Confessions of a Christian Idolater
I never considered myself an idol worshiper. I love Jesus Christ, He resides in my heart, and I’ve asked Him to be Lord over every part of my life. Yet, as I prayed for a closer walk with Him, He graciously showed me that I was indeed, an idolater. No, I didn’t have gods made of wood or stone, although the electronic box that sits enthroned in a fine wooden cabinet toward which all of our furniture is postured in {Read More}
Christ Arose
When my cousin Joan first heard the hymn “Christ Arose” sung by her two-year-old daughter Lena, the words didn’t quite make sense. When she asked Lena about them, she explained, “Daddy taught me the song.” Then she belted out another chorus of “UP from the GRAVY a ROSE!” After Lena’s daddy re-translated the words, Joan understood the deeper significance of the hymn. But perhaps her toddler’s version is also powerfully descriptive! Low in the grave He lay, Jesus, my Savior! {Read More}
Healer in the Garden
* This post contains affiliate links. Tim had a reason to be focused on the servant’s bloodied ear and the gentle Jesus. Tim was born with a miniature deformed ear with no hole. With medical advances in hearing repair, my brother and his wife opted for Tim to have the multiple surgeries that might correct the problems. Doctors created an ear from skin and cartilage from other areas on his body, and would later drill a hole in his skull. {Read More}
Easter Nests (Chocolate No-Bake Cookies) & Other Delights
We naturally think of giving to others at Christmas. But Easter is another opportunity to share with others and teach children to give. Do you have a favorite recipe? Why not prepare it as a family and make a surprise delivery to a neighbor, hurting friend, or elderly person during the Easter season? Here are some cookies we’ve made: Oatmeal cookies molded into Easter eggs and decorated with frosting. Sugar cookies cut into crosses and decorated with sprinkles. Chocolate no-bake {Read More}
Book Review: The Parable of the Lily
* This post contains affiliate links. In The Parable of the Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs, a farmer secretly mails his daughter, Maggie, a surprise present. Young Maggie is disappointed with her gift of a bulb and dirt. She waters the bulb for a while then throws it out the window. Easter morning she finds a beautiful, fragrant lily blooming in her yard. “The gift is alive!” she exclaims. When Maggie learns the bulb was from her father, she realizes her ungrateful {Read More}
Spreading Resurrection Joy
Before we celebrate Resurrection joy on Easter morning, we also recall Jesus’ death on Good Friday—a day of disappointment and sorrow. Do you know someone who seems sad? Someone who is sick, unemployed, or has lost a loved one? What could you do to cheer them? Here are a few ideas you or your family could carry out to show your care and God’s love for the sorrowing. Paint a small clay pot with a pretty design. Plant flower seeds {Read More}
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!
* This post contains affiliate links. The hymn “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!,” which celebrates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, makes the singer feel a part of the crowd full of hope and enthusiasm. Can’t you just imagine this hymn writer running along with the processional? That is until you realize that the lyricist was a disabled woman. Jennette Threlfall wrote this exuberant hymn in the late 1800s. And “that ancient song we sing” about Palm Sunday remains a timeless {Read More}
Making an Easter Cross
If you saved the tree trunk from last year’s Christmas tree, now is the time to make it into an Easter cross. If you didn’t, file this idea for next Easter (with a reminder in your December calendar to save the Christmas tree trunk) and find other wood to use. Cut off the upper one-third of the trunk and fasten it across the lower part with a nail or wire to form a cross. You may wish to leave the {Read More}
Why Should I Go to Church?
I heard a good quote the other day . . . “God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’” – Billy Graham This season is a good time to start a new chapter in your life. Make church part of your growth each week. Find a good church where your family and you can be a part and a blessing. “My mom used to {Read More}
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