Countdown to Christmas Day 2: Everlasting Life

Like many in East Tennessee, I watched in anguish as local TV stations told of the devastating school bus accident that took the lives of one woman and two young girls and injured numerous other small children this afternoon. We saw blood-stained foreheads and scraped chubby cheeks. We saw first responders holding hands with small children as they moved away from the scene of the accident to safety. In the press conference the chief of police choked on his tears and the school superintendent almost couldn't speak he was so emotional about the tragedy that had just occurred. The whole city is stunned.

I thought about the mothers who hurried their backpack laden wee ones onto the bus this morning, never once thinking the kiss goodbye would be their last. Moms and Dads put their little ones on buses every day and think very little of it. Every afternoon the big yellow bus brings their precious children home again, safe and sound. But not today. How many of them already had Christmas presents hidden away? The kids probably already wrote their letters to Santa asking for Disney princesses and Lego sets and computer games. There are some very empty arms in East Knoxville tonight and my heart breaks for them.

Once upon a time a loving Heavenly Father sent his Only Begotten Son into the world knowing he would suffer unspeakable pain of body and spirit. He knew that through the atonement of Jesus Christ all his children would have the opportunity to come back and live with him again, forever. When tragedy strikes and death takes loved ones away from us, we have hope through the atonement of Christ. Everlasting life is possible.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Cornithians 15: 51-52, 54, 57

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

Image
Another Saturday night and it's time for another pound cake! This time I went for a chocolate sour cream pound cake -- something I've not made before. I trust my vintage Southern Living magazine recipes (this one is from 1992) and this one is another winner. I tweaked the recipe just a tiny bit and added a glaze. Here's what I did: For the cake: 1 c. unsalted butter, softened, plus additional to prepare pan 2 c. granulated sugar 1 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed 6 lg. eggs, at room temperature 2 c. all purpose flour (plus additional to prepare pan) 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 c. cocoa 8 oz. dairy sour cream 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract For the glaze: 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar 2 1/2 Tbsp. cocoa 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1-2 Tbsp. milk Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10" Bundt or tube pan and set aside. Sift together flour, cocoa, and baking soda and set aside. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluf
Read more

Heavenly Light

Image
"Heavenly Light" Morning light illuminates the trees at the Missionary Baptist Church in Cades Cove.  Great Smoky Mountains National Park © 2014 Kristina Plaas, All Rights Reserved This was the featured image on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Facebook page this morning. It's the perfect image for a Sunday morning, especially on Memorial Day weekend when we remember the lives of those lost in the service of our country. This weekend many of us also choose to remember the lives of family and friends that have passed on. And so the illuminating rays of sunlight over the Missionary Baptist Church in Cades Cove speak to each of us and to those no longer with us. It's not hard to feel the spirit and the peace portrayed. This morning my friend, Bryan Nowak, noted that the sunlight looked like heavenly beams. I smiled knowing I had titled this image "Heavenly Light" shortly after the photograph was taken last June. The name is inspired by a sacred
Read more

Welcome and Gratitude Day 9: The Smoky Mountains

Image
Over the past two years I have focused my creative energies on developing my skills as a nature and landscape photographer. I have been sharing the results of my travels and camera-clicking primarily on Facebook, but narrative space on Facebook is limited. Many of my FB friends have been encouraging me to  expand to a blog. I resisted at first, but have come to realize that I really want to write a new blog. I am grateful to all those who have been my friends, cheerleaders, and supporters of my creative activities. I hope to share a bit more with you now that I have the space to do so. With the arrival of November, I began a series of Gratitude posts to express my feelings during this season of Thanksgiving. I can't turn back the clock to the beginning of the month, but I will try to post as many of them here as I can. I'll start with today's message: Gratitude Day 9: The Smoky Mountains The Tree in Cades Cove, near the Dan Lawson Place, with Rich Mountain in the bac
Read more