He is Risen

Some 2,000 years ago, a simple Jewish Carpenter was tried and found innocent of crimes that He was accused of.  Still, He was whipped, spat on, beaten, and a crown of thorns was thrust onto His head.  He was cursed, mocked, and yelled at and yet, He remained compliant.  Eventually, He was nailed to a cross and crucified.  He died on that cross; his body was then taken down and placed in a tomb.  Three days later, the tomb was empty...

He appeared to a crowd of 500 people, completely alive and well.  Everyone cheered and praised Him.  Then, He ascended into Heaven in fulfillment of His Promise to the world. 

On this day, I give thanks to Jesus for dying in my place so that I might inherit the Kingdom of God and that I might have Eternal Life in Heaven with Him.  For those who are curious about Jesus and want to know more about the Gospel and Eternal life, here's a 4-5 minute clip:

If you haven't asked Christ into your life and would like to, pray this simple prayer:

"Dear Heavenly Father, I admit that I am a sinner and I ask You to forgive me of my sins and my sinful nature.  I accept Jesus into my heart as my Savior.  I ask You to save me and make me the kind of person that You would have me to be."

If you've prayed that prayer for the first time, I would love to congratulate you and welcome you into God's Family.  Find a Bible-believing church where Christ is proclaimed as Lord and get involved and grow more into your faith as you read The Bible (NIV is a good translation). 

In the meantime, here's a funny take on Handel's Messiah:

God bless and have a Happy Easter.

The smell of fresh banana bread is intoxicating...

For my co-workers on Easter, I baked my "world famous" banana bread.  Not just any banana bread but my delicious, sweet, tasty blueberry banana bread.  And yes, I have a recipe.

Shannon’s Very Blueberry Banana Bread
(adapted from a Bisquick recipe)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 and ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
2 and 1/3 cups Bisquick baking mix (preferrably the heart healthy brand)
½ cup sugar
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 mini container of applesauce

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease bottom of loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches. Stir all ingredients (except brown sugar) in pan with fork until moistened; beat vigorously 1 minute. Sprinkle on brown sugar but do not stir it in. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife or metal spatula around sides of loaf to loosen; remove from pan. If loaf sticks to pan, press gently on sides of loaf with knife or spatula. This recipe makes one loaf.

High altitude:  Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Decrease baking mix to 2 cups and sugar to 2/3 cup. Add 1/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour. Pour batter into pan. Bake 60 minutes.

A quick FYI about the bananas: make sure that they are super duper ripe or it will be hard to mash them.


On an unrelated note, Holy Week draws to a close as we observe the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For those who are Christian, Jesus' death and ressurection is a form of life insurance.  Jesus paid our premiums with His Life so that we are insured with God in Heaven. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16

Blessed is the name of the Lord :)