Resurrection Sunday Story Cookies

You need:
1 c. whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 c. sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 F. (this in important – don’t wait till you are half way done with the recipe!) Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.

Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us He wants us to know and belong to Him.

Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Read Isa.1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.

Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.

Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matt. 28:1-9.

HE HAS RISEN!!!!

A Sons Priority Is His Fathers Kingdom

Matthew 6:31-33

 ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’
or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 
³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus encourages His disciples not to worry or focus on all the things they need, but to seek first His Father’s Kingdom. Just prior to making this statement, Jesus says that they are not to take even one thought for their life. Not one thought.

Have you ever considered what life would be like if you didn’t have to worry about the mortgage, about your future, about your daily needs? I have often pondered the words of Jesus and wondered how this could practically work in my life. If it were possible (and I believe that it is), then if I wasn’t pre-occupied with all of the daily demands in life, what would I think about?

I believe we find our answer in verse 32 and 33. When we are convinced that our heavenly Father knows what we need and has promised to provide, it frees us up to focus not ourselves, but on the things that are important to God’s heart. After all, could you imagine how much free time and emotional energy that you would have available if you didn’t have to battle fear, anxiety, worry, condemnation, etc. etc. on a daily basis?

For those of you who have young children… How would you feel to walk into your house and see your little ones sitting in a corner worrying about whether there would be enough food in the house? A loving parent’s natural response would be to dispel every one of their fears so that they could simply enjoy life moment by moment. I believe God feels the same way towards us. He doesn’t want us to live a distracted life where we are living in fear of the future, or in regrets of the past, He wants us to live in the moment… with Him.

He is the great I Am not the I Was or the I Will Be, and He wants to walk with you and I just like He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day. But for us to be truly present with God in every moment, we must be able to commit all of our cares and concerns over to Him. As 1 Peter 5:7 says… Cast all your cast on Him for He cares for you! 

I believe that our heavenly Dad loves it when we entrust all our needs into His loving care! I believe that it demonstrates to Him that we really believe every promise He makes is true when we choose to cast (throw upon Him) every one of our cares and concerns onto His big strong shoulders. The more we are able to do this, the more we will be able to truly seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

When we struggle with an orphan mindset, we are not convinced that our Father will truly take care of us as He promised. And if He doesn’t take care of us, who will? With that kind of belief system, we have no choice but to make the meeting of our own needs our first and primary priority… just like Jesus said the pagans do.

My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit that lives in the hearts of every believer, would convince us more today than yesterday that we can truly cast every care of ours upon the Lord because He has promised to care for us. My prayer is that we would have the grace to take each one of the boulders of worry and fear that we have been carrying around in our backpack and drop them to the ground, one by one.

I pray that we will become more and more convinced that God is for us and He is a good Father who always provides for His kids. My hope is that as we become more convinced of this truth, we will find relief from all the burdens that have weighed us down for years. May each one of us find a new freedom in Christ to be able to focus on the eternal things that really matter to God. May each one of us have a renewed focus so that we could minister to our heavenly Father’s heart and make His priorities our priorities!

A Time To Adore

And when I die
I hope my soul ascends slowly
So that I may watch the earth
Receding out of sight,
Its vastness growing smaller
As I rise, savoring its recession
with delight,
Anticipating joy is itself joy
and joy unspeakable
And full of glory
Needs more than “in a twinkling of an eye”
More than “in a moment”
Lord, who am I to disagree?
Its only we have so much to leave behind;
so much …. Before.
These moments of transition will,
for me, be a time to adore.

Test Me

Test me, Lord and give me strength
to meet each test
unflinching, unafraid;
not striving nervously to do mt best,
not self-assured, or careless
as in jest
but with your aid.

Purge me, Lord, and give me grace to
bear the heat
of cleansing flame;
not bitter at my lowly lot, but mete
to bear my share of suffering
and keep sweet,
in Jesus’s name.

Living The Bible

His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how to go about it.

One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can’t find a seat. By now people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!)

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, You can’t blame him for what he’s going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man’s cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can’t even hear anyone breathing. The people are thinking. The minister can’t even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won’t be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion.

When the minister gains control he says, “What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget. Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read.”

Bless The Lord

I will bless the Lord all my days; my voice will always give praise to His love; He has been my rock; He has become my salvation and my shield, Into His hands I lay down my life; taking up the cross. He lovingly gives, I am confident in this; the Lord is ever with me; His love strengthens my soulI will give praise to God for His goodness to me; His love is forever!

Come my friend, let us walk together and speak of the glory of God; His love is the light of morning waking the land and sea. Mountains and rivers bow before Him; leaf and blossom bend in His passing before them. I will bless the Lord all my days; my lips will always speak of His wonderful love; To God who is glorious in power and might I give my praise; to Him I give my heart, I am assured in this; with God before me, who can be against me, He is my hope and my delight; in His mercies are from everlasting to everlasting!

I will bless the Lord all my days; my life I surrender into His hands of love; He has become my savior; He has filled my soul with wonder and my heart with love, This is the day the Lord has made; I will be glad in all things, serving Him with praise. Into His hands I lay down my cares and concerns; His love surrounds me I am certain of this; the Lord has delivered me from all sorrow and all my sins, I will give praise to God for His loving kindness; His love is forever!

The Lord trains my hands for battle; He gives my heart courage against my foes; Great is the Lord! With steadfast love He defends me, I am confident of this; the Lord is my Shepherd. His word goes out and does not return to Him void, but fills every soul with hope; He is my God and I praise Him; my Lord and I adore Him, I will give thanks to the Lord all my days; His love is forever! Come my friend, let us praise the Lord together, His goodness is forever! My friend; let us walk together, speaking of His love and recalling His goodness and love; May the peace of the Lord descend upon our souls and give light to our hearts.

God, ever faithful and true; be with us! God, all-knowing and glorious; fill us with your love; To you o Lord, be all the honor and glory! To you o God, we lift our voices in praise, Your kindness and mercy are forever! Your love reaches from the ends of the earth You, o God, have saved me from death and brought me into the light of your glorious love You are my joy in every sorrow; my peace in every trial; o God, how great you are!

I Sing To The Lord With All My Heart

I sing to the Lord with all my heart, for He  has become my Savior! Morning by morning, he bids my soul rise and give God praise, His wonderful works are ever before us Dawn is His glory; day is His praise; noon is His rest; Afternoon in fiery blaze is His song; evening His melody, Night is His beauty and delight; there is no God like our God, I sing to the Lord with all my heart, for He is my Rock and my delight!

With the morning comes great joy; give God thanks and praise!His mighty hand has lifted from my brow, weakness and sorrow,His great love is ever before us Mountains shine with His radiance; rivers run to the seas; Springs delight in filling meadows; rains dance on leaves, Snow makes white the land; fall leaves are beautiful to behold, In every place my eye can see, the glory of the Lord is present; His love is forever! I sing to the Lord with all my heart, He is my salvation!

I will praise the Lord all my life, for His goodness is ever before me! Day by day He teaches me His way; He leads me to His Side with love His glory is ever before us In the rising of the sun He sets forth His love with joy In the noon day blaze He reminds us of His powerful love In the cool of night, His delight is to cover His children with peace I will praise the Lord all my life, for He is my Rock and my song!

On a hill far away, on a climb I have yet to have made, a cross awaits On this steep and arduous trek I walk, the Lord is at my sideHe is my strength and my defense; He is my hope in all things His wonderful love is ever before us Though evil surround us on every side; our God is with us! In every season He is with me, guiding my steps and marking my way I sing to the Lord with love, as I gaze upon the cross; His goodness is forever!

Day by day He bids me rise; gives my heart its song of praise, His strong right hand opens the way before meHis light is the Light of love and my soul finds great ease, I will sing to the Lord with all my heart, I will praise Him all my days, Morning by morning He is with me; night by night His love covers me His wonderful works are ever before us Let us give God thanks and praise!

The Lord is my Shepherd; He leads me through every trial and strife, He is my strong support in every hour of life, As I walk through this vale of tears, tripping and falling at times, I trust in His mercy and loveThe Lord is at my side; He comforts my soul and gives my heart its refuge, His wonderful love is ever before me, I will sing to the Lord with all my heart, His goodness is forever!

My Lord and my God! I am yours! Morning by morning, renew my soul; restore my heart its joy, Walk with me Lord through every moment, Speak to my heart o Lord your word of love You prepare a banquet before me, bringing forth the harvest of my soul, Wash me clean Lord and robe me in clothes of your unfailing love and righteousness, Give my soul it’s refreshing; make known to me the path of Life; I will obey your commands,Your wonderful love is ever before us

O God, you are my God! Forever will I sing praise to your Name! You have saved me and my soul is glad; you have made my heart your dwelling place, I will sing to the Lord all my days, I will gladly give God thanks and praise!There is no god like our God! His mercy is forever! Amen!

A Son Can Throw A Party Anytime He Likes

Luke 15:25-32

 ²⁵“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, ²⁹but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’³¹And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'” (ESV)

The above passage of Scripture is quoted from the much loved Prodigal Son Story of Luke 15. This part of the story focuses on the older brother who was angry at the thought that his father would throw a party for his rebellious younger sibling. We pick up the story as the older brother ventures towards his home only to hear the sounds of music and celebration.

Because of his disgust for his brother’s behavior, he refuses to enter into the party. I am so thankful that the father in the story treats the older brother with as much love and compassion as he does the younger one. He goes out to invite his beloved son to come join in the celebration and this is how the son responds to his father in verse 29… ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

It is amazing to think that the heir of all of the father’s inheritance would feel so deprived in life that he felt that he was a literal slave to his father. The NIV Bible says that the son said these words to the father… All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. (NIV) Of course, the father’s loving response to his son was that he could have had a goat to celebrate ANYTIME he wanted because all that belonged to the father belonged to him as well.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can best relate to the younger brother in the story, and at other times, I can best relate to the older brother. Truth be told, I kind of think that there is a little bit of the younger and older brother in all of us. That is why I am thankful that the father treats both sons with equal love and compassion.

The point of this week’s blog is to simply say that our God and Father loves to celebrate. He is happy and full of joy! As a matter of fact, joy is a charter member of the kingdom of God. (Romans 14:17) If you are not convinced that God loves parties, listen to the words Jesus spoke in Luke 15:7 … ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. (NIV)

If heaven throws a party every time a sinner repents, then according to my calculations, there must be lots of parties in heaven because thousands of people come to Christ every day. If heaven celebrates over each one, I wonder if heaven is just one party after another? I guess we will all find out soon enough huh!

The point is, the older brother felt enslaved to his father and cheated out of a reason to celebrate. What he was feeling was the absolute opposite of his father’s heart. His loving father wanted his disillusioned son to know that he could celebrate any time he wanted. His feelings of anger and lack were based on deception and not on reality.

Those who wrestle with an orphan mindset will struggle with feelings of lack, alienation and even jealousy. When we are living as slaves and not sons, we will feel like we are deprived from all of the good things in life. When we truly live a beloved sons and daughters to our heavenly Dad, we will live in the light of His love, knowing that all that belongs to Jesus belongs to us as well.

Living in the light of God’s love does not necessarily mean that we will be insulated from pain, suffering and loss. However, the revelation that we belong in the family of God will bring the comfort and strength we need to endure even the most difficult of circumstances. In Nehemiah 8:10 says that the joy of the Lord will actually be our strength!

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would be filled with the joy the comes from the Lord to overflowing! I pray that the love of God would drive out all the feelings that we have that we are slaving away in our Father’s field. May we all know deep in our hearts that we can have a party any time we like because we our heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus! (Romans 8:15-17).

I also pray that our eyes would be open so that we could really see the heart of our Father who loves to throw parties when His lost kids come home. May the Lord of the Harvest fill our hearts with the same compassion that He has, so that we may be compelled to go out into the harvest field and point the way home to many prodigals and orphans. After all, our Father is waiting to throw yet another party!

Shake It Off

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’ – or – whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened…and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back…a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back…HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

“Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

You’re right! It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him…all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THAT’S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity…THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US! Remember that FORGIVENESS — FAITH — PRAYER — PRAISE and HOPE…all are excellent ways to “SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP” out of the wells in which we find ourselves!

The Cracked Pot

A Water Bearer in India had two large pots; each hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the Water Bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”

“Why?” asked the bearer. ” What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work,
and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

The Water Bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

Each of us has our own unique flaws; we’re all cracked pots, but if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father’s table. In God’s economy, nothing goes to waste.

So as we seek ways to minister together, and as God calls you to the tasks He has appointed for you, don’t be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to take advantage of them, and you, too, can be the cause of beauty in His pathway. Go out boldly, knowing that in OUR weakness we find HIS strength, and that “In Him every one of God’s promises is a YES.”