A rewarding and pleasing service

Hey all! Hope you had a great Easter weekend! Mine was filled with dress rehearsal Friday night, then spending five hours at church Saturday with two services and warm-up beforehand. I had some good fellowship time with a few brothers and sisters . Oh, Saturday morning I colored eggs with my niece and my sister. That was a good time. I like to write on the eggs before I dip them. A couple I wrote on mine this year were: 'Jesus is Lord', 'God is love' 1 Jn 4:7-8, and 'Mexico '08'. Hope you had a chance to color some eggs this Easter. Sunday morning He arose...and I spent four.five hours at church with two more services praising Him on that glorious day! I admired how beautiful Mt. Hood looks as there is a ton of snow on it, on the way to church! It is so good to hear a choir and orchestra praising the God of all wonders on such a weekend!
Getting to play in the orhestra at church for a special holiday or time is always rewarding. It feels like you have been at a retreat somewhere and then Monday morning comes and you realize you have to go to work. I will always enjoy playing my clarinet or bass clarinet for church, whatever the occasion may be.
This week at work has been fairly slow, but I am glad that it is getting close to the weekend. I have a Mexico meeting on Saturday before church that I am looking forward to, and then going to church and seeing all my brothers and sisters that I have not seen or talked to in a couple weeks. Hope you have a good rest of the week.
"Behold, bless the LORD, all servants of the LORD, who serve by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the LORD. May the LORD bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth." Psalm 134

Just hours until the Third Day

Good evening! I hope you have had a good week. Can you believe it's Easter weekend already?! I just heard that how they decide when the holiday comes is, after the vernal equinox (first day of spring), the first full moon, comes Easter. This is the earliest Easter we have had since about 1913 (so I heard), almost 100 years ago.
Choir and the orchestra have been preparing for a while for this weekend. We had two rehearsals this week...one was on Tuesday and the dress one on (Good) Friday. The dress rehearsal went rather well. Two services are done so far, and there is two more in the morning. These songs that we are doing have grown on me and have made me tremble. This is a special weekend where we should all tremble at one point or more. The meaning of Easter is Jesus rising up on the third day to give us life and a Hope forever!!
"So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, 'certainly this was a righteous Man!" Luke 23:47

Study on Tremble, take two

Tremble: to shake involuntarily with quick, short movements, as from fear, excitement, or cold; quake, quiver. (Webster's Dictionary)

Wow, I just read what I just typed and I am in awe already. Here are some verses I have found in the Word with 'tremble' for you.

Is 64:2 'As fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil- to make Your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence!'

Ezra 9:4 'Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.'

Psalm 18:7 'Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, because He was angry.'

Ezra 10:3 'Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.'

Is 66:2 'For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,' says the LORD. 'But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.' (side note: 'And God said...and it was so')!!! (quote from Genesis)

1 Cor 2:3 'I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.'

2 Cor 7:15 'And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.'

Eph 6:5 'Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,'

Is 66:5 'Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at His word: your brethren who hated you, who cast you out for My name's sake, said, 'let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy, but they shall be ashamed.'

Wow!!! I also could think of two songs that have the word, tremble, in them. One is 'All the Earth' (the line goes 'I tremble in your holy presence'). That is one of my favorite worship songs! The other one is 'Did you feel the mountains tremble?'. It's even in the song title! That's also a really cool praise song.

The reason that I got on this whole 'tremble' thing is that last week, I was on my way to pick up Alyssa from church and I saw a bumper sticker that said, 'fish tremble at the sound of my name'. I related that in the biblical sense as well. God calls us to be fishers of men, and I like to think that we do tremble when we hear His name. Another thing is that I was listening to one of the songs we are doing for Easter services, called End of the Beginning, and I was shaking by the end of the song. I didn't know it until I had gotten to church. The words of that song get to me and the music as well. I hope that something touched you in this study and that you will be trembled this next week as we near Good Friday and Easter.

Study on Tremble, take one.

The baby shower on Friday night I went to was fun. The mother-to-be was very appreciative of the gifts and friends that were there. Saturday I took Alyssa to her game, which they won 26-24. Our team was short two girls so the girls that were there played more than usual. That team has improved so much since the first game of the season...it has been cool to watch them! She and I hung around at home until it was time for church. (Oops, I was about to call Mosaic 1.3. I guess it may take a while for me to get used to it being Mosaic again). Mosaic was cool as we had a couple new people come. We had a good time of fellowship and we shared a favorite Easter time. Sunday I stayed home other than going to my first team meeting. After the meeting, I went out for an early dinner of Mexican food with a couple brothers in Christ. I enjoyed my title for my last post ('preparations') as it really was this weekend. Orchestra rehearsals started for Easter...the choir has been preparing also for the services...my friend, the mom-to-be has been preparing with her husband for their new life that is coming soon...I had my first team meeting for Mexico. Oh, and my brother and sister-in-law came over Sunday night for a bit to visit.
This next bit is what has been on my heart since last Thursday. I have done a word study on Tremble. Since it is late (and I am tired), I will share one verse with you I found, and then my next post I will continue the study. Jeremiah 33:9 says, 'Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.' NIV Wouldn't that be a cool thing to see?! A whole city in awe and trembling before the Lord!

Preparations

Aww, yes! The Lord is also intriguing, although I hope that He was considered when I said the Bible. The Bible is about Him and everything that happened 2000 years ago and how He wants us to live as Christians (thanks, Care). On Tuesday night, we had our first orchestra rehearsal for Easter. The first one (rehearsal) is always interesting. The orchestra is small this time around but I know the Lord put it together and had planned for this special event (Easter weekend).
Work this week has been busy with payroll and start of month-end. It has gone pretty well. Tomorrow is Friday and I will be attending a baby shower that night. She is a good friend who I met through the church about five years ago, I think. Wow...time has flown by!
Have a lovely weekend!
"Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings." Psalm 33:2

Intriguing!

First and foremost, the Bible! Grandparents. Clouds (esp. those that look like cotton balls). Weather. Cats. Turkey. Fish (namely Shrimp and Halibut), although I suppose I would have to include in that Trout and Steelhead. State Capitals. US History. World History. Family. Certain cars. Food. Ice cream. The Trail Blazers! Basketball. Finding out that a friend is going on the same mission trip you are this summer. The fact that Leap Day only occurs every four years (why is it only four years?).
I was going to post on Friday to wish all a Happy Leap Day, but since I didn't, I am doing it now so happy Leap Day! My Leap Day was happy because I went to the Blazer game with my dad and my niece. The Blazers played the LA Lakers and I thought that we would certainly lose the game. It turned out to be a very good and exciting game. I am glad that Brandon Roy came back to play after being out 2 games because of his ankle and also James Jones came back from missing 12 games. Final score of the game was 119-111. Here are a couple stats for ya: turnovers 6 for Portland and 13 for LA. Rebounds 43 for LA and 35 for Portland. Bench points we outscored LA like 43-20something. YEA!!!!!
Last week was a slow week at work and I am glad it is over. Oh, I got all the files moved to the storage room...praise the Lord!!! It's on to payroll and beginning of month-end this week.
Church was good this week as we had communion in service and our Mosaic meeting was, I'll say interesting. We started a series this week on the Cross. This week the orchestra starts rehearsing for Easter services.
I am sure my list of intriguing things could go on and on. Here's to an intriguing week...