Preparing My Heart for Resurrection Sunday

Today is the end of week two in Why Easter Matters, the Good Morning Girls Bible study that I have been doing in order to prepare my heart for Resurrection Sunday. Each week of this four week study focuses on a different aspect and asks the question why it matters.

Week 1 was Why the Last Supper Matters. We focused on the events of the Last Supper throughout the week. So much happened during this time which leaves us with so many examples of how we should be living this life as disciples of Jesus. Humble, self-sacrificing love was the example Jesus set and has called me to live as His disciple. Philippians 2:3-4 comes to mind: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." This is not always easy. It's tempting to expect others to treat you the same as you seek to serve and love them. But that's not how it's supposed to be. I need to take the other person out of the equation (so to speak) and remember that I am called to do everything as unto the Lord and not unto man. Ephesians 6:7-8 says "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free." Lord, help me live like You did.

This week we focused on Why the Crucifixion Matters. Jesus suffered a punishment that was meant for us - sinners separated from God. The servant's heart that Jesus continually displayed carried our transgressions and iniquities all the way to the cross. Jesus' love for us caused Him to die in our place so that peace and healing with God could be ours. Jesus knew we could not fulfill the requirements of the Law in our own sinful flesh, so He came and willingly let God lay on Him the sins of the world. The crucifixion matters because there had to be a perfect and sinless sacrifice once and for all. There is nothing I can do in my own flesh that will be able to stand before God. It is only the righteousness of Jesus living in me that matters to God. This week I am again reminded to stop trying to do things in my own strength, and surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit living in me. 

We were neither righteous or good when God sent His Son Jesus to die for us. We were condemned as sinners destined to die apart from God. The magnitude of God's love for us is seen in that while we were in that guilty state, God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins! How do I treat those who have wronged me? Am I quick to condemn them and end the friendship or do I try to find a way to reconcile? When I think about how God sent Jesus for me so long ago, and when I think about the state of my life at which time I found forgiveness of all my sins...my heart is convicted that I don't always so freely give my forgiveness to others. I need to remember how God did not hesitate to forgive me and to provide the means necessary - namely Jesus - to completely restore our relationship. The crucifixion matters because it demonstrates to me how forgiveness and restoration should be a part of my relationships in this life.

Next week we will be focusing on Why the Resurrection Matters. Finally, in week four, we will be focusing on Why My Response Matters. This Good Morning Girls Bible Study has been so wonderful as I seek to prepare my heart for Resurrection Sunday! I've learned things I've never seen before, and other things I've known have just been more magnified in my heart.

What are you doing to prepare your heart to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord? I would love to hear, so please feel free to share in the comments below!

Walking in His Grace,
Laurie

Glow in the Dark Easter Eggs ~ Egglo Entertainment Review

I have a very cool review to bring to you today! Have you heard about Egglo Entertainment? They have glow in the dark Easter eggs! I was given a box of 12 Glow in the Dark Egglo eggs, a pack of Egglo Treasures Scripture Scrolls, The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure story book, The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure Audio Book download and The Egg-Cellent Easter Adventure Program Guide for this review.

 

What is Egglo Entertainment?

Egglo Entertainment exists to help you educate children that Jesus is the light of the world during your Easter celebration. Families and churches will benefit greatly from the wide range of products available from Egglo Entertainment that will help teach children the true meaning of Easter. The glowing eggs in the darkness represent the light of Jesus in this dark world. Searching for the glowing eggs in the darkness helps children connect to the truth that Jesus is the light of the world.

Listen to the Egglo Eggs testimony of the founder of Egglo Entertainment, Darcie Cobos. I love hearing from her heart how God inspired these glow in the dark Easter eggs to help spread the message of Jesus to children (and adults!) everywhere.





Designed for church outreach events, Christian schools, youth groups, Sunday school, AWANA, and families, the Egglo program is an effective tool to use for your Easter celebration.

Egglo Entertainment Product and Price List

You are going to love all the awesome products available from Egglo Entertainment! The age range for these products is between the ages of 4-13, but they really can be adapted and fun for all ages. I loved all of the products we received just as much as my son did!

*Glow in the Dark Egglo Eggs: A box of 12 glow in the dark plastic eggs in the colors of pink, blue, yellow and green. Some have a cross on them and others are plain that the children can decorate with stickers. The cost for a box of glow in the dark Egglo eggs is $11.99.

*The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure: A beautifully illustrated soft-cover book of 40 pages connecting the traditional Easter egg hunt to the gospel of Jesus who is the light of the world. Join Hardy, Anastasia, Pascal, and their dog Zeke on a mysterious treasure hunt adventure to discover the greatest treasure of all! The price for this beautiful book is $12.99.

*The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure (audio download): This is the MP4 file download for the audio version of the story book, and is available for only $2.99. Listen on your computer or burn to a CD to listen anytime...anywhere. The story is so appealing that your kids will want to listen to it again and again!

*Egglo Treasures Scripture Scrolls: These little scrolls hold big truths from the Bible. You can tuck one inside each of the glow in the dark Egglo eggs. Each scroll contains a simple verse based on the following: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Deuteronomy 6:5, Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 5:16 and 28:20, John 1:4, 1:5, 3:16, 8:12 and 12:46. There are 12 Treasures Scripture Scrolls in all. The price for a pack of 12 is $4.29.

*The Egg-cellent Easter Adventure Program Guide: This 62-page program guide is a PDF file packed full of helpful information on how to get the most out of your Egg-Cellent Easter Adventure! The price is $14.99 for a one-time download.

How We Used Our Egglo Products

The Egglo glow in the dark eggs first needed to be charged with light (either natural sunlight or artificial light). I printed off the program guide so we could decide how we wanted to try out these fun glow in the dark eggs. There are an abundance of ideas in the program guide!

While the eggs were charging in the sunlight, my son and I listened to the audio download while we followed along in the Egg-Cellent Easter Adventure soft-cover story book. I chose to do it this way because the storyteller in the audio did such a fantastic job narrating the story. His voice characterizations, along with the wonderful sound effects throughout the recording, really brought the story to life! Once we finished the story, I used the questions and answers found in the program guide to make sure my son comprehended what he had heard.

Next, my son eagerly unrolled each treasure scripture scroll and read what was written on it. After discussing the verses, we then tucked each scroll into the glow in the dark plastic eggs. Once it was dark later in the evening, it was time for our glow in the dark Easter egg hunt. Pretty fun, even though Easter isn't even here yet!

My son also made his very own Egg-Cellent Easter Adventure coloring book from the coloring pages I printed from the program guide.

Our Opinion of Egglo Entertainment

My son and I both had a lot of fun with the products we were given to review for Egglo Entertainment! My husband is the Children's Pastor of our church, and we cannot wait to use Egglo Entertainment for our church's Easter celebration with our Kid's Church and the kids in our community. The program guide has everything from decorations, snack ideas, event invitations, an object lesson, etc. as well as a step-by-step outline of the guidelines for the hunt. I cannot wait for Easter to arrive so that we can use these resources to tell children that Jesus is the light of the world!

I love the fact that these glow in the dark eggs can be used throughout the year as well. More year-round ideas are available on the Egglo Entertainment website. You can also connect with Egglo Entertainment at: Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Google+.

My family highly recommends Egglo Entertainment for your upcoming Easter celebration. Jesus truly is the light of the world, and it's our mission to spread the word! I hope you'll have just as much fun with the products of Egglo Entertainment as we did.

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie