Awesome video!

I've seen this before but a friend sent it to me again via email and I just had to share!

New Memory Verse

I may have gotten a little ambitious on this one but I love it.

Easter 2009

What a fun Easter weekend we had! On Saturday we went to Sterling for an egg hunt and brunch at my aunt and uncle's house. The kids were so patient to wait until after brunch but once they were lined up at the door to run out... they could hardly stand it! Off they went!

Then we went to Keven's parents' house for an early dinner and a couple of card games. That is one of my absolute fave things to do... just hang out with the in-laws and play some good card games, even if Keven's dad does bray when he wins! ;) You know what I'm talking about Carl!

Sunday was up and at 'em for church. I had Easter bags waiting for each of the kids at their spot at the table. I decided on bags this year as we have several baskets (which I forgot for the hunt by the way) and they are just accumulating like crazy! And, I got bags that can be used for things other than Easter... that's what ya call usin' yer noggin! So, if you get a gift from me in one of these bags... sorry but it's a hand-me-down!

Off to church we went. This is the first Easter we've been able to attend our home church for Easter and we've been there almost three years. The first year I was HUGE and pregnant with Tyler and would've had to go to a FAMILY service BY MYSELF (Keven was working). Me, in a church service, huge and pregnant with three little ones... would not have been a pretty picture. And, last year Keven was working again and Tyler was sick so that meant we all had to stay home. It was an awesome time of worship! Our pastor teaches chapter by chapter, verse by verse and "just happened" to be ready to preach on Matthew 28. Pretty awesome!

I had put a ham in the oven before we went to church and when we got home I whipped up some sides and we ate here at home as a family. Was nice. Afterwards, we made Resurrection Rolls. That was fun! The kids had a good time and seemed to understand the symbolism behind it. I forgot to get pictures of the end products. Oh well!

Then Keven, Marlie, Hannah and myself watched "The Passion". I so hate and love that movie at the same time. It was hard to watch again and I was a little worried about the kids watching the violence of Jesus' beating, etc... what we forgot about were the images of Satan! Oh my goodness... can I just say that I feel like the worst parent EVER!?!???? Poor Hannah was up until midnight with those images in her head! She came to bed and held my hand and just cried wishing the night would end. She finally ended up going to bed with her strong daddy in the spare bed. I felt to terrible... still do! We'll see what tonight brings. Was a perfect opportunity to teach her that what we watch really does stick even if it's unintentional. Poor thing... too bad it was put there by her parents. Golly! Live and learn I suppose!

Here is a slideshow of the weekend's events!

Oh, and I almost forgot... here are a couple of pics of the kids with Megan... she is a sweet girl from church (and the girls' school) that they just adore! Tyler does too, he just doesn't quite know it yet!

The boy can BOOGIE!

Oh man... I could just watch this kinda stuff all day! We were watching Rack, Shack and Benny (the Veggie Tales movie) after supper tonight and the second Tyler heard this song, he just couldn't help but shake his groove thang! Of course, by the time we got the camera he had lost a little of the oomph but it's still cute! By the way, he's never heard the song until tonight! I think he has an ear for good music! Ha ha ha!

The boy can BOOGIE!

He is RISEN!

Happy Easter everyone!



He lives indeed!

Resurrection Rolls

Most of you have probably seen this recipe but I thought I would still post it just in case. It's a really fun, visual way to show kids the true story of Jesus' burial and resurrection. Enjoy!

Resurrection Rolls

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
Crescent rolls
Melted butter
Large marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in.

Read Matthew 27:57-61

1. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.
2. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.
3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.
4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!)
6. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)

Now read Matthew 28:5-8

Explain: At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! Alleluia!

After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that, to more than 500 people. Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support and prove that Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell. And now because of what Jesus has done, these things no longer have any power over those who believe in Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead and direct them. Rather than being slaves to sin and death, Christians ( those who love and believe in Jesus) are free to obey God and do good ( Romans 6:17-18). The Bible says in John 8:36, "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

However, we will only obey God if we listen to the Holy Spirit our helper. He enables believers in Jesus to do the right thing. It is important that we read the Bible (God's Word) because one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us obey God is by reminding us of what He says to us in His Word. God's Spirit will never go against his Word. In fact, when we read God's Word, we are listening to the Holy Spirit. Of course, you won't always do the right thing; the Bible says this ) 1 John 1:5-10). But that is why we need to continue to confess our sins knowing that God forgives us, based on what Jesus did on the cross. This is also a reason we need to spend time with other believers in Christ so they can encourage us in our faith.

May you have a blessed and meaningful Easter!

Information taken from this post.

Especially good post...

on the "Like a warm cup of coffee" blog. Here is the link... I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Hosanna! He is mighty to save!

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!

Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
Written some 500+ years before this next passage:

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

Matthew 21:1-11

All praise to our King who is to come again, only this time it won't be on a lowly donkey but on a great white horse! How glorious that will be!

Please pray for Mark!

I am updating my sidebar with a link to a lovely lady's site! I do not know her personally but have come to pray for her husband through friends of friends. You know how that goes! Anyway, her husband was in a horrific motorcycle accident this past weekend. Wait until you read her updates. This woman in a strong woman of faith! It will bless you and please pray for Mark!

New Verse

Yes! I have a new memory verse, finally! I sure hope the last one sunk in... if not in word at least in essence and intention. I've already forgotten the first verse that I memorized when starting on this trek.

I actually got this verse from my mother-in-law today! I mentioned to her that I need to come up with a new verse to memorize and she had this one right handy! I LOVE it! I especially love the "perfect peace" part. What IS perfect peace?! I suppose we won't know it exactly this side of heaven. Or, I don't know... maybe there is that rare person who is consistently and steadfastly trusting in the Lord. I am not one of them... yet! I still struggle too much with giving up control and quickly taking back the reigns. But, we've been down that road before. No need to rehash at this point I suppose.

What I hope to take away from this verse is: First that it is God who gives us perfect peace. Not a bank account, not material possessions, not job security... though all of these things are nice.. but GOD! Second, perfect peace in conditional... it doesn't just come because we are born-again, although there is a certain peace that comes with that. But perfect peace comes from God WHEN and IF our minds are steadfast and trusting in Him alone.

So... may I (and you) remember to keep my eyes on the prize... oh, what a prize!... so that we can get a glimpse of the perfect peace that is promised to us! Praise God!