God Knows My Name

 

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.~ Genesis 2:19

 

Walking through our wooded neighborhood, I noticed an Eastern towhee flitting through the pine brush. He was joined by others, chickadees, wrens, and a cardinal. Bluebirds lit on the fence posts. I could hear crows calling in the distance and the fuss of a bluejay. Then it struck me how many birds I can name. Is that important? 

Did you name your dog or pet? Do you know the names of your neighbors' pets? Why? Is it because they have names? You are familiar with them. You care for them. They are important to you. God wanted the animals and birds to be important to Adam. He gave the responsibility to Adam to care for His creation.  Farmers often do not name the animals they plan to sell to the market. Why not? They don't want to be attached. 

Do you know your neighbor's name? I can see a house through the trees, whose occupants I have never met. How cold is that word, Occupant?  They live, work, and probably go to school. They have days of health, sickness, and accidents I never know about. Maybe one day I will see a lot of cars or a white wreath on the door. I don't know their names, but God does. He sees. He cares. He knows their names. He cares if they know Him. 

How did I learn the names of the birds? I set out bird feeders. I listened to their calls. I became familiar with them. I have seen pictures of people feeding wild birds from their hands. I have fed and tamed feral cats. Getting to know the birds and animals is such a joy, but it takes time. They won't eat out of our hands at first. They need to know we care about them before they trust us. 

It's the same with people. We have to be friendly with others, get to know them, and show we care before they trust us, before they are willing to hear what we have to say. What do we have to say? It's simple. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.~John 3:16

Just as God knows the name and number of the stars, He knows each person by name. 

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Psalms 137:4

He wants to help others trust Him. We are the ones he uses to help others learn of Him. We are the ones He uses to draw others to Him. 

Father God, please help me introduce myself to others. Help me show others I care about them. Help me show the simple love of Jesus to all I come in contact with. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

 

Do you have a favorite animal or pet? What are their names? 

What are the names of your friends? 

Are there others whose names you do not know?

Try introducing yourself this week. Make a new friend. 

Friendships are opportunities to help them know about the best Friend, Jesus. 

The Best for our Babies

 

Photo by Aditya Romansa

Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. ~I Kings 3:27

In the story of King Solomon, two new moms who were prostitutes brought their babies to the king. One mom had lain on her baby in the night and smothered it. She had taken her dead baby and swapped it for the other mom's living baby. Now they argued before the king.

King Solomon sounded cruel when he asked for a sword to divide the living child in two, but in reality, he was revealing the heart of the true mother. She was willing to give up control of her child's life to save her baby. King Solomon returned the child to her because he knew only a real mother would be willing to give up her child for its life. 

As moms, we give up a lot for our children, even our own bodies. We to protect our babies, give them everything life has to offer, and hold them close, but are we willing to give them up for the sake of their lives? For the sake of their souls? We must give them up to the king, the King of kings, if we want life for our babies. 

What would that look like? 

• Are we reading a Bible story to our children each night or do we find ourselves too tired? 
• Are we praying with them and for them or just telling them to say their prayers?
• Are they involved in activities that would take them away from church, activities we feel would give them a better chance in life to be professional athletes, musicians, or performers? 
• Are we willing to have less so we can raise our children to love Jesus instead of giving them up to others to raise?  Prov 22:6
• Are we giving them our undivided attention when they want/need to talk to us? Deut. 11:19

The back-to-school ads have begun. Are you already rushing around trying to find the best buys for the upcoming school year? More importantly, have you checked out the schools and curriculum your child(ren) will be taught this year? You may think this is where my children have always attended. This is where I attended, and all my family. Schools of all sorts have changed tremendously in the last few years. It's not what we always expect. It may be time to be like the mother in Solomon's court. It may be time to sacrifice some wants to supply what our children really need. 

We may not be the best mom just as the mom in our story wasn't the perfect mom. She wasn't married. Other moms probably wrote her off as unworthy of their company.  She lived as a prostitute, but she was willing to give up her baby if it meant giving her baby life. 

Can we do better? How can we give our children to Jesus even when it means sacrificing the things we think are important to us? 

Maybe your toes feel stepped on. I know mine do. Maybe we feel like it's too late. It's never too late to give our children to the King of Kings. 

Heavenly Father, may I be willing to turn loose of control, my desires, and my dreams. Help me to be willing to let you have control of my children, knowing you want the best for them. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Lights in the Darkness

 

Today I'd like to share a Bible story from Acts 20:7-12. I'd like to take you deeper into the story to see the sights and sounds, "the just like us" human side of the story, because the Bible is just as much about us as it is about the people who lived those stories. Enjoy.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Matthew 5:14

Children chattered and played as they walked with their parents carrying baskets of food and their lamps. Tonight was the last night to hear and visit with Paul before he sailed to Assos. There was a large house, three stories high, where they had agreed to gather. Neighbors watched as the little troop grew larger the closer they came to the house. 

The ladies in the house welcomed the guests, taking the baskets and spreading the food along tables for

everyone to share. A little food, a little fellowship, a little preaching, because of the buzz of the house no one noticed how late the hour had become. 

Eutychus, a young man, sat propped in a window to catch the night breeze and make room for the older folks to sit. As Paul preached toward midnight, Eutychus’ eyes began to droop and his head to nod. Several times, he’d caught himself from falling onto the old man seated in front of him. He rearranged himself, hoping to wake up. He wanted to hear, and he didn’t want to begin to snore, but his body slumped into slumber. Suddenly, his arms flailed. He toppled out the window to the street below. 

People screamed. Lights poured into the streets. Eutychus was dead! The commotion awakened the neighbors. Paul pushed his way through the crowd and then gathered the young man in his arms. “His life is in him,” he declared as Eutychus’ eyes fluttered open. 

“Hallelujah! Praise God! Thank you, Jesus!” came the exclamations from the crowd as they lifted their hands and faces heavenward. 

"Thank you, Jesus? Who is this Jesus?" the neighbors whispered along the street. They watched as people filed back into the house, talking and praising.

Inside, people prayed, ate, listened, and asked questions until dawn, when the town began to stir again. Eutychus, the young man, was helped home as people dispersed. Neighbors watched and eyed the window where, last night, he had fallen.

Lamps through the night, a dead man raised alive, people praising Jesus. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

To think, it seemed to have started with lights shining in the darkness.

Heavenly Father, help us always be your shining light regardless of the hour or the circumstances. Even when we don't realize others are watching, may we still be prepared to be your witness. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

It's easy to be kind, share, and play fair when we feel good, but what about when we begin to get tired? When it's bedtime and we feel grumpy, how do we react? 

How can we let others see Jesus in us even when we don't always feel like it? 

An Enlarged Tent

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; Isaiah 54:2

Isaiah prophesied before Israel was taken captive into Babylon that they would return. They would be responsible for spreading the gospel to the world. At the end of the 70 years, Cyrus allowed Ezra and Nehemiah to return to Israel with funds and materials to rebuild the temple and the wall. He sent protection for them. They had an opportunity to reach the world for Christ, the Messiah. 

The next verse says they would break forth on the right hand and on the left. They would inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Did it happen? Not yet.

Israel secluded themselves. They wanted nothing to do with Gentiles or Samaritans. So the Greeks took over and then the Romans. Finally, Israel themselves rejected and crucified the Messiah. God allowed Titus to destroy them, but God enlarged His tent. He sent Paul to the Gentiles. The church grew in Europe and Africa and in Asia Minor. All the while Israel lay desolate until 1948.

But what about us, the church, the believers in Jesus? Are we taking a vacation? When this country was founded, they came here for religious liberty. They stretched forth their habitations. We saw great revivals in Europe and in the US. 

There was a man mentioned in I Chron 4:9,10. He prayed for God to bless him and enlarge his "coast". He wanted God to use him to reach others. Like us he was probably a little bashful in sharing the gospel with others. But he wanted God to bless him, give him a supernatural unction to be brave enough to encounter others for Christ.

The world is changing fast, like a whirlwind has hit. I wonder if I'm paying attention and asking for God's favor to expand my opportunities to reach others?

Dear Heavenly Father, please give me a desire to be used by You, to expand my tent, my outreach to spread the gospel in a rapidly changing world. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Follow the Son

 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. ~ Luke 9:23

While growing sunflowers over the years I've noticed a few things.

• No matter the time of day sunflowers follow the sun.From early morning to late afternoon, they face the sun. 
• Their roots grow deep into the soil, cleansing it from radiation, arsenic, and other harmful chemicals.

I've also noticed the blessings that people have who follow God's Son every day.

• Following the Son keeps our eyes on Jesus and not on the world
• Being rooted in Jesus cleanses us from the harmful effects of the world.

I watch as bees carry pollen from flower to flower, helping the seeds to form.

• The pollen from the sunflowers feeds the bees.
• The seeds feed other animals, birds, and people. 
• The seeds also drop into the soil beneath, allowing new plants to form

There are seeds that form in our lives.

• As we interact with other Christians, we grow in knowledge and love.
• We are able to feed others with the seeds of the gospel.
• We teach our children who are under our care and instruction to grow into strong Christians.

The leaves of the sunflower plant gather sunlight. 

• The leaves transform sunlight into chlorophyll.
•  The chlorophyll feeds the plant and helps it grow stronger. 

The old folks used to say, "Leaf through that catalog and see what you like. Leaf through that book and see if it might be a good read." They referred to the pages. 

• If we "leaf" through the pages of the Bible, stopping to read, study, even devour passages we grow stronger.
• A solid reading of the scripture gives us knowledge, and then we are able to give every person an answer for the hope within us.

Heavenly  Father, help us to take notice of Your creation, allowing it to open our eyes to your truth.Your word tells us that the invisible things of You from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even Your eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (My paraphrase from Rom. 1:20) Direct our lives, O Lord, we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.

My "Plumgranny" Tree is Blooming!

 

And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.

And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;

 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the Lord commanded Moses.

Exodus 39:24-26

Grandma had two trees along her back walk, a chinaberry tree and a "plumgranny tree." The Chinaberry tree was for climbing. It had nice, low spreading limbs we could climb without worrying about falling out and breaking something. The "plumgranny tree" wasn't for climbing. It was for eating. 

You've never eaten a "plumgranny?" It's sour and sweet with lots of tiny seeds just right for spitting. That's all there is, seeds and juice. Just put your fingers in the crown, that's the blossom end, and pull the tough skin apart. Sections of bright, juicy seeds will squirt juice all over your hands and clothes. 

I heard that! Someone said, "They're not 'plumgrannies'. They're pomegranates." I know that, but I didn't know until I was plumb grown. Pomegranates are one of the seven species mentioned in the Bible (Deuteronomy 8:8) They are native to Iran and India but have naturalized throughout the Mediterranean. Pomegranates are associated with fruitfulness, knowledge, learning, and wisdom. They also have many health benefits. The whole plant, from bark to flower to fruit, is edible. 

Tradition says there are 613 seeds in the fruit, the same as the 613 commandments in the Talmud. Though the actual number of seeds varies greatly, there can be quite a bit of symbolism associated with the fruit. God commanded that representations of the fruit be sewn between the bells on the priest's robe. There is no flesh in the fruit, only seeds and juice. When we leave our flesh behind, there is no more self in our actions. For a seed to produce more fruit, it must die. To be of service to Christ, we must die to ourselves and live unto Him. The red juice surrounds the seed and stains all it touches. So the blood of Christ must cover the seed planted in the hearts of others, and the blood stain of Jesus left to water it so that others may come to know Him as Savior. 

The juice - tart and sweet. I wish I still had the picture of my grandchildren eating their first pomegranates. Following Christ is not all sweetness, but the end results are eternal blessings.

Heavenly Father, help me remember to leave the thoughts and actions of the flesh behind and always be vigilant in planting and watering the seeds of the gospel in the hearts of others. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

The Bible in Action

Do you know the seven species of the Bible?

Read Deuteronomy 8:8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and honey;

Have you eaten all these foods? In the fall, Judaism celebrates the new year. On the second day, they introduce a new fruit. Often, that fruit is a pomegranate. 

Why not introduce yourself to a new species during the seven weeks of summer? 

Week 1 - Explore your neighborhood or vacation spot for a mill or store that provides freshly ground grains.  Help Mom bake a loaf of bread from fresh-ground wheat. 

Week 2 - Explore a new breakfast food. Barley makes great muffins. I found a good recipe on the package of barley I bought at the grocery store. 

Week 3 - We all love a handful of grapes, but have you made grape jelly? 

Week 4 - The figs will begin to come in between June and August. I love to pick them straight off the tree on a hot summer day. They always taste cool and refreshing, much like a peach. 

Week 5- Pomegranates may not be available until September, but the juice is readily available in most grocery stores. Be sure to try a whole fruit once they come in.

Week 6 - Drag a piece of crusty bread through a plate of olive oil. It's as good as butter.

Week 7 - Explore the farmers' market for local honey. The taste is wonderful, and the health benefits far outweigh the store-bought brands. 

I'm wondering why God made these foods and recommended them to the Israelites. Got any ideas to share?

Blue Willow

 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.~Romans 8:28

Have you ever wondered how you would make it through life if you lost everything except your family and one special treasure?

Dandelion Lives

 

picture by Manfriedrichter

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. ~Malachi 4:2

As children, we lay in the fields and picked dandelions, blowing the puff balls across the field or making crowns with the yellow flowers. As adults, we try to rid them from our lawns and gardens, calling them weeds. Weeds indeed! The deep roots plow through the soil, loosening it to let the rain reach the grass and garden plants. We deprive our children of lazy days of enjoyment in nature while learning the natural way of seed distribution and plant reproduction. Ah, but to the point. Dandelions are another reminder that creation speaks of the Creator, and they speak of us. 

Rooted and grounded deep in the soil, the dark green leaves show off the single orange flower head, whose stem is hollow to uptake water and nutrients in the soil. The flower soon changes to a ball of fluff whose seeds are carried by the wind across lawns and fields to bring a rebirth of the flower in another place. So what does that have to do with you and me? 

• Deeply Rooted - We need to be deeply rooted in God's word. The Word gives us the nutrients we need to grow as Christians. It is the Water of Life. 
• Yellow Gold - The yellow gold flower head in the middle of the whorl of dark green leaves speaks of the King's crown, in the center of our lives. We are the living body of leaves surrounding our hearts, which carries Jesus as the center of our lives. 
• Seed Distribution - As the flower matures, it shoots up a hollow stem that carries water and nutrients to the seeds that form around the center of the flower. The seeds grow and mature until they are blown away to another place for another time, just as we should be maturing and raising our children to be the seeds transplanted to another place and time. A place and time to raise another godly generation.

Sometimes we may feel that the seeds have flown without their purpose, but remember that not all flowers bloom at the same time. The living word you have implanted in those children will not be forgotten. In God's time, they too will produce another generation for the Lord. 

Heavenly Father, help us keep You at the center of our lives. Help us show Jesus to our children in our daily living. Help us implant Your word in their minds so their thoughts, their deeds, their ethics are demonstrations of You. May they see these same examples in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Pretty Good

 

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.    ~John 14:6 KJV

I’ve got this pretty good pound cake recipe I like to use for Mother’s Day because it goes well with fresh strawberries. I say pretty good because it has a good texture and flavor, but to make it Mad Dog Pound Cake I have to add the boiled syrup. I pour the syrup over the cake and in the middle. It sits and soaks and mmmmmmmmmmm. With the first bite, the syrup is running out the corner of your mouth and dripping off your chin. Of course, that’s an exaggeration but it sure seems that good.

Our lives are a lot like a pretty good pound cake. Most of us would say we are pretty good people, but is pretty good, good enough to get us into heaven? My pound cake totally changes when the syrup is poured over it and into it. The syrup can’t be removed and no one would want to scrape it off. No one wants the cake without the syrup once they’ve tried it. Jesus said no one comes to the Father but by Him. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). We can’t get to heaven or be a true Christian without first coming to Jesus. When our lives are covered by His blood and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are totally different people, fit for the kingdom of God. Only Jesus makes us good enough. Like syrup, once we’ve experienced salvation, there’s no going back to the old pretty good person and no one would want to.

                                        Have you allowed Jesus to pour over and into your life?

Heavenly Father, help me not to think I am a pretty good person, that my good outweighs my bad. Lord, help me look into my heart to make sure I belong to You because of the repentance of my sin and faith in your Son, Jesus. Help me allow your Holy Spirit to pour into and over my life, revealing You to all who are willing to taste and see that the Lord is good. In Jesus's name. Amen.  

If you'd like a recipe for Maddog Cake, subscribe by email in the box at the top right and leave a comment below. 

Happy Mother’s Day.
Gail

Hey Kids:

Have you ever tried to make a recipe and it "flopped"? Once I used the wrong kind of flour in my cake recipe. It overflowed into the oven and created a horrible mess. 

I just used self-rising flour instead of plain flour! Not a big deal, one would think.

What would happen if I had put in salt instead of sugar? The cake would have to be completely thrown out and started over!

Our lives are like recipes. 

God has the recipe for us. We just need to read and follow His plan.

Romans 3:23 says For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Somehow we all manage to add that sin "ingredient" into our lives.

Now, how do we fix the problem? We can't, but God can!

Romans 10:13 says Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Rosie Revere Engineer

Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of

robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

IICorinthians 11:25,26

As I read Rosie Revere Engineer I thought about my granddaughters who are always playing, drawing, and constructing with whatever they happen to find. I thought of my little brother who was constantly inventing something (an electric eraser) or writing a new silly song.

Rosie wanted to be an engineer but it never turned out quite as she intended. People laughed. People she loved laughed. She felt like a failure. She hid her inventions and decided to give up until her great-great-aunt Rose came to visit. Rose had once worked building airplanes. Her dream never accomplished was to fly. Rosie was determined to help her aunt fly. She worked and worked and finally was ready to give it a try. Her invention rose into the air and for a few moments it .... Then it crashed to the ground. Her dreams of being an engineer crashed too. Rosie was embarrassed. She never wanted to invent again. But great-great-aunt Rose was there to encourage her. She had not failed. It had done what it was intended to do. It had flown. With Rose's encouragement, she began to invent again. Her inventions encouraged her classmates to become inventors as well. 

How often do we want to give up on ourselves? We feel God's calling, but what will others think? Will they reject our witness? Willl we say the right thing?  Will they laugh at us? Will they no longer be our friends? 

The Lord called Paul to be a witness for him. Did everyone he preached to become believers? No! Did he have friends everywhere he went? No! But some listened. Some believed his preaching. Some became his friends. Some joined him in preaching the gospel so others might believe. 

Let's look at our verse again. Notice the trouble Paul found himself in trying to accomplish the goal the Lord had given him. Preaching wasn't the only thing Paul did. He was a tent maker. His job gave him income and the opportunity to be a witness. He faced so many troubles be he never gave up when no one listened. He never gave up when the ship wrecked and they almost drowned. He never gave up when he was beaten or in danger. He kept doing what he knew he was supposed to do. 

God never fails us. He never leaves us alone. He calls us and equips us, even as children. Though we might feel like we have failed. Though we may feel like others are laughing. God sees and wants us to keep working. He wants us to use the opportunities we are given in our work, our school, and our "play" to be His witness. 

 Heavenly Father, help me never give up. Help us keep doing the things you've called us to do, to work hard, to be creative, to be your witness, regardless of what we perceive as others' reactions. Thank you for giving us examples to keep us encouraged. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Trumpet of the Swan

 

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. ~Psalm 139:14 KJV

My friend posted a picture this week of a swan walking around Lake Junaluska, NC. Its majestic swagger was evident even in a still photo. I wondered if he was looking for a mate or a place to show her for a nest. 

I follow the Wonderfilled Days blog, and though I no longer teach or homeschool or even have children at home, I love reading her explorations and connections to children's literature. Part of her email this week was about The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. She brought to the reader's attention that at the end of most chapters Sam, posed a question, a thought provoking question. 

    "I don't know of anything in the entire world more wonderful to look at than a nest with eggs in it. An egg because it contains life is the most perfect thing there is. It is beautiful and mysterious. An egg is a finer thing than a tennis ball or a cake of soap. A tennis ball will always be just a tennis ball. A cake of soap will always be just a cake of soap until it gets so small nobody wants it and they throw it away, an egg will someday be a living creature."

~The Trumpet of the Swan

We value so many things, our grandmother's china cabinet, or our dad's '67 Mustang. We value the home run baseball signed by our favorite player and the concert tickets from that special night, but how valuable is a life? Tennis balls, fragrant soap, china, cars, signed balls, and tickets are just stuff, even those with memories attached are still just stuff, but an egg, any egg, is life itself. It will grow and transform into that beautiful cygnet, a bluebird, a salamander, or a platypus. Watching a mother robin tend her nest and seeing the newly hatched chicks is one of my favorite childhood memories. But these are not the only eggs that contain life. 

We may not be able to see a horse's egg or our dog's egg, or even a goat's egg, but they all originate from an egg. Nor can we see the human egg inside the mother's womb, but it is there growing with God forming the little person's every detail. He creates each human with love and a purpose. Whether there is only one child or twenty, whether the child is born into a family or adopted, a child is still created with purpose and loved by God. 

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. ~Psalms 128:3-5

So much is happening to destroy the lives of our children physically, mentally, and spiritually. The swan builds a nest six feet wide to lay her eggs and protect her cygnets. The cob (male swan) swims close by, guarding her and the young. Like swans, we need strong homes with watchful fathers and mothers who "fuss" over us.  I pray we watch carefully over our children from conception to their flight from our nests. 

Even when we read to our children, be aware. There's a tricky spot near the end of Trumpet of the Swans where the dad sacrifices the freedom of one of his children for his and the mother's freedom. I was shocked as I read this obscure passage near the end. I was shocked to see such great love and parenting end up in a sacrifice of convenience. 

Father, give us a new heart for children and families. Help us guard them against Satan's entanglements and create a home where the wonders of the Lord and His salvation are shared daily. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Hey Kids: 

Have you read The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White? Perhaps you have had it read to you. 

Did you notice the questions Sam thought of each night? 

He wrote them in a journal by his bed and pondered them as he went to sleep each night.

When he wondered about eggs, he also wondered how the bird knew how to build a nest. 

Take some time to go outside and watch as spring brings new life. Watch as the birds and insects, and other animals prepare homes for new life. 

Create a journal for your observations and questions. Add drawings or paste pictures. 

Ask for help finding literature about your questions. Add quotes from the literature or Bible verses that support your observations and questions.

Wonder at the wonderful world God has created for us to enjoy and teach us of His great love. 

  

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com

But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who 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,  

~Matthew 28:5-7

Easter 1960- Grandma and Mama sewed our Easter outfits. Mama purchased hats and gloves for herself and me. Everything is ironed and laid out for Sunday morning. Only the Easter baskets are left to prepare. 

Mama brought out the vinegar and dye tablets, a coffee cup for each tablet, a spoon, and an old towel. Leftover baskets with fresh plastic grass were placed on the table beside the towel. The Easter bunny didn't leave our baskets. We helped dye the eggs in stinky-colored vinegar. Excitedly, we balanced the hard-boiled eggs on our spoons and dipped them in the cups. The dye kit contained a wax pencil to draw designs before we dyed the eggs. Gently, we lifted the eggs from the cups and placed them on the towel to dry. Then we decorated our baskets with eggs and candy wrapped in colored foils. But never were we told anything about how eggs were related to Easter. 

Easter 1983-  My small children and I often visited my grandma, who was nearing 90. A discussion came up about dying eggs with my babies. Somehow, we worked around to the subject of what eggs have to do with Easter. I had no idea, and she was shocked. 

"Why, the shell represents the tomb!" surprised no one had taught me that. "There's unseen life inside an egg. When it's ready, the chick will burst forth like the resurrection." 

Well, that made perfect sense. Why hadn't I even thought of that? Of course, our hard-boiled eggs had no life left in them, but a fresh egg certainly could, especially the farm eggs Grandma was used to gathering. 

There are several ideas as to the origins of colored eggs and spring celebrations. We too can derive some meaning for today's children. So what can we say about Easter eggs? 

• Fresh eggs encapsulate life with the appearance of death, just as the tomb in death held the answer to eternal life in Jesus.
• Eggs need 3 weeks to hatch. Jesus lay 3 days in the grave before his resurrection.
• The hatchling uses its beak to crack the shell and come out. Jesus used his voice to call Lazarus from the tomb.  A great earthquake and angels announced Jesus's resurrection.  One day, His voice will call us from the grave as well.  
• Easter eggs are dyed or painted in a variety of colors. Jesus died for everyone of every color. 
• We hunt for eggs hidden all around. Jesus goes wherever people are found to bring salvation to those who will believe in Him.
• We gather the eggs in a basket. Jesus will gather us one day and take us to our heavenly home. Until then, we gather in our churches to worship the One who has overcome death and the grave.

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ~Romans 10:9

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die for my sins. Thank you for sending reminders all around me that you are the giver of life eternal through Jesus.  Help me remember to tell the children that You are the Creator God and that everything and everyone is created with a purpose. May my heart and life be filled with worship this Easter season.  In Jesus's name, I pray. Amen.

R is for Risen

 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 

~Matthew 28:6

I love alphabet books. They often offer so much information on a subject, but usually the information is a mishmash of things so the author can get the information to match the alphabet. Not so with author Crystal Bowman's new book, R is for Risen. The book is written with rhythm and rhyme that will keep the little one's attention. 

Mrs. Bowman's new book is centered around the week's events leading up to the crucifixion and on through the resurrection with instructions for the future. It begins with A is for Arrived. Jesus arrived with his disciples to celebrate the Passover. B is for Branches. This page is about the palm branches laid in the street and the announcement of the King's arrival. Each page is sweetly illustrated to attract young children. Each letter represents the next event in the holy week. 

The ending of the book helps children understand that N is for Nails is not the end of the story. Mrs. Bowman takes us through T is for Tomb and U is for Understanding. The disciples needed to understand what had happened with the resurrection. Last of all Z is for A and Z because Jesus is the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Each page has scripture to support the story. Several versions are used to make the understanding as simple as possible. 

Ways we can use this book with our children:

• Help children understand the events of Holy Week
• Use of the alphabet to help remember those events.
• Sing "Jesus Loves Me"
• Memorize John 3:16
• Older children may research why Jesus chose a donkey instead of a horse.
• Take a trip to a farm that has donkeys. What do you notice about the donkey's coat? (the shape of the cross)
• What other "letters" are often used for beginning and ending? 

Heavenly Father, help us show our children your plan to bring us salvation. Help us know how to implant the events into their hearts and minds so your plan will never depart from them. In Jesus's name. Amen.

What Makes a Rainbow?

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ~Deuteronomy 6:7

What beautiful days we have had this week. The winds of March are calming, and April showers have begun. I want to get outside, put my feet in the grass and my hands in the dirt. I want to cherish the blooms in the flower beds. I want to walk among the apple trees and smell the sweet fragrance. We walk among a rainbow every day, often without realizing it. But when those April showers come, and the sun shines through the droplets, we still stop in awe. We point. We take pictures. We ask our friends, "Did you see that rainbow yesterday?" Little children are even more mesmerized. I wanted to share What Makes a Rainbow? by Betty Schwartz and offer some ideas for using it with your youngest children.

A rainbow is God's promise to mankind after the flood that He would never destroy the earth by flood again. We still have horrible floods, but not one that covers the whole earth. Can you imagine how the earth was renewing itself after the flood? Springtime was bursting forth with hope everywhere.  Mrs. Schwartz's book also bursts forth with the colors of spring. At the top of each page is a ribbon with a color of the rainbow. The page is filled with things we see every day with that color. The first page is red, and the page has a red ladybug, strawberries, and a flower with red petals. Each page is the next color of the rainbow with large kid friendly illustration. The last page opens up with a pop-up rainbow with a sun. The mother bunny declares that now Little Rabbit knows what makes a rainbow - rain and sunshine. Though God is not mentioned, you as the parent, have a great opportunity to teach about the flood and God's grace. You also might use some or all of the suggestions below to help your child(ren) understand rainbows and colors.

• On a warm day, spray the water hose while the children run through. Point out the rainbow the water and sunshine create. Name the colors. Move the water and try again. Do the colors always line up the same way? 
• Help young children learn to identify colors by pointing out the things they see around them, both inside and outside, that match the colors in the book and in the rainbow they see in the water.
• Paint a rainbow. Pick up the 3 primary colors (red, yellow, blue), a paint brush, and a paint pad at the dollar store. Use a spray bottle to wet a piece of paper. (A little squirt on the child will bring giggles and get attention for the activity.) Pour the paint in little puddles on a foam plate. Help the child make a red arch at the top of the paper. Then, choose the yellow and make another arch close enough for the yellow to blend into the bottom of the red. Now the blue paint next to the yellow. Help the child see the new colors that the mixing makes. Finally, add red again under the blue. 
• Roy G Biv It's a little hard to see the indigo in the rainbow, but your older children may be able to distinguish it. Oh, R red, O orange, Y yellow, G green, B blue, I indigo, V violet. 
• Make the activities fun and fun of giggles. It shouldn't look like teaching. It's sharing memorable moments with your child. 

Heavenly Father, help us enjoy sharing your creation with our children. Help us show them what a wonderful God you are. Help us make memories with our children that will last a lifetime. In Jesus's name. Amen

Half-Truths

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

 ~John 8:32 NKJV

I'd like to share a review of the YA(13-17yrs) novel Half-Truths by my friend Carol Baldwin. Set in the 1950s, the story is very relatable since I am a baby boomer from this era. It was the time of the Civil Rights movement in the South. So much was unspoken, sometimes because of fear, sometimes to keep a civil conversation among family, often because of cultural traditions, and sometimes because of skeletons in closets.

The main character, Katie Dinsmore, is a teen born and raised on a tobacco farm near Tabor City, NC. She wants to go to college and earns money helping in a hardware store in town. Her dream was to be a journalist but at the time that was not a job for women. The story opens with Katie working in the store when a Negro family (the historical term used in Mrs. Baldwin's book as well as the term colored, also historically correct) comes in to make a purchase. Her Papaw enters to make the announcement and his excitement of the KKK parade that is about to begin. When he sees the family shopping in a white owned store he goes off on another tangent, scaring the lady and her children. The tension is already set to make this book a page-turner. 

Katie's scheme throughout the story is to get a college education, but her family can't afford to pay her way. So her half-truths begin. She asked to go live with her grandparents in Charlotte, who are estranged from her dad but who also have the money to send her to college.

The book is filled with the half-truths that cover so much of all our lives, balancing the political and traditional norms of families who disagree. Her dad and her Papaw disagree on the rights of all people to live with equal opportunities. This disagreement wasn't just at the level of the working class, but it permeated to the upper-class society of Charlotte.

Another half-truth Katie finds herself entangled in is pretending to be someone on the outside that she knows she is not. She tries to please too many people for so many reasons that her life becomes filled with half-truths that harm others as well as herself.

She brought two of her pets, Josie the goat and Baccy her dog, with her to Charlotte. They are the comic relief in the story but also play an integral part in helping her discover who she is. Her grandmother's maid wants to work in the science field, but college for a black girl is even more impossible than college for a poor white girl. Katie's goat got ringworm. Grandmother's maid wants to help the goat so she can win a science fair project. Together, Katie and Lillian, the maid, sneak into her dad's funeral home at night for chemicals to help the goat. They overhear an NAACP meeting. The city plans to move the cemetery at Lillian's church so the city can use the land. 

But there is yet more for these two girls to discover. There is a photo in the attic that contains both Katie and Lillian's family. When Lillian is required to take Katie shopping, the clerk mistakes Lillian as the shopper instead of the country girl with the rich grandmother. Lillian could be mistaken as white. Lillian must serve at a luncheon for Katie, where Katie refers to her as the help. She and Lillian already know the truth, but this slight causes a rift in their relationship that may be unfixable.

Heavenly Father, help us love one another as You love, not seeing the color of our skin or the traditions of our past. Help us love one another with grace and truth. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

With parents' permission, I think this book could be used as a supplement to history lessons, project based lessons.

• Discuss with your parents and grandparents what life was like when they were growing up
• Katie needed to learn etiquette to participate in her grandmother's society. What forms of etiquette do you need to learn? table settings, passing food, taking turns while speaking? 
• Visit an old cemetery - whose buried there? soldiers, family, children, rock markers, slave graves? Consider, those who do not know the past are condemned to repeat it. 
• How can you show kindness to others who might need friendship?
• How can you work towards your life goals? 

 

Spirit Led

 


The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ~John 3:8KJV

March – kite flying season. I love the way the wind makes my kite dip and swirl and takes it almost out of sight. Sometimes the string breaks and takes my kite wherever it wants and I wonder where and who sees it.

We are a lot like kites. When we are without Christ, Satan pulls the strings and directs our lives. Like kites, we pull against the string and try to break away. Jesus told Nicodemus that the wind is like the Holy Spirit that comes into a person’s life without being seen and causes changes that take a Christian in new unseen directions. The Holy Spirit, through the power of Jesus Christ, breaks the bonds that tie us to sin. Only then can we be free to be carried by the Spirit to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives.

Is sin holding you down? 

Ask Jesus to forgive you and give you that new life of joy and peace that only He can give. 

Others will see and hear when the Holy Spirit directs your life. Your life may bring change to their life too.

Heavenly Father, may we be directed by Your Holy Spirit, taking us in new directions for Your glory. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Have you ever wondered where your kite or balloon went after its escape?

Here's an idea.

Get together with a group of friends and ask permission from your church to use the church's address for this experiment. (Your parents may not want you to divulge your home address).

Tie a note with a Bible verse or invitation to a kite. Be sure to include the address of your church. 

When the replies come in, use a map to find the distance your kite traveled. 

What direction did your kite travel? 

How long did it take to travel the distance? 

What kind of terrain or obstacles did it have to overcome? 

Be sure to follow up with the person(s) willing to answer your invitation. 

Perhaps you'll see a new face at church.