Monday, April 21, 2014

Easter 2014

"...For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Corinthians 5:7-8
"Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:2-4


"Mom, are we Jewish??" A sweet question. No, we are not descended from that precious group of people that God chose as His treasured possession. But we have been grafted in, adopted, and chosen before the foundation of the world.
I think that in the hustle and bustle of the every day, it's easy to forget. With lots of little people, it is never easy to stop and take a breath. It is not serious and somber and still. But it doesn't mean we don't try. 
We still stop. 
We think.  
We remember. 
There is more to Easter than bunnies and candy. There was a sacrifice necessary. The wrath of the Father had to be poured out.  And there was only one sacrifice worthy to atone, to propitiate, to absorb that wrath. 
JESUS. 
That's why His name is above all other names. That's why His name is greater than the rising sun. 
And so amidst the crazy, and the noise of Judah calling out "More matzah!!"....
We partake of the four cups and ask the four questions.
We remember the bitter herbs, always sweetened by the Kharoset of God's grace.
We remember that death would Passover only because of the blood....
And that in Christ, spiritual death has passed over us because of His blood.
We hunt for the Afikomen....and Daddy ransoms it....because Jesus' body was broken and hidden in the tomb-a ransom  for us.  The one who finds the Afikomen gets a small piece of chocolate from Daddy. But the Father.....His prize, the goal of the ransom....is US.
We praise the One who could not be held by death....because He was without sin. He had the power to lay His life down and to take it back up again.
Hallelujah!!! What a Savior!!!!
Remembering the words of the old story:


Christ is risen! Henceforth never

Death nor hell shall us enthrall;

We are Christ's, in Him forever

We have triumphed over all;

All the doubting and dejection

Of our trembling hearts have ceased,

'Tis His day of resurrection;

Let us rise and keep the feast.

(From the hymn: Christ is Risen, Hallelujah)

The boys...
The girls (poor Ev still waking up)!
The family pics:
Resting for a moment!
Reading "God Gave Us Easter" while Uncle Scott hides the eggs....
Cousins!!!!
Ambree and me.....
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." Romans 5:8-11
Happy Easter from the Hester family!




Thursday, April 10, 2014

Free resource to pray for you pastor!!

Here is a link to a free calendar to pray for your pastor (s) and their families all month long.
What an awesome resource to help us pray for these men who serve us wholeheartedly! And what a privilege to support them in prayer. :)

Thursday, April 03, 2014

Almost a year!!!!






Calling all homeschool friends!!!!

If history is one of your *least favorite* subjects to teach, or even if it is your favorite, check out the new self-paced history courses from Veritas Press! This is a fun and interactive way for your kids to learn about history, and not only that, it's on SALE! For $100, you get a full year access to a class covering 32 historical events within one of five history cycle time periods.  We have used Veritas Press for history, and have loved their history cards, their Biblical worldview, and their complete coverage of historical events.  We leave a history cycle feeling like we have really been immersed in it!  But unfortunately, all the fun and exciting activities suggested in the teacher's manual are usually what gets left out in the day-to-day hustle and bustle. Well, with the self-paced online course, it becomes even more user-friendly for the parent, and interactive for the student.  There are activities, games, review worksheets and tests all built into the course.
Feel free to try a sample on their website!
*note: this IS a Christian based curriculum, so I don't think charter schools will cover it. Sorry. :(

If you decide to go ahead and purchase the course, use the following link and I'll get credit. :-). That's the end of my sales pitch for the day. 

Here's a link for a YouTube video on the courses: