As The Deer....

Psalms 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.


This is a very favorite psalm, and has many thousands of times cheered the hearts of the people of God.

As the hunted hart instinctively seeks after the river to lave its smoking flanks and to escape the dogs, even so my weary, persecuted soul pants after the Lord my God.

Horton Hatches the Egg

Today Bryce brought home this book today from school and told me that each kid received this Dr. Suess Collector's Edition of Horton Hatches the Egg. He asked me to read the page listed below because, he was so excited that the city he lives in "Kalamazoo" was mentioned in the book. The book was given to each kid from the Oshtemo Rotary. So it was fun watching and listening to Bryce share this book and event with me.





Sold to a circus! Then week after week
They showed him to people at ten cents a peek.
They took him to Boston, to Kalamazoo,
Chicago, Weehawken, and Washington, too;
To Dayton, Ohio; St.Paul, Minnesota;
To Wichita, Kansas; to Drake, North Dakota.
And everywhere thousands of folks flocked to see
And laugh at the elephant up in a tree.
Poor Horton grew sadder the farther he went,
But he said as he sat in the hot noisy tent:
"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant...
An elephant's faithful one-hundred per cent!"

Gas Cartoons

We Joined 12th Street Baptist Church

For those of you who don't know nearly a month ago my family made a decision to leave our church Green Meadow Bible Baptist Church. As much as we love the people and pastor from Green Meadow it was definitely our time to move on. Today we joined membership at 12th Street Baptist Church which is located about 1.5 miles away from our home. We found that the people at 12th St. have graciously accepted us in and made us feel right at home. We prayed over this decision and know that this is what the Lord had in plan for the Cooper household. Pastor Randy Burnett is an outstanding preacher and really loves the Lord and ministering to his people. So today not only did we celebrate Easter and the Risen Savior, we also celebrated an new chapter in our life as we look forward to serving at 12th Street Baptist Church.


Joining 12th Street Baptist Church (Easter Sunday 2008)


12th Street Baptist Church Congregation

Gregersen's Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Yesterday we had the privilege to drive out to Grandpa and Grandma Gregersen's in Scotts, MI to attend their Annual Easter Egg Hunt. I can honestly say that there was some speculation if this event was even going to happen due to the snow storm we had the day prior with nearly 12" of snow that dropped on us. Although this event went forward even though there was snow and the kids had a BLAST. Nearly 500+ eggs hidden and filled with all kinds of candy for the kids to take home. Mrs. Gregersen made delicious homemade pizza for the potluck we had at their house and then it was out to scavenger for those hidden eggs. Mr. Gregersen wasted no time making use of what we hope to be our last snow fall before summertime and built a wonderful snowman. Then he let my niece Macy decorate Frosty the Snowman with some home made coal, carrot nose, buttons, heart, and sunglasses. We had a wonderful time and we always look forward to the wonderful fellowship we have at the Gregersen's home.

Grandpa and Grandma Gregersen


Grandpa and Grandma Gregersen with all the kids.


Bryce sporting the Easter Eggs he found.


Frosty The Snowman


Frosty The Snowman (side profile)

THE PASSION

Today I had the video below brought to my attention. It is a music video that is put to the movie "The Passion Of Christ". I will first off start out by saying the video is graphic yet, I still don't think it gives us even a close glimpse of what Christ did for each and every person in this world. Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins by dying a cruel death on the Cross of Calvary. WHY??? To pay the debt of our sins and give us a safe haven from what we really deserve. A place of torment and long suffering called Hell or Eternal Lake Of Fire. Christ had the real Love and Passion to Die in our place and pay our debt. He was Crucified, Buried, and rose again on that glorious EASTER morning just as he promised. And now he sits at the right hand of God awaiting his timing to return and call all his children home. Do you know him? Do you believe in him? He is knocking on your hearts door begging and pleading for you to believe him and accept him into you heart. And he can and will make ALL THINGS NEW AGAIN. Just allow Christ to SAVE YOU. Praise God Christ is Alive and Lives today. He has Risen...... He has Risen INDEED. John 3:16 For God So Loved The World That He Gave His ONLY Begotten Son That Whosoever Believeth In Him Shall Not Perish But Have Everlasting Life. John 3:16

Easter is early this year. Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Jewish people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is extremely rare. Here's the interesting information. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early. And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts:
1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now).

2) The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that).

3) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.

So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year. Enjoy it, and remember the meaning of Easter has nothing to do with bunnies or eggs. It has to do with Remembering Christ has Risen from the dead..... HE HAS RISEN INDEED.

Facebook

There are a few different websites out there that are interactive with your friends, family, and strangers to say the least. One of the most popular website is myspace. Although I do have a myspace page I hardly ever use and maybe check my myspace site once every other week. The wave of the future is Facebook. This site if very easy to use and make it simple to find some of your long lost friends, and keep close contact with those you don't see very often. Facebook has many features and is very interactive and simple to use. I recommend facebook with warning that once you start it can be very addictive. So if you want to try something new go to www.facebook.com and sign up today. Hope to see you out there on facebook soon.

Frozen in New York

This is a prank on a "grand" scale. Over 200 people gathered at Grand Central Station in New York to pull off a 'frozen in place' act. The onlooking travelers who weren't part of the act were mystified as to what was going on. (can you imagine???)

"No Time for God"

No time for God?
What fools we are, to clutter up
Our lives with common things,
The Lord of Life, and Life itself-
Our God!
No time for God?
As soon to say no time
To eat, or sleep, or love or die.
Take time for God,
Or you shall dwarf your soul;
And when the angel, Death,
Comes knocking at your door,
A poor, misshapen thing you'll be
To step into eternity!
Some day you'll lay aside
This mortal self, and make your way
To worlds unknown;
And when you meet Him face to face
Will He - should He -
Have time for you?

Don't Forget To Spring Ahead Tonight !

At 2am in the morning, Daylight Savings Time starts. I have to admit that I’m none too happy about loosing an hour of sleep when time is so precious. Yeah, I know about the supposed energy savings but around here, it means nothing. Energy cost just keeps going up each and every year regardless. So I don’t know where the real energy savings is.


When I was a kid, I remember how many folks would show up for church an hour late - because they forget to set their clocks ahead. It was especially entertaining when DST happened to take place on Easter Sunday. Now that I’m older, it isn’t nearly as funny. So this is a friendly reminder to set your clocks ahead an hour before you go to bed and remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors.

God's Positive Answer

A HANDY LITTLE CHART -

And God has a positive answer:

YOU SAY	GOD SAYS	BIBLE VERSES
You say: "It's impossible"	God says: All things are possible	(Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired"	God says: I will give you rest	(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me"	God says: I love you	(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: "I can't go on"	God says: My grace is sufficient	(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: "I can't figure things out"	God says: I will direct your steps	(Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: "I can't do it"	God says: You can do all things	(Philippians 4:13)
You say: "I'm not able"	God says: I am able	(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it"	God says: It will be worth it	(Roman 8:28 )
You say: "I can't forgive myself"	God says: I Forgive you	(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage"	God says: I will supply all your needs	(Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid"	God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear	(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"	God says: Cast all your cares on ME	(I Peter 5:7)
You say: "I'm not smart enough"	God says: I give you wisdom	(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone"	God says: I will never leave you or forsake you	(Hebrews 13:5)

PASS THIS ON.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MAY BE IN NEED

Pecans In The Cemetery

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts.

"One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me,' said one boy.
Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence. Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate.

Sure enough, he heard, 'One for you, one for me. One for you and one for me. He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off.

Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.
‘Come here quick,' said the boy, 'you won't believe what I heard!
Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls'

The man said, 'Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk.'
When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery.
Standing by the fence they heard, 'One for you, one for me. One for
you, one for me.'

The old man whispered, 'Boy, you've been tellin' me the truth. Let's
see if we can see the Lord.' Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord.

At last they heard, 'One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's
go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done.' They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the kid on the bike.

For Mommies and Grammies!!!

A 3-year-old tells all from his mother's restroom stall.

By Shannon Popkin

My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and
does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the
library, the grocery store or at a drive-thru window.

People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just-turned-3-year-old. And you never have to ask him to turn up the volume. It's always fully cranked. There've been several embarrassing times that I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not-so-audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco.

Halfway, through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with
me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the restroom
that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from the second
to the last stall:

"Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toiwet paper
on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toiwet paper now?

Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?" At this point I started mentally counting how many women had been in the bathroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full ... 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.

Cade continued, "Mommy, you ARE going stinkies aren't you? Oh, dats a
good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty?

Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh. Mommy! I'm trying to see in
dere. Oh! I see dem. Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You are gonna get some candy!"

I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of
me. Where is a screaming newborn when you need her? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting.

Trying to divert him, I said, "Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and
see if you can find some candy we'll both have some!" "No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!" He started to gag at this point. "Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!"

As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I
quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to
reason with myself: OK. There are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.

"Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done going
stinkies! Get up! Get up!" He grunted as he tried to pull me off. Now I
could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door.

"Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door?
What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at the wady's feet?" More
laughter.

I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation.
"Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now,
Mommy." He started pounding on the door. "Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!"

I saw that my "wait 'em out" plan was unraveling. I sheepishly opened
The door, and found standing outside my stall, twenty to thirty ladies
Crowded around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud. My first
thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, "Where's the fine
print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my
dignity and privacy?" But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin
while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought,
I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as Mommy to this little
fellow.

(Shannon Popkin is a freelance writer and mother of three. She lives
with her family in Grand Rapids , Michigan , where she no longer uses
public restrooms)

Growing older is mandatory.
Growing up is optional.
Laughing at yourself is therapeutic.

The Magic Wand

A married couple in their early 60s was celebrating their 35th wedding
anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant. Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table saying, 'For being such an exemplary married couple and for being so loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish.'

'Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband.'
The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! Two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands.

The husband thought for a moment: 'Well, this is all very romantic, but an opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than I.'

The wife and the fairy were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a wish.
So the fairy waved her magic wand and - poof - the husband became 92 years old.

The moral of this story: Men who are ungrateful should remember fairies are female.

BUILD - A - BEAR

Last Saturday we took Bryce to Build-A-Bear to spend his gift certificate that he received from his friend Kendall for his birthday. Then Tamara and I chipped in to help Bryce buy an outfit for his little Build-A-Bear Dinosaur. Bryce named his little friend "Green" and wants everybody to know that he is a Triceratops. Then Bryce and Tamara received free Build-A-Bear shirts because, the store was giving them away. Bryce is very excited to take his friend "Green" to Vacation Bible School this summer back in Wisconsin because, our theme this year is Digging for Dinosaurs.

IT IS STRANGE ISN'T IT?

Isn't it strange
how a 20dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?

Isn't it strange
how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church,
and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?

Isn't it strange
that you can't find a word to say when you're praying but,
you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?

Isn't it strange
how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible but
how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or Magazine?

Isn't it strange
how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games but
they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?

Isn't it strange
how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks
before the day so we can include it in our agenda,
but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?

Isn't it strange
how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others;
but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?

Isn't it strange
how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say but...
we question the words in the Bible?

Isn't it strange
how everyone wants a place in heaven but...
they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?

Isn't it strange
how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away but
when we are going to send messages about God,
we think about it twice before we share it with others?

IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT?
Now that you've read this message, will you share it to anybody
that you consider a friend, family member or foe (enemy).

Feel free to copy and paste this to an email and send to all your Friends, Family Members, or Foe (Enemy)

They've Found Popeye's Mom ! ! (look below)

POPEYE

POPEYE' S MOTHER