Resurrection Basket

I saw this on fb a few weeks ago and decided it was be a great project for me and the kids to make for Easter!

Plant an Easter Garden! Using potting soil, a tiny buried flower pot for the tomb, shade grass seed, & crosses made from twigs. Sprinkle grass seed generously on top of dirt, keep moistened using a spray water bottle. Spritz it several times a day. Set it in a warm sunny location. Sprouts in 7-10 days so plan ahead. The tomb is EMPTY! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! ♥



After thinking on it a bit, I decided to change it up and make a "Resurrection Basket" instead.

Every year we have Easter Baskets, but wanted to really bring the focus to Christ through this craft.

I purchased this basket from the Dollar Tree a week or so ago.

The I lined it with two pieces of saran wrap and put holes in them so water can seep through and hopefully not rot the basket!

Placed a pot in the middle . . . sorta.  (Once I got the dirt on top and around it I did scoot it a little more forward.)

Added the dirt to the top and in front of the pot.

We then added pebbles and rocks.  I wanted a pebble trail from the cross of crucifixion, to the tomb, so we changed that as well (from the original idea).

The kids grabbed several twigs in the yard and I made three crosses using some garden twine I had in the green house.  Not perfect, but too many times we make the cross a beautiful thing when it was truly a gruesome scene that day.

Once we got the pebbles and crosses in place, we sprinkled grass seed over all the dirt, trying to not get them in the pebbles (yeah, right!).  We couldn't afford to go buy the kind of grass seed the original directions said to use, so we used what we had.  We didn't have a smooth stone to use either, so Christopher went around the yard and picked out a big, bulky, ugly rock!  LOL!

 TA-DAH!    The finished product!  Now to wait and see it grow!

I set it on a plant stand in the corner of the porch that would get much son and out of the way of the puppies!

Any other time that would be the end of this post, but NOT this time!

On my way home from a missions conference form my church Saturday night, my phone rings.  It was my husband.

He said, "You're gonna be really mad.  I mean you are gonna be REALLY mad, but YOUR dog, the ONE THAT LOVES YOU, did it."

Me.  "What did Momma Dog do?"

Chris said, "No.  Not Momma Dog.  Trouble."

Me (thinking, what could she do that would make me angry . . .  she's a pup!?!) . . . "What did she do."

Chris.  "Well, I went outside to get them all in, and she had your basket in her mouth."

Me.  "Basket?  What basket?"

Chris.  "The one you and the kids made today."

SILENCE.

It was too dark to take pictures when I got home that night, so Sunday morning I went out to investigate. 

 The crime scene.

 The tomb.

 The basket.

The perpetrator. 

 "Trouble" is the precious pup sitting closes to the front with a black snout.  She loves me.  Every time I go out she pulls and tugs on  me till I pay attention to her.  She's precious, and she's a beaut; but she still ATE MY BASKET!  ;)  Seriously though, we have to change her name!  While she is the most mischievous, she would SO love to be a lap dog!

We will make another one, it will just be in the ground as I am not going to go buy another basket.

I felt like this was something we could do together.  It was not be costly.  We used what we had; AND we had a great time doing it!   

We spoke about the death of Christ; about the the two thieves that died the same day Christ died.  We spoke of how one believed that moment and would be in Glory with Jesus, and how one refused to accept Him.  

In life, we have a choice to make.

To NOT choose, is to choose.  

The scriptures tell us if we do not choose to follow the Lord, then we choose death . . .satan.  

It's a cold, hard, truth that many choose to ignore.

There will be a day when every knee will bow before King Jesus.

I pray you are able to celebrate Easter this year knowing the Resurrected King Jesus!

Jesus Loves Me

At Christopher's therapy appointment today, his therapist asked him, "Christopher, who loves you?"

He said, "My mom and dad."

She then asked him, "Who loves you the most Christopher?"

To that he answered, "Jesus."

I experienced a comfort, a peace, a thrill, in knowng my son, a chld with so many "issues," gets it. 

So I ask you, "Who loves you?" 

If you can't say, "Jesus," then I pray, today, you will know and receive these words.

You are valuable.  You were made with a purpose.  You are loved.  He knows not only your  name, but the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7)!

When I first came to have a one on one relationship with the Lord, I was an adult. 

I didn't know the songs, didn't know the Bible, nothing.

But the one thing I did know, was the song, "Jesus Loves Me."  That song has gotten me through nightmares, fear, questions . . . when I didn't know anything else, the one thing I did know, was a man named Jesus, and that He loved me. 

You can know Him today.

For God so loved the world (that's you), that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but will have eternal life.  John 3:16.

Coffee . . . . It's A Good Thang!

I spent my morning making my Thanksgiving Day Menu and grocery list before heading out to clean a house today.

While making the list, my husband, who makes my coffee FAITHFULLY; Every.  Single.  Morning.  (that he does NOT drink) announces that I am out of coffee.

I cringe every single time he tells me because I feel so guilty purchasing something that no one else will enjoy.

I finished making my list for Thanksgiving Dinner, without adding the coffee and went to clean the house.

I was actually scheduled to clean this particular house last week, but wasn't feeling 100% and had a crazy schedule, so rescheduled for today.  (You'll see the importance of this in a few.)

When I walked in, there was a note next to my check.  Next to the note was a bag of coffee.

The note read,

I was so excited that the Lord met a need; and without me even asking! 

When I called to thank her, and to explain the events of the morning (making the menu/grocery list); it hit me. . . . . This person, while a dear friend, had no idea I needed coffee.  All she knew was God had put it on her heart to give me the coffee.  What's even more amazing is that IF I  had gone to clean the week before; God probably would have still blessed me with having the coffee, but it would not have been an immediate need!  

While leaving the message of gratitude and how she was used to meet a need; the emotions and tears started. 

In that moment, God sweetly and gently whispered, "I love you." 

THEN the water works REALLY started! 

Have you ever had a squalling moment that you just couldn't control?!  Where you are so touched by the very Hand of God that you just can't control the tears? Where you realized just HOW special you are to the Father?!

That's what happened to me today.

Over the next two hours I spent time laughing, crying, and rejoicing. 

I realized just how much "He loves me."  (And I am sure He loves me more than I think He does; but for me, this moment, it's pretty big!)

The word, "love" became my focus as I continued to clean. 

I started wondering how many times the word love is mentioned in the Bible. 

When I got home, I did a word search. The word love is written in the Bible (based on one search),  697 times in the New International Version.

My favorite love verse is one known by just about anyone, "For God so loved the world (the people) that He gave His only son, that whoever (any one person) believes in Him, will not perish, but have eternal life." 

Do you know that God loves you? 

God has shown His hands of provisions time and time again over the last 15 months.

He showed it to me again today.

I am just in awe, still. 

God cares about the big, the small, the tiny secrets of hearts desires.  If it is important to you, it's important to Him.

After all, as He showed me today, He even cares about my coffee!

The Three R's

Right in the middle of worship this morning, with another couple thousand people around, the Lord spoke directly to my heart. 

He gave me three words that I quickly wrote down so I wouldn't forget them.

1.  Redeemer.  He reminded me that He Redeemed me.  The Webster Dictionary defines the word, redeemed as to be freed from distress or harm, to free from captivity by payment of ransom.  Jesus paid the the price for me, for you, on Calvary.  John 3:16 says, "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."  Do you see how valuable that makes you??!!

2.  Restorer.  He not only restored my life when He saved me, but He restored my family.  All the lies, burnded bridges, manipulation were torn down.  Don't hear me say there aren't still consequences for those sins, because there are consequences to every sin, but He has restored my relationships with my family.  Joel 2:25 says, "I will restore the years the locust have eaten. . . . "

3.  Rest.  He is my rest.  Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, (Stacey!) ALL who are weary and heavy laiden, and I will give you (Stacey!) rest!."

So thankful for those sweet whispers . . . . .

Continuing, To Walk In Victory,

Stacey