There is a 13-year gap from our oldest to our youngest of five boys. So even though we have a couple of grandchildren, it is not really that long ago that we had little ones in the house. Along with also not being people to throw things away quickly, we still have quite a lot of the toys from our kids that the grandchildren can now enjoy when visiting.

One item that Bella (32 months old) really enjoys for some reason is a toy camera. In a way, it is odd that she actually understands it is a camera, as it is an old instamatic style with a “flash cube” that turns 90 degrees when you “take” a picture. If you look inside one of the holes, there are actually circulating pictures of different wild animals.

Bella does not seem to understand that there really are pictures of animals in there! Closing one eye is a serious kid challenge! We will say, “Look in here and you can see a picture of a bear” … and there really is.  But she thinks we are just pretending, and so plays along by saying, “No, I see a snake.”

A lot of folks are like that about faith. They play along with church and learning about the Bible and its teachings. Of course, these things are real and true. God has revealed Himself in Christ and the written Word, and many people play along like its real … not that they actually have considered it to be. But God’s work of redemption in this world through the life of Christ – this is the true reality.

March is here, the weather is warming, and the winds of Spring are blowing … we are headed toward Easter and the celebration of the central truth of the faith – the resurrection of Christ.

“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. … If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”