Resurrection Sunday

Today we had 101 in worship. It was a great morning of praise and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I had my handy dandy recorder in my pocket, but forgot to turn it on, so I can't post today's sermon. We were able to welcome a couple from West Virginia who arrived last night, and also Floyd from Florence, AL who has been here all week. We said goobye to Esther, who has been such a beautiful blessing to us all. We are also saying goobye to Jim and Sandy from California. They have been here six weeks and have such a beautiful spirit of service. They are a part of the Sierra Pines Church of God just south of Fresno. This church has been a big blessing to our work here, and they continue to send servants and be involved in our work. They will be heading home tomorrow (Monday) morning and we pray for their safe journey. Both of them spoke for a few moments this morning and encouraged the church to keep up the great work. I would tell you the name of their dog, but all I can remember right now is that it starts with the letter "G". Sorry, pup! Just a little more about Esther, shown here with Texan Jon Henson. Esther is from Israel. It is possible I've already told you all of this before, but here goes again! Eshter came here to help serve elderly people who were storm victims. Her home in Israel was destroyed during the Gulf War, so she knows what it's like to lose your possessions. She is quite a special spirit, and I have grown used to seeing her each day and talking with her. Esther learned to speak English attending lectures at the Edgar Cayce Institute in Virginia, where her home is now that she has come to America. Esther is Jewish by nationality, not religion. I think she is pretty open to most any religion, if I understand her correctly. She is a true servant, though, and only wants to help. God has gathered the most interesting people in this place. I feel so blessed to have met them. I call them 'characters', because that is what they are. (That's not a negative characterization, by the way!) Speaking of characters, my mother called me about the comment in the last post. She was going to leave a comment, but couldn't figure out how. We laughed about it. Little did she know that I would report on this event. Anyhow, I'm glad she is not just my mother but my friend. We have many readers from many different fellowships and places. If you are reading on this Resurrection Sunday afternoon, why not share with us a bit about your worship time this morning and how your church recognized the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead? We sang songs about the Gospel message. Songs like He Lives, Above All, The Old Rugged Cross, Ten Thousand Angels, Up From The Grave He Arose, And Can It Be, and Why Did My Savior Come To Earth? were ringing in our place of worship. I spoke about the empty tomb (and quoted John Alan Turner's thought for today), then I talked about the empty lives that we lead when we are not following Christ and how Jesus wants to give us a full life. I quoted four passages from Ephesians that use the term "Filled" or "Full" to show that we have a full life in connection with the church, the love of God, the unity of all believers, and the strength that comes from God to be this kind of person. I'd like to hear about your Resurrection Sunday services.