Category Archives: Holidays

Reading the Easter Story with the Jesus Storybook Bible

Back when my first son was born, a friend gifted us with the Jesus Storybook Bible. Since then, I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve cycled through its stories ?. They are as life-giving to me, as an adult, as they are to my boys, and the vibrant illustrations bring the characters to life.

With Easter approaching on Sunday, we take a small detour from the chronological readings we do every evening and follow a reading plan that corresponds with Easter/Lent. It is a sweet way to usher our hearts into Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday ?⛪?. There are a number of wonderful reading plans found on Pinterest, but my favorite comes directly from the author, SallyLloydJones’ website.

An added bonus about this reading plan is that you can pair it with any of the Easter activities that we’ve highlighted this week (i.e. Resurrection Rolls, Resurrection Eggs, Easter Box, etc.). Or, you can simply read the stories and allow extra time for conversation and prayer?. It’s relevant for kids/youth of any age. And if you have a range of ages, involve the older kids in planning a fun activity to correspond with each day’s reading ?. I’m telling you, you can’t go wrong with the #JesusStorybookBible. ?

Don’t have a Jesus Storybook Bible at home? Spend time reading Mark 14:1-16:20 with your family, which includes many of the same narratives, including the woman who anointed Jesus; the Lord’s Supper; and Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. While the language may be less contemporary and there won’t be illustrations, it is still a great springboard for meaningful conversations with your kids as you prepare your hearts for Easter .

Praying this is a most meaningful Easter week for you and yours,  Emily

 

Using Resurrection Eggs at Easter

I’m always looking for resources to help me teach my girls about Jesus. And at Easter, I’ve wanted to find a simple way to communicate the truth to my girls. Enter: Resurrection Eggs! 

The Resurrection Eggs are 12 colorful eggs with little items in each egg that tell the Easter story {check these ideas out in our Truth to Inhale section of our blog post. It comes with a little book where you can literally read aloud about the significance of the event captured in each egg. (Which, if you’re like me, may take the pressure off that you just have to read what is there.) ?

I know of families who have hidden the Eggs and then the kids have hunted for them and discussed the story. We open them and read the book together and that alone has captivated my girls’ attention, especially my five-year-old.

Actually this was the case when we had just gotten the eggs out of storage. I read through them with my daughter and we got to the egg that represented Jesus dying on the cross for our bad choices and rising again, making it possible for us to have a relationship with Him and be in Heaven with Him forever. ✝ I told her that if she ever wanted to ask Jesus into her heart so she could have that forever, to let me know. To my surprise, she said, “I want to do it right now.” ? We delayed bedtime ☺ and talked more about what it means to invite Jesus into our hearts. I will always be very appreciative of how the Eggs helped make salvation easier for her to understand. ❤
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I have found two resources that incorporate the Resurrection Eggs and they have been really helpful. One is geared toward preschoolers and is a dvd called Miss Patty Cake’s Egg-stravaganza. My girls love it. ?The other resource is for a little older children and is a book called Benjamin’s Box. I actually heard about it through one of the mamas in our TtT community. {Both links are in our blog post.}?
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If you don’t have these Eggs, I really encourage you to order them or even make them from things around your home. You will be so happy you did and your kids will love it! ❤ We have many other Easter ideas in our “Truth to Inhale” sections, so check them out! 

?Michelle