Summary.

Due to my lack of posting here for the last month, it's time for a quick summary of April and the beginning of May:

• Spring Break gave us a chance to head back to OK for a few days and it was lovely! I got to meet 3 cute babies while I was there: Miss Brynlee and Josiah and Garret! Just precious. Moms (and Dads) should be so proud! :)
• Easter with new and dear friends (see last post)
• HersheyPark adventures with Damon and Adam. It was a full day of nothing but riding roller coasters! Oh, and attempting to eat a bucket of fries, listening to Brent scream on the roller coasters, and convincing Damon to make a music video. Fun times were had by all! :)
• Celebrated Brent's 23rd birthday last week! His friends got him a grill! Yessss!
• Felt appreciated during Teacher Appreciation Week with sweet cards and gifts from students and parents. I now hold the lives of 3 potted plants in my hands. I've never actually attempted to care for a plant or flower for a long period of time, so I'll let you know how that goes.
• Finished reading Crazy Love with our lifegroup. This was definitely the most challenging and life-changing book I've ever read. I feel like I've grown in my faith and am more aware of how my actions affect others as I attempt to love them with the same crazy love God has for me. More importantly, I have been challenged to simply live my life in accordance with my love for God. I need to purposefully live each minute, each day with the intent of loving God and loving others. I am so blessed to be part of a lifegroup and church family that strives to show God's love to the community so that they too can feel the hope and love that only Jesus can bring!
• Learning more to pray specifically for God to work in people's lives. It is absolutely amazing how He works for his will to be done in ways that we will never understand, and that's ok with me. I'm glad I'm not in charge and have someone to rely on who knows it all.
• Reminded of the amazing friend I have in Miss Brittany. I am so blessed to have found in her such a beautiful friend, as well as a prayer and accountability partner. I hope everyone has a friend like that!
• So thankful for my husband and how he continues to love and provide, as well as make me laugh every single day. I love that we have been married for almost a year (what??) and I still wake up each day so excited that I just get to hang out with my best friend! Now, if only I could figure out how to beat him at Kinect Sports . . .

Hope all of you are well and looking forward to summer which is almost here! I have 13 days of school left, not that I'm counting! :) Post coming soon about goals for the summer, of which there are many!
Count your blessings today.
Love you all.
[hugs]

"He is not here; he has risen!"

Today is, as the song says, marks the greatest day in history. 3 days prior, everyone thought that death had won, and Jesus Christ was not who he said he was. Then Sunday came, and he had risen from his tomb, conquering death, and our sins, forever. The salvation of all mankind rests upon the resurrection that happened so many years ago, but still stands today as the foundation of our faith.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly, two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words.  -Luke 24:1-8

I was a bit surprised as I sat in church today to hear the preacher quickly skim over the story of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. He then headed to Luke 15 and spent the rest of the sermon speaking about the "heavenly meaning behind the earthly stories" of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son. I love that our preacher, Brian, went away from the usual story that most people (even if they only come to church on Easter) have heard that yes, Jesus was crucified; yes, Jesus was buried for 3 days; yes, Jesus rose again like he said he would. But the message today answered the question why Jesus died on the cross and rose again. He did that to save us! Because we are the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the rebellious son who need saving! And Jesus gave his life so that we could be found and saved.
"In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3: 16-17

I am ever amazed at the mercy and grace of God who chose to do these things so that we could be with him in heaven someday, even though we have done nothing to deserve it.

Brent and I were blessed to spend Easter dinner with some members of our church family today. It's such a cool thing to sit around a crowded table with people you've known for only a short time, and discuss openly how God is working and guiding us in our lives as we celebrate his Resurrection (and also to let them know that there are civilized people from Oklahoma, even if people forget that we're a state and that there are people out there! ;)We are thankful to our friends for opening up their home to us today!

Happy Easter, everyone!
[hugsfromMD]

It's Friday, but Sunday's a' comin'.

Today is Good Friday.
Brent and I attended a "tenebrae" service at our church tonight, which literally means "darkness." Quite appropriate for the event that occured over 2,000 years ago, when Jesus Christ laid down his life for our sins on the Cross. The quiet service was a much-needed reminder of that sacrifice. In addition, I am posting a story below that someone sent to me today, which more clearly portrays God's sacrifice than anything else I've read. Read with a box of tissues, if you are willing. I hesitate to post it, simply because it really is sad, but I think we all need the reminder.

The Train Sacrifice
There was a bridge spanning a large river. Most of the day, the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river parallel with the banks, allowing ships to pass thru freely. Twice a day, a train would come along and the bridge was turned sideways across the river, allowing the train to cross.
A switchman sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place for the trains to cross. One evening the switchman was waiting for the last train of the day to come. The train approaching was a passenger train with many people aboard. When the train was within a prescribed distance, he stepped up to the controls and turned the bridge into position. To his horror, the locking control was not working. If the bridge was not locked in position, the train would jump the track and crash into the river below.



The switchman hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river where there was a control lever, which he could operate manually to lock the bridge in place. He would have to hold the lever back firmly, with all his strength, as the train crossed. He could hear the rumble of the train, and he took hold of the lever and pulled backward with all his might, locking the bridge into place. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on his strength. Then, from the direction of his control shack across the bridge, the switchman heard a sound that made his blood run cold.



"Daddy, where are you?"

His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him.



His first impulse was to cry out to the child, " Run! Run!" But the train was too close. The tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. In the same instant, he almost left the lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety. But he realized that he could not get back to the lever in time for the train to pass safely. Either the people on the train or his little son would have to die. It took a moment to make his decision.

The train sped safely and swiftly on its way. No one on board was even aware of the tiny broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the locking lever long after the train had passed. Neither did they see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked before, to tell his wife how they had lost their only son.

As we comprehend what this experience must have meant to this man and how it affected him, we begin to realize what our Father in Heaven must have had to endure when He sacrificed His Son (the most innocent man ever) - to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when His Son was crucified? And how it must affect Him when we speed along thru life with little thought or appreciation for His sacrifice.

 I also heard this clip on the radio today, which has an incredibly uplifting message about the hope we have because Jesus died and then rose from the dead. While describing the events that happened on Good Friday as Jesus was on trial and put to death, the pastor repeats the line "it's Friday, but Sunday's a' comin'." and "they didn't know it then, but Sunday's a' comin'." What an amazing God and Savior we have that endured the pain of this day and was put to death, but rose again 3 days later. God conquered death and has forgiven our sins. Give this a listen to (especially if you need positive pick-me-up after the above story!) but ignore the cheesy video. Just listen to the powerful words.

I can't wait to celebrate the Resurrection on Sunday!

[hugsfromMD]

A mighty fine April Fool's joke.

Last week was the beginning of another new month. I am having a hard time believing that it is already April! Not that I am complaining. Brent and I have been married for 9 months today, living in Maryland for almost 8 months, and I'm less than 2 months away from summer break. Now, if only the right April weather would come to stay!

To ring in the new month, I pulled a pretty good joke on my kiddos at school. To be honest, I didn't really think I would pull it over on them too well because I thought they would be expecting it. They're some pretty smart cookies, ya know! Here's how it went down:

My kids had a science fair project due this Monday, April 4. (Remember we are on Friday morning, April 1). I had one student bring her project in early that Friday, so I thought I would use this to my advantage. I had both 3rd grade classes come into my room (our routine when doing presentations) and had them get seated and quiet. I then announced that it was time to begin their science fair presentations. Their jaws dropped and then the protests began . . . "but the paper says they're due on Monday!" . . . "I don't have mine today!" . . . to each protest I politely but sternly disagreed, saying that it was very clear that they were due today and that late projects would be penalized. I then called on the one girl who had her project and she picked up her poster and began walking to the front of the room, protests from the kids still a' flyin.

I kept a straight face until one of my girls started crying.

"Oops, joke's over!" I thought to myself, and began to smile at the class, without saying a word. After a few seconds, one student finally caught on. "Mrs. McLaughlin! This is an April Fool's joke! She's joking, guys!" The other students began laughing, the tears dried up, and I gave myself a mental pat on the back for successfully pulling one over on my students.

One of the other teachers was speaking to one of my boys (one of the tough, cool guys, I might add) in the hallway later in the day. "I heard Mrs. McLaughlin got you guys pretty good this morning!" The boy's response: "Nah, I knew she was joking the whole time. I was just pretending to be surprised."

Yeah, right. ;)

Happy April!

[hugs]

I need a guestbook.

According to this blog, all we do around here is host guests! It's really not true though. Most evenings are spent with just us, cooking dinner, watching tv, grading papers, and checking facebook. And playing Kinect. :) I just do a terrible job of updating when I don't have something major going on. I'll work on that.

Anyways, we had guests again this weekend! My grandma and grandpa came to visit. They drove here from Illinois and stayed for the weekend. We weren't able to do a whole lot due to the annoying cold winter weather even though it's SPRING. No sightseeing, or grilling outside, or enjoying the scenery, because it was just so stinkin' cold. Oh well. We had fun anyway! Our visit consisted of some eating out, some eating in, and a visit to a dinner theater here which was so fun! The evening began with a buffet, and then they moved all the food out and the show began! We saw the musical "Happy Days" and it was so good! We all enjoyed it and will definitely be taking future guests! Another highlight of the weekend is shown below . . . are you ready for this?

They played Kinect!

Is that not one of the funniest pictures ever? They were ducking under something.

I'm pretty sure I have the coolest grandparents on the planet.

So, all of that was very exciting, but the highlight of the weekend was Sunday night,for sure. After a conversation with my grandpa, he made the decision to accept Christ into his life!!!!!!! What a long-awaited answer to prayer! I know many of you have had a hand in praying for him, and this is such an amazing example of how God keeps his promises. We had the conversation Sunday night, they drove home Monday, and he was baptized around 6 pm tonight! I know I'm celebrating along with all of heaven tonight and I hope you'll join me in saying a prayer of thanks as well. :)

It's hard to wrap up after a story like that, but I'll just say that God continues to grow my faith and surround me with people who support and challenge me in my walk with Christ. I am so thankful for my husband, my dear friends, and our amazing Lifegroup and church that we've found here. We have been so incredibly blessed and I love to look back on how God has guided us every step of the way so that His plan is the one that is carried out, not ours. Amidst the challenges and unknowns of life, it's nice to know that I've got a God who always has the best in mind for me.

For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11

Indeed, God keeps his promises. Keep an eye out for how he's guiding you this week.

[Celebrating in MD] :)




Spring has arrived [insert a dozen nose sniffles here].

Dear Warm Weather [sniff],

I adore you and [sniff] your sunny smile and [sneeze] your welcoming  of my children outside for recess instead of being cooped [sniffle]up for crazy indoor recess which I [double sneeze]hate, and I also love capris [sniff] and skirts which you [sniffle] allow as well. However, next year, PLEASE [sneeze] leave the [sniff] allergies [triple sneeze] behind [sniffle, sniff]! Thank you!

Sincerely [sniff]
Mrs. [sneeze] M

So, it has been an absolutely gorgeous day here today, but my allergies are causing sinus and migraine issues that have left me on the couch with a box of kleenex on this Friday night! Ugh. Time to break out the Zyrtec. It's almost springtime! Good thing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is on ABC Family tonight. :)

A special visitor came to us this week! Brent's sister spent the first part of her Spring Break with us, including her birthday!

We met her at the airport on Saturday . . .

On Sunday, we celebrated her 17th birthday with yummy homemade chocolate cake and sparkling cider!

Yum!

And what a lovely visit it was! Shannon even made us a delicious dinner on Monday night! It was so fun to have her here and just hang out. Anyone else want to come for a visit? I'll make you cake, too, even if it's not your birthday! :)

So, as I had mentioned before, our lifegroup is reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I must say, I have never been so challenged in my relationship with God before and I love love love it. It was time for me to make a change and this book was just what I needed. It is such a blessing to share discussion with our incredible lifegroup as well. I think the most challenging part has been looking at what God considers "lukewarm" and realizing all the lukewarm traits about my life and faith. What a kick in the pants! However, it has been nice to honestly discuss with others their opinions and thoughts about the topic. Such an encouragement. I strongly, strongly encourage anyone, no matter where they are at in their faith, to read this book. Be ready to change your life and fall in love with the amazing God who created us and the universe. Let me know what you think!

I'll stop there for today, because I could go on and on about what I've learned from the book. It's been a hectic few weeks and I haven't posted about it as much as I would like, but I hope to do so in the future, as well as update you on some changes I've made. If nothing else, this week, I challenge you to move away from being lukewarm and strive to love God the way he deserves. Don't forget to look for all the ways that I know He'll bless you as well.

Hope all is well with ya'll! Much love.

[hugsfromMD]

Love and stuff.

As you know, this past Monday was Valentine's Day! I'm not gonna lie . . . I was pretty stoked about celebrating our first Valentine's Day together as husband and wife! :)

On our first Valentine's Day together in 2006, I awoke to find this on my drive to school at RSU:

This year, I came home from work to a beautifully prepared dinner with candles, seafoood pasta, garlic bread, and sparkling cider! It was delicious and oh so perfect. :)

He's the best. :)

It is such an incredible blessing to be able to celebrate holidays together, and, really just to be married, after the struggles of long-distance. I was talking to a few other girls from our lifegroup and we had a conversation about the benefits of a long-distance relationship. While I am not denouncing the difficulty or challenges faced in a long-distance relationship, I do think there are some lessons and blessings that God teaches through them. So here's a little encouragement to any of you currently enduring an LDR (Shortened, sorry! Too much to type!).

First, when you are in an LDR, there is a bond of trust that must be developed. Our mutual trust of each other allowed us to be at peace even though we couldn't physically be a part of each other's day in any way. Over that time, our trust in each other grew, and I feel like that has significantly blessed us in our marriage as well as we learn to make decisions together because we trust each other's judgement. We proved faithful to each other in long-distance and continue to do so daily in our marriage.

Next, we developed an incredible strength to communicate with each other. Again, because we couldn't spend time together and hang out, we spent time communicating via phone and webcam. And thank goodness for webcam! I owe a debt of gratitude to the genius who helped develop that. But I'm getting off topic. :) I know some are in situations where even phone and webcam are privileges. But no matter the situation, we learned to be clear and honest with our words, because words are all you have (and the occasional goody box, of course) when you can't actually hang out. Again, as we live together and make decisions together, communicating (while it can still be a struggle) is a skill that we have been able to develop significantly over the last 4 1/2 years prior to marriage.

Another benefit I feel that Brent and I gained was God's gift of time.With both of us in school, and being apart, we were able to focus the majority of our time on school and our educations. We were able to grow independently of each other, towards the people God wanted us to be, without feeling pressure of time or purpose. We were able to develop lasting God-given friendships and work hard to achieve meaningful educations. Without the time-constraints of a regular relationship, we were able to dedicate our lives to God's purpose for us at that time. I look back now and think about how difficult it would have been to split time between Brent, my studies, my amazing friends, church, and family. I don't know how people do it! I count it as a blessing to have had the time to dedicate to all these things that were very important at the time and made me able to do what I'm doing today. God has a purpose for every season of our lives, and I definitely saw it during this time as well.

Finally, being in an LDR made marriage just that much more fun and exciting! We don't get bored or irritated with each other easily because, hey, we're living in the same place! That's just so cool. I don't feel like we take time with each other for granted because it was so far in between visits until that blessed day in July. :) I look forward to getting off work each day just knowing that I get to spend the evening with Brent.

So, I guess I rambled about that for so long because I want others to realize that God has a specific plan and reason for every trial in every season of your life. For those of you in an LDR, I know all too well the difficulty you face each day. However, being on the other end of it, I want you to know, without a doubt, that every bit of it is worth it. God will bless your relationship beyond what you can imagine because you have trusted him with this area of your life, even though it's not the easy road. Hang in there, friends.

I'd like to wrap up by saying thanks to Cheri for the award! :) That made me smile!

I hope each of you is having a lovely weekend and watching for how God is blessing you in your life!

[hugsfromMD]