Where have I been?

It's been a bit since I've written.  Where have I been???  Well... 

My dear husband took me on a short get away to Cancun.  It was delightful.  Sometimes it's easy to forget how much we love spending time with our husbands.  The weather wasn't perfect, but the time together was.  Wewould sit on the beach and then go to dinner and just enjoy one another.  So often we pour all of our love and emotion into our kids that we quickly become irritated with the ones we love most!  To renew that love and realize that it's ok for us to take time alone was a blessing. 

Here's a photo of Tom at the beach... 

Isn't he handsome:-) 

Then we came home to a wonderful healing conference that we were able to go to together and have our Carter prayed over!  We may not be able to claim complete healing for him, but we have seen some great improvements!  Praise God.  Even more exciting is how much he gained in his faith through the experience.  To listen to him pray and wake up and say "Good Morning Holy Spirit" is enough to make a mom smile! 

We got home on Tuesday and on Thursday my dad went into the hospital.  (Nice that he waited!)  He ended up with Gal Bladder surgery which has had some complications due to the infection he had and the blood thinners he was on.  His Gal Bladder was gangrene, so he had a bit of an up hill struggle.  Things are looking up, but we're sick of the hospital!  We continue to ask for prayers for healing and patience and good moods! 

So - where have I been...  I feel like all over the place!  Ready to settle back in to normal!  (Whatever that is!) 

Preparation....

Last I wrote, I was waiting for God to speak to me pertaining to the talk I had to do.  I'm happy to say that all went great, until....  It was my second talk and I was clicking along.  (No two are EVER the same:-))  Then I said something about jesus being separated from the father while in the grave.  And I paused.  Saying that outloud hit me in a funky way.  I went on and assumed my pause was sufficitent.  (some of my talk focused on the Garden of Gethsemane just for persspective:-) 

Sunday morning I was in the shower getting ready for church, and it happened.  It wasn't an audible voice of God, but more of a stirring conviction.  Did Jesus go to hell?  What was it like?  He was perfect - sinless (HE becaume sin who had no sin).  And God said NO to his prayers.  (And yet many times I think he should say Yes to mine)  His way is always greater... and that meant Jesus had to suffer, die, stand in the gap of hell for me, defeated satan and rose again. 

I turned off the shower and thought - really God - REALLY.  You want me to study Hell?  So - I was working on talking him out of it.  I went to church and couldn't get rid of it.  All day, it was this nagging thing I couldn't get rid of. 

So... in obedience, I'm going to dig into this a bit.  I'd love your perspective.  I looked around a bit today and determined that I have landed on a controversial issue.  (Imagine that!)  So... don't throw throw me out with the bath water.   I want to learn from each of you.  More importantly, I want the word to come alive and show me truth.  So, my prayer for today is that God would reveal the real "Hell" that Jesus endured.  That I may FULLY understand his death and resurrection, and that Easter this year, more than any other would be a time of rejoycing for all that has been done for me, for my sins, for my shame.  God's grace is nearly too much to comprehend!  For HE is Good!