at Christ. There were songs, prayers, poetry, testimonies, and His presence. God himself intervened in human history, humiliating himself by taking the form of a helpless infant, living a life in perfect conformity with his moral law, and dying an excruciating and shameful death on the Cross.I know that some consider this a vile doctrine, that what God allows to happen to Jesus makes him a moral monster. They fail to grasp the importance of the understanding that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. It is in that way that God himself pays the price for restoring humanity.

Or, as the Apostle John more poetically puts it: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

There is beauty in the ashes of humanity, and to believe is to take part in that beauty.

What were the members of my family seeking? Let's begin with Jordan. I think he was seeking glory. The child was playing soccer at the elementary school and he broke his arm. He was the goalie in a game. He was reaching up to catch the ball and he hit his arm on the goal post! He was in quite a bit of pain for a few days. We did manage to get him to the doctor, and the doctor put him in a cast. He was mopey for a day or two. He then realized that he could read all the web-toons he wanted, and now sits in front of screens whenever he has the chance! 

Aidan and Justin have finished midterms, and I think all mothers breathe a sign of relief when it is over. I know I did. Aidan was seeking high grades, and he did his best! He got 100% in quite a few subjects, which he was very proud of. He has three scores that were in the 90s. The lowest score was a class called ethics. Unfortunately, he does not feel like an ethical person since it was his lowest.

I just want to say that this was the quietest it has ever been for Justin and his midterms. He has been studying diligently at school four days of the week, and working two days a week. I am not sure if he has high scores, but it has been nice to not be consumed with worry about this child.

Justin has been seeking good meals. He has been ordering food from different places when he comes home from work on Friday and Saturday. Last Saturday, he ordered poutine from a small eatery called 'Two Hands Burger'. Well, he was in love with it! He ordered frozen french fries and gravy mix online. Apparently, I am supposed to melt cheese when Justin is making gravy. This was never something that I particularly enjoyed, but I love that poutine is a Canadian thing. 

I am going to end with a story about Aidan. He gave me an early Mother's Day gift on Friday. It was a foldable cut-out of delicate flowers. I kind of gasped when I saw it. There was a lovely, lovely note expressing his appreciation for his mother!

I appreciate all of these boys, and I thank God for them. Even when they are seeking other things, they are still a blessing! 

It is good Friday here in South Korea. This is the day Jesus was betrayed. He was betrayed and crucified. The world changes on Sunday. He rises. 

He rises and the world changes.

I imagine myself there sometimes looking at him the way Mary Magdalene did. I watch in horror as he dies before my eyes. 

I also imagine myself looking back on past Easters. I remember what the boys were doing. 

Last year, everyone was in lockdown. All celebrations were on-line. I remember that my eldest, Justin, preached on Genesis and was delighted with the results of his own work. 

I also remember Easter egg hunts and Easter cookies. Aidan and Jordan both had squeals of delight when they realized that there were chocolate eggs all over the house. 

But this is for Easter Sunday. 

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And now it is Saturday of Holy Week. A time when the church keeps its silence. 

Jesus' body is in the tomb. All is quiet. Solemn.

Churches light candles on this day, encouraging reflection and contemplation.

I am thinking and reflecting amidst the busyness of Saturday after a sleepover and company from Seoul. 

I am thinking about how less than reflective I have been for Lent. 

I repent. Once again, God forgives me for not doing enough.

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We are just so blessed that God cares so much about us that he is pleased with the smallest turning towards him.

I am just so blessed that God cares for me.

You are blessed that God cares for you. 

He touches us, transforms us in this moment before Easter Sunday. We are ready to celebrate.

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And this community is what we should keep in mind.

Churches around the world celebrate Easter Sunday.

We are all family because we believe.

We are united because we believe. 

We are changed because we believe. 

​I believe and I am in awe all over again.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:23 ESV

He has Risen and spring is in bloom. We celebrated Easter Sunday in April and for the first time, I truly understood the beauty of "God is for us". God calls us to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. We come to a realization of our own depravity, our sin. We turn from that depravity to God. We repent and come to faith. The celebration at Easter is more profound then at Christmas. At Christmas, we understand that "God is with us". At Easter, we know that He loves us through the death and resurrection of Christ.

And through the resurrection of Christ and his love, we are aware of how all things grow. I am focusing on the fruit of the Spirit in this post as the boys are growing in these areas in different ways.

Jordan has had some amazing movements into love, joy, and peace.

He is a beautifully emotional boy who cries easily when he does something wrong. Perhaps it is his age, but I see him full of love for his family. Every Sunday night he thanks God for his family and has at least one story about a sweet or great food that he enjoyed over the week.

He expresses his love for family and his delight and joy in friends, food, and family relationships. He smiles delightfully when he talks about his seatmate at school. I still receive sweet expressions of love every evening and morning from this dear child.

He is learning peace. We spend quite a bit of time learning Bible verses from Sunday School during the week. He does this with great enthusiasm most of the time. 

(Jordan being delightfully mischievous!)


Aidan has been working on patience, kindness, and goodness.

This child has an unending amount of patience. He endures teasing from his older brother, and encourages his younger brother to try things when scared.

His endurance for kindness can be seen in his aptitude for service. He enjoys helping around the house. This past Saturday, he did one of Justin's chores. He took out the wet garbage and washed the pail. He returned it to the kitchen perfectly clean and proceeded to show me.

​He also continues to work on goodness through the memorization of Bible verses. This seems to come easily to him and has resulted in fewer emotional outbursts. 

Justin has started high school; he is learning faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

This is the child who had incredible hills and valleys of learning in middle and elementary school. He seems to be getting a grip on faithfulness. He is starting to understand commitment and what Eugene Peterson coined as 'a long obedience in the same direction'.

Faithfulness is becoming a habit! He is learning to breakdown his learning into manageable chunks that are done little by little over a long period of time. He will say, "I am angry" when something happens that he doesn't like, but he does this in his gentle and funny ways. 

Self control is an thing that many adults still aspire to. A little over a month ago, Justin expressed to me that he wanted to be like Aquaman. He wants that actor's build and particularly the long hair. "I am going to get a flat stomach Mom! Then, I am going to work on a six-pack!" Well, he has the flat stomach, and is working on the six-pack.

The fruits of the spirit are about growing in Christ, and they reflect growth in personality. I'm excited to see what will happen with their lives as they grow into who they are in Christ. 

The fruit of the spirit are about growing in Christ, and they reflect growth in personality. I'm excited to see what will happen with their lives as they grow into who they are in Christ. 

We all grow in the fruit of the Spirit. We are saved by God and then we grow into who he calls us to be, but we all grow into love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Which of these virtues are you contemplating lately? 

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Just one more shot that happened this morning! Too good not to post!

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 
​

The cherry blossoms were out in all their spring glory less than two weeks ago!  We were all went outside and enjoyed the glorious weather and walked along the path beside the river underneath the cherry blossom trees!

Did you see the eggs?  The kids had a great time at church Easter egg hunting and I had a fabulous time watching it all.  Jordan thought this was a blast and Aidan was sorry he missed it!  He was in Mongolia with his Daddy having a good time as you can see in the following shots...

We will end this pictoral essay on April with a few shots of Justin who wins on making smart comments this month.  Yesterday I asked where he had been because he didn't come home until close to 6 pm.  He answered, "Teenage boys need snacks!  Need snacks very much!  I went with other teenage boys to eat noodles! Teenage boys need snacks!"

​What a kid!