easter 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vcfastgallery_mosaic fg_gallery_name_show=”true” fgm_layout=”fg_layout3″ fg_type=”lightgallery” fgm_height=”500″ fgm_allow=”true” fg_responsive=”fg_mosaic” fg_over_image=”fg_over_image_off” fg_main_color=”#ffffff” fg_secondary_color=”#ffffff” fg_spacing_active=”on” fgm_padding=”10″ fg_gallery_name_font_color=”#c47923″ fgm_image_lightbox_size=”large” fg_seo=”on” fg_gallery_name=”Easter 2017″ images=”7848,7862,7849,7855,7867,7874,7871,7876,7882,7850,7884,7914,7905,7911,7918,7921,7937,7952,7948,7994,8002,7995,8001,7999,7996,7998,8000″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#b7884b”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A few days before Easter I and I kids got together with some friends to dye eggs in the park together. Crew hadn’t been feeling well so he stayed back to take a nap while Matt worked from home. We made sure to save him some that he could dye when he felt better.

I love getting to watch the kids try to figure out how long to leave the eggs in to get certain colors and how to get the wax crayons to show up. 🙂  And this year we had the tie dye maker to put a new spin (pun intended) on things.

On Good Friday I began telling the kids all about the week leading up to and the day Jesus was crucified. I used the version in Matthew and went along as the story goes, but told it as more of an oral story rather than just reading it word for word. It sucked them in, to say the least, and the kids asked about a million questions. “But did Jesus know that Judas would betray him?” “What does betray mean again?” “Did Jesus know he was going to die?” “Why didn’t he just let Peter cut that guys ear off?” “I thought buried meant in the ground. Does it still count if he was in a tomb?” “Does Jesus have a body now?” “Wait, so he still has scars?”

I intentionally ended the story on Friday night at Jesus’s death knowing that I’d get to tell them the rest of the story again on Sunday morning. We spent the morning making breakfast together and talking through why we truly celebrate Easter. Of course there were more questions, “So, who moved away the stone again?” “Were those angels as bright as a glow stick?” “Do you think those two women tripped on anything when they ran to tell everyone?” “So, how did Jesus get back to Heaven after he came back to life on Earth?”

I love ALL of the playful things about Easter like dying eggs and surprises in their Easter baskets and I love bunnies, flowers, donuts, and all things pastel….but what I love most is their questions. I love getting to teach my little family about Jesus.

Although it’s super easy with Easter being the “Super Bowl” of Christianity I don’t ever want that to be the only time they hear me talk about Jesus conquering sin and death. I want our conversations to be just as intentional all year long as the seasons and days come and go.

I have to say, though, that there’s one time I do not prefer to talk endlessly about Jesus and it’s just before I am about to walk out of the room after the entire bedtime routine has been completed….it is a bit difficult to discern the true sincerity when such deeply rooted theological questions come that late at night. 🙂

Our little church plant is coming along slowly. There are many ups and downs with planting a church and although I’ve heard people say that many, many times I would also say that I didn’t really get it until now. By design it’s not fast moving and we are still in the core group phase which means our location can shift easily. Since last fall we have been renting some space from a more established church for services on Sunday afternoons, but have recently decided to go back to meeting in a home for a short season of intentional training prior to our official launch.

Sometimes I miss things about being part of a really large church, but at the same time I also love the more intimate setting of church being in a home, especially on Easter, to be able to really simplify the production it can sometimes become.  We love the freedom at this stage of planting to be able to share a meal together and let the kids all play while the adults get to spend time talking with one another. It has been one of my favorite parts of starting this church.

Easter this year could be described as simple and sweet. We had the best day. I cannot even begin to fathom how much sugar my kids inhaled, but no one threw up so I consider it a success! Happy (belated) Easter everyone![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]