The Tomb is . . . empty.

Matthew 28:1-9

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Because the tomb is empty . . . we have hope

Because the tomb is empty . . . we have a Savior

Because the tomb is empty . . . we can find forgiveness

Because the tomb is empty . . . we need not fear the grave
Because the tomb is empty . . . HEAVEN IS OPENED!

We have access to the throne of grace, though Him who loved us enough to sacrifice himself for us. 

But remember. The empty tomb came through the cross. Easter morning came after the darkness of death. 

Pain came before glory. Humiliation before victory.
But death was defeated! The grave was swallowed up in victory.

He endured that for us, that we may be forgiven. Guys. He's forgiven us everything. That's the power of the cross! And the empty tomb. He's alive, He's alive, now in heaven glorified!

I hope and pray you and your family have a very blessed Resurrection day as we set our eyes on remembering the event that forever changed history . . . and the world!

Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.
2 Corinthians 9:15 

Camp NaNo --Week #2

And . . . week #2 has come and gone! And I have a friend staying here, so this post is gonna be a bit on the short side. ;) My total word count is now 24,828 words!
12,837 were written this past week. I have a friend visiting from Washington, so we've been having fun together. So far I've managed to keep up with writing... we'll see if that continues. ;)
So now. Snippets. Enjoy. ;) And I'll have a better blog post come your way sometime in the next few days. xD

The man grinned at him. “Hi again. Looks like we got stuck on the same ship.”
Rafe nodded. “It would appear so.” Out of the hundreds of ships in the navy, and the three hundred or so designated to the pacific, they just would have been stuck on the same ship. He shook his head.
Art pointed at the fighters. “You a pilot?”
“Yeah. You?”
Waving a dismissive hand, Art shook his head. “No. I’m just your normal, ordinary, run-of-the-mill sailor. I specialize in having a peculiar sense of humour, dressing smart, and being handy with the ladies.” He paused, and then put up a finger. “Oh, did I mention sarcasm?”  
Rafe shook his head. “No, no I don’t think you did. Quite the resume.” 
“Isn’t it? I worked quite hard to get it just right. I think I’ve perfected it now.”
Shaking his head again, Rafe rolled his eyes heavenward. This guy had an ego the size of the Pacific. 

They met halfway, each holding twelve shoelaces. Quickly they tied the ends together. Two shoelaces for each bunk. They were long enough that they could be tied to either side, making it impossible for the guys to sit up and swing themselves out of bed.

Art glanced at his watch. Two minutes. He quickly started work on the beds nearest to him, and they both finished with thirty seconds to spare. Art grinned, surprised none of the men had awoken. We must be able to be quieter then I thought.

They both stepped out of the room and shut the door behind them. Rafe turned. “You be the commander.”

He nodded. “Okay. Just keep me from getting killed.”

“No promises.”

The wake-up bell rang, its clattering waking even the heaviest of sleepers.

“Now!” Rafe exclaimed in a whisper, pulling the door open and shoving him inside.

“Up, every man at attention, now!” Art did his best to make his voice low, inserting a note of demand. As if by magic, all the men’s eyes shot open, and then scrambled to get to their feet.

Only to be stopped by the shoelaces.

Art couldn’t help it any longer. He doubled over, slapping his knee as he roared with laughter. The guys went to work trying to free themselves. Rafe walked into the room and stood behind him, a merry grin on his face. “Mornin’, fellows.”

“Aww, come on!” a frown creased Darren;s face. “Seriously? Our shoelaces?”

Art shrugged. “Well, as the old saying goes, you gotta pull yourself up by your bootstraps. We decided to teach y’all how to do that today.”

Gus slid out from under the shoelace, and busied himself with untying the knots. “Apparently I’ve got to get up with you guys if I want my possessions to stay intact.”

She started down the sidewalk, and signs of the little town waking up from its sleep were everywhere. Strains of Don’t sit under the Apple Tree drifted out from the cafe, where the strong smell of coffee was wafting its enticing aroma into the street. Lily slowed as she walked past it, and then stopped and turned. Coffee sounded heavily before heading home. The door opened into the small shop that was tucked close to the hospital. Lily was quite sure that the owners benefitted greatly from the business that was brought to them by the doctors and nurses. She slid into a seat up at the counter, and the waited for the waiter to turn to her. “Well, what can I get you this fine morning, dearie? Long night?” Glancing down at her uniform, Lily nodded. It was a symbol of long nights and service. And that was fine. “I’ll just take coffee, please. A little cream, no sugar.” “Comin’ right up.” Lily brought up a hand to smother a yawn. It had been a while since she’d worked the night shift, and had forgotten how demanding it could be. Her eyes strayed to the cinnamon buns that were so fresh they were still steaming. Her mouth watered. She really shouldn’t buy one when she could grab one at home . . . Her stomach defied common sense, and when the waiter brought the coffee, she pointed to the rolls. ‘May I have one of those, too, please?” The waiter nodded and grinned. “Sure look good, don’t they.” She reached over and used a napkin to grab one of the steamy pastries and set it on a late in front of Lily. ‘There ya go. Enjoy.” Lily pulled the outside of the bun away, eating the outer layer first and making her way to the sweet, gooey middle. Nothing made her day quite like one of these heavenly things. Wiping her hands on her napkin, she reached for the coffee. Taking a sip, she winced. It was good, but hot. She blew on it before taking the next sip, and then closing her eyes to enjoy the blissful taste. The song on the speakers changed to The White Cliffs of Dover. There'll be bluebirds over The white cliffs of dover Tomorrow Just you wait and see I'll never forget the people I met Braving those angry skies I remember well as the shadows fell The light of hope in their eyes The words were slow and peaceful, yet wistful and sad, too. I’ll never forget the people I met, braving those angry skies. The words made her mind travel to London. And the bombings. The planes. And Gil. She turned back to her coffee with a sigh. The morning seemed empty, somehow. A picture of what her life was becoming, And what she was trying hard to not let it become. Eating alone is just wrong. The thought came to her out of the blue, and she almost laughed. Apparently, her brain couldn’t decide whether to be serious, or random. She was tired. The sound of someone clearing their throat behind her startled her, and she turned. A uniformed man stood there, his crush cap held in his hands and a hopeful look in his eyes. “Can I join you for breakfast, Ma’am?” Lily smiled, trying her best not to let her mind wander to where life would soon send this young man. She nodded. “I’m almost finished, but sure.” The man gave a boyish grin, and slid into the seat next to her. “Are you married?” “Holding up her left hand, Lily smiled. “I was. Now I’m engaged.” “Ahh, well, hopefully your intended doesn’t mind me keeping you company this morning.” The man motioned the waiter. ‘I’ll take what she had.” “Oh, following my example, eh?” The man leaned back and grinned. ‘I’ve learned that women end to have the best tastes in food. So I try and do my best to follow their example in that respect.” She nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. My name’s Lily Wilson, by the way.” She popped the last bite of the cinnamon roll into her mouth and savoured the flavor. “What’s your name? Oh, and where are you headed?” “Oh, I’m sorry, forgive my manners.” He put out a hand to shake hers. “My name is Evan. Evan Pedersen. As to where I’m headed? The pacific. Sometime this next week.” The sparkle left his eyes for a moment as he spoke, but the look quickly passed and he turned to her. “How about you? Where’s the lucky guy who’s got his ring on your finger?” Lily sipped the last of the coffee before answer. “He’s in the pacific, too. He’s a pilot on a carrier.” She pushed the cup away and smiled. “Maybe You’ll meet him.” Evan took the coffee the waiter gave him, and downed the whole thing in nearly one gulp. “Maybe. If I meet him, I’ll be sure to tell him he's got himself the prettiest woman in the state of Kansas.” Lily smiled and glanced down. She’d gotten used to the compliments of guys in uniform. For the most part, they were grasping for any and every sense of normalcy. And pretty girls, well, they were just a part of normal life. They chatted for a moment longer, and Lily waited until he finished before bidding him farewell and good luck. And promising to pray for him. He seemed a bit more cheerful when they parted, and Lily had a new spring in her step as she made her way toward the car.Thank you for giving me the chance to brighten his life. The prayer was heartfelt. It was what she had needed this morning.

So . . . there they are. *cringes* I know, they're not the best. xD Tell me, how is camp NaNo coming for you? 

Week #1 of camp NaNo + Snippets I SURVIVED!

Well, well, well, the first week of NaNo is over and I'm still alive! *whispers* Okay, so, that isn't a huge surprise . . . but seriously, I didn't think I'd get through the first couple days. Life was crazy last weekend. But I did manage to get my page count in! And now I'm about three pages ahead of my goal, so I'm really happy right now.
Alrighty, well, let's get on with the post . . .

Since Camp NaNo has the option to use pages instead of words for your goal, I set my goal for the month at 90 pages. Which ends up somewhere between 45K-50K words for me. Right now I'm at 21 pages, and I'm thinking that this story is going to end up a lot longer than I thought. ;)
I've also gotten better at keeping up with my daily word count . .  . because I've been writing a chapter a day. Which has been a  new experience, since I normally don't write in chapter.
Also, I owe a huge thank you to Faith P. and Kellyn Roth for allowing me to send them all sorts of questions and story snippets this weekend. You guys are the best! ;)

-Day 1: Saturday, April 1st WC: 1,921 

Day 2: Sunday, April 2nd WC: 2,339 I might have written some of this chapter on Monday . . . but honestly, I can't remember. ;P 

Day 3: Monday, April 3rd WC: 987 New character + new POV = I had no idea what I was doing. ;P

 Day 4 Tuesday, April 4th WC: 2,634 Yeah . . . I was writing a really sweet scene and it took forever to get where I wanted it to but... *grins* Yeah, it was so worth it! 

Day 5 Wednesday, April 5th WC: 2,001 

Day 6 Thursday, April 6th WC: 1,698

Total words written: 11,580 

Snippets: 

Flying fighters off the deck of an aircraft carrier wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he entered the service. Water, planes, and every explosive imaginable. What could go wrong?

Rafe shook his head and chuckled as he folded the paper containing his order. He then placed it back in the envelope, and slid it in his breast pocket. The open skies above him, the mysteries of the sea below, and his own personal fighter to go out and defend his homeland. It sounded pretty good. The problem was, he knew there were at least two people who wouldn’t see it quite that way.

He turned from the window, giving Sadie his full attention. She was pretty, this sister of his. Her red hair curled around her chin, and her green eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He knew she understood. Reaching out an arm, he pulled her into a gruff hug. “I’ll do my best, Sadie girl. You just be sure no other dapper dressed in navy blue steals your heart while I’m gone or he’s gonna have me to deal with.”

Sadie laughed, and the sound was music to his ears. “I’ll be sure and send them all to your ship for your approval before they come near me.”

“That’s my girl. You do just that. I’ll put them through the gauntlet before I let them near you. The ones that survive, I’ll send back home.”

At that, her face twisted into a frown. “The poor sailors! They’ll probably wish they’d never heard of me!”

Art chuckled. “No, I won’t be that hard on them. Just hard enough to see what they’re made of.”

David turned and caught Rafe watching him. “Is it my imagination, or were you drilling a hole through my head with your eyes?”

Raising his eyebrows, Rafe shook his head. “I don’t see any hole in your head, so there’s no need for that claim.”

David’s face cracked a smile. “You know, I’m gonna feel sorry for your commanders.”

“Why? You do know I’d obey their orders even if I don’t obey yours, right?”

“What did I ever do to get stuck with you for a younger brother?”

“You were born.”

“Like I said, I’m gonna feel sorry for your commanders.”

Rafe shoved his brother toward the window with his shoulder.

Catching himself, David turned and narrowed is eyes. “What in the blazes did you do that for?”

It had been a while since David had thrown that death glare his way, and Rafe grinned. “Nothing. Did you ever consider joining the Navy?”

“The Navy.”

Rafe nodded. “Yeah. You know, it’s another part of the Armed Forces. Sorta like the Army Air Force, just on the water.”

Rolling his eyes, David leaned back against the seat. “Well, thank you Mr. Sullivan for that explanation. And in answer you your question, no, I didn’t. The thought never even crossed my mind.”

“It’s a pity.”

Now looking mildly curious, David cocked his head. “What’s a pity? That I get to enjoy the feel of solid ground beneath my feet, while all you get is the pitching and rolling of the ship’s deck? I agree, it is a pity.”

“Nope. It’s a pity you’ve got to have the green and brown of the earth beneath you instead of having the blue of the sea.”

“Well, you do realize that your lovely ocean of blue can be interrupted at any time by the single dark blot of a Japanese carrier. Or a Zero coming straight at you.”

“Oh, I realize that. But see, I want that Zero coming at me. Then I have a chance to shoot it down. If it dives and starts doing fancy aerial maneuvers, I’m shot.”

“Literally.”

And . . . that's all for today! Tell me, did you enjoy the snippets? How is Camp NaNo going for you?