2 Dozen Eggs till Easter

Easter is one of my favorite celebrations!!! We have a tradition of starting 40 days ahead with lent then we begin the celebrating 24 days (or 2 dozen eggs) till Easter.

Each day we hunt for an egg with a verse reference in it that teaches us of the purpose of Jesus and not only what He did but why He did it. We play a game and do an art project each day as well, they go along with the vereses found in the eggs.

We have so much fun and the kids love waking up each morning and finding the egg and reading the story together!

If you want to make your own 2 dozen eggs till Easter you have a few days before you need to start... you can print mine if you want (see below) and glue them onto some cute scrap book paper.

After we read them we hang them around the house and on our Easter garland (see above -where we hang some of our art as well)

 Go here for all of the games and art projects that go with the daily scripture countdown. Click on the pictures on that page to see the blogs with all the information.

happy hunting!!!! HE HAS RISEN!!!!!

4 days till Easter....

JOHN 18:12-40

¹² So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. ¹³ First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time. ¹⁴ Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “It’s better that one man should die for the people.” ¹⁵ Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. ¹⁶ Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. ¹⁷ The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?” “No,” he said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.

¹⁹ Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. ²⁰ Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. ²¹ Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.” ²² Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded. ²³ Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” ²⁴ Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest. ²⁵ Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.” ²⁶ But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” ²⁷ Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.

²⁸ Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. ²⁹ So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?” ³⁰ “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted. ³¹ “Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied.³² (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.) ³³ Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him. ³⁴ Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵ “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.” ³⁷ Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” ³⁸ “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. ³⁹ But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?” ⁴⁰ But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)

Activity: Game -True or or a Lie (False) = You tell me something and the rest of us will tell you if it is true or false. After the game talk about how Jesus said if we love the truth we will recognize what He says is true. Talk about some things that Jesus said about Himself and the prophesies about Him and if they were/are true. Elijah liked this game especially since we have already been discussing the difference between a lie and the truth anyway!

Art Project: Make a rooster picture with a piece of paper, leaves, scissors, and glue. Talk about what Jesus said Peter was going to do and what He did. Talk about why the reasons why Peter lied and denied he knew Jesus. We know the truth about Jesus and we should never deny it even if we face some of the same things that Peter faced.

For those of you who are doing "EASTER !" banners or garlands you may be wondering where your "t" art project is it will come on Friday in the form of the cross...

.

14 days

Galatians 4:1-7

¹ Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. ² They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. ³ And that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. ⁴ But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. ⁵ God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. ⁶ And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” ⁷ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Activity: Night Tag (Outside or in a clean house- can get dangerous). Rules to the Game: All of us are in darkness and the “Abba or Daddy” has to find us in the darkness if he finds and tags us then we are on His team (His children) and we can go hunt for the other people in the darkness together. After the game is played a few times. Talk about how it fell to be in the darkness all alone and then how it felt to be on “Abba’s” team. Talk about the relationship that God has for us… he wants to call us his children. Even though we don’t deserve it.. He still loves us that much!!

Art Project: 2 colors of paint and blank sheet of paper. Have them put one single hand print on the sheet of paper. Talk about how everybody lets the other people that do not know God tell them what to do and not do. We kinda make them our daddy or our boss and we are trapped. We live without God, alone, because we are not good like He is, we can’t be good like that, so we live like slaves to those other people BUT because God loved us so much He sent his son Jesus to buy our freedom. It cost Him His life. He loves us that much. Jesus bought us from those people and those bad things “the world”. And when we choose to follow God He makes us His children. God adopted us. Take your hand in the other color paint and place it over their hand on the paper making a heart. It is because of His great love that we can now be his son or daughter.

I inserted our story here…. Like our little baby sister or brother is trapped in place where they are alone and they need us… so we are doing everything we can to get to them and bring them into our family and they will be just like you and Jeriah are…daddy and mommies for life.

Food: It is hard to describe adoption with food if you have any ideas please comment them below!... i think the best way to describe this verse is simply to adopt... then they will get it. :)

my flowers and 15 days till well you know..

Long distance relationships can be challenging for anyone, especially married people. By God's grace after almost 8 years of marriage we have made it work...partly because my husband's love language is technology. How do we do it?

- we text each other love notes.

- facebook each other public praise.

- work together late and early(at the same time) google chatting each other questions.

- we even have "discussions" (fights/disagreements/you know) over email. Which surprisingly works well because you can go back and realize what a unloving spouse you are and ask for forgiveness over email and because your so far a part and already miss each other it is easier to forgive and give each other grace.

-we even ping each other smoochy smiley faces.

-but my favorite over all is the exotic flowers i am sent from all over the world.

check out my Israel bouquet... thank you my love! Can't wait till you're home so we can speak my love language face to face. ;) Till then thank you all of you people who invented: skype, IM, email, pinging, texting, and the camera phone... you have helped our marriage in more ways than you know!

15 DAYS TILL EASTER: Jesus is the way to God, If you know Him you know God.

John 14:1-7

Jesus said “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.” ⁵ “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

Activity: Scarf or bandana. In a long room place random obsticals (chair, purse, pillow). Start on one side of the room blind fold your child and spin them around a few times. Tell them to listen to your voice and they can get to the other side of the room. Not in the presence of the child tell the other children(parent) to try to tell them the opposite of what you say...after you say it. Start the game and try to guide them safely to the other side of the room (the other children/parent will be shouting opposite directions). Then let them try to get to the other side of the room again by themselves blindfolded. At the end ask the blindfolded child what happened, how they felt and why. Share with them that Jesus said the only WAY to know God is through Him, in a similar way the only way to get to other side of the room was to follow your voice. That only through follow Jesus, His voice, will we be able to know God. Jesus is our picture of who God is.

Art project: Pencil, 3 different color papers, glue stick, and scissors needed. Trace your child's hand, your hand and a even bigger hand on 3 separate colored papers( i have 2 kiddos so i did both of their hands). Then cut out the hands. Make a mark to symbolize the scar on the middle sized hand in the form of a heart . Discuss that the only way they can be God’s friend is through Jesus. Because God is perfect and we are not perfect, Jesus who was pefect had to come and take our spot… our punishment so that we can do what we were created to do… be God’s friend. Then glue God (the bigger hand) and Jesus' hand together because when we see Jesus we see God and then add their hands holding Jesus' hand with the glue... because it is only through Jesus that we can be friends with God!

Food: Twizzler straws. cut or bit the end off of a twizzler and then place in your favorite drink or smoothie. Talk about God plan for Jesus to be the way for us to be His close friend and the way the straw helps us to get our drink from the cup to our mouths.