How we do Easter

We've been making Easter eggs. They'll decorate them all, then boil more eggs. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The Easter Bunny Tracker has been the focal point for this bunch. They are so excited.

We did pause for a talk about the real meaning of Easter, which is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What does the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs have to do with the Resurrection? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I am fully aware that some Christians don't celebrate Easter. And I am fully aware that kids get way more excited about candy, gifts and hunting for eggs than they do about the resurrection or about Christ himself. The same is true of adults sometimes.

You can google the origination of the bunny, the eggs and all that. It matters more to me what we do with the holiday today in our own lives than how it began or what it meant or means to others. We do the bunny and the eggs. We also do Jesus and the Cross, the Burial and the Resurrection.

That's just how we do it.

Not looking for anyone's approval, agreement or anything like that. You're free to celebrate in your own way. You're free to not celebrate at all.

Not celebrating at all. What does that look like?

Unless your kids live in a closed culture, they may resent being forced to abstain from the fun they see others enjoying. But that's hard to define, isn't it? What's harmless and healthy fun versus what's harmful and unhealthy. We could even use the S word here - sin. We don't justify sin by the fact that others are doing it.

Just be careful where you draw the line.

Happy Easter.

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Matthew 28:6 NIV

Something happened to me at choir practice tonight.

The creation story doesn't mention music, but God created it. Music is like the wind. It is invisible yet real. You can feel it but you can't touch it or hold it. It can be gentle and it can be powerful.

Tonight I find myself having been moved by music. A song, inspired. It Is Well is an old hymn. You have most likely heard it. I grew up singing it with my fellow Baptists. I didn't really like it. The song lacks the tempo and syncopation that I normally require - something that makes me tap my foot - something with a groove.

Then, when our baby Georgia died, our dear friends sang It Is Well at her memorial service. They did a beautiful job with the song, but the sorrowful occasion turned me even more against the song. From that day till this one I have not been able to listen to the song or sing it with any amount of joy or comfort.

Hear me when I say, the song brought me no comfort. None. In fact, it often made me either sad or angry. I really could not agree with the premise that it was indeed well. I understand the man who wrote the words had endured much greater loss than I. That didn't matter to me.

Until tonight.

FBC: It Is Well With My Soul - Concord Worship from First Baptist Concord on Vimeo.

As a new member of the choir at First Baptist Concord, I was not aware that this song was in their repertoire. Then we practiced the song. Thankfully, it was arranged by Tim Paul. Classically arranged under the influence of the Holy Spirit. While we were rehearsing the song, my dread began to turn. It was simply beautiful.

And the memories of our sweet Georgia Rose swept my mind. I saw her once again lying on the kitchen table, lifeless as I pushed air into her lungs with little puffs. Again, I regretted obeying the police officer who told me to stand back. I had touched her for the last time and didn't realize it. I wish I would have told him where to go, and picked her up to hold her one last time.

But the beauty of this song and the Holy Spirit who inspired it washed away those horrible things while I sang.

It is well. It is well with my soul.

I still feel the grief, but I have been touch by the Holy Spirit of God. He has given me a measure of healing, whether great or small I cannot tell. I am ready to sing this song. Thank you LORD for music. 

God bless you,
Dadofmykids

VLOG - She'd look like a Brasfield.

Completely un-edited, single take video blog, 2013 Sept 05.

Day 30 of #40Days - Snatched

Today's post is a video blog, or vlog.

No animals were harmed in the making of this video.

A great big THANK YOU to Ted Stolpe for editing.

God Bless,
Dadofmykids

This is post # 30 of Forty Days.  Learn more here.

Day 24 of #40Days - Right on time.

Have you ever heard the song, "He's an on time God"?

Jill told me about a house she saw for sale. She said it was in a nice neighborhood but was probably out of our price range. We had been talking about buying or building a house but agreed it would be better after the baby was born. I guess we thought moving would be easier or safer then.


We decided on "Tilley" and started calling her by her name pretty early. Most people refer to an unborn baby as "the baby". Then after it is born, they give it a name.  Tilley was Jill's maiden name.


It wouldn't hurt, we figured, to look at some houses just to have an idea of what we wanted. So I call the agent who listed the house Jill saw and set up to view a few houses.  The second house we viewed was the one that would be out of our price range.  We only looked at it to get ideas for when we might get serious about buying.  As we finished touring the house, we stepped out the front door.  That's when Jill said something I'll never forget:

"Whatever it takes, get me this house."

There is only one way to answer a statement like that.  "Okay."

Jill has a knack for hearing God when I don't.  I liked the house and all, but was content with the plan as it was.  I didn't know what God had in mind for us and why it was so urgent that we up-size before baby Tilley was born.  Of course, Jill didn't either.  But she was so impressed with the house; she could see us raising our kids there.

The real estate agent was very pleased with herself when we told her we wanted to make an offer.  But our house wasn't even on the market, and we were not able to afford two mortgage payments.  So the purchase of this house was contingent upon the sale of our old house.  As the Lord's timing is perfect, we had recently completed some upgrades and remodeling.  

Once we had a solid contract in place, we listed our house with the same agent, with an exception; my business partner had expressed interest in buying our house as an investment.  She put the "For Sale" sign in the yard.

Then the sellers received another offer which put us in the position of either backing down and letting the house go to another buyer or removing the contingency of selling our house.  We had 24 hours to make our move.  By this point, we were emotionally invested in the new home.  We were able to list all the reasons why we should move, not the least of which was the fact that our house was on a very busy four lane road.

I was frantically trying to figure this out, but as I look back on it, I realize that God was driving this thing: not me.  My partner bought our house right away, and we were back in the saddle.

Moving day was April 12, 1997.  Jill was 8 1/2 moths pregnant with legs swollen so big she could barely walk.  Family and friends came together to help us.  The whole weekend was full of unpacking and trying to find everything.  It was a crazy time for sure.

Then came Monday, and another phone call:

"We know you have your hands full, 

but we have to call you because 

Tucker has a new baby brother."

That's right.  Riley was born, unknown to us, the day after we moved in to the new house.  

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; 

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

Psalm 18:30

God bless,
Dadofmykids

This is post # 24 of Forty Days.  Learn more here.

Day 15 of #40Days - Legacy

“Have pity on me, O Lord, because I am in distress.

My eyes, my soul, and my body waste away from grief.”  

Ps. 31:9 (God’s Word Translation) 

Papaw and his namesake Georgia Rose.

Last week, I was sitting at the funeral of my wife’s grandfather.  Everybody always called him Papaw.  I knew him for over 23 years.  There were a lot of facts that I knew about Papaw.  He was a retired utility foreman and preacher.  I heard him preach twice, I think.  He loved to study the Bible and listening to J Vernon McGee on the radio.  I have listened to Dr. McGee a few times, knowing that Papaw was such a loyal listener.  My wife, Jill, speaks fondly of days spent with him.

One of Papaw's life long preacher friends delivered the message at the funeral.  That’s when I realized I didn’t know Papaw nearly as well as I thought.  I won’t try to retell the story of which I am so vaguely aware.  However, I will tell you that Papaw was a faithful man of God.  He led many people to faith in our Lord Jesus.  He set an example of passion for Christ that is simply inspiring.  Now, I think I understand why so many who loved him are grieving.

He left us a legacy.  It is a legacy of faith, hope and love.

I heard this verse today (Ps. 31:9).  The word “grief” caught my attention.  It reminded me of all we have experienced in the last few years.  It made me want to dig a little deeper, too.

About half way through Psalm Chapter 31, the despair takes a sudden and dramatic turn:

I trust you, O Lord.
I said, “You are my God.”
My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from my enemies, from those who persecute me.
Smile on me.  Vs 14-16

Trust the Lord.  Give the future to Him.  May He smile on us.  The thought of God smiling on me brings me such peace.  I hope it does the same for you.

God bless,
Dadofmykids

 Post #15 of 40 Days.  Learn more here.

This post was originally on Canvas Rhapsody Blog.

Day 4 of #40Days: A Letter to my grandchildren.

Dear Grandchild,

I've been thinking about you lately. There are some things I want to tell you so you can be happy and content.

I love you dearly, even though we haven't met. You'll learn that love is timeless.

I long to see you, but only when the time is right. Your time will come and it should be when your mom and dad are mature enough to take care of you. Even if they rush your arrival, I, along with your Mumzie, will be here for you.

You are a Brasfield. There is a one in four chance that your last name is not Brasfield. But you are still from a family that holds our Creator in highest regard, and understands that what we do each day impacts our family's future. You have lots of aunts, uncles and probably cousins you can watch to see examples of good people. Stay close to your family, especially when times are tough.

You will have good times and bad times. Just as sure as the bad times will come, they will also leave, to be replaced with periods of happy contentment. Never let the bad times take you so low that you forget good times will return. Don't ever let the good times take you so high that you forget about God and family. You will need both again.

Follow Christ will all your heart. He didn't give you a rule book so He could penalize you when you mess up. Instead, He wrote you a love letter, to show you how to continue pursuing life even in the face of death. Read it and listen to what He says to you. You'll be happy you did.

Be faithful to your family, to your friends and to the Lord. Be ready for the world to try and interfere with your relationships. Be determined. You can do it.

Be very careful whom you choose as friends. The right friends can help you follow the path to good things, but the wrong friends can lead you to misery. Ask your parents about Bubba D. and about the bad influence he was to me.

Learn from the successes and failures of others.

Be a good worker, doing everything as if the Lord himself is your boss or your customer. Be content with a modest lifestyle and don't chase after easy money.

I pray your life will be full of love, happiness and contentment.

Let's go fishing.

I love you,

Grandpa

Proverbs 17:6  Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
   and the glory of children is their fathers.

PS. The picture above is of your Mumzie and me in 2008.

PPS.  I originally wrote this letter in 2009, but wasn't ready to publish it then.  It is now 2011 and our first little grandson, Drake, has arrived.  Drake, this letter is for you and for what I pray will be many more grandchildren.

This is post # 4 of 40.  Learn more here.