That Thing I Do Now - Vol 90

Happy Easter Weekend, sweet friends!

Life is busy - especially on a holiday weekend, so I will keep this short (ish... because you know how I am!)  

More than anything else, I just want you to know how I appreciate you and am praying for you! May this Easter open your eyes and pull your heart even closer to our God... may His love - His ridiculous, radical, passionate love for you - overwhelm you in all the best ways!

Featured today are posts by Michelle DeRusha, Susan Shipe, Glennon Melton, Emily Freeman, Jen Schmidt, a post from right here... and - of course - a video to wrap it all up! 

Happy Reading! 
(Ya'll know to click on the authors' names below to read the entire post, yes?)

* This post by Michelle DeRusha with The Bittersweet Truth of Palm Sunday...

"I’m learning, though, I really am…albeit slowly. I’m learning the faith and trust to keep shouting, “Hosanna!” — “God, save me!” — even when his plan doesn’t seem to remotely resemble mine. Even when I don’t see his plan at all. I’m learning the faith and trust to keep waving my palm branch, even as my arm grows tired. I’m learning the faith and trust to keep laying my garments down in the road, even when I can’t see the way through the dust and the grit.

Maybe it’s because I have the benefit of hindsight. Maybe it’s because I can look back at the mountains and valleys and the twists and turns of my life up to this point and see with my own eyes how God has worked his good, often in the most unexpected, unanticipated ways. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen evidence, strong and clear, of the goodness of the Lord, not only in the land of the living, but in my very own land and my very own life."

* This one by Susan Shipe over at Hope, Heart, Home with A Malchus Moment...
"Something happens to me every single year during Holy Week.  I become quiet, pensive, and reflective. I read those last chapters of The Gospels. I ponder and pray John 17.

And, without fail, I remember Malchus. You know the one hot-headed Peter sliced his ear off in the Garden. He was a soldier in the troop who came to arrest Jesus.

Remember him?" 



* This post from Glennon Melton over at Momastery with The Most Honest, Beautiful, Important Question I Have Ever Heard Anyone Ask... 
Then half way through our quiet minute: my big-eyed friend motioned to me in a way that said: can you come here? But can you not make a big deal about? So I went over to Ryan but I didn’t make a big deal about it. I just casually sat down next to him and kept facing forward so he could take his time telling me whatever he needed to tell me.

Finally, he tapped me on the shoulder and I leaned down close. He looked around the big sanctuary and he said:

“Excuse me. Is God coming?”

Then Ryan looked around again, like he was expecting God to show up here like Ronald shows up occasionally at McDonalds. And I just stared at this little man who had just asked me the question that every single human being who has ever looked around a fancy sanctuary or a busted up family or a hurting friendship or a shocking diagnosis or a messy world is thinking:

“Excuse Me. Is God Coming?”



* This post by Emily Freeman over at Chatting at the Sky with Let’s Share What We Learned in March... 
"It’s the end of another month and time to share what we’ve learned. If you’re new around here, this is a regular practice we engage in together, as we are learning the value of looking back before moving forward. We’re all at different spots on the journey, and these end of the month posts are a way to reflect, share, and celebrate on purpose – the fascinating, ridiculous, sacred and small." (This is such a fun link up, y'all! It's my favorite monthly gathering... check out her list and then read some of the other lessons learned!)



* This post from Jen Schmidt over at GraceTable on EASY WAYS TO ENJOY SPONTANEOUS HOSPITALITY...
"Our home is a place where everyone is welcome, yet I don’t wait until I’m ready to swing those doors wide open because otherwise, it would never happen.

On a daily basis, our family celebrates both the beauty and bedlam of everyday life, and a large majority of those celebrations center around the kitchen and some great food.

It’s in the kitchen and around the table where the warmth of shared memories, laughter and life create a recipe that spans generations.

When you take the risk to open your heart and home, don’t you want to actually enjoy the time with your guests? We are all at different life stages, with varying schedules and budgets, so if a beautifully presented atmosphere is your love language, then use those gifts and go all out, but for the rest of you, know that simplicity with one’s decor and menu are always welcome friends.

Remember, small is the new big and stress-free, practical hospitality is our new mantra."


* This one from right HERE with Letting Go of Lent, and Leaning in to this Brand New Life - aka Easter, and Carrying the Cross......
"This week, as I am reading through the Gospels slowly, I beg the Spirit to let me read about Easter with fresh eyes. He whispers to me to pay attention to the leaning in. It's then that my eyes fall on Simon of Cyrene and it's just a verse or two, but oh my goodness, how this man Leaned In!

I think it's funny that he is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but John the Beloved leaves him out. Maybe he wasn't there for that... or maybe he, always the one leaning on Jesus' breast, just so wishes it could have been him...

I'm a storyteller (or so I've been told) and this thought is what is capturing my heart, catching my breath, and calling me closer:  
I wonder what Simon caught glimpse of, as he leaned in, bowed down, and took up the Cross with Jesus. I wonder what words of wisdom or words of grace that Jesus may have poured into Simon, as He was pouring out for us?"

Lastly, we close This Thing up with a video each week, and sometimes it may be a worship song, or a funny, (or Jimmy Fallon! What?) but we like to end our time together here with a little something uplifting. Enjoy this... one of my favorite "Easter" songs...

                                        

Have a blessed Easter weekend, my friends!