for this we labor and strive... [Easter sentiments]

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

There in the ground His body lay,
light of the world in darkness slain:
then bursting forth in glorious Day
up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory
sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
for I am his and He is mine:
bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
from life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,
can ever pluck me from His hand;
till He returns or calls me home,
here in the power of Christ I'll stand!

...My aunt died this past week - a curious irony that it happen at this time of the year, since sadly I'm not sure if she was a believer. Her life has been wrought with poor decisions. But it wasn't that that hit me hardest - it was knowing the effect it would have on my cousins, a girl and a boy, both high-school age. I've seen the effects of both sin and Christ in different areas of their lives, and it is my prayer that even as I learn more and more to love God, that they also would see through their pain a nail-pierced hand reaching out to them, offering a way...
...truth...
...life.