it's just not the same without you here.

well here it is. Resurrection sunday. He is risen!

Easter is one of those holidays that is near to my heart. primarily for Jesus-reasons. i met Him on Easter weekend nine years ago. today we celebrate His rising from the dead, thereby conquering death and sin and making it possible for us to know Him intimately. amazing!

sometimes i wonder on this day, how many people profess to be christians, but don't actually believe that He rose from the dead? i mean, i can imagine that americans in particular would have a very difficult time affirming the resurrection of the dead. there aren't too many of us who have seen someone raised from the dead. most of us don't operate in the supernatural on a daily basis. i think the idea of the supernatural fascinated most of us as children, but we've brushed it off as irrational in our adult wisdom. if you were to say that you saw someone raised from the dead in america, no doubt you'd get some weird looks and the obligatory "well-are-you-sure-he-was-really-dead-to-begin-with" response. you'd be labeled as a part of the cult on the hillside, probably even more by the Church than anybody else.

but Paul makes a pretty important point. "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1 Cor. 15:13-14).

the backbone of Christianity is the Resurrection of Jesus. if Jesus did not rise from the dead, it doesn't make the Gospel a nice little story-- it makes it a big fat lie. Christianity is useless without the Resurrection.

i find it so interesting and amazing that the heart of the Gospel is in the witness of supernatural events. "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Cor. 1:27). He is so genius.

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in other news, ascension convention has come and gone another year. sooo sad. it was such a blast, and such a testimony to the fact that "His grace is sufficient" for me. i was running on very little sleep for the entire weekend, but the Lord was so good. He kept filling me up so i could pour into other people and serve. the breakout session that Kelly, Angela, and I did was a hit. i really believe the Lord is empowering the girls that came to really walk out their destinies as women who live in the reality of God's affections for them. He is doing a new thing in the women of this younger generation, and it is beautiful. tune in to my myspace for pictures of the three of us as brides in combat boots with swords. i'll try to post the pictures soon.

also, my brother came into town for ascension convention. now there are even more people who agree with me that my brother is the coolest dude on the face of the planet. heck yes. i had to take him to the airport a couple hours ago, which makes my heart sad. he really just needs to live here. i love you andy!!

it was great to see jeremiah again at ascension... and his fabulous girlfriend, megan. it's so cool to see God doing similar things in our hearts even though we barely talk and he lives in michigan. jeremiah is one of those people that i would love to live on the same street as someday and our families could have cookouts together. that would be great.

i made a new man-friend at ascension, i think. i lost my cell phone for awhile on friday, and it turns out this guy found it and was calling numbers in my phone book, trying to figure out who i was so he could return my phone to me. i called my phone later, and he answered, and after returning it to me, we talked for awhile before the Friday night service. before we left yesterday, he asked for my email address to keep in touch. who knows if he will write, but i kind of think he might, and that would be great. in the little that i know of him, he seems like a cool guy. it's been a long time since i made a new guy friend. like one that i actually talk to on the phone or hang out with outside of group outings. i think the last one was stephen, and that was upwards of two years ago. so it just feels good to enjoy the company of a new friend.

so i miss you. holidays just aren't the same without you. **sigh**