A Hodgepodge Full of Grace

It has been a BEAUTIFUL week here in the "holler".

The dogwoods and redbuds have nearly reached their peak...

...as wildflowers of all denominations are waking up from their long winter's nap.

 

The skies have been amazingly blue as the creek burbles over rocks and branches.

I am still pinching myself, if you know what I mean. 😉

 ~
But it is Wednesday and time for the Hodgepodge!

So click on the link below to take you on over to Joyce's blog.

You know the drill...come join the fun!

🌸 CLICK HERE 🌸

1. How will you celebrate Easter this year?

We were all just discussing this yesterday. The weather here has been lovely but little pockets of cool and rainy days are still in the mix and according to the forecast it could be rainy and in the 60s so an Easter Morning Sunrise gathering is quite unlikely. So after taking part in our morning worship services online, it could be Cracker Barrel Easter Dinner take-out (which I hear is really good) and Adam mentioned something about possibly smoking a pork butt. The kiddos are past the days of colored eggs (which makes me kinda sad) but no matter what, we'll all be together...most likely just hangin' out on their back porch. No matter what we decide to eat, it will be day of just being with family and rejoicing that we serve a RISEN LORD!

2. Is it easier for you to receive grace offered or extend grace to another? Explain.

It has always been easier for me to be the extender of grace rather than the receiver, I can't even explain it...even when I know that according to God's word, He extends His unrelenting grace and unmerited favor to all of us. It's hard to understand the whys and the hows of it all... I can be so hard on myself at times. Anyone in my corner? 

Maybe it's that confidence thing...but there's one thing I'm very sure of and that is...
3. Do you say grace before meals?  Ouch, Joyce!! I would be lying if I answered 'always' to this question. I am sad to say that the answer is not always and not often enough...not gonna lie. If so do you have a standard dinnertime grace or is it more 'off the cuff'? Off the cuff, I'd say. Do you say grace when dining out? It actually blesses my heart to be a part of or even witness couples or groups of people say grace at a restaurant. There is no good reason not to do this so I will not even try to make excuses for myself when I forget. Do you have a favorite grace? My favorite grace is not memorized, but one that just plain and simply comes from the heart...unlike the little poem-like grace we used to recite at the table when I was a little girl...."God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him for this food... By His hands we are fed, Give us Lord, our daily bread.....AMEN!!! Any special memory associated with 'saying grace'? Oh yes....and we still tease Adam about it every chance we get. He was probably about eight and he always rose to the occasion to pray at mealtime. You'd have thought he was a long-winded preacher! He would bless everyone sitting around the table, all of his family present or not present and those unaccounted for, his Sunday School teachers and the pastor and everyone at church...I can't even begin to name them all. So it was around 1990-91 and the prayers that we remember most were when he always ended up blessing everyone over in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War as well! The food? Well, when (or if) he remembered to bless the food, he would name each entree one by one...but he usually forgot to mention the the food entirely! Needless to say, we rarely ate a hot meal! To this day, when he prays for the family meal, someone ends the prayer by saying, "and bless all the people over in Saudi Arabia....Amen!" 😂

4. What are some challenges you think the next generation will face? (Generation Alpha-born between 2011 and 2025)

Oh wow...good question. Reality is the word I'm looking for. So many young people today pattern their lives after what they see on social media, TV, etc. and get sucked into a world that is not real. Now don't get me wrong, social media is here to stay and among all of the wonderful advantages and positive aspects it can bring to a young (or old) person's life, there is whole other, ugly side to it. It still makes me a bit sad that the simplicity of childhood as we knew it seems to be coming a thing of the past.

5. Share a favorite quote or lyric featuring the word faith.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

The family has been busy this week trying to help fill in the gap of much needed masks, sheilds, etc. for the COVID-19 crisis. And speaking of working for the "the cause",  HERE is a video of our grandson, Parker, and a "little" project he and the family has been working with his 3-D printer to help supply some of his dad's company's imaging centers that are in dire need of much needed protective equipment such as sterizeable/reusable filtered face masks and face shields. This thing has really snowballed and along with many donation of $$, extra 3-D printers, supplies and folks jumping on board to help pump them out...well, let me just say, it has been pretty amazing!

~

Wishing you all a most blessed Resurrection Sunday!

 We will all be doing things just a bit different this year...BUT

one thing will never change...