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Celebrating Christ on Easter

Celebrating Christ on Easter

What do you celebrate on Easter Sunday? Or do you celebrate at all? Celebrating Easter and Christmas as Christians can be controversial. Even if you polled the three of us on this blog, I’m guessing you would get three different answers.

Do you celebrate the bunny that brings a basket full of goodies? Or a savior who came to earth, lived a perfect life and then allowed himself to be our perfect sacrifice?

From 2015 through 2019 we were attending a children’s Christian leadership conference (L2L) on Thursday through Sunday of Easter weekend.

This meant I didn’t worry about Easter celebrations at all. Our kids were 1, 10, 11, and 14 years old; they were either too young to care or old enough to not really care. We may not have been focused on Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, but we were definitely focused on our Christian walk.

Fast forward to 2020 when the world came to a halt, and suddenly we would be home for Easter and we had decisions to make.

2020 was a thrown-together afterthought, seriously my husband went shopping the night before to pick up a few things for each kid.

This year I have planned a few things to do with them over the week to make sure they understand the resurrection of Jesus, and why we need Him.

I have attempted to sort the activities to correspond with the activities in the last week before Jesus’ crucifixion. However, I am a firm believer in doing things in a way that works for your family. Don’t feel like you have to do everything on the list or nothing at all. And if Sunday’s activity doesn’t get done until Friday it doesn’t make it any less valuable to your children. 

Any time we can maintain their focus on our savior and what he has done for us is the perfect time to do the activity.

A plan

Sunday Jesus arrives in Jerusalem on a donkey
Matthew 21:1-11

Monday Cleansing the temple
Mark 11:15-19

Tuesday Judas speaks to chief priests
Matthew 26:14-16

Wednesday Easter Eggs

Thursday Jesus washes his disciples’ feet
John 13:1-20

Friday Jesus’ trials begin
John 18:19-24

Saturday Jesus is in the tomb
Matthew 27:27-66

Sunday Jesus has risen!
Matthew 28

Supplies needed:

Sunday

Jesus arrives in Jerusalem on a donkey.

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11 ESV

Monday

Jesus cleanses the temple.

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Matthew 21:12-13 ESV

Read the account of Jesus cleansing the temple with your children.

Then have them build and destroy a temple from blocks, or cardboard, or couch cushions.

Just before they knock their building over, review why Jesus was upset.

Supplies needed:

  • Child(ren)
  • Something to build with, cardboard, couch cushions, pillows, blocks, dominos, etc. Let your kids use their imaginations, if they’re anything like mine they’ll figure it out!

Tuesday

Judas speaks to the chief priests.

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Matthew 26:14-16 ESV

Discuss betrayal with your kids.

  • What is betrayal?
  • Have you ever experienced a friend turning their back on you?
  • Have you ever betrayed someone’s trust?
  • How does betrayal make the person feel?

I found this great felt bag and coins craft, I wish I would have found it earlier on. They suggest having your kids return a silver coin for each good act they do (over lent), with the goal of returning all 30 coins of betrayal before Easter.

Click here for full instructions.

Supplies needed:

Wednesday

The Bible doesn’t tell us what happened on this day. So I am planning an Easter egg activity. Bonus, my kids loved creating these with me and have declared them dinosaur and dragon eggs, so they will be happy to use them far past easter.

Anybody else have tons of cardboard boxes at their house waiting to be recycled or reinvented?

I follow @miami_skye on Instagram. I attempted to create her egg craft, but I have a history of ignoring instructions. Sshhhh, don’t tell 🙂 so mine are a little different.

Because my kids declared them dinosaur and dragon eggs, I made a printable with 3 options, chicks, dinos, or dragons. I have three kids who are working on numbers in some capacity, so I printed all 3 and then “laminated” them with packaging tape.

My kids have loved matching their dinos, dragons, and chicks to their eggs.

 

Supplies needed:

Click the image to watch her video. Her Instagram is full of great ideas for reusing cardboard with your children.

Thursday

Jesus washes his disciples feet
John 13:1-20

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

John 13:1-20 ESV

Discuss servant attitude with your children.

  • What does it mean to be a servant?
  • How does it make you feel when someone serves you?
  • How would it feel to serve someone you know has betrayed you?
  • Who can we serve in our lives?

As the days get warmer, my children are running around with no shoes. I feel like this is the perfect time to teach them this story, along with it being the week before Easter. Jesus showed his servant attitude by washing the stinky, dirty feet of men who traveled by foot over dirt roads in sandals. Not to mention the fact that he also washed the dirty stinky feet of the man, the friend, who betrayed him.

Have your children take turns being the servant and the served. My children definitely need a little encouragement to wash each other’s feet.

Supplies needed:

  • Plastic wash bin or other suitable container
  • soap
  • water
  • towel(s) or washcloth(s)
  • dirty feet
  • children with a developing servant attitude

Friday

Friday Jesus’ trials begin

So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

John 18:12-24 ESV

I would challenge you to read the entire chapter of John 18. There is so much to unpack here and only you know where your kids are in maturity.

I am declaring Friday night movie night at our house. There are so many movies out there that depict the life and death of Christ.

You will need to pick one that suits your children’s maturity and age. Here are a couple choices, I would love to hear your favorites.

Read and Share Bible – Easter My children were very attentive to this 30 minute depiction of Jesus’ last week before his crucifixion.

Passion of the Christ this is obviously one for the parents and possibly older children.

Saturday

Saturday Jesus is in the tomb
Matthew 27:27-66

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Jesus has died on the cross for my sins and yours. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

Jesus was sent here so that no one should perish but all can have everlasting life. John 3:16

Through repentance and baptism, all of our sins can be washed away, and we can spend eternal life with our heavenly Father and our Savior. Acts 2:38

I found this great object lesson to teach baptism washes our sins away.

Supplies needed:

  • Plastic wash bin or other suitable container (you could use the same bin from Thursday)
  • Paper towel (one for a demonstration or 1 per child participating, I like to let my kids be hands-on I know I learn more if I am personally participating.)
  • 1 black permanent marker
  • Washable markers
  • Water

Sunday

Jesus has risen!
Matthew 28

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. nd for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. ut the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Give your child an egg that is empty except a piece of gauze. Make sure it has something in it so they don’t think you just messed up 🙂 Remind them that when Jesus’ friends went to the tomb Sunday morning, he was not there, only the linens remained.

I plan to use a special egg, by size or color or both, for their empty egg and we will set aside a time to open it up so that it is special. 

Supplies needed:

  • 1 egg per child
  • 1 piece of gauze per child

The best news ever…

Jesus was born, sacrificed for us on a cross, and then rose from the dead. If you have not read and obeyed the gospels I can’t encourage you enough to do just that. 

The book of Mark is the shortest gospel and may be a great place to start. There are Bible apps that you can read and that you can listen to. Please get to know Jesus my Lord.

Here is a quick resource about God’s plan of salvation. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us here.

The World Bible School is a great resource for studying the Bible. You can study at your own pace and are assigned a teacher. 

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Download your free printable

Cardboard eggs craft templates and inserts. 

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Meet Melinda!

Melinda is a Christian, a wife, and a mom of 6. She has a blended family. She's a recovering perfectionist who is far from perfect, but it makes her that much more grateful for God's grace and mercy in her life.

Seek Peace and Pursue It

Seek Peace and Pursue It

Many years ago, a girl was born to a large family. She grew up surrounded by people who gave of themselves freely, and she learned how simple it was to touch someone and be a blessing simply from doing life together.

She watched her parents’ selfless care of family in their end days, loving them through the ravages of old age.

She watched her grandparents love beyond blood ties, taking people in right and left regardless of their social status, spiritual status, or race to make sure they had a place to stay, clothes to wear, food in their stomachs, and a holiday meal away from home.

She watched her church family as they guided her and encouraged her and showed her what a little slice of heaven can be like on this earthly side.

She watched how people were kind, how their call to love one another and be kind was so ingrained it was never something to think about, just something to be done.

She watched and saw the joy of walking through life, holding people close and nurturing them.

She saw and wanted that kind of life desperately for herself.

Sisterhood

Twenty-two years of life passed this way, and she married a man, with the same love of hospitality and doing life with people no matter their circumstances. He was tied to the Air Force and marriage to him had all the many adventures that life promised. Before she left her hometown for far-away places, another military spouse and church friend gave her a poem called Sisterhood, author unknown. It was a printout on thin paper, and simply framed. At every stop on the map of military changes, the poem took pride of place, reminding the young woman what this life would be like, and that there would be blessings in the mix of the adventures, the stresses, the ups, the downs, the flying, and the trudging. She soon found herself at the first official stop, the first physical address to call home and create for herself and her husband.

The sisterhood of this poem was real, and she was profoundly blessed by the military spouses and church women that gathered around to offer a shoulder, wise words, and thrilled to do life with her—even if it was for one short year of this new married military life. Those women, their love, and lessons would follow her wherever she went. This new life taught her that you could love someone no matter where they are in life, that her grandparents were right about family not having to be limited to blood relation and that hospitality should be a given, and that you can invest time and energy in someone even if you will only know them a short period of time. She learned it takes so very little to touch someone for a lifetime.

That brief year among such Godly, beautiful women set the tone for how life would be lived from then on. Then came more TLQs, hotels, a duplex, and finally a new home in an area not highly populated by active-duty military. This stop, however, came with a church full of people who snapped her and her husband up and called them theirs from the moment they opened the door that first Sunday. Those people were there for her during the TDYs, the long deployments, the short deployments, the “bring me my bag I’m leaving tonight” deployments.

They were there during the brief foray into civilian life and the retreat back to a full-time military life. They were the Every-Sunday lunch crew, the Friday and Saturday night gamers, the shopping buddies, the road trip takers, the Tuesday night chatters, the Wednesday night after church parking lot chatters, and the ones who helped tack our roots to the floor—sometimes literally. They were oftentimes the first ones see and measure the growing, pregnant belly, the first ones to know another Air Force brat had been added to the family, the first to hold the babies, and the first people her children would know and love.

They were many times the only glue holding the woman together as they reached out their arms and their lives to surround her family. The lessons learned here grew from the first of her life experiences; that strangers can become everything because they shared the common motto of “Home is togetherness.”

The years slipped by and the woman, now several years older, knew that as much as she dreaded it, change was in the air. She had approached life changes head-on so many times that it was almost second nature to do so when the time came to move halfway across the country. In terms of military moves, it seemed fairly cut and dry, but that year seemed to be the worst year of her life.

More life changes

The move date was set for March, and then 2015 began. In January, she held her family as they grieved the loss of their dog who had been with them since she was pregnant with their first child. The puppy had grown up alongside each additional kid, finally looking disinterested and slightly annoyed after the fourth child came home. It was the loss of family.

February saw the ten-day trip, many states away, to find a new house, and a return trip to find their home frozen, burst pipes and radiators, and ruined walls, ceilings, and floors, in a northeastern winter. The church family held the family together… a place to stay, a helping hand, a shoulder or six to cry on. The nightmare continued from a hotel room: uncaring insurance agents, work being done in the house, prepping for a move, holding back the heartbreak of the emotional tidal wave of leaving the blessings made over the years. There was no good in this goodbye.

March brought a partial move as the husband’s start date was some thirty days before the moving truck, but the permanent move of her family away from the long-held blessings. April was the official move of worldly goods, and May the tentative attempts at putting down roots.

June was a return to the old house because some kids broke into it and vandalized it. The church family swarmed in to help put it to rights. The woman was overwrought as it seemed life kept charging forward, pulling, dragging through the thickest sludge. By the time autumn of that year rolled around, she was in no way emotionally ready or able to set down roots. She has a photograph of herself that she hangs onto because the hurt in her eyes and the shadows on her face are the visible signs that life was hard.

The emotional trauma burned her in ways she still struggles with. The blessings were, at times, hard to see as she stumbled through the fog of change, but they were there even when her world had shrunk so intensely. She still had her husband, and children, and the business of doing life with them. There was also the realization that no matter how far away you are physically from those you love they are still a phone call away. She learned that there is also relief in taking life one day, one moment, one second at a time.

Seeking Peace

It took a while, but life settled into new patterns, dotted with new faces, but the longing for what was took on its own sort of grief for the woman. Her ideas about life had been settled, her expectations of others, grown up out of her experiences with family, military spouses, and church family, failed. There was this persistent feeling that her new life was vastly different, and the longer she was away from her last stop on the map, the more “other life” it felt. Her local area felt stilted and unaccustomed to a family unable to trace their heritage back locally for generations, or to have what they perceived as a “normal” life. Many were the phone calls to those who had blessed her life—those who understood, who knew her and the life she had had up to that point.

The things this woman had learned in her life seemed not to work. A couple of years went by, and the trauma of 2015 began to wear off enough that the woman felt she could move forward and tentatively give things a try in this new area on the map. It was all still a bit weird, and people were not open to new relationships or sharing life with people that didn’t fit the local mold of expectations.

The husband was gone for a year to various locales for training, and so she traveled more, far and wide—open to new experiences and sharing them with her children. She found some solace in a new homeschool group and found a place for herself and her family in those activities. It was vastly different than any way she had lived up to then.

She was involved in a co-op of homeschool classes and found herself teaching junior high and high school history and literature. She was a sports mom, hauling children to volleyball, basketball, soccer, and flag football. She hauled friends’ kids to the sports fields and took them on field trips.

She found friendship in a select few people, and she learned the blessing in being less rigid in her expectations, letting go of some of her preconceived notions of life, of holding the few close, and making the choice to not be embittered by change. She learned that sometimes it takes effort to recognize blessings even when she couldn’t find the blessings she had had in a previous life on a different map.

Being Intentional

A new year came around, and things had finally moved into a decent pattern. She still dealt with the emotional fallout of the move and the adjustment of what she wanted life to look like as opposed to the reality of what was available. Disappointment seemed to wallow in her thoughts, but she looked 2019 in the eye and told herself that for that year, she would strive to live with intention. She had spent so many years being bolstered by others, that she had forgotten how to live intentionally.

She was done with life dragging her willy-nilly. Then 2019 laughed, and God had a good chuckle, and she found herself with pre-teen daughters, and one of those daughters who was put in an unfortunate bullying situation without adult support. Her own emotional fallout was exceptionally hard to stomach, as she watched her daughter grieve under the injustices that should never happen to a thirteen-year-old girl, and as she grieved over a situation she had not protected her daughter from.

There was also a massive upset to the homeschool group, the one place she had felt safe in since the move, and there was slander against her own character among local families simply because she was new and no one could vouch for her. Injustice made seeing the blessings difficult. Those injustices follow her and her daughter, the long-reaching consequences as yet unknown.

The knowledge that there were still many people who loved her and her family, even a distance away, kept her sane as she relayed what life had dealt her that summer. She found herself brought closer to women who were going through the same struggles. She found they had the same values and wanted the same things she did for her family. Oftentimes she was reminded of God’s faithfulness even as humanity continued to fail her and her family. It’s a blessing to know that God does not fail us.

That year, with all its upsets, seemed to have gone so well with the theme of “be intentional” that the woman decided that another year headed by the same motto would be necessary to optimistically move forward. That year was 2020. And everything laughed. January 2nd, her son had strep. January 7th, she ran a fever, and five days later went to the hospital in an ambulance where she stayed for seven days, battling “flu-like but not flu” type symptoms and pneumonia.

Four other family members came down with the same sickness, and two days after her hospital stay, her oldest daughter went into the hospital for eight days for pneumonia. In all their years together as a family, they had never had to deal with health conditions or sickness of this severity. The final sick case in the family began February 1st. Hindsight literally 2020, her family was likely struck early by coronavirus.

 Searching for kindness and understanding

By the time the family had peeked out into the world for a couple of weeks and started their new year, the world ground to a halt. The ugliness and division of 2020 shook this woman to the core. There was grief, so much grief. The world had gone mad. Those she held close to her heart over the many years turned on each other and turned on her.

Suddenly she was in the spotlight for homeschooling, many calling her or texting her for help in the overwhelming world of having homeschooling thrust upon them—a decision she and other veteran homeschoolers weighed carefully and planned for in stark contrast to the desperate, anxiety laden attempts to homeschool by people who never chose it for themselves. Suddenly she was also in the spotlight for being “privileged” to have made the decision years ago and was invalidated as someone who would not struggle with everything shut down because she was “used to staying home and not going anywhere.” The gross ignorance of so many people over the course of the year tore at her heart.

As long as someone else’s soap box was taller and more righteous and was perceived as more godly or spiritual seemed to be the goal. The lack of kindness and compassion strained her for it went against everything she had ever known. She also continued to have health problems– shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, and a near recurrence of pneumonia. While she struggled to breathe, others died from lack of breathing and many others mocked the idea that masks were helpful. She watched and stayed home for lack of kindness and understanding and grieved, as month after month of lung aches and difficulty breathing plagued her days.

If anything, 2020 was the year of invalidation. Relationships fell apart over differences of opinion, over politics, over righteous indignation, over misinformation, and she felt it all keenly and slowly cleansed her newsfeeds and her life of the anger and ugly. She had learned to lower her expectations of life and now people expected her to jump on the latest bandwagon, saying it was her spiritual duty.

She decided that her spiritual duty had called her to kindness and understanding. It shocked her to discover those who would have agreed with her prior to 2020 were caught up in it all. The whole year felt wrongfooted and she retreated into her home, unable to deal with any more emotional upset than necessary.

She found the desire return to make her house her home, to put down her roots. She had long known this would be her last stop along the map of military change but couldn’t bring herself to make it look like that. She had never really settled in her house fully. She found blessings in the painting of the walls, of nailing her pictures to the wall, decorating with treasures that had not seen the light of day since the move five years prior. She planted flowers and filled her home with an assortment of plants, searching for meaning in her world as the rest of the world seemingly stopped and flailed.

Pursuing Peace

She has always been optimistic, but life at times made it hard. She found solace in her smaller life, her children nearby and underfoot, her homeschooling without the extracurriculars and teenage daughters aching to go and do and be, and her peaceful household. She mulled over the kind of people she had been blessed with along her journey and decided that she needed to be that for others. She honored those who touched her life, and grieved aplenty at their loss in 2020. She realized that for every stage of life we have different blessings. We start out as young children thanking God in our childish prayers for those things that are tangible— our parents, our siblings, our house, our food, our grandparents– mainly for what we have received.

As we get older, we begin to realize that it is our honor to be a blessing to others and to carry that forward with us. We have a legacy that began well before we were part of this world, and it continued down to us. If God’s grace and love and blessings are boundless, why are we so stingy with ours?

Now, it is our turn to be welcoming, to offer love and friendship, and to use our experiences to see past the differences and the pervading offensiveness of this day and age. We were called to be Light, to be love, to be kindness, and to be peace. We were called to be a blessing to those around us no matter who they are, what they believe, or where they are physically or spiritually in this life.

“Finally, all of you, be likeminded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’ Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.” I Peter 3:8-14

Meet Miranda!

Not only is her hand-writing like a font on your computer, but she is a very talented writer. A well-educated historian, mother of 4, military spouse, home-school mom, encourager, hilarious, and one of the best people we know. We are excited for you all to get a chance to read her insights on being one blessed momma. 

Mary or Martha?

Mary or Martha?

Luke 10:38-42
New International Version

At the Home of Martha and Mary

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.””

At different times in my life, I have been able to relate to both of these women.  

 

As a teenager I related to Mary wanting to be at the feet of Jesus.   As it turned in to motherhood I found myself relating more and more to Martha, wanting to be in the kitchen or cleaning or having to say “no” to playing with my children.   Well, maybe not necessarily wanting to be in the kitchen but telling myself “I NEEDED to be”.

I have a strong desire to keep a neat and clean house.  I put pressure on myself that I HAVE to or I will not be a good mom or that I am letting my family down.   Never has my family put that pressure on me and never have I consistently been able to achieve it.  

There are times we start running around like Martha trying to get everything done just right, but quickly forget:

–  Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.” 

Matt 6:33 “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all things shall be added unto you.

What both Mary and Martha were doing were God’s work but we need to find a balance and to remember what is most important.  When we can focus on, spend time with, teach and train others (our children especially) about God, over focusing on how clean our homes are we can take a step back and allow God to lead our days.

“Children are not a distraction from more important work.  They are the most important work.”
CS LEWIS

I love the saying an elderly lady at our church stated, “your home should be clean enough to healthy and dirty enough to be happy”.    I should probably hang that up in my kitchen as a kind reminder for myself. 

It can be a daily struggle to have a balance with the two, but here are a few TIPS I have found to help keep the balance. 

 

5 Tips for Balance:

 

1. Pare down your belongings.  There are so many podcasts, TV series, websites, books, and even Molly’s post last week touched on this very subject.  These can help you pare down to what you need.  It makes for a quick cleanup and less “mess”.  There will still be toys on the floor, dishes on the counter, beds to be made, floors to be vacuumed, but this is because you are living life.  Less stuff will help make the clean up more manageable and less stressful for all involved.  Personally, it also helps me mentally.   I don’t see “stuff” everywhere on everything.  Clutter also clutters my brain and ability to feel relaxed. 

2. Getting your kids involved in chores.  Melinda talked about this in her post on working for the Lord.  If your children are small like mine, you’re still doing a lot of the work.  Being specific and starting small by having them pick up the blue toys, fill the basket, or pick up 10 toys, will help get them more involved.  Work together in the beginning, to teach them how and where to put the toys, or you’ll find the toys transferred to the floor in the other room.  Sing a clean-up song or choose another song to play and try to finish cleaning by the time the song is over. 

3. Include them in the process.  Having them get involved in something that they can feel like they are a part of the family, like helping you set the table or cut up veggies.  Here are some great kid knives.  Obviously, they would still need to be supervised. The other day we were making pancakes and one ended up looking like a fish.  We were able to talk about Jonah and the big fish.  We talked about how Jonah did not want to listen and obey God when God told him to go to Ninevah.    When we can teach our children Bible stories we can be in the word as well and gain wisdom and reminders as to how we are supposed to live. 

4. Have a morning “spot” where you can spend 5 or 10 minutes.  Have your bible right there sitting, waiting for you each morning, or even waiting for you when you have a quick quiet minute.  When my girls were even younger 5-10 minutes were hard to find.  But, when trying to find those little moments, it was important to have it set up already.  Finding a bible, devotional book, podcast, or music that helps you focus on God and get connected.  Pray throughout the day.  Look for God’s presence around you: in the morning light, the birds chirping, the sunny warm spring day.   Create a morning playlist with songs you have chosen to start your day with.   I also created a simple prayer request and praises board in my kitchen that I glance at and can start praying while cleaning, cooking or grabbing a snack.  I will link at the bottom as a freebie for you, if you wish to add to your home as well. 

5. One more thing I will mention is getting up before your children. It is a great time to have alone with God.  It wasn’t until recent that I actually was able to experience it.   I still had a nursing through the night toddler which makes getting up before your children nearly impossible.  Dear Mothers who are in that stage in life, please know, sometimes you get in survival mode and you need sleep.  This is where tip number 4 is important because you are finding time with God in the cracks throughout your day, you are setting yourself up for success by already having a spot with everything ready.   

Even when doing these tips, it doesn’t always make it easy. 

 

After a while I tend to get frustrated because I feel like I have to clean the kitchen constantly, one meal after another, pick up laundry, clean up toys, clean up spills, wash, dry, fold and put away laundry, make lunches, wipe bottoms, bathe children, etc.  These are things I can’t seem to check off the list, they’re always there calling my name, same thing over and over again. It can get overwhelming.  Satan loves to get new moms, overwhelmed moms and busy moms; new mom’s whose lives have just been changed drastically from a working wife to a new job, new title and new body, new hormones, and new environment. 

I’ve always wanted to make our house a home of love, safety, of Christ and His stories and of relaxation especially for my husband after a long day.  But I was struggling to feel like “I’ve made it”. 

What I have come to find out is when I start to drift down the path of exhaustion, confusion and uncertainty a common denominator is I haven’t spent time in the word or time with God.  The times I feel like “I’m on the right track” or “today it feels like a home” is when I spend my time and focus on God.  All the other things seem to fall in to place.  I seem to have more patience, more understanding, more energy, more clarity, and more healthy choices all around. 

This past December my sister-in-law gifted me this book called, “Beholding & Becoming The Art of Everyday Worship” by Ruth Chou Simons for my birthday and in it, the author states,

Faithfulness in the unremarkable daily tasks often goes unnoticed—but not to the God who numbers your days.  To our all-seeing God, everyday faithfulness is an act of worship and not just an act of survival.” pg. 38

What a great reminder to faithfully work and serve not for approval and acknowledgment from the world or our family but to “continually beholding, in their hearts, their true Master and the eternal treasure waiting for them as children of God“.  (Ruth Chou Simons: Beholding and Becoming The Art of Everyday Worship, pg. 38).   I also love what she continues to remind us “When we turn to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin and trust Him for the new life we live to His glory, He breaks the bond of the idolatry of comfort, ease, pride, and unrealistic expectations.  He gives us a new mind and will through a softened heart that desires to please Him.  What God revealed here to the Israelites long before the birth of Christ ultimately found its fulfillment in the sacrificial death of Jesus, who enables us through the Spirit to walk with Him, obey and learn to love what must be done. ” (Ruth Chou Simons: Beholding and Becoming The Art of Everyday Worship, pg. 47). 

When we can daily remind ourselves of the love and truth of Jesus, how we were saved and rejoice; It keeps our focus where it should be.  Where the most important is highlighted.  Where our load is lifted and all we need, is to focus on following Christ.  It allows us to not be overwhelmed by the mess because there’s no clutter- it is just a mess from living.  It allows us to stop, play, interact and enjoy time with our children and have the conversations with them we wouldn’t otherwise.

To our wonderful God, Thank you for Jesus and His sacrifice, the continuing of your love, devotion, and grace to our human world.  May we all find our focus on you, to be devoted and faithful.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.   

Download Free Printables

PRAYERS AND PRAISES PRINT OUT

I put mine in a frame, hung it on my wall and use dry erase marker to easily change my prayer requests or praises.

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Meet Julia!

Julia is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two beautiful girls and a follower of Christ.   She loves crafting, teaching and is forever grateful for a God who is in control of all unknowns and thankful we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Spring Cleaning and Space Saving Tips

Spring Cleaning and Space Saving Tips

Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.

It’s the month of March and spring is in the air! Here on the farm baby calves are being born and the red-winged black birds have returned! Their sweet song always makes my heart soar on the wings of hope! Hope of new beginnings. Hope of new life.

My second son, Cole, is a very insightful kiddo. He notices and appreciates the beauty in even the smallest of details. He is the kid that, as we are driving, will say, “Aren’t the mountains beautiful, Mama?” or, “Look at the sage brush. I love the greenish grayish color of it!”

And that boy LOVES sunsets! He will carefully label each color with a creative name and praise God for the beauty He created. I cannot see a sunset without thinking about my sweet Cole man.

Recently, he and I were talking about spring. He was telling me all about his favorite attributes of the season. He prefaced our conversation with, “I love all the seasons but spring is my favorite. I love that everything starts over!”

Many people are looking for a restart.

Spring cleaning is one of the ways I like to “restart” my home.

One of my favorite hobbies is what I call efficient interior decorating. It makes my heart happy when I can take a room from drab and dysfunctional to functional and fabulous!

We live in a 950-ish square foot house and with 5 kids it can definitely feel tight!

It seems that I am forever moving things and changing things around to make every square inch count!

Whether you’re dealing with a small house or just wanting to maximize the efficiency of a space I know you will love these space saving ideas.

1. Purge

Purging is not a once-a-year one-and-done deal. It is a constant process. I always have a “get rid of ” box or bag in my house.

We are blessed to live in a community where sharing hand-me-downs is the norm. I have never HAD to buy clothes for my kids-that’s not to say I haven’t, just never needed to. All those hand-me-downs are a HUGE blessing but it is easy to accumulate too many clothes in a size. Every time I do laundry I make it a goal to purge out any “extra” clothes. Any clothes that I consider difficult (i.e. clothes that wrinkle easily, are ill-fitting, I love but my kiddo hates, etc.).

I also purge out any torn or stained clothing. I either pass it on to someone who can use it, throw it away or donate it to our local Goodwill.
It is vital to an organized space to be a constant purger.

I also purge my living room and kitchen on a regular basis but clothes are our biggest issue.
(How many clothes do kids need? I keep 7 of each item except socks and underwear-I keep double of those.)

2. Look for places to create storage

Using vertical space is an excellent way to save valuable real estate. Adding some simple open shelving is a great way to display knick-knacks and keep your house from looking cluttered.

I keep playing cards, matches and keys in my pretty tins. They look cute and serve a purpose!

We also have risers under our bed to create storage space for file boxes and other larger items like the guitar case and suitcases.

3. Find cute, fun and functional pieces

Look for ways to use pieces you already have even if it means making some minor adjustments or using them differently than intended.

Like my school area I created by changing the intended use of nesting box shelves. Or taking chicken wire baskets and screwing them to the wall to use as as produce baskets. Using book shelves to store canned goods. Hanging cast iron skillets (that I use all the time!) on the wall to serve as rustic decor AND storage.

4. A place for everything and everything in it’s place

The old saying truly has a great deal of wisdom! If you don’t have space for it and/or it doesn’t serve a purpose, get rid of it!,

Be intentional about what you choose to keep in your home. Don’t clutter your life with stuff!

I recently purged my boy’s room (Again!) and it has made a significant difference in the amount of time it takes them to get ready in the morning, clean their room and find their stuff. It has also increased their overall enjoyment of their room.

Collect moments not things…

By implementing these practices in my home I have been able to free up some time and, more importantly, free my mind to focus more on my relationship with the Lord and my family.

My goal has never been to have a perfect home but to have one that my family can live in.

To borrow a quote from my lovely mother-in-law, I want my house to be clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy.

Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

From stressed to blessed…

From stressed to blessed…

Cue Infomercial

“Are you prepared to embark on a glassy smooth sailing sea, kind of adventure; a joyful journey with a group of amazing and oh so peaceful people, sharing their own special gifts in a fun, uplifting, inspirational and encouraging community”? “

How would you like to go from being stressed to blessed”?

I know what my answer would be, “YES”!

These are just a few of the questions that I have pondered for half a century. In my search for the answers, I admit that as much as I am a fact checker and data sleuth, deep inside I have always known that there had to be such an experience because it is instinctually where I have been heading for as long as I can remember.

Imagine the size of our family!! 31% of the world’s 7.3 billion people are christian and make up the largest religious population in the world. This is according to a study in 2015, reported in 2017 Pew Research, FACTANK, BY CONRAD HACKETT AND DAVID MCCLENDON

Wait a minute! WHAT? ONLY 31% of the World’s population are Christians?

What happened to,”Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” – Genesis 28:14

Once while speaking in a Collegiate Lecturing Class with the subject matter being Utopia: I remember how difficult it was to speak about a place and state of mind that wasn’t factual. I wondered why I was able to believe in God, The Bible, Christ, when I had never actually seen them. Yet I have faith, and unconditional love knowing that The Word is real.

For the sake of myself and my children, I must ask the hard questions, gather facts and stories, diving deeper, yet without becoming overwhelmed? How to convey that digging deeper into The Word, can release joyful and shareable experiences with an understanding; the kind that can leave an impression, and last a lifetime. Sometimes it knocks me down a few pegs when I realize…

How do I justly instill the importance while sharing these thoughts with my children?

With the realization that we are not alone, and each one of us has amazing gifts and perspectives to share, and we can do so with kindness and christian theologian absolutism. What a gift! Thank you, GOD!

Meet Kimberly!

Kimberly strives to walk with peace, love and joy, through faith in Christ. She is a passionate mother of 3, and is grateful for the friendships with her church family, a strong foundation built from the love of Christ. She has been asked to provide a few thoughts on this inspirational blog, because she is one blessed momma!

Kimberly would best be described as a wildflower, growing wherever she may be, especially at the beach, and most always with her children and pups. She enjoys nature and through the years has been wonderfully blessed by living and working in and outside of the USA. Her most memorable family activities include camping, biking, hiking, rafting, skiing (both snow and water), swimming, kayaking, canoeing, all the while and on a daily basis, being completely in awe and humbled by God’s creations in the world around us.

She loves helping others uncover their potential, their inner joy and sense of fulfillment in their daily tasks, and has done so in the home with her children, as well as serving in the community, while finding examples and ways to continue growing and maturing in faith. Kimberly is a by-line writer, restaurant review critic, and her advanced studies in college included Early Childhood Education and Medical Laboratory Sciences with a specialty in Microbiology. She enjoys writing about life lessons, has an entrepreneurial spirit, and hopes that her life experiences help provide guidance for other mom’s to go from living a stressed life to having a blessed one!

10 Ways to Show your Children Love

10 Ways to Show your Children Love

Love Day

In my house with a 2 and 4 years old, Love Day is what we call “Valentine’s Day”.  Every year Valentine’s Day makes me ponder, “how can I make the people I love, feel special, cared for, thought of, and loved”, especially my children who are being formed daily in their views on life.

What exactly does that look like?  Does it just last one day? What about a week? What about all year long?  One thing I want my children to know without a doubt is that their parents love them.   Does that mean giving them everything they ask for? Going above and beyond every day?  Do everything for them? Nope.  That’s not love.  That’s setting them up for failure.  God tells us to discipline, give structure and guidance, teach right from wrong, teach love and kindness.  

Prov. 13:4: 24

Whoever spares the rod hates their children,

but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.

Prov 29:15

A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,

but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.

Discipline and structure are not a punishment.  They are preventive measures to help guide and protect them.  Just like the bible.  We all know how we are to behave.  There are expectations and there are consequences for actions.

Training should be done in love.

Prov 22: 6

Start children off on the way they should go,

and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Hebrews 12:9

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to

the Father of spirits and live!

Eph 6:4

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

I want them to KNOW and to FEEL what it is like to have an unwavering unconditional love so that as they grow older they can KNOW and FEEL without a doubt that their God LOVES them, with an unwavering and unconditional love.  He is a great educator in how to show love to our children. 

 

1 Cor 13:4-7:  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 

Eph 3:18-19

may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and

to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

May we all take a moment and feel God’s love for us, his sacrificial love. His deep love that surpasses all understanding. The grace that comes with the love.  Until we can fully accept and understand his love for us, will we fully be able to show that true love to our children? 

 

1 John 3:18 

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

We’ve all heard the saying,

“Actions speak louder than words”

 

So, here are 10 ways we can show our children we love them: 

  1. Look them in the eyes– Don’t be distracted by the laundry piling up on the floor, toys not put in the basket, the sibling running over. 
  2. Give them undivided attention– put down the phone, turn off the tv or music. 
  3. Listen to them– let them tell you their opinion, talk about what interests them, or their imaginary story that has no real facts in it but to them is completely real. 
  4. Take 5-15 minutes to read books to them or play at them at their level – Don’t be afraid to get silly, step in to their world.  
  5. Ask them if you can give them a big hug and hold for 20 seconds– this is proven to reduce stress. 
  6. Take them on a one on one date- to the dollar tree or to the park
  7. Love language– not sure? Take this quiz
  8. Dance party– Make a play list of their favorite songs and let loose. 
  9. Use your words– Love notes around the house or in their lunch box. Recognize their positive actions and state them aloud in front of other people.  They hear what we say and take it to heart as their identity. 
  10. Ask directly– Ask them what you do that lets them know you love them. 

 

 

 

Ps. 36:5-7

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,

your justice like the great deep.

You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

 

 

Check out the Free Printables below!!! Enjoy!

 

Download Free Printables:

 

Coloring Book Verse: Ps. 36:5

1 Corinthians 13 image: You can print off any size and easily place it in a frame!

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Meet Julia!

Julia is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two beautiful girls and a follower of Christ.   She loves crafting, teaching and is forever grateful for a God who is in control of all unknowns and thankful we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding.