Poured Out

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  

Mark 14:3 

As we draw near to Easter, I thought what better time to draw near to HIM.  Our church went over a few verses in the book of Mark last weekend and I wanted to share my take away and how I thought we could apply this to our everyday living.  

The first thing was that Mary’s love was costly.  She spared no expense on Jesus. Mary had done something that others thought was foolish, she poured pricey oil on Him.  Others thought the oil could be sold for money for the poor but Jesus replied, Mark 14:7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  A great reminder that we are never to sacrifice our time with Him for good works, even if they are really good works.

A second thing was her love was complete.  Mary didn’t pour out half the vile, she actually broke the flask and poured out everything!  It was a complete selfless gift of her love for Jesus.  This gesture will look differently in each of our lives depending on what stage we are in.  Maybe you have young ones and it’s all about teaching them how to personally know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Or maybe you’re at the stage where you have to completely trust your child in His care as they venture into the world, trusting they will cling to the truths you have taught them.  Whatever it is, is it complete?

Lastly and my favorite is that Mary’s act is to always be remembered.  Mark 14:9 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her. Wow!  Who wouldn’t want that?  The time you spend at His feet, teaching your children the importance of time spent with Him, will always be remembered.  Not only that, but especially at this time, it is important to note that the act she did prepared His body for burial!  You never know what result your time with Jesus will be, but we know it will be worth it! 

Lord Jesus I pray for us to spare no expense on You, to completely love You, and to realize even the smallest acts with You in mind will be remembered.  Lord help us to remember you spared no expense when it came to us and allow us to do the same for You.  If someone has forwarded this to you or you are reading this from Facebook or you somehow stumbled upon this blog and you don’t know Jesus, it was not by chance.   Please know He loves you and wants a relationship with you.  Please talk to someone about Him.  

In the Great Name of Jesus I pray. Amen!           

Who's Singing to Who?

Matthew 28: 6 & 7

"He is not here; He has risen

just as He said. 

Come and see the place where He lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has risen from the dead...' "

    Ever since the oldest of our children were small I would sing to them four lines or so of a particular hymn or children’s song.  The songs would come from somewhere deep in my childhood.

    With Easter soon to be celebrated, I have already begun…

“Christ the Lord is risen today,

Hallelujah!

Sons of Men and Angels say,

Hallelujah!”

   How blessed we are to know our Savior is alive and well and interceding for us!  How extra blessed we are to share this with our children!

      

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   Now that our two oldest are grown and have moved out they call and sing to me.  It is exciting to celebrate our Savior’s resurrection.  Start sharing the good news with your children by singing your favorite song or hymn.  You’ll be surprised to see how quickly they start singing back to you!!

One On One Time

On Good Friday, I saw my 15 year old off for an eleven day missions trip to Uganda. I put on a brave front but hours after she had left I missed her terribly. I had plans (with my new found freedom) to catch up and encourage a back-sliddend friend over lunch. After lunch, I was upset. It SEEMED as if she was getting what she wanted in life and I (being a saint, by comparison only) was getting the short end of the stick. I began to question and I began to think that God forgot about me. I questioned if my prayers were ever going to be answered.

 

Then, feelings of guilt set in. I know my God and I know He loves me. I know He is faithful and I know He is true. Why did I question and why did I doubt? I went directly to church. I had already planned to go to Good Friday Service but now I had an hour to reflect on my behavior before service started. The teaching reminded me of what God DID do for me instead of questions of what He did not do. I repented, I communed and I was revived!!

 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 (NKJV)

 

On Easter Sunday, I felt I needed some alone time with God. Instead of doing big church, I opted to celebrate the rising of the Son, with the rising of the sun on Pompano Beach. I told God I needed one on one time with Him and I needed Him to speak to me. He is so faithful. He gave me His word on waiting for Him.

 

"We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) - Romans 8:24-25 (NLT)

Easter morning I drove to the beach only to realize a large church was having service there. The Holy Spirit led me to another part of the beach. I found the perfect spot, grab my blanket and walked out onto the sand towards the ocean. It was great... only 2 others on the beach. I sang worship songs, took a few pictures and began to pray. I'm not sure how long I was praying for, but when I lifted my head the others had left! He heard my prayer and answered it... one on one time with Him!

Challenge: Find some one on one time with God. Encourage your children to do the same. Pray and ask God to give you the time and to meet you there. He will!

Remembering the Reason We Celebrate

Matthew 28:1-10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 

3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 

6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.

7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 

10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

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Today is Easter. We celebrate one of the greatest days in all of creation. A day that changed the projection of our path and gave us great hope for a future with Him. 

Many years ago, the first believers woke up this morning saddened that their friend, savior and Lord was gone only to find out that He had indeed rose from the grave, was alive, and delivered great encouragement to those who were downcast. 

Unfortunately many times this day boils down to cooking, eating and family time. Which none of those things, in itself are bad. They are actually great things to look forward to, but too often on HOLYdays we loose focus on the true meaning and get wrapped up in food and its' preparation. Our whole day can go by and as we curl up in our beds, remember that we lost sight of what the celebration of the day was about. 

Last night I, myself, was prepping food for our family Easter celebration dinner. But I don't want it to be my focus, even though I LOVE food. I want Christ and the resurrection to be where my eyes and heart are zoned into. 

How can I do this practically?

*Look for ways throughout your day to talk about Jesus, His life, and what the first Easter might have been like. (Set a timer on your phone to remind you :)

*Around the dinner table talk about how Christ has had an impact on your life. Remember who HE is and why we are celebrating. 

*Read the resurrection story to your kids, maybe have them act it out. (Resurrection Eggs are awesome for this)

*Praise God for all the great gifts (including everlasting life) that He has given you.

Remember JESUS this EASTER SEASON as you celebrate! 

"More than That!"

     I remember when Michelle was in the second grade and she came home in a “huff.”  One of her classmates was acting like she was something special.  Michelle crossed her arms with her little blond curls bouncing and explained that the classmate thinks “she’s all that!”

     After a particularly hard week, the following verses have really ministered to me.

^{Romans 8: 31 – 34 ESV}

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be^[a] against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

    

     In consideration of not only my week but the celebration of Easter, I loved dissecting these verses. I was reminded no one can really be against me if God is for me.

     I saw the generosity in the Lord’s gift of His Son.  The Lord’s Christ not only died but was raised back to life. These verses further describe the gift of Jesus’ resurrection is that now He lives to intercede on our behalf.

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     James MacDonald suggested the visual of The Lord Jesus Christ on His knees praying for ME and YOU!!  The English Standard Version uses the three words, “more than that” so we clearly see the graciousness of our Heavenly Father.

     Moms, Jesus has done so much more than we can fully understand.  We have God, who is for us. We have a Savior that died for us, was raised for us and now lives to intercede for us.  As my week of frustration and disappointed mounted.  I tried to pray and cry out to the Lord for help and direction. Just as James MacDonald suggested, I kept finding myself thinking of Christ praying for me, and asking Him to intercede for me!

     Jesus in His humility would never be described as Michelle described her classmates.  He doesn’t think He is “all that.” However, Paul in Romans 8 did make mention of all the amazing things Jesus did on behalf of us IS MORE THAN THAT!

      As you attempt to parent this week, I encourage you to remind yourself, no matter what your situation or circumstance Jesus IS “more than that!”  He died, He rose and He is interceding for YOU!!

A Remnant of Easter

            As I glance out the back windows of our home since Sunday…I smile!

I am reminded of the two dozen friends and family we had in our home for Easter dinner.  I am reminded of the food we ate, the friendships that were represented and most importantly the reason we celebrate Easter.

As a mom, I smile looking at the remnant of Easter.  Or should I say the remnant of motherhood?

I see hanging from the largest tree in our yard tissue paper flowers.  Our oldest, Michelle made the flowers. 

Greg and I often said we should have named Michelle, “Happy.”  Michelle always finds happiness in life. 

As believers, we can’t live expecting happiness, rather we can choose to rejoice!  Rejoice in all circumstances.

I Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18  “Rejoice always…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

        I should really take those tissue paper flowers down, but instead, I will rejoice! 

"Celebration of a Servant" by Guest Blogger Patrice

I've been blessed to spend the most important day of the year with my daughter at Moody Bible Institute. I arrived in Chicago early Thursday morning when I grabbed a cab, arrived at the school and toured the the D.L. Moody museum anxiously waiting for her to get out of class. Wasn't long and I saw my girl go by.  What a sweet reunion! We dashed off to chapel to celebrate Maundy Thursday.

Maundy is where we get the English word “mandate.” This day observes the significance of Jesus' new commandment to “love one another as I have loved you”--given to His disciples at the Last Supper. Christ's act of foot washing demonstrated the servanthood that Jesus enjoins upon all who follow him.

Students and faculty members led the service of public worship which included a time of foot washing when the congregation could follow Christ's example of humble servitude. After a great sermon and  beautiful hymns, I needed my tissues from that point on.

After Maundy Thursday came Good Friday. The service at Harvest Bible Chapel that night was exceptionally somber. We wore black to church and entered the lobby to find darkness, smoke, and men carrying beams of lumber. The clanking of nails that resonated through the lobby immediately brought our focus to the main attraction of the night: the Cross. We watched a video of a man constructing a cross.  From the cutting down of the tree to the engraving of his initials upon his work, we were to put ourselves in the place of that carpenter. We were the ones who built the structure upon which the Righteous Servant died.

Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

 These are the words I know will remain with me as I board a plane Easter Sunday back to Florida. I must remember that Jesus is not only my Lord but my Savior, Whose stripes heal me.   Let us not forget His physical pain but also Christ's immeasurable torture when His Father turned His back upon Him. My prayer for you is that next time you look at a cross you remember who its chief constructor is. The next time you sing a song about Christ's blood, you consider who it was meant for. This Easter, may we view our gift of grace through the lens of the Cross and the Righteous Servant that died upon it.

Would You Really Die For Your Kids?

I was watching a documentary on WWII the other day, specifically on the Hiroshima atomic bomb. They were sharing survivor stories, and one in particular moved me to tears to the point I had to turn it off, pray, and catch my breath.

Immediately following the blast, a mother who had only moments before been eating breakfast with her husband and two small daughters awoke amidst smoke, rapidly approaching fires, and utter destruction. She and her severely injured husband quickly searched and could only find their oldest daughter who was trapped beneath rubble. No matter how hard they tried, they could not free her. As the fire inched closer, the mom did the unthinkable. She left her daughter and ran to safety amidst her child's cries of pain and pleas for help, all the while crying out that she "failed her daughter" and "was a horrible mother for not being able to die with her". The reenactment of the little girl crying out in pain for help as the mother cried out in anguish was too much to bear. This woman had to live the rest of her life with that moment, those cries echoing in her mind. Her husband would pass away later that day of radiation poisoning. She passed away in 2002.

I just could not help but thinking that were I in that situation, I would fling my body over my daughter and pray that death would come swiftly and she would feel me there with her in those last terrifying moments. But something in that woman just could not face that fiery death. I do not doubt her love for her children. Her anguish was real. And while we all believe with all that is in us that we would react differently, I am reminded that even Jesus who knew the pain facing Him, Jesus who loves us to an unimaginably greater degree than that overpowering love we feel for our kids, Jesus who knew this was the only way to save our lives, even He asked for a way out when faced with the impending pain and suffering.

When I put myself in that woman's place, I realize that I would want to die rather than face life without my child(ren). I would all the more want to take the pain and suffering in her/their place.

It is with that picture I enter into this holy season. Our Savior faced unfathomable pain and suffering, but He bore it for us, for me, for you. He would rather die a horrible death than face eternity without us. I pray that were I ever in the situation to make that awful choice, I would do as everything in my inner being still insists I would do and lay down my life for my loved ones, and I praise the Son of God for doing just that. Nothing brings us closer to understanding His love for us that day than the love we have for our kids. Think of what you would do, remember what He did, and let that overpowering love consume you as we celebrate and reflect this Easter season.

Easter Ideas

With Easter quickly approaching I saw this article from Focus on the Family and I LOVE the ideas so I thought I would share :) Happy Easter to you all!! He is Risen!!!

Finding Easter in Bunnies and Baskets

The Easter story can be confusing to young children. Use the things popular culture associates with Easter today to teach kids about the real meaning of Easter.

by Kim WierPrevious Article

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If you have walked through store aisles lately, you've seen many reminders that Easter is coming. What isn't so obvious is that, for Christians, Easter is truly the most significant day of the year.

At the store we find:

• baskets and eggs as the symbols of Easter, instead of a cross and an empty tomb
• a bunny that brings candy instead of a Savior who brings life

Is it any wonder that our children are more excited about the coming of the Easter Bunny than about the coming of God's kingdom? We spend many days on egg-coloring and baskets but focus on Jesus Christ's death and resurrection for only one hour on Sunday morning.

Many parents, however, are looking for ways to make the true significance of Easter a reality to their children. Well, here's the good news!

Bunnies, eggs, baskets and more can become tools that parents use to bring a greater understanding of the message of Easter. With just a little creativity, all these symbols that often replace the real significance of Easter can be the very things that make the holiday full and rich with spiritual meaning.

Tell the Story of Easter with Eggs

Instead of merely coloring eggs this Easter, why not use the eggs to tell the story of God's love and forgiveness?

• Before you hide the eggs or put them in baskets, encircle each one with a colored strip of paper (or place the strip inside plastic eggs) that tells one small part of the Easter story. When the eggs have been found, the children must unscramble the story and put it in the right order.
• Instead of decorating the eggs with dye, or in addition to dying them, write one attribute of Jesus on each egg. You can do this by writing on the egg with a crayon before you put it in the dye. If you are using plastic eggs, you can write with a permanent marker or paint pen.
• Send kids on a hunt for the eggs that have Jesus' attributes written on them. Instead of just discovering eggs, they will be discovering the wonderful things that make Jesus so special. If the eggs are plastic, fill them with treats to remember how sweet the life of Jesus really is.
• Dye eggs in certain colors and use them to tell the story of salvation.

Teach them about Jesus by talking about what a real Easter Bunny is

Use a rabbit picture, a stuffed bunny or even a real one (if you are adventurous) to teach some of the characteristics of Jesus that we should all try to have. By adding a Bible verse to each quality, you will create a true Easter Bunny.

Real Easter bunnies:

• are white as snow because Jesus takes all sin away (Isaiah 1:18b).
• are gentle, kind-hearted and forgiving (Ephesians 4:32).
• have big ears that are quick to listen (James 1:19).
• have big eyes to look carefully and choose what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
• have no voice for complaining or arguing (Philippians 2:13).
• are quiet in prayer, but hop with thanksgiving and rejoicing (Philippians 4:4-6).
• have big feet to go tell others about Jesus so they can be like Easter bunnies, too (Matthew 28: 19-20).
• eat what is healthy by filling up on God's word every day (Psalm 119:11).

The Easter Story: Defining the Terms

We sometimes forget that our children don't understand everything that is being said and done around them. Often we take for granted that they understand things we have not explained.

The Easter story, while beautiful, can be very confusing to children when we don't take time to simplify the story in a way they can understand. An explanation of some big words can help. For very young children, omitting the harder words all together may reduce confusion.

Explain to your kids what these terms mean:

• Disciples — Jesus' closest friends
• Pharisees and religious leaders — the people who were not teaching the truth about God
• Arrested — Guards took Jesus and would not let him go.
• Sanhedrin or Court — Leaders all got together and decided that Jesus should be punished for telling the people that He was God's Son.
• Righteous — Jesus told only the truth and did everything God wanted Him to do.
• Condemned to death — Rulers announced that Jesus would have to die.
• Crucified — They nailed His hands and feet onto a big wooden cross and left Him hanging on it until He died.
• Tomb — a special place, like a small cave, where Jesus' body was laid after He died
• Resurrection — Even though Jesus had been dead for three days, God made Him come back alive so His friends would know that Jesus really is God's Son.
• Ascension — After Jesus came back to life and spent time with His friends, He was lifted up from the ground and floated above the clouds so He could finally go to be with God in heaven.
• Second Coming — When He left to go back to heaven, the angels promised Jesus' friends that He would be coming back one day to get all His friends.

Copyright © 2005, Kim Wier, Engaging Women Ministries, www.engagingwomen.com*

Going All Out

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to your children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:7

I love holidays! They are a great excuse to celebrate big—make food, hang out with friends and family, travel, go on vacation, etc. Most kids like holidays too because they indicate that something special is about to happen--they are getting ready to be a part of something great. Holidays provide a great way for us to break away from the routine. Well, with Easter (or Resurrection Sunday) just around the corner, we as moms are presented with another opportunity to celebrate Christ’s love with our kids.

Easter is such a beautiful holiday, but it can be difficult to explain its true meaning to a young child. However, I would encourage each of us (including myself) to pray about and follow through with a way to share the Easter story with your children in a way that is applicable and appropriate for their age. Let’s not waste this holiday on simply eggs, chocolate, bunnies, and baskets. Those things are fun, but let’s remember what the focus of our celebration is.

A few weeks ago at Mom to Mom, Linda Anderson shared a few tips with us mommas about passing on the legacy of faith and building belonging within our family. She was not merely talking about Easter, but about celebrations in general. Here are a few points she mentioned:

1. Keep it simple.
2. Remember that the process is more important than the end product. Involve your kids in the process (crafts, cooking, service projects, etc.) instead of keeping them occupied and out of the way.
3. Focus on creating family memories as opposed to people-pleasing.
4. Include others—create a contagious, fun Christian community that other people are delighted to be a part of.
5. Celebrate everyday “God sightings”.
6. Ask yourself: What’s the focus of our celebrations, and are they fun?

I know this blog may seem a bit premature, but I would encourage you to be thinking of ways you can prepare your child’s heart for Easter/Resurrection Sunday so that it is a joyous and memorable holiday for your family. We put so much preparation and emphasis into Christmas, and the excitement over it is extremely contagious. Let’s do the same for Easter! I would encourage you to leave any ideas and suggestions on sharing the Easter story and celebrating with your children in the comments below. Some of us mommas could really use some good ideas (i.e. me). :)

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that there is a season for everything. Thank you for this Easter season that reminds of us the incredible price you paid so that we could be clean and close to you. Help us share the beauty of what you did on the cross in a way that captures the hearts and minds of even our youngest kids without scaring them. Give us fresh insight and revelation on how we can “let the little children come to you”. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.