An invitation to life!

"Come, have breakfast."

John 21:12

I have loved this scripture for a long time...because it is so much more than just an invitation to a morning BBQ! It is many things. It is the third time the Risen Jesus appears to his apostles. It is an invitation for us to share a meal with Jesus. It is an invitation for us to share our lives with Jesus, knowing that he will always provide the nourishment we need to live in this world. Jesus demonstrates many times that he relates physical nourishment with spiritual nourishment throughout scripture. He physically feeds the five thousand and he feeds the spirits of the two on the road to Emmaus, by reciting scripture. Jesus feeds us spiritually and physically, giving us everything we need to live and thrive as we spin around on this planet. So, these three little words, one comma and one period, are all the invitation we need to live a life in Jesus. Isn't that incredible? Love, heidi

Burning hearts...

"Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?"

Luke 24:32

That's one way to describe it! Burning hearts. The way you feel when you KNOW Jesus is beside you. It is hard to describe, but "burning hearts" comes pretty close. I would also suggest a gentle peace, too, as a sign that Jesus is in our midst. You know how you are spinning your wheels, trying to get something done, figure something out, or make something happen, and suddenly you just relax, sit back and just feel a sense of calm? That is Jesus, too. And also when you have an unmistakable feeling of wonder...like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon or looking into a newborn baby's eyes, or taking the hand of someone you love...that's Jesus, too. The number of experiences of Jesus is infinite, Friends,  because Jesus is so much a part of our days and lives. Jesus is with us always, not just at Easter! Stay awake for the burning hearts, the senses of calm and wonder, the quiet of a few minutes on your own. And be with Jesus. Love, heidi

To give us peace...

"His greeting, 'Peace be with you,' is more than a social salutation, it is an absolution for the disciples' sin of desertion, a gentle pardon of their failure to love boldly."

Fr. Ed Hays, "The Pilgrimage Way of the Cross"

Imagine the disciples that first Easter night, huddled in fear and hopelessness. Jesus was dead and buried and they had really failed him in their scattering at his arrest. What to do now? And then Jesus appears and says, "Peace be with you!" Incredible, isn't it? I love the way Fr. Ed phrases this too...it was not just a greeting--it was an absolution. And they needed an absolution in the worst way. They could do nothing in their state of despair. Their feelings of failure and regret paralyzed them and they were stuck in the upper room, immobile. Jesus, knowing this, absolves them and gives them the breath of the Holy Spirit that very visit. Jesus knew right where they were and gave them what they needed. And, Jesus knows where we are too. While working yesterday, I was filled with harsh judgments about the place where this fellow lived, and him, too, for that matter. The judgments made me giggle to myself. Then, suddenly, I realized what I was doing. I felt a gentle nudge as I listened to a playback of the judgments in my own head. "Forgive me, Lord" I recognized. "I sound horrible, even if just to myself." I felt the gentle pardon. "It's OK; you recognized it; peace be with you." The Risen Jesus is alive and well in our world...in our homes...in my car. And Jesus wants to give us peace. Love, heidi

Alleluia!

"Whether the day is stormy or fair, whether I am sick or healthy, whether I feel like a dirt ball or a butterfly, whatever comes cannot alter the fact that the Lord has risen."

Brennan Manning, "Reflections for Ragamuffins"

Early yesterday morning, I drove to Twin Falls to meet up with daughter Sam and son Blaine to celebrate Easter. On the play-list were praise and worship tunes, and I sang my heart out the whole way to Twin. I even got teary on some songs, just realizing the joy of it all! Jesus Christ is so real and so true and so RISEN! Then, on reading this today, I realized that the joy I experienced in the car is Easter joy that can never be taken away from me. No matter what happens in my life, this joy is as real as the Risen Jesus and just as eternal. I loved seeing the kids and had a wonderful day, and down deep, I reveled in the Easter-ness of it all, the risen-ness of Jesus and the realness of Jesus in my life. And that is about as beautiful as can be... Alleluia! Love, heidi