We have been sick most of the week off and on and so I never got out some fun ideas for Holy Week until today, Maundy Thursday. Better late than never. Perhaps these will be more useful for you next year.
1. Family Lenten Devotion- The Word Became Flesh. This is a devotional to do for the 40 days leading up to Easter. If you do a Jesse Tree at Christmas you will like this. It has an image and you can make pictures for a wreath or Easter tree or simply do the devotion (that's what we did this year.) You cannot buy this at stores. I got mine through a friend so if you want one comment below or email me and I can try to get the info to you. The 40 days of devotions are on the life of Christ! My kids LOVE it! There are questions to ask after the story and there is a prayer and songs to sing. :)
2. Palm Sunday- make or purchase palm branches. A friend gave us a couple of palm branches that have been the centerpiece of our table all week and also fun to play with. :) When telling the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem my kids love waving these and shouting "hosanna" or laying them out on the ground with their coats as we pretend Jesus is riding through.
3. Resurrection Eggs- these are old school, but kids love these! My children take turns shaking, guessing and opening the eggs and we tell the story of each symbol and it is a fun way to teach Truth and history.
4. Easter coloring books- we found these at our local Christian bookstore. They have different ones for different age levels. My son loves art and coloring and he has enjoyed this a lot.
5. Wednesday- prepare for a Passover feast. I have never done this before, but this year is the first time we will have a traditional Jewish Passover Feast on Maundy Thursday. So, on Wednesday we found a market that sells grass fed lamb. We purchased our first lamb of leg (warning: if you don't have a groupon or coupon you may have to take out a small loan to purchase some lamb). Half kidding, but thankful I had a groupon and got 50% off my lamb. :) Wednesday night Steve and I prepared the blood dripping lamb and poured a homemade marinade in all of the crevices and through all the strings that bound this lamb together. Thursday afternoon, I think this is going to be a great picture of how the lamb of God, blood dripping, silent, he was led to slaughter for our sin.
6. Maundy Thursday: Wash each other's feet as you tell the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet. Then, the Passover feast. Tonight we will have our first Passover feast. This may be a disaster as I have never cooked lamb, but worth a try. You can also have "wine", horseradish, parsley or potatoes, matzah, vegetables, salty water to dip your parsley in, apples & raisins and a boiled egg. There is meaning behind each of these items. If you look up Jewish Seder plate you will get more information. Also, on Ann Voskamp's blog (A Holy Experience) she has a Christian Haggadah Passover booklet that you can print out and has a lot of information on what to eat, what it means and questions to ask over dinner. This is what I printed out this week.
7. Good Friday- we will color eggs and talk about new life in Christ & resurrection. Good Friday services are held at many churches.
*This has nothing to do with Good Friday, but we will fill plastic Easter eggs because on Saturday we are going to an Easter egg hunt in a friends neighborhood and will have some fun with old and new friends.
8. Saturday- we are cooking for our Easter Sunday lunch and Easter egg hunt
9. Easter Sunday- Resurrection rolls for breakfast. Yummo and fun! We are making some other fun snacks too. Celebrating new life in Christ and so much HOPE!
Sorry I don't have links to anything I mentioned. I wanted to share our ideas for Holy Week, but am short on time.
Blessings and Happy Easter!!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
the church in my home
Wednesday night is the highlight of my week.
We cram three tables in our dining room and people still spill into the living room to eat dinner while sitting on couches and chairs. We started meeting eight months ago with about 10 peeps and now around 30 members of the body of Christ pour into our home for dinner, fellowship, prayer, worship music and Biblical teaching. Our model comes from Acts 2:42:
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
We have made sweet friendships with so many people and we are all so different. It has been the greatest gift to have church in our home. It is more personal and intimate. Recently we started a new church campus of the church we have been attending for 10 years in Knoxville. Since Sunday morning services started in January we have not stopped stressing that Sunday morning is not the main event. That isn't it. It isn't so much about going to church, but about being the church all the time, regardless of who you are with and where you are. We want everyone to be connected on a week night to a huddle group where they can be known and know others and grow spiritually with other people in the church.
This is where discipleship begins for some.
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." ~Hebrews 10:24-25
Wednesday night in our home is a time for us to consider how we can stir one another up to love and good works and encourage one another in the faith. It's not only happening in our home in North Knoxville, but in three others homes and more are about to start up. It's so exciting to see what the Father is doing in each of our lives because of Christ.
Where do you find yourself?
I hope you are in the habit of meeting together with other believers.
If not, where are you and why?
Are you neglecting to meet together with other believers?
Let's examine our lives, reflect, pray and see what the Lord would have us do. Reading Hebrews, I am convinced that we are not to neglect meeting with believers. So if you are a believer and neglecting this aspect of discipleship I am fully convinced that is not what the Lord wants for you.
You may be disgusted with the churches you have been to because of their practices and beliefs. You may just be indifferent and not care about going. You may have tried it and your life didn't look any different or the lives of those there were no different. You may be lazy or "too busy." We humans are so good at finding excuses and reasons to not.
But consider that there are others who need you! We need the body of believers. The churches that you are disgusted with may need you as an example there or maybe you should start your own church. Houses do not have to be big to have church service within. Our humble home of 1750 square feet gets packed out and church is able to happen because it isn't about the building, it's about the people.
My challenge and encouragement is for you to first examine your heart and life. And then see where you can engage your community to either be discipled or be a disciple maker. What are you devoted to right now??
I have found that dying to self is completely LIFE GIVING!
We cram three tables in our dining room and people still spill into the living room to eat dinner while sitting on couches and chairs. We started meeting eight months ago with about 10 peeps and now around 30 members of the body of Christ pour into our home for dinner, fellowship, prayer, worship music and Biblical teaching. Our model comes from Acts 2:42:
"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
We have made sweet friendships with so many people and we are all so different. It has been the greatest gift to have church in our home. It is more personal and intimate. Recently we started a new church campus of the church we have been attending for 10 years in Knoxville. Since Sunday morning services started in January we have not stopped stressing that Sunday morning is not the main event. That isn't it. It isn't so much about going to church, but about being the church all the time, regardless of who you are with and where you are. We want everyone to be connected on a week night to a huddle group where they can be known and know others and grow spiritually with other people in the church.
This is where discipleship begins for some.
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." ~Hebrews 10:24-25
Wednesday night in our home is a time for us to consider how we can stir one another up to love and good works and encourage one another in the faith. It's not only happening in our home in North Knoxville, but in three others homes and more are about to start up. It's so exciting to see what the Father is doing in each of our lives because of Christ.
Where do you find yourself?
I hope you are in the habit of meeting together with other believers.
If not, where are you and why?
Are you neglecting to meet together with other believers?
Let's examine our lives, reflect, pray and see what the Lord would have us do. Reading Hebrews, I am convinced that we are not to neglect meeting with believers. So if you are a believer and neglecting this aspect of discipleship I am fully convinced that is not what the Lord wants for you.
You may be disgusted with the churches you have been to because of their practices and beliefs. You may just be indifferent and not care about going. You may have tried it and your life didn't look any different or the lives of those there were no different. You may be lazy or "too busy." We humans are so good at finding excuses and reasons to not.
But consider that there are others who need you! We need the body of believers. The churches that you are disgusted with may need you as an example there or maybe you should start your own church. Houses do not have to be big to have church service within. Our humble home of 1750 square feet gets packed out and church is able to happen because it isn't about the building, it's about the people.
My challenge and encouragement is for you to first examine your heart and life. And then see where you can engage your community to either be discipled or be a disciple maker. What are you devoted to right now??
I have found that dying to self is completely LIFE GIVING!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Make it Meaningful
Easter.
My favorite holiday.
So much to celebrate because so much has been redeemed in Christ!
As our children get older we try to make each day and even our holidays meaningful. We realize how much our culture has commercialized these sacred days and we buy into it!
Seriously, what does a bunny and marshmallow peeps have to do with Easter? How did there come to be a rabbit who delivers eggs?? Rabbits don't even lay eggs? It seriously just cracks. me. up.
Now, please don't roll your eyes and stop reading!
We don't ditch everything. Maybe we should, but we don't. But, we are learning to try to keep the main the main thing. I want to share how we will celebrate Holy Week this year, but before I do I just want to encourage you to make your children's Easter baskets meaningful.
Do your children wake up to a basket full of gifts and goodies?? And then later go hunting for eggs filled with refined sugars? Mine have to, but not this year. We are going to hunt Easter eggs with neighborhood kids and ingest some sugar, but when they wake up on Easter morning their baskets will not be filled. Their baskets will be empty except for plastic eggs filled with a slip of paper. That slip of paper will have a list of the things that we bought for others in Romania who are in desperate need of food to survive! Not thrive, but merely survive!
My challenge to you is to take the money that you would spend on chocolate rabbits and marshmallow peeps and use it to purchase some garden seeds, fruit trees and baby chicks for families who are in true need! Your children are NOT missing out.
They are gaining...
a better understanding of the needs in our world
a better understanding of "it is better to give than to receive"
a better understanding of love!
Chicks= $1.50 each
Chicks provide eggs for families to eat and then later, chicken!
Fruit trees= $7 each
When we were there and got to deliver these trees the people ran to their tiny backyards and planted them immediately!! They will take care of their trees and have nutritious fruit for years to come.
Garden Seeds= .90cents a pack
They plant their gardens the day they are delivered and it provides food for their families in the summer and fall months
I wish you could be there to see their faces when they get these gifts. I wish I could be there. It is priceless!
Here is the link: http://www.beliefinmotion.org/tp60/Application.asp?app=Store&ID=296860
If you would like to purchase any of these things and then write that on some paper for your child's Easter basket it would mean so much to the Romanian people. Your children will learn so much from it.
Don't our children get so much? It seems every month there is a holiday and so much junk in the stores for us to buy for our children.
We need to start living counter culture and fight against consumerism! It is so hard, but let's begin praying for how we can live differently and celebrate Christ meaningfully!
More to come on Holy Week later....
My favorite holiday.
So much to celebrate because so much has been redeemed in Christ!
As our children get older we try to make each day and even our holidays meaningful. We realize how much our culture has commercialized these sacred days and we buy into it!
Seriously, what does a bunny and marshmallow peeps have to do with Easter? How did there come to be a rabbit who delivers eggs?? Rabbits don't even lay eggs? It seriously just cracks. me. up.
Now, please don't roll your eyes and stop reading!
We don't ditch everything. Maybe we should, but we don't. But, we are learning to try to keep the main the main thing. I want to share how we will celebrate Holy Week this year, but before I do I just want to encourage you to make your children's Easter baskets meaningful.
Do your children wake up to a basket full of gifts and goodies?? And then later go hunting for eggs filled with refined sugars? Mine have to, but not this year. We are going to hunt Easter eggs with neighborhood kids and ingest some sugar, but when they wake up on Easter morning their baskets will not be filled. Their baskets will be empty except for plastic eggs filled with a slip of paper. That slip of paper will have a list of the things that we bought for others in Romania who are in desperate need of food to survive! Not thrive, but merely survive!
My challenge to you is to take the money that you would spend on chocolate rabbits and marshmallow peeps and use it to purchase some garden seeds, fruit trees and baby chicks for families who are in true need! Your children are NOT missing out.
They are gaining...
a better understanding of the needs in our world
a better understanding of "it is better to give than to receive"
a better understanding of love!
Chicks= $1.50 each
Chicks provide eggs for families to eat and then later, chicken!
Fruit trees= $7 each
When we were there and got to deliver these trees the people ran to their tiny backyards and planted them immediately!! They will take care of their trees and have nutritious fruit for years to come.
Garden Seeds= .90cents a pack
They plant their gardens the day they are delivered and it provides food for their families in the summer and fall months
I wish you could be there to see their faces when they get these gifts. I wish I could be there. It is priceless!
Here is the link: http://www.beliefinmotion.org/tp60/Application.asp?app=Store&ID=296860
If you would like to purchase any of these things and then write that on some paper for your child's Easter basket it would mean so much to the Romanian people. Your children will learn so much from it.
Don't our children get so much? It seems every month there is a holiday and so much junk in the stores for us to buy for our children.
We need to start living counter culture and fight against consumerism! It is so hard, but let's begin praying for how we can live differently and celebrate Christ meaningfully!
More to come on Holy Week later....
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Why Does God Allow Satan to Live
A friend of mine was murdered along with her seven year old son last Sunday morning. She leaves behind two beautiful daughters, Kenna (4) and Emily (1).
Krista was the most transparent person I knew. She was sympathetic. She was thoughtful. She was generous. And she talked smiling all of the time. She had a beautiful smile.
Kenna was born three weeks before Paige. They have matching baby blankets. Zachary was one year older than Noah and their personalities and temperaments were so very similar.
As the news updates progressed throughout the week and we learned how savagely they were murdered by their husband and father our hearts were heavy, our stomachs full of knots. I started pondering a lot of questions that I had never thought about before, namely having to do with the character of God.
I have known many inhumane things to happen in the world and seen so many with my own eyes. So, why now was I questioning God's plan.
Well, it just got personal.
It had never happened to someone that I knew and loved and that I spent time with. A family who had been in my house and we in theirs. A family who we knew loved the Lord and supported us in missions and even to present day. Krista had just sent me an email the day before she was killed telling me she was praying for us.
And my mind starts churning all these thoughts and questions...
How does it all just fall apart?
How does something so sweet turn so evil?
Was he truly a follower of Jesus?
Can Christians murder?
Is murder different than my more "respectable sin?"
Who am I? I'm not any better.
But compared to a murderer, I feel like I'm better.
And I don't like that thought. Because I know I'm not any better.
How is this loving of God?
Why did innocent little Zachary have to struggle for air until he just couldn't anymore and he slipped into Home with Jesus?
This isn't supposed to happen.
Right?
Not like this! Right?
Sometimes God's plan doesn't look or feel better than our own.
Why does Satan have to be the prince of the air?
God, why don't You just crush him now?!
This video by John Piper gave me some solace. Some Truth to chew on. To not question my God because in Him all things hold together. He knows what He is doing. His ways are higher and stronger and I will never completely understand them on this side. But, I pray that I glorify Him and that we glorify Him as we are all sifted as wheat because we will be sifted. May we be satisfied in Him even when life doesn't seem right or fair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmOzTY06mBo&feature=player_detailpage
Krista was the most transparent person I knew. She was sympathetic. She was thoughtful. She was generous. And she talked smiling all of the time. She had a beautiful smile.
Kenna was born three weeks before Paige. They have matching baby blankets. Zachary was one year older than Noah and their personalities and temperaments were so very similar.
As the news updates progressed throughout the week and we learned how savagely they were murdered by their husband and father our hearts were heavy, our stomachs full of knots. I started pondering a lot of questions that I had never thought about before, namely having to do with the character of God.
I have known many inhumane things to happen in the world and seen so many with my own eyes. So, why now was I questioning God's plan.
Well, it just got personal.
It had never happened to someone that I knew and loved and that I spent time with. A family who had been in my house and we in theirs. A family who we knew loved the Lord and supported us in missions and even to present day. Krista had just sent me an email the day before she was killed telling me she was praying for us.
And my mind starts churning all these thoughts and questions...
How does it all just fall apart?
How does something so sweet turn so evil?
Was he truly a follower of Jesus?
Can Christians murder?
Is murder different than my more "respectable sin?"
Who am I? I'm not any better.
But compared to a murderer, I feel like I'm better.
And I don't like that thought. Because I know I'm not any better.
How is this loving of God?
Why did innocent little Zachary have to struggle for air until he just couldn't anymore and he slipped into Home with Jesus?
This isn't supposed to happen.
Right?
Not like this! Right?
Sometimes God's plan doesn't look or feel better than our own.
Why does Satan have to be the prince of the air?
God, why don't You just crush him now?!
This video by John Piper gave me some solace. Some Truth to chew on. To not question my God because in Him all things hold together. He knows what He is doing. His ways are higher and stronger and I will never completely understand them on this side. But, I pray that I glorify Him and that we glorify Him as we are all sifted as wheat because we will be sifted. May we be satisfied in Him even when life doesn't seem right or fair.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmOzTY06mBo&feature=player_detailpage
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)