The Meaning of Easter

Hi boys.

Tomorrow is Easter! I know how much you both look forward to this Springtime holiday. You can thank your mother for that, because she works hard each year to make it a special day for you. She dies eggs with you. She hides eggs for you. She makes you each a basket full of candy. She is one of the very best mothers that there ever was, and you are lucky boys that she is your mother. Enjoy the day.

But, we know that there is more to this day than eggs and bunnies. We, as Christians, know that Easter is about our Father - God - and his only begotten Son - Jesus - who defeated death on that Easter long ago. Easter is a day that we remember the resurrection. That special moment in history when God became man, died for our sins, and then came back to life and defeated sin and death. It's quite a remarkable story!

Not everyone you know believes that story. A lot of people on Earth believe it is false. Made up. A myth.

I want you to know that I believe it. Your mother believes it. Your grandmothers and grandfathers believe it. Your uncles and aunts believe it. And we are not uneducated people who believe in things that are not true.

Enjoy the day. The eggs. The candy. The bunny is the made up thing that we have fun with.

The resurrection of Jesus on Easter is the truth. And people the world over will celebrate that with you tomorrow.

I love you both.

Dad.

Encounters with God

Hi boys.

Wow. What a year we have had as a family! Who knew what was in store for us this last year?

We had good times together that I will always remember. Like the good day that we had together on Valentines Day in the picture above.

Or the nights that I got to go individually with each of you for some "Dad time".

Like to the Rivermen game:

or to the Rock and Worship Roadshow concert with Matt Maher:

Those are great memories. Let's hold on to these great memories when we have difficult times as a family. And we certainly had tough times to get through this year as a family. But, we made it through them and I won't dwell on them.

One special thing about our family that I am remembering today is the we each - all four of us, individually, had our times to have an encounter with God.

Mom started us off by going to an "Encounter" weekend at church. A whole weekend of learning, singing, praying, and spending time refreshing her experience with God. You know that she was blessed by that weekend, and encouraged us to go.

And I went to my own "Encounter" weekend and had a similar experience. Touched again by God's grace.

And then each of you in your turn. Having your own weekend to get blessed and to learn about God's love for you.

Your mother and I want all the best for you in your lives. Always remember what you learned in these encounters with God. Stay with God your whole life, and you will be blessed for it. We believe that, and want that for you.

Love you both.

Dad.