The first thing I did was painted the bunnies with acrylic paints. See photos below.

To make the bunnies:

A large paper plate

A small paper plate

Glue

Stapler (optional)

Construction Paper

Scissors

Crayons or markers

Cotton ball (or pompoms)

Glue a small paper plate to a large paper plate to form the head and body of a bunny. Cut out bunny ears from pink construction paper and glue or staple to the head. Draw the bunny face with crayons or markers, and glue a cotton ball on the back for a tail.

NB: I used small buttons and craft eyes for face décor. The bunnies are so cute!

Idea taken from The Preschoolers Busy Book

These pastel looking popsicle stick flowers are absolutely adorable! Our kids love holding a flower in their hands and playing with them.

A while back, I had bought these craft flower petals from the $$$Tree and had no idea what I would do with them. So when Spring rolled around, I thought it was the perfect time to make some flowers with them. The photos below show the steps to what we did.

I used tacky glue because I believe it holds well. But I guess any other type of glue could work, too. After the glue dries, pain the flowers with acrylic paint. Pastel colors are so beautiful for spring!

Allow the flowers to dry after they have been painted. Then place some colored pasta, colored rice, or flower pot filler in a flower pot. Stick the flowers in the pot. I used a vase I had bought from Ikea a while back for my children’s room. And we added a little bunny – so cute!

Ever wonder why God gives trails? When you are faced with a trial, do you try to work your way out of it instead of allowing God to work through you? I know, because I have been there.

Here is what James, God’s servant, tells us about handling trials when he wrote his epistle:

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3).

He describes trials as a good thing by saying “count them as joy”. I do not know about you, but I have yet to accept a trial as a joy! Maybe it is because I am not mature enough in Christ to do that. Instead, I grunt, I complain, I fuss. . . . and the list could go on.

Later on James says that we are blessed if we endure trials,  ^“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (verse 12).

In essence, he is saying that God rewards those who endures trials.

The other day, I came across an encouraging thought about trials from one of our friend’s status on Facebook. He said something about God in His love is not concerned with relieving us from trials; instead, he wants us to run to him. That was quite an encouraging thought to me. God loves us so much that He wants us to fall into His arms and find comfort in Him.

So no matter what trial you are facing, run to God. He is our only source of comfort and hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”.

Christian singer/song writer Ron Hamilton, who is no stranger to trials writes in a song:

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;
In darkness He giveth a song.

I could not see through the shadows ahead;
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.
I bowed to the will of the Master that day;
Then peace came and tears fled away.

Now I can see testing comes from above;
God strengthens His children and purges in love.
My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;
Through purging more fruit I will bear.

Refrain:

O Rejoice in the LORD
He makes no mistake,
He knoweth the end of each path that I take,
For when I am tried
And purified,
I shall come forth as gold.

[icon icon=icon-book size=14px color=#FFA500 ]This is the first post from my “Snippets from God’s Word” Series.  You can find other series I have written in the sub-headings under my Faith and Biblical Lessons page above.

[edamam-recipe-recipe:20]

These will keep in the refrigerator and will be just as delicious when reheated for a few seconds in the microwave.

We have been reading different bible stories to our children. However, small children have very short attention span and may not always fully understand the stories. Making the stories interactive can be very helpful.

The story of Joseph is one of my favorites. I just love how Joseph had a positive attitude toward God in the midst of all his trials. The story begins in Genesis chapter 37. But we use the children’s bibles and simple terms to teach the bible to kids. The other two lessons we have done (Creation & Noah) are on this page.

If you are familiar with the story, you will know that Joseph’s father, Jacob, made him a coat of many colors. The photos below represent the interactive activity we used to explain about the coat. I have made this second photo into a printable for anyone who wants to use it. Just click on the photo to print it out.

Materials needed for this craft:

1 Printable with Joseph’s Coat (above)

Construction paper (various colors)

Glue

Instructions:

Cut strips of construction paper and glue unto the coat.

Here is the final outcome (to the right) of the coat shown in this bible.

As we conclude our growing in grace series, I would love to be interactive with you as we talk about taking steps to Grow in grace.

What areas in your life do you think need more growth in Christ? I know there are many areas in my life that need growth. But growing in grace is a step by step process. It does not happen overnight. We have to come to a place where we recognize our need and see areas that need growth. We have to ask God to teach us and to show us our needs. Then we need to take baby steps to grow. And when we fall, get back up and keep on going. The bible says “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand (Psalm 37:23-24).

This illustration reminds me of our own daughter who learned to walk about a month ago. She kept on taking steps and kept on falling. But she did not stop. She practiced and practiced until she got it right. Instead of reprimanding her for falling, we praised her when she took a step and encouraged her when she fell. Sometimes we even helped her up when she could not help herself back up.

The point is, as we continue to grow, we will experience times when we fail. But God is there to help us. The verses above tells us that we may fall and stumble in our walk with God. But He will not leave us. He will hold us up and help us. Nonetheless, God cannot help us if we do not desire His help. We need to take baby steps!

As believers, it is easy to become distracted. After all, the world has much to offer. It is easy to become so bombarded with “things” that we do not take the time to ponder what God wants to teach us. In addition, it is easy to give up when we fail. We feel so guilty and think that God does not care or God cannot forgive us. Why bother? But He has promised to forgive us over and over again. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins God will forgive us.

If we have a true relationship with God, then we will want to know more about Him. We will desire Him. We will take the time to work on areas that need Growth in Him.

Below are some typical areas where we all could use some growth!

Do you struggle with anger, pride, envy, idolatry, malice, you name it? A passage that comes to mind as I write is Galatians chapter 5. The author, Paul, talks about “walking in the spirit” and not “fulfilling the lusts of the flesh” (vs. 16). And then he goes on to list a bunch of areas that we should put off – idolatry, wrath, strife, etc. (vs.17-21).

But Paul does not leave us there. He admonishes us to grow in Christ. He gives us a method to allow the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in us. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (vs. 22-23). Paul is basically saying that we cannot do this in our own strength. We need the Holy Spirit to help us grow in these areas. Christian character is produced through the workings of the Holy Spirit in us and not through self.

I know it is a struggle to do what we know is right. But if we trust in God to help us and we take it step by step, then we will see some progress. We can take one area at a time and work on it until we feel we have a good balance and then move unto the next area. Remember, having a good balance does not mean we may never fail again. It means we are mature in Christ enough to know we serve a God who will show His strength in our weakness, if we allow Him.

Referring back to the illustration of our daughter – does she still stumble every now and again. Of course, but she has a good balance with walking and she pulls herself up and continues on. Not only is she walking, but she has moved on to the next step, running. She has worked on one area at a time. The same needs to be applied to our growth in Christ. Focusing on too many areas of growth at a time will only frustrate us. So take baby steps and hope to see some fruit.

What areas in your life need growth in Christ. What has God been teaching you lately? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Just in case you missed the rest of the posts in this series, I have linked them below:

The Command for Growth in 1 Peter 2:2 

Our Recognition of the Need

God’s Desire for Our Growth

How does one go about choosing the appropriate bible for their children? There are the many different published children’s bibles, that it can be difficult to choose the correct one.

When our first daughter was born, we did not own a children’s bible. As I began to search for one, I found it very difficult to know what to look for.

In my search, I realized a few facts:

• not all bibles claim the truth of the Word of God
• some bibles do not include all the main stories
• the content in some bibles are difficult to interpret for kids
• Some bibles do not give enough information on topics
• And the list goes on. . . .

So in my quest, I decided to test out a few bibles and see which one was best. Each one is described and reviewed below.

1. My First Handy Bible: My husband bought this one at his work place. He gets 75% off on books from Moody Publishers as he works for Moody Bible Institute. The final cost was about $2 or $3. It is also on Amazon.com.

Authors: Cecilie Olesen

Age range: 3 and under

The stories are super short as you can see above. The author gives just a simple paraphrase of each. Very few stories, like the story of Joseph, rolls over to the next page. When I first began to read this, I was a little frustrated that the stories were so short. But then I began to realize that is geared toward the age range of the children. Our daughter loved her first little bible.

2. Read with Me Bible: I read reviews on this one on Amazon before purchasing this one. It has5 stars. When I revived it in the mail and opened it and say the photos, I wanted to return it. In fact, I placed a request to return it but Amazon said, I could keep it for my money back because I was a valid customer. Yea! So I did. Glad I kept it after all.

Author: Doris Rikkers

Age range: 2 to 5 years old

The stories are fun to read and the pictures are vibrant and sort of interesting. People rate the images very high on Amazon. In my opinion, they are vibrant but could be a little confusing. Just way to jumbled up! But my 1 year old is kind of drawn to this one. I think she likes the images and some of the funny expressive words from certain stories. For example, in the creation story when it talks about God separating the waters above from the waters below, it has words like blub! blub! blub! In the story of Jonah and the fish, it has words like gulp (the fish swallowed Jonah)!

3. The Jesus Story Book: This one is one of the most recommended that I have seen. I bought it from Amazon.

Author: Sally Lloyd-Jones

Age range: 4 to 8 (My kids are way younger but I wanted to test it out).

Of all three, I would say that the Jesus Story Book explains the stories in a way that seems real. Of course, my kids are not at the ages to understand some words yet, but I still read it sometimes. I tend to alternate between the three bibles depending on what story I want to read and how I want it to be understood. Jumping from one bible to the next may not be the best thing to do but I am still deciding on which one to stick with for a while.

I am keeping in mind that younger kids do not need any huge amount of reading in one setting. They get restless and may not even understand. One or two lines with a simple explanation is sufficient. That is where the first bible mentioned above comes in very handy at times.

4. I know I had a fourth little bible, too. But forgot it on vacation when we went to visit family. I do not remember the title nor do I remember much about the story line, but I remember liking it a lot. It was small, easy to carry around, and the stories were easy.

In summary, I am finding that no matter which bible I read from, as a parent I still have to explain the stories in my own words. If hubby reads, he still has to explain it. To get the perfect bible for a child, a parent may have to get creative and do some serious bible writing:)

If you have children, what is or was your favorite bible to read to them? Or what did you like read to you as a child?

Below are clickable images where these can be purchased.

It’s been a little while since I have posted on this series. It seems like I have been trying to play catch-up with my posts. This is due in part because I have cut out the late-night blogging times. And I barely have time during the day to write, anymore. In addition, when I do find a minute to type a spiritual post, it is the very time that my computer will decide to crash. Or other unnecessary distractions will occur.

But I have been reading and learning from God’s word. God has been teaching me; now I just have to depend on Him to help me grow. Trust me, it is a struggle.

Today we are going to discuss God’s Desire for our need to grow in grace. It is the sequel to the previous post on our Recognition of the need to grow in grace.

Although we are to do our part and obey God’s command to grow in grace (1 Peter 2:2), God sometimes brings circumstances or situations (struggles) in our lives that will help us to Grow. Here are a few scripture references that teach us about this concept. And here is what Elyse Fitzpatrick commented on each reference in regards to why God brings struggles:

2 Corinthians 1:3-10 : To help us experience His comfort and be able to comfort others

Romans 5:3-5: To help us grow in hope

Hebrews 12:10-11: To help us grow in holiness

1 Peter 1:7: To help us grow in faith

James 1:3-4: To strengthen us

Romans 8:28-29: To help our character to reflect Christ

1 Peter 5:5-7: To humble us and help us return to Him

1 Peter 4:13: To help produce God focused rejoicing in us (Fitzpatrick, 2001, pg.133-134).

No one likes to face struggles. But when we do, it is up to us to see them as God’s way of helping us to grow in Him. So let us take our struggles before the throne of Grace!

Additional Source:

Fitzpatrick, E. (2001). Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers.

To read the other two post in these series, follow the links below:

The Command

Recognizing the Need

This is a mini Preschool Winter Package with Sample Activities I created for our early 3 year old daughter. It is a mini one because it only comprises of 12 worksheets.  To print the pack, simply click on the first image below. It will allow you to print the worksheets from my documents.

Here are some of her work samples:

As you can see, she is learning to write by tracing over the letters

Here she is practicing her fine motor skills by cutting and gluing

And these are a few winter related activities we have done. To see more indoor sensory activities, go to this page. This first activity is painting on ice: Freeze a muffin tin with ice. Mix water and food coloring of choice. Present paint brushes. Our kids not only loved to paint on the ice but they loved eating the ice.

The second activity is all things white sensory bin. Round up a bunch of small white toys or other food items (rice, marshmallows, etc.) and let them play.

The third activity is playing with real snow: Grab a bin full of real snow and add some food coloring. Throw in some shovels and other play items. Or go out side and have some fun in the snow!

The fourth one, play dough of course! Go to this page to find the recipe

Books: These are the winter related books we have been reading. They may be a grade level or two above her age but she enjoys listening to the stories. Especially the Callie Cat Ice Skater story.

For your convenience, I have included clickable links to these books online.  

There are so many great craft ideas one can use to teach children the Story of Noah. I so love that story! I especially love that Noah found grace in God’s eyes despite all the wickedness that was happening during his day (Genesis 6:8). Below are the crafts we made to help teach the story concepts and the snacks to go along with them. You can find my beliefs about teaching bible stories to children on “The Bible & Kids” page here.

The Ark – Made from construction paper, popsicle stick, glue, and foam animals stickers. I saw this very simple pattern for the Ark at Daniel’s place and decided to use it instead of a more complicated idea.

Snacks: Pretzel sticks and animal crackers.

The Rainbow: Made from printed out rainbow coloring page, cotton balls, and glue.

Snacks: Froot Loops and marshmallows.

This is an extra little book that could be used to reinforce the story. It shows different animals that went into the Ark, two by two.