Making the Most of Every Opportunity

We have a lot of traditions in this one day, but I love each of them SO much. It's so refreshing to take the day and just be excited about Jesus beating death and the precious gift that is to those of us He calls His own!  Here's our day: 1) I get everyone up before the sun rises and we go watch it together. Our old home was blocks from the beach. That was our favorite spot, but last year we watched from our hotel room window. -Getting up to go is not easy, but it's so exciting to cheer and clap and sing HE IS RISEN as the sun rises. As the boys get older, we're adding a little more (Andy reading the Word, Jimmy picking a song to praise God to, me praying, etc...) I'm praying it's a sweet family worship service we enjoy for years to come. What a beautiful gift from God. 2) We race home to see if Jesus is still in the tomb we made . I decorate the table and it's fun to look for Jesus who is no longer in the tomb, but has risen again (and is hidden in ...

"God... saved us and called us to a holy calling... which he gave us in Christ Jesus... who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel..."  - 2 Timothy 1:9,10 One tradition we have to do each year on Easter week is to make a tomb. I read about it in Noel Piper's book "Treasuring Our Traditions" a few years ago. We have so much fun mixing the dough and baking it. You can decorate it or leave it plain. We use the tomb for our kids (Jimmy started at age 3) to tell us the Easter story .We take a family walk and collect sticks while we are out (to be used as crosses). Then we come home and mix our dough (you could just use pre-made play dough if you prefer.) Check out Noel's blog post  for her recipe and pictures. It does take a bit to cool. we usually make the dough into the mountain on Thursday night , so we can let it sit overnight and use it Friday morning. Then we put a picture of Jesus on the cross on our cross and ...

I think it's important to talk through Scripture my kids are exposed to, see what they are learning, and explain concepts I think may be hard to grasp.  When Jimmy was 2 1/2, he was fascinated by the cross in the middle of the entryway at our church and often asked me to tell him about why Jesus had to die. I was sharing how those who believe in Christ’s death and resurrection by faith can live forever with God. Then I said, “Have you ever heard people say that Jesus gives us eternal life ? Because Jesus is eternal, through Him now we can be too”  After a minute of silence (where I assumed I went too deep and he lost interest) Jimmy spoke up and said, “Mommy, Jesus is NOT a turtle!” Ha! I guess “eternal” and “a turtle” do sound alike.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”- John 1:5 I adore  Noel Piper 's traditions and we use many of them in our homes to point to Jesus. One we are starting this year as a family this year is her  "Lenten Lights" . It's a good way to sober our hearts to look at our own sin, repent, and turn to Christ and to prepare to remember the horrible death of Jesus. THEN, we will celebrate that He rose again and brought life for us. The Pipers light 7 candles and then each week during the lenten season they read  a family devotional  and snuff out one light, leaving the last to be snuffed out on Good Friday. Here's a quote from  "Lenten Lights" : Your seven candles symbolize the Light of the World—the Light that was God’s glory and that illuminated God for us—the Light that, in the end, seemed to have been darkened. As we move through the season preceding Easter, the candles are snuffed out one by one, until all are dark on Go...

Andy and I agreed early in our marriage that the focus of our family traditions should always be to stay our hearts on Jesus. But there are some traditions I grew up with and loved that aren't Christian. And many traditions our kid's friends have aren't Christian either, but could point to Christ... if we're intentional. Easter eggs are an example. Eggs really have nothing to do with Jesus, but I grew up hunting for them and love that memory. Family Life created an outreach to use Easter eggs to teach the gospel story to children. They are called resurrection eggs and we LOVE them! Jimmy, age 3: "Jesus died to pay for our sin, but he beat death. So, if we ask, we can beat death too." So our kids hunt for eggs each Easter, just like many kids in America. But these eggs each have a toy inside to help prompt each part of the gospel. It has a small booklet that gives the specific Bible passages and a short summary of each story. Jimmy, age 4. "Loo...

My favorite songs are the ones that are packed full of Biblical truth. These encourage me and remind me of the gospel- pointing me to Jesus. Sovereign Grace music continually does this. This Easter, they have released a celebration of Christ raised from the grave. You should consider buying it (and others by them). Check out their store for song samples, free downloads from past albums, and to purchase.    "He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” These words, spoken by an angel to the women at Jesus’s tomb, changed history forever. Christ’s resurrection was more than a display of raw supernatural power. It was the single event that assures us that his payment for our sins has been accepted. God’s wrath is satisfied. Death is defeated. The powers of darkness are overcome. Sin’s dominion has been broken. And the life of the age to come has dawned. The songs on this album celebrate these realities, experienced and enjoyed by all who place their faith and hope in Jesus C...

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you... For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures..."- 1 Corinthians 15:1,3 Easter is by far my favorite holiday to celebrate. I love  this time to remember Jesus' death and resurrection. It's so sad how quickly I forget and drop my gaze off of Jesus. Sometimes winter feels so long, I put my mind towards the details of daily life, or I even pour myself into striving (ouch) to live out His Word and I lose sight of His great love. I need to have regular seasons where I'm pointed back to the good news of Jesus Christ. And Easter is always so timely. I'll share in the next several blogs what Easter looks like in our home. Our biggest emphasis is on Easter week itself, but here are some ways we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus...