The Hunt

Early Easter evening, once all other activities are done, we send the kids on a search for their Easter baskets. For us, we prefer to do this after church and study, as well as family dinner so the focus of the day can be on the true meaning. We were finally home and the kids got in their pajamas and then the hunt began. Each searched high and low for their baskets which were hidden in some very unusual places. Then it was time for our “family egg” to be found.

Let me explain…Three years ago, after hearing about this idea in my Live, Laugh, Love Club One, our family found a large plain plastic egg that we decorated to represent us as a Party of Five. Then each Easter that egg is hidden and the kids have to search for it. Once found, they unveil the “family gift” inside.

Here's our egg:


This year’s gift inside was too large to fit in our family egg so we made a code for them to decipher. Baylee and Nathan loved having to be detectives to crack the code!
This is what the code looked like:

Easter 2009 has been a great one!

Easter Reflections

After our family dinner, we stopped by Cosmo’s Dog Park where Johnny’s memorial bench is (I love this place). We brought new flowers and just spent some time reflecting there. My brother’s life was such an answer to earnest prayer when he finally came into a personal relationship with our Savior about six years before his death. It was then that God opened his eyes and Johnny realized that Christ’s final words, “It is finished” meant that the payment for Johnny’s sins (and ours) past, present, and future were taken care of by the King. No shame is needed when we fail, just total gratitude and awe to Jesus. Whenever you feel like you’ve failed, remember Easter morning when a new life has begun…because each day is new for you too!

♥Easter 2009♥

After church, Aunt Linda and Uncle Jimmy hosted our Easter dinner. It’s always so nice to be with family. Aunt Linda fixed our traditional meal which included ham, cheesy potatoes, salad, rolls, and the ever anticipated "Bailey secret" ham eggs. Afterwards we snapped some photos and had an egg hunt for the 4 cousins.

Happy Easter everyone! He has risen’, He has risen’ indeed! We have so much to celebrate!

(The traditional "cousin" line up...done before I was even born...generation from generation")

(California and Colorado family…wouldn’t it be amazing if we could all be together for Easter one year like the good ol’ days? The invitation is always open!)

Resurrection Rolls

We absolutely LOVE the Easter cookie recipe/devotional we take part in each year, however we added a new component this season that helps add to our Easter breakfast. And I have to report, this is a “Keeper” for the Kempiak Party of Five! Besides being very yummy, the devotional totally complimented the other.

Ingredients:

Crescent rolls

Melted butter

Marshmallows

Cinnamon & sugar

Preheat oven to 350 .
1. Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in. Read Matthew 27: 57-61

2. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.

3. Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.

4. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.

5. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.

6. Place in a 350 oven for 10-12 minutes. (The oven represents the tomb---pretend like it was three days!)

7. Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.)

8. Now read Matthew 28:5-8

Explain: At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid. No one had taken Jesus' body, but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news! He is risen from the dead! Alleluia!

After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that, to more than 500 people. Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support and prove that Jesus rose from the dead ( 1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell. And now because of what Jesus has done, these things no longer have any power over those who believe in Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead and direct them. Rather than being slaves to sin and death, Christians ( those who love and believe in Jesus) are free to obey God and do good ( Romans 6:17-18). The Bible says in John 8:36, "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

However, we will only obey God if we listen to the Holy Spirit our helper. He enables believers in Jesus to do the right thing. It is important that we read the Bible (God's Word) because one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us obey God is by reminding us of what He says to us in His Word. God's Spirit will never go against his Word. In fact, when we read God's Word, we are listening to the Holy Spirit.Of course, you won't always do the right thing; the Bible says this ) 1 John 1:5-10). But that is why we need to continue to confess our sins knowing that God forgives us, based on what Jesus did on the cross. This is also a reason we need to spend time with other believers in Christ so they can encourage us in our faith.

-Unknown Author

Easter Story Cookies

Tonight on “Easter Eve”, before laying the kids in bed, we had one more family devotional that we have yet to miss since they were born. With the Bible opened to the Gospels and many baking ingredients, we began reading about the Roman soldiers arresting our Savior (John 19:1-3) and went through the story all the way to Jesus’ resurrection and the empty tomb ( Matthew 28:1-9). Each ingredient for the cookies unveil part of the truth of Easter with scripture to read and once done, the next morning, your family has a bunch of cookies to enjoy and a tangible reminder of what was read the night before, the reason we Christians celebrate this day with such awe.

Here's the recipe to get your family started on this special season of “life” and the incredible power of Christ and his love, something much more fulfilling than chocolate bunnies and jelly beans!

You will need:
1 cup pretzels (this is a YUMMY new part this year...in the past it's been pecans)
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
3 egg whites
Pinch salt
1 cup sugar

As well as:
Large zipper baggie, wooden spoon, packing tape, and the most important of all "THE WORD OF GOD" (Bible).

Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Preheat oven to 300°F.

Step one- Place pretzels in zipper baggie and let your children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.

Illustration- Explain that, after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

Read John 19:1-3.


Step two- Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.


Illustration- Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.


Step three- Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.Illustration-

Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

Read John 10:10-11.



Step four- Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.

Illustration- Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Read Luke 23:27.

Step five- Add 1cup sugar.

Illustration- Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.

Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Step six- Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.

Illustration- Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Step seven- Fold in broken nuts (pretzels). Drop by teaspoons (approximately 24) onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Illustration- Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Step eight- Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF!! Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.

Illustration- Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.

Read Matthew 27:65-66.

Step Nine- GO TO BED!

Illustration- Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20 and 22.

Step ten- On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!

Illustration-On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

By making these cookies and having other Easter traditions I've come up with for our family, it's allowed me to teach our kids how marvelous this season really is. By doing so, my kids can clearly decipher the difference this Christian holiday has over how the “world” tends to shape it with its distortion.

(If you’ve never truly understood what Christ did on the cross for His people and the power and importance of his resurrection, I’d love to share it with you. This can be the most significant Easter’s ever for you!)

He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities and with his stripes, we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

Good Friday

“As for you, you meant evil against me,

but God meant it for good.”

Genesis 50:20

With reflection, today we celebrate the somberness of Good Friday. For the first time ever, I took the kids to Canaan in the Desert, a prayer garden in Phoenix run by a lovely set of nuns (since 1968). There, we went from station to station for two hours, with Bible in hand. As we stopped and saw the sculptures and scripture displayed starting from the birth of Christ to his glorious resurrection, we read it from God’s Word, then prayed specifically about that portion of God’s story. It was so peaceful there and I felt so wrapped up in emotion, a day the kids and I will hopefully never forget. (We sure missed Jon being able to join us). Praise God we know the “end of the story” and know Easter is just 3 days away!





(It gave me chills. The kids got slightly ahead of me to this station and as I approached, there they were kneeling beside each cross praying! I love this photo and want to blow it up for my walls.)



(Afterwards we went to our church’s Good Friday service then off to another, taking communion, and praising God for his mighty plan that amazingly included us. WOW!)