Share Some Joy and Egg Your Neighbors!

 This is such a fun idea!

 I used the Inspirational Eggs I found at Walmart.

 And simply hid 11 Inspirational Eggs

plus one plain white empty egg

at various houses where I knew there

were children and taped the cardstock

egg printable on the door.

I also got to peek out and watch a 

couple of my neighbors 

be surprised!

It was fun! The eggs sent a 

subtle but simple message

and kept the meaning of

Easter in focus!

To get a free Egg Printable

follow this link:

 http://www.fabnfree.com/2013/02/17/youve-been-egged-a-free-printable/

FREE Easter Coloring Pages

For Free Easter Coloring Printables

follow this link:

http://thecraftyclassroom.com/2015/03/21/christian-easter-coloring-pages/

Free Easter Printable

This is an adorable printable

that you can use to make

your own Easter Decoration!

Just print and frame.

How easy is that?

To download yours, go to

http://www.1dogwoof.com/2012/03/he-has-risen-printable.html

Leave A Little Extra!

Leave a little extra any time

you go out to dinner or anywhere

else you would normally

leave a tip!

 

Add a Scripture!

The effect will be much better

with a nice hefty tip!

And I'm sure you could probably

find little scripture pre-written

onto little pieces of paper

for daily encouragement if you

went to Mardel's - but since I

live in a town with no Mardel's,

I made my own. 

If you'd like to download FREEprintables

follow this link:

 http://aip.shootproof.com/event/1299242

Idea submitted by Bambi Rogers.

Thank you, Bambi!

Look at These!

Look at these!

Aren't they adorable?

And in this modern age

when we like to keep

things simple,

it's nice to have a

Christ Centered Option!

 There are Dinner Plates,

Desert Plates and Napkins.

Here is a close up view!

And - I found them at

Hobby Lobby!

 

Attend A Passion Play

I live in the Lawton, Oklahoma

area, so it's easy for me

to take a Passion Play for granted.

 

The Holy City of the Wichitas

has had one running for

90 years! 

It's pretty amazing and everyone

should attend at least once

in their lifetime. 

 You spread a blanket on the ground

and snuggle up with your 

children and family and watch and wait.

Then the play begins and you 

are taken through the various

scenes in the Bible. 

It is beautifully narrated and makes

the Bible come alive.

And - it keeps the focus of Easter 

on the REASON that we celebrate.

For more information on this

particular passion play, go to:

 http://theholycitylawton.com/

Play dates are March 28th and April 4th.

And if you're too far away to enjoy

this one - search the web for something

in your area. 

Jelly Bean Prayer Jars

These little Jelly Bean Jars

are fun to make and can

be used to teach children 

the gospel. And - they're 

super cute!

Just layer the jelly beans in

the jar, decorate a lid and

tie on a little tag!

Kids LOVE making them!

And - it's a great conversation

starter. Every child should be

taught about God's

wonderful plan of salvation!

 

 Black is for our sin

All the wrong things that we've done!

Red is for the blood of Jesus,

He shed for everyone!

White is for a heart so clean,

Washed as white as snow.

Gold is for the streets of Heaven,

How lovely they glow!

Green is for Growing,

Hide His Word in your heart.

Put your trust in Jesus, God's son,

Give your life a brand new start!

Here is a printable tag you can use

to decorate yours!

Make A Resurrection Garden

This is a pretty simple idea.

Just take a planter and fill

with garden soil. 

Decorate with rocks 

and crosses made of sticks.

Use a container to make

a tomb and a stone 

for a door. 

Sprinkle with grass seeds.

I used bird seed because

that's what I had.

If it grows, I'll post a 

picture later.

But - it makes a thoughtful

Easter Center Piece. 

Idea submitted by Rajeev Mahan.

Thank you, Rajeev!

The Sheep That No One Could Find

When I think of Easter

I think of redemption and

forgiveness.

This isn't exactly an Easter

Story - but it is one every 

child should hear.

It tells the parable of 

the lost sheep.

It speaks of redemption

and forgiveness.

And it's beautifully illustrated, too!

The Sheep That No 

One Could Find

Make A Prayer Jar

Make a Prayer Jar

There are so many ways

you could use this!

Just find a pretty jar...

Decorate with Ribbon...

And insert names of people

you would like to pray for.

Draw a name out of the 

jar each morning and pray for

that person through out the day.

If you're doing this with kids

they could make a

"Thinking of You"

card and send it to the person

they are praying for 

each day.

If you're doing this alone,

you could do something nice,

or say something nice to 

the person you are praying 

for each day.

You could send an e-mail

or a card, or even a facebook message.

Just remember to lift the person

up to God through out the day!

Idea submitted by Bambi Rogers!

Thank you, Bambi! 

Read The Easter Story

The Easter Story

should be read over and over.

The storybook version,

the Bible version, the Children's

Storybook Bible version.

It's a story every child should

have reinforced because it

is the story of redemption.

Without the sacrifice Christ

made, we would have no hope.

And every child needs to learn

that there is hope in Christ.

 Blessed be the God and Father 

of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

According to his great mercy, 

he has caused us to be born again 

to a living hope through 

 the resurrection of Jesus Christ 

from the dead, to an inheritance 

that is imperishable, undefiled, 

and unfading, 

kept in heaven for you." 

- Peter 1: 3-4

Think Jelly Beans!

Submitted by Bambi Rogers.

Thank you, Bambi!

Watch the Jesus Movie!

Have a family movie night

and watch the Jesus movie!

Or - another movie 

about the crucifiction and

resurrection of Christ.

The Jesus Movie 

is available on DVD at Amazon

and Christian bookstores

near you!

Tuck Bible Verses Inside Your Easter Eggs

I was stuffing eggs for our

annual Easter Egg Hunt when

I came up with this

super simple idea!

 

 Why not tuck a scripture inside 

each one?

 It's such an inexpensive way to

share the gospel, and keep 

the focus of Easter a

little more on Christ, I don't know

why I hadn't thought of it sooner.

I simply copied and pasted several 

verses into a word document,

and then printed them and cut them

out into strips to stuff into

the eggs. And now that they're

typed up and saved - I'd be happy to share.

If you'd like a copy of the verses

I used just e-mail me,

and I'll reply with the list attached.

My e-mail is

patty.patterson@sbcglobal.net

 

Teach Your Little Ones to Pray

Easter is a time to reflect

on all that Christ did for us.

It's a time to remind ourselves

how costly our salvation is.

It is a time to pray.

To give thanks.

To renew our spirits and 

commune with God.

We can help our children do this

by praying with them and

by teaching them to

pray themselves.

Allow them to say grace

at mealtimes and encourage them

to say their prayers before

going to sleep each night.

And - pray for them when they

are sick, or hurt and needing 

healing. And ask God for His help 

when searching for a 

lost toy or special belonging

that has been misplaced.

Here is an excellent book 

about a child's prayer. Reading 

books about prayer and praying 

with your children about

everyday things makes communicating

with God much more natural.

And shouldn't it be the most natural

thing in the world to do to take 

our cares and concerns to God?

Read "This Little Prayer of Mine"

by Anthony DeStefano.

Free Download - O Praise the Name

Follow this link

to receive a FREE Music Download.

O Praise The Name

Talk About Going to Heaven!

I've heard it said that only

two things are certain in life,

and that's death and taxes!

Now, may not be the right time

to talk to your child about taxes.

But - let's face it.

Everybody is going to die!

Death is a part of life.

Yet it's something we see to avoid

talking about.

And because we avoid talking

about it - it's scary for children.

But - for the Christian,

death is not something we should fear!

 O death, where is thy sting? 

O grave, where is thy victory? 

The sting of death is sin; and the 

strength of sin is the law.  

But thanks be to God, 

which giveth us the victory 

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, 

unmoveable, always abounding in the work 

of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that 

your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

Here are a couple of great books 

that talk about the promise 

of heaven! I personally look

forward to going.

 

Set Aside Some Time for Family Devotions

Set aside some time to do

family devotions - and activities

that help your children 

keep their focus on Christ.

A Sense of the Resurrection

 

is a fun devotional and it

includes lots of crafts and activities

that go along with the story

of the crucifixion and resurrection

of Christ - which is why

we celebrate Easter!

And most of the crafts can be

made with things you have

on hand. 

Arm Yourself with Truth!

I just love this concept!

I am not a huge tattoo fan

but I love the Word of God

and think we should all try

to memorize it.

 At this website

Armed with Truth

you can purchase a variety of 

temporary tattoos with scripture

created just for memorization!

 Simply apply them to your arm

so you can easily see them,

and read over them every chance you get.

Now - how cool is that?

You could do this with your family

as an Easter Memorization Project.

Or - anytime, all year long!

Sing a Song.....

Kids learn a lot through music.

So - sing a song!

There are several great 

Easter songs on this album.

 

 One that celebrates the

resurrection is

One, Two, Three... Jesus is Alive!

You can listen to a preview HERE. 

Another MUST READ Children's Book!

Here is another MUST READ

Children's Book!

If I were to rate this book

on a scale of one to ten,

I'd have to give it a 12.

It deserves "extra credit" because

it really connects with 

children and makes them

feel as if they, too, can be strong

when they depend on Jesus!

The Donkey That No One Could Ride

 

is about a donkey who was laughed

at. He was considered worthless

because he was too weak

to carry a rider. He never thought

he would amount to anything.

And then one magnificent day,

he was sold. He thought it was a mistake.

NO ONE wanted HIM!

HE was WORTHLESS. 

But then - he learned to depend on

the power of Jesus and he was

used to carry Jesus into town,

where the crowd waved palms

and cheered. 

And we can all do great things,

if we will just trust in Jesus

and do as He says. 

This is a MUST READ! You can purchase

it here:  http://www.amazon.com/Donkey-That-One-Could-Ride/dp/0736948511/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424717256&sr=1-1&keywords=the+donkey+no+one+could+ride

Easter Books - To Be Used with Resurrection Eggs

Every child loves a story,

and these stories are so, so good!

My personal favorite book

for reading with the

Resurrection Eggs is

Lily's Easter Party!

 Lily's Easter party is a fun story that

let's children know how special

Easter really is!

Another Resurrection Egg book

is Benjamin's Box.

It's a great story, too. 

In both of these books you open

a resurrection egg and pass 

the contents around and

talk about the meaning of each item.

It keeps the focus of 

Easter on the Resurrection....

on Jesus.... 

right where it belongs. 

Resurrection Eggs

I've used these with my grand kids

for the past few years and 

we love hearing the story

of the Resurrection 

year after year. 

Each egg had a symbol inside

and you open them one 

at a time as the story

is told. They really bring

Easter alive for kids.

 Here is what is inside!

I used to use the eggs by themselves,

but now - I use them along with a book.

I read the book and the childen

use the eggs to help me tell the 

Easter Story

as the eggs for our family 

Easter Egg hunt are being hidden.

I just LOVE this part of our

family celebration.

I'll share our Resurrection Egg

books tomorrow.

Inspirational Easter Eggs

You can find 

Inspiration Easter Eggs

with very little effort.

I found these at Walmart.

They also have quite a few

chocolate crosses

and other things that

keep Christ in focus at

Easter time. 

Keep your eye out

for Easter items that 

honor Christ.

If they sell.... perhaps

they will continue to be

stocked on our 

department store and

grocery store shelves

in years to come.

Let's not let these special 

treasures slip away!

 

Free Mini-Coloring Books

These mini-coloring books

were designed to be just the right

size to stuff in an Easter Egg.

 And they tell children

about Jesus!

But take a look at the video on the

following page to see the inside:

Pink Paper Peppermints

Make and Color a FREE Jesus Is Alive Color Book

Every kid likes to color!

And - HERE is a FREE 

printable Jesus Is Alive Coloring Book!

It has 15 pages of coloring fun!

And - it will provide some great 

conversation starters

so you can share with your children

the REAL meaning of Easter!

Jelly Bean Prayer Jars

These little Jelly Bean Jars

are fun to make and can

be used to teach children 

the gospel. And - they're 

super cute!

Just layer the jelly beans in

the jar, decorate a lid and

tie on a little tag!

Kids LOVE making them!

And - it's a great conversation

starter. Every child should be

taught about God's

wonderful plan of salvation!

 

 Black is for our sin

All the wrong things that we've done!

Red is for the blood of Jesus,

He shed for everyone!

White is for a heart so clean,

Washed as white as snow.

Gold is for the streets of Heaven,

How lovely they glow!

Green is for Growing,

Hide His Word in your heart.

Put your trust in Jesus, God's son,

Give your life a brand new start!

Here is a printable tag you can use

to decorate yours!

Have and Easter Play Date!

We have a little play group that

gets together from time to time

for play dates.

For Easter, we made foam

egg yard decorations.

 Aren't they cute?

 They're so simple and fun to make, too!

Then we made Jelly Bean Prayer Jars!

 They turned out really cute, too,

but I failed to get a picture.

 So here is a picture of one I made

earlier with Caelie.

 

The little tag on it says:

Black is for our sin

All the wrong things that we've done!

Red is for the blood of Jesus,

He shed for everyone!

White is for a heart so clean,

Washed as white as snow.

Gold is for the streets of Heaven,

How lovely they glow!

Green is for Growing,

Hide His Word in your heart.

Put your trust in Jesus, God's son,

Give your life a brand new start!

And after making our crafts we had

a few Easter Stories and then

hunted eggs!

 I think the kids had a good time.

And they got plenty of eggs and prizes.

 And they were kind to each other!

 And even though my foam eggs

were not decorated, they made

great garden decor....

And they've lasted two weeks,

through wind and rain. And they still

look nice.

Whose Child Are You?

Easter is about God's Gift

Eternal Life

 

Whose Child Are You

Not too long ago, I took a trip to Texas to return two of my grand daughters to their parents. To break up the drive, I planned a few stops. The first stop, was Chuck E. Cheese's. Both girls love to go to the Chuck E. Cheese's in Wichita Falls and it would provide a nice bathroom break, lunch break and it would give us a chance to stretch our legs and work off any energy our bodies stored by being cooped up in the car.

Once we arrived we ordered our lunch and began to play games while we waited on our food. I've learned that our tokens last longer if I give the girls a few at a time, so I followed them around, handing them tokens as needed. As the girls enjoyed a game of skeet ball another little girl came up to me and asked for tokens. Having a heart for children, I handed her a few and off she went to play games. Then I joined Grace and Olivia in a skeet ball game and watched carefully as Grace tried to teach me how to get my ball in the 5,000 point hole. When my game was over, the other little girl was standing beside me wanting more tokens. I looked around, and didn't see her parents, so I gave her two more. By then our food was ready - so we sat down to eat.

And - as we were eating the little girl came back - wanting even more tokens. This time, I told her she needed to go get tokens from her own Mom or Grandma - because these tokens were for my grand  children!

Now - I am not one to be selfish, especially when it comes to children. But - this child was not MINE! I answered her request a time or two, but it is not my responsibility to meet her needs. She is not my child. She is not my grand child. I don't even KNOW her! We have absolutely no relationship.

This event got me to thinking. How often do people try to use God the way this little girl tried to use me? I wonder if He ever feels as if people expect Him to be some sort of Santa Claus in the sky? It seems as if people are focused on themselves more now than any time in history. Some even act like God was created for their benefit, when the fact of the matter is, we were all created for Him. We weren't created to live life for ourselves, but for His pleasure.

Yet - when we selfishly ask for things, God often gives in and grants us our request. He'll hand us a few tokens! And when we come back for more, He may even give us that. He is constantly displaying His goodness! But we can't expect to keep coming back and continue to have our prayers answered without becoming His child! The Bible is full of promises. But - those promises are not for everybody. They are meant for those who God can truly call His own. His children. Those who have accepted His grace and been given the most important gift of all. The gift of His son, Jesus. Salvation. Eternal Life.

When you become His - His promises are yours!

It's simple, really.

Give your life to Jesus and accept Him as your Savior and become a child of God. Give your life to God. Obey Him. Inherit His promises and eternal life. Or - take your request to your own Daddy.

You see. If you are not God's child, you have no relationship with Him. So, asking Him for things is kind of like that little girl at Chuck E. Cheese asking me for tokens.

Yes, God is good. And yes, He has the means to supply all of your needs according to His riches and glory. And He will. IF - you first become His child!

Need help giving your life to Christ? Feel free to call me or any of your truly saved, Bible believing friends or follow this link if you'd like to pray privately.

http://www.embracegodstruth.com/LifeToJesus.html