Family Portraits
Family Ties
A few weeks ago I wrote an email to my dad sharing my real feelings about certain promises he’s made and never followed through with recently and over the years. The story is long, and I won’t bore you with the details, but I will say that my father left our family when I was…
Nocturnal Birds?
3:00 am. My husband rushes out of bed. “Where are you going?” I ask. “To take care of it!” The “it” was a bird (a robin?) outside our window who had been chirping and calling all night long. I first heard it’s shrilling call at midnight. I didn’t know what to think. I usually heard…
An Easter Jelly Bean Poem and A Prayer
This are two a really fun ways to share the Easter story. Find each color Jelly bean and put it in an egg. Then on Easter morning, or during the week share the story! Red is for the blood He gave Green is for the grass He made. Yellow is or the sun so bright.…
Easter Seder Part 3
The Story of Passover During this time Exodus 12:1-13 is read with brief comments and with the elements held up at the appropriate moment. The Lamb Bone: The lamb was killed, its blood spread on the doorposts and lintel of the house to protect the home from the tenth plague, the slaying of the firstborn.…
Celebrate Easter with a Seder Part 2
Yesterday I shared with you the beginning of the Christian Seder my family has during the Easter weekend. We try and have this on Good Friday to reminisce about the “Last Supper”, but sometimes have it on Saturday. We reserve Sunday for a relaxing time of Church and casual dinner. Though this year with my…
Family Friendly Easter Seder Part 1
It’s snuck up on me again! The Easter Holiday season. I thought by getting the bunnies and egg hunts out of the way early, I’d have time to plan some really great Jesus stuff. But it’s Palm Sunday and I’ve done nothing…yet. I just pulled out my Easter file and for the rest of the…
The Dinner Hour
Tonight’s dinner was LOUD as usually with me scrambling to answer questions, dish out food and pay attention to whoever called my name. When things settled down, we shared some jokes. My favorite one was told b Chris (12) and it went like this. “There was a blonde, a brunette, and a brown headed person.”…
Windows to the Soul
I was explaining to my 12 year old about baptism, and asking if he wanted to be baptized this Easter Sunday, when I saw that look in his eyes. The look that’s not particularly interested in things spiritual. When he was younger he wanted to be baptized, I’m not sure he’s ready now. I’m not…
A New SpringThing!
Since I’ve had kids, I’ve been trying to make Easter more about Christ’s resurrection than the Easter Bunny. But in today’s materialistic society where retailers want to make money, it hasn’t been easy. Though we’ve technically never told our children the Easter Bunny, baskets of goodies were waiting for them after church, eggs were hidden…
Joey’s Got Big Plans Tomorrow…
for his tenth birthday. Since we’re not having his official party until the end of the month (after spring break when all his friends will be home), I wasn’t planning on doing more than our usual cake with the neighbors, and mom and dad’s special dinner with just the birthday boy, but he’s go it…