He Is Risen

After returning home from London earlier this week I was immediately immersed in Easter choir music and reading the passion of Christ over and over again . It was obvious that it has come once again , Easter week , the week where sorrow and rejoice follow each other. This weeks gets to me every year. It's emotional , and if anything my emotions are on a serious high at the moment so Easter was the icing on top of it all. As I sit here now, Sunday night , with my pj's, a cup of tea and some chocolate it would seem that the festivities , the work and the Easter feeling is over for another year- but that shouldn't and is not the case .

In every aspect of our lives, there's no resurrection without death first. Friday is painful but Sunday's coming.-Jeff Bethke 

Friday is painful , it is hard to think about, it is difficult to comprehend that Jesus literally died for us . Can you fathom that ? Jesus actually died for you , pulse gone, heartbeat stopping , cold skin , no movement died for us . I find it so hard to  understand how that actually happened. How amazing is that? Do you know anyone in your life right now that would die for you , I doubt it , it's hard to comprehend anyone loving me that much that they would literally lay down their lives for me ... but Jesus did . He loved you that much that he was nailed to that tree to save us all. It is extraordinary . He said " IT IS FINISHED" and breathed his last . It wasn't just for some of us , it was everyone , the reason we are all here today . Let that sink in for a minute !!

Imagine that feeling when he was gone, when they took him down from that cross and there was no movement . They thought it was all over , that was the end. They believed the battle was lost . Imagine that hopelessness, that fear . Luckily we never have to imagine that , because the battle was not lost , but won in Glory . Won with Jesus . For on the third day he rose again. Jesus picked himself up , brushed himself off and rose from the dead. He is Risen .

He paid the ultimate price for us all, he gave his life for us , he washed away our sin and shame, he got rid of what would be considered the end, the ultimate- he eliminated death , by dying himself on a cross.  No death do we fear now for there is eternal life , because that has been taken care of for us . He paid the ultimate price for us so that we could have eternal life with him in heaven . I mean WOW . How awesome. Image it , someone paying the bill for you , you get everything and Jesus is just like - Don't worry about it , I got this .  Nail pierced hands, wiped , tormented , insulted , spat at , humiliated all for you and me. A crown of thorns but on the head of the almighty King of my heart, of my life . My saviour  .  All I know now is forgiveness and embrace . I don't have to fear anything , for you are my everything , and I know with you in my heart I can not go wrong. Thank you Lord for the price you paid for me.
Even the darkest night will end , and the son will rise.

As wonderful as the Easter music is , along with the eggs and chocolate and Sunday dinner - Remember the true meaning of why you are here and thinking about this. Jesus gave up his last breath so you could have your first. He is Risen - Praise God , always praise.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here : HE IS RISEN" - Luke 24:5-6 ♥

Aoife Marie Elizabeth  ♪

19

Today I turned 19 years old.

I was completely apprehensive about it. Making the transition from 18 (cool teenagers  and 19 ( last EVER teenage year)  was scary. Not too long ago I was young enough to think that " wow , 19 is old, those people are grown ups" . Which looking back now is silly, well some is some isn't I am a grown up now ( although I don't admit that too often) .

So I am now 19 years old- it has been a beautiful 19 years with wonderful family and friends and God leading me through it all.... So I look forward to another 19 years in my life...and waiting to see what God has planned for me :)

Aoife  Marie Elizabeth  ♪

Writing without intention .

Every time I set out writing lately I have ideas in my head as to what it is I am going to write about...then when I sit in front of my laptop to actually write these things nothing happens. It's not like I don't remember what I wanted to write about , most of the time I do - ya, granted sometime I do forget what it was that was acting as a "muse" for me a couple of days earlier , but I remember hearing somewhere once that if you are meant to write something then it will stay in your head and it won't be forgotten so easily - that is usually the approach I take when writing because if I got upset about everything I forgot to write about I would spend a lot of time annoyed with my self.... and who has time for that ?

So here we go again , sitting here in my bedroom writing without any real purpose or intention ..just writing . God bless anyone who actually reads these blogs from time to time because rarely is the content anything to get excited about - but never the less I'm going to keep writing , even if in a few months , weeks , years I am the only one left here - reading my own mindless drivel , presently it is acting amusement to me and there is nothing wrong with that .

I love my bedroom!!!
That is probably a pretty obvious thing for someone to like - being a teenager it is the place where usually most of our time is spent. Sleeping , studying, reading, going on the computer ...sleeping some more. Well that's what my time in my room consists of but there is more to my room then that. My room says a lot about who I am as a person, which also makes sense , I own everything in it, I place things the way I want them , my room has character - it has my character .
I remember someone ( a teacher actually ) said to us once that if she had to walk into our bedrooms would we be proud of it , or would we be horrified of the mess and what not . To be honest if she or anyone walked into my room I would be pretty proud of it - It's my room , it's part of me . If a stranger was to walk into my room I think they would get a good understanding of who I am . Books everywhere would give them a good idea that I loved to read books , of all sorts and kinds . I have everything from C.S.Lewis Narnia books to J.K.Rowling Harry Potter. I have my full collection of John Green books to classic Jane Austen novels . There are children books like Winnie the Pooh mixed in with poetry and Nicholas Sparks books . So I think they would get a pretty clear understanding that I love to read books... good books - books that let me experiences all different kinds of lives , adventures , experiences while I sit in this very room ."A reader lives a thousand lives before they die, a person who never reads lives only one".
Next they would probably notice all my picture , scattered around my room . I adore pictures because they capture moments that we want to hold onto before we know we do. A picture can act as the best memory reminder there can be and my pictures act as just that. I know that sometime in the future and even now for some the pictures things might be very different - we all grow up , we look different , we might feel different - but in that moment we were infinite , in those pictures there was just the present and that present moment really mattered. So I have pictures of my best friends and I, pictures of my grandparents, my family, my beautiful Niece and Nephew, friends I only see once a year and friends I see all the time, pictures of my teachers and I , pictures of people who influenced me . Oh and also there is my abundant collection of postcards  ( I collect them) many from places I have been. some from places I haven't . People bring me back postcards from their adventures and I love that. My room is full of pictures of Paris, London, France, Germany, Oxford, Sydney , Palermo, to name but a few . Pictures of people, things , places mean an awful lot to me . A good representative of who I am ? :)
There is also a significant collection of cds in my room from The Beatles to Nina Simone, Disney music to Worship music .Music is obviously a big part of my life. ( If that wasn't made obvious enough from previous blog posts).

So I sit hear at my desk , with the book I just finished reading this morning to my left with a letter from someone lovely , along with my bed and it's army of teddies . On my desk it my Bible along with notebooks and the beautiful rose I got on Valentines day that is still doing strong . My desk chair has been pushed so far up that my feet are no longer touching the floor and my memory jar is to my right. My room says a lot about who I am , who I was, and hopefully a little about who I am going to be .

I have music playing and I am happy. My niece is making enough noise for the both of us up the hall and things are well in my world.

Now if you will excuse me I have to go make Potato gratin .  If you read this nonsensical and irrelevant blog post thank you - This is what remains within the book and volume of my brain .

Aoife Marie Elizabeth ♪