United for Easter

This post title has a double meaning:
1...Robert and I were blessed to be able to go see the Steven Curtis Chapman/Michael W. Smith "United" tour on Saturday in Long Beach. It was an amazing show, needless to say. It was the first time seeing Steven in concert since he lost his daughter, Maria, last May. I know I spent pretty much Steven's entire set list in tears. I won't speak for Robert, but let's just say I did hear a sniffle or two come from his direction.:o) Steven is one amazing man of God and I just can't put into words how moving it was to see him up there praising God after going through such a trial. He was so open and honest about how he and his family have been struggling and how they had to decide if they really believed what he had been singing about for so many years. Believe me...they do! It was a blessed night.
2...and even more importantly, Robert and I celebrated our 12th anniversary being "united" in marriage on Easter Sunday! It was kind of neat that our anniversary fell on Easter this year. We went to church in the morning and heard a great message about why we believe what we believe is true. The Christian faith means nothing without the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We learned about the 3 witnesses, Mary, Peter and John, who saw that He was no longer in the tomb. We learned about the hundreds of witnesses who saw and touched Him after He rose from the dead. And we learned how blessed we are because we believe, even though we have not seen.

'I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come." Ephesians 1:18-21

After the service we came home to get ready for a luncheon with the family. (First though, Robert had a brief meeting with a couple who is getting married this Friday who's wedding he is shooting. Whoohoo!) We had a great time with them and some wonderful food too. Lily had a blast coloring eggs and searching for them later. Here are some pictures of our day.

Lily and Auntie Ellen coloring and decorating eggs.

The most beautiful eggs I've ever seen!

Lily hunting for eggs. We hid plastic ones though. I didn't want to risk a real one getting left out in the yard...peeeyew!

An adorable picture of Lily by our hydreangea bush.

Showing off her prize.

There were eggs hidden in the cala lillies too.

Another find...so proud!

After the hunting was over, of course she wanted to find out what was inside. So exciting!

Of course there was some candy...

And what good would it be if she didn't get to eat some!?!?

She also got some fun Curious George stamps. Her favortie cartoon and one of her favorite things to do...stamp with mommy!

The raspberry lemon cake I made for dessert. It was more raspberry than lemon, but it was very yummy!

Lily and Nai Nai.

Home Again and All is Well

First of all, I had an amazing time in Salt Lake City! I didn't get to see much of it...the convention kept us pretty busy. The lake looked really nice from the airplane though! We had so much fun and got lots of new stuff. We got to make several projects (I'll post pictures soon), buy lots of stuff at the Momento Mall (that's where they sell convention memorabilia) and got tons of new ideas. I'm having my New Catalog Open House this Saturday and can hardly wait! But more importantly, Lily did incredibly well while I was gone. God must have really prepared her heart for my being gone. Almost always she cries in the morning if I'm not the one to get her up...even daddy won't do. But she didn't do that while I was gone. She was happy to see her Nai Nai and from what I've heard, they had a pretty great time together. I am so thankful for that. Thank you Nai Nai! It made the trip so much more enjoyable knowing that she was doing so well.

On another note, Robert is having his gallbladder surgery tomorrow at noon. If it comes to mind, please pray for everything to go smoothly and for a quick recovery. We leave for Oregon a week from tomorrow, and I just want him to be comfortable so he can enjoy the trip. The doctor said he should be fine to go...a little uncomfortable and it probably won't be a good idea for him to drive. That's fine as my mom is going too, so she and I can take turns driving. I just pray the surgery and recovery go smoothly and that he won't be in a lot of pain.

And on one more note, for those of you who may be interested in following up with Steven Curtis Chapman and his family after the loss of Maria, they are scheduled to be on Good Morning America this Wednesday, 8/6, on Larry King Live Thursday, 8/7 and they have an "extensive feature" in People Magazine scheduled to be on shelves 8/15. I pray God will be glorified as they proclaim their faith in and love for Him, even as they walk through this valley. They know Gods' promises are true and He has promised never to leave or forsake us, and that all things work together for good...for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. I pray many will seek Him after hearing what the Chapmans have to say.

Saying Goodbye to Maria

I've been in kind of a funk for the last week...haven't felt much like blogging. I know all too well the pain the Chapmans are going through. No, I have never lost a child, but I know what it's like to feel like your world has ended as the bigger world out there continues on. You wonder how...don't they know what has happened? How can they keep going when everything you know has stopped? We are so small, but God is so big. Thank you Lord. I found this video someone put together on YouTube...a wonderful tribute to a precious little girl.

"Each gift from God is only yours and mine...for a time.
So we laugh, and we cry,
And the hardest part of life is letting go
To trust the One we know for sure.
We'll place you in the Father's hands,
The only One who'll ever love you more.
He'll hold us safely in His hands
'Cause no one else will ever love us more."
From the song "Heartstrings" on the CD titled "The Mercy Project"
Written by Jeff Borders, Gayla Borders, Grant Cunningham and Wendy Williams

With Hope

This song was written by Steven Curtis Chapman after a very good friend of their family lost their daughter in a tragic car accident. It's a beautiful song and goes along with the scripture I quoted in my previous post. As believers in Christ, we do have the hope that we will see the faces of the ones we've lost again one day.

This is not at all

How we thought it was supposed to be

We had so many plans for you

We had so many dreams

And now you've gone away

And left us with the memories of your smile

And nothing we can say

And nothing we can do

Can take away the pain

The pain of losing you

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end

We can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

There's a place where we'll see your face again

Never have I known

Anything so hard to understand

Never have I questioned more

The wisdom of God's plan

But through the cloud of tears

I see the Father smile and say "well done"

And I imagine you

Where you wanted most to be

Seeing all your dreams come true

'Cause now you're home and now you're free

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end

We can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We have this hope as an anchor

'Cause we believe that everything

God promised us is true

So we can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end

We can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

There's a place

By God's grace

There's a place where we'll see your face again

Our Hearts are Broken

(Left to right Will Franklin, Maria, Steven, Shaoey, Mary Beth, Stevey Joy, Caleb and Emily)

It is because of God's work through Steven Curtis Chapman, and even more so, his oldest daughter Emily, that we have Lily home with us today. Please join us in lifting this family up to the God of all comfort.

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

NASHVILLE - The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said. The girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway on the family residence Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. McPherson said no charges are expected.
"It looks like a tragic accident," she said. She said several members of the Chapman family witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville. The brother apparently did not see the little girl, McPherson said. She did not have the name or exact age of the brother, only that he is an older teenager. The girl died later at Vanderbilt Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said. Chapman, originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria. Chapman has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association. The singer's Web site said that Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, were persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption. The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the Web site. "After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing - our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web site. "We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world." ' Chapman also has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess."