Beyond Plastic Eggs

Lisa Edwards • April 7, 2022

If your kids are anything like mine, it is probably not that hard to get them excited about Easter. We get to run around the yard on a treasure hunt to find tons of tiny, colorful plastic eggs that are filled with CANDY?? Yes please! The anticipation of the impending mad dash seems to sometimes rival that of Christmas morning.


But what if we could get them excited about an even better prize, a treasure that is stored up for them in Heaven, that lasts forever? 


Here are a few resources that have been a blessing to our family as we have tried to direct our children’s focus to Jesus during the Easter season, and all year long.



Family Movie Nights


One of our family’s favorite things to do together is to have Family Movie Nights. Throw in some popcorn and big, comfy blankets and you’ve got a family activity that kids of all ages will be excited about! 


If you’re looking for an option to make Family Movie Night more Easter-focused in the coming weeks, check out “What’s In the Bible?” with Buck Denver. As I watch this show with my kids, I find that not only is it wonderfully entertaining, but I also learn so much about Scripture right alongside them. Made by the creator of VeggieTales, Phil Vischer, “What’s In the Bible?” is an awesome resource for helping kids (and adults!) to develop a deeper understanding of how the whole of Scripture works together to point to Jesus and the gospel message. The entire series is currently available to stream on RightNow Media, and I would highly encourage you to make a plan to watch the whole thing with your family from start to finish. To fulfill the purposes of a Passion Week movie night, however, skip right to Vol. 10, which focuses on the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is a phenomenal way to help explain the significance of both Good Friday and Easter.




Easter Calendar


If your kids love doing Advent calendars at Christmastime, then check out this Easter version designed to countdown 15 days until Easter morning (starting one week before Palm Sunday). Not only does this include the calendar, but it also comes with a family devotion that is designed to take children through the Bible, from Creation to Revelation, asking questions that help them learn how to read the Bible for themselves. The devotion is filled with questions that are easily accessible for young children, but act as jumping off points for deeper discussions with older kids, as well as extra, more thought-provoking points to dive into with teens. These short, 10-minute devotionals are a great way to either introduce or reinforce the habit of carving out family time in the Word every day; try opening it around the dinner table or before bedtime. Let it act as a sweet resolution to your day, to be reminded of the truth of God’s Word amongst the comfort and love of your family.




Books


I always appreciate books that my littlest ones can take to bed with them without fear of finding ripped pages the next day, which is why I have a particular fondness for board books. One of my favorites to send my kids to bed with is “The Gospel”. One in a series of minimalistic board books aimed at young children, this book breaks down the good news of Jesus into a simple presentation, one word at a time. It provides a gentle, yet deep and accurate approach to the truth of the Gospel and presents it in a way that even very young children can begin to understand. If you’re not sure how to start talking to your preschoolers about the deep truths of the Gospel, this is an excellent tool to help you get the conversations started.




Easter Sunday is the celebration of the greatest victory, the greatest gift, the greatest treasure the world has ever known! It’s easy enough for us to get distracted by the temporal things of this world, let alone our children, and to forget the good news that we are celebrating. How much more satisfying is it when we look to Christ who holds our salvation in His nail-pierced hands, hands that are extended out towards us! That is our cause for celebration on Easter Sunday, and all year long. May these resources be a blessing to your family as you remember and celebrate the end of death and the beginning of new life this Easter.



This article was originally published in our Spring 2022 2:42 Connection.

Elected & Effective

August 14, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, August 10, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:8-11 Intro: March 25, 1911. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. 146 dead. Young labor activist Francis Perkins witnessed it first-hand. She would go on to be appointed Secretary of Labor by President Roosevelt, making her the first ever female member of a presidential cabinet. She would go on to create and implement sweeping improvements, drafting and implementing legislation to reform workplace safety in New York. Her experience made her effective. 1.) Your experience with God is meant to make you effective. v.8 “For if these qualities are yours and increasing, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Christ.” How is it possible to be ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of God? - Gnosis (General or First Knowledge; 1:5 & 6) Vs. Epignosis (Relational, Intimate, Transformative, Complete Comprehension After First Knowledge; 1:8) - Illustration of pen vs Epipen - “I guess you had to be there.” - Shu’s definition from last week for knowledge: “knowing God’s will and God’s way.” - Experience… “near to the broken-hearted”… 2.) Your character impacts your effectiveness. The qualities have to be yours and they have to be increasing. Do you believe that all of these qualities can be increasing for as long as you live? For some, a decision is made for Christ, but no action is taken… professing Christians who are neither effective or fruitful. That is not God’s plan! What happens if they aren’t? v.9 “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” Consider your faith journey… (Blip on radar VS Lifelong upward trajectory) APPLICATION: 3.) Confirm your election. Election simply means that none of us have the ability to save ourselves. Predestination is explained in Romans 8:29. It refers to those whom God “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” Doesn’t that sound a lot like “effective and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Christ”? ADVANCE v.10 “Be all the more diligent…” HUGE PROMISE: “for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall” 4.) Anticipate eternity. v.11 “For in this way…” what way? EPIGNOSIS!!!… “there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Discipleship Questions: In your life, how has your experience with God made you effective? Discuss the differences between "gnosis" and "epignosis". How does epignosis with God transform us? How is it possible to be ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ? What keeps us from completely falling away from God? What does it mean to confirm your election? How long does it take? What are some ways that we can help our children anticipate eternity?

Essential Supplements

August 6, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, August 3, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:5-7 “A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain...This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines - they are a way of sowing to the Spirit... By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.” ―Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline “The difference is one of motivation: legalism is self-centered; discipline is God-centered. The legalistic heart says, “I will do this thing to gain merit with God.” The disciplined heart says, “I will do this thing because I love God and want to please Him.” ―R. Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man Faith —trusting God in all of life Virtue —seeking to live a life of moral excellence “Moral excellence means walking in integrity of heart; when we sin (not if), we deal with our sin in humility and repentance, trusting in the grace of God, who brought not only the conviction of sin upon us but also the desire to repent.” —Miguel Nunez, 2 Peter and Jude For You Knowledge —knowing God’s will and God’s ways Self-control —controlling our bodies, thoughts, and emotions “Self-control is not control by oneself through one's own willpower but rather control of oneself through the power of the Holy Spirit.” —Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness Steadfastness —enduring with patience in all circumstances Godliness —becoming more and more like Jesus Brotherly Affection —loving one another because we are family Love —loving sacrificially and unconditionally 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. Love does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Discipleship Questions: How do you find the balance between God giving us everything we need and making every effort? How do you see faith and love as being the foundation and culmination of what Peter is talking about? Read through the list Peter gives and discuss how we rely on God to produce these things in our lives while also making every effort to pursue them. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. What does that teach us about God’s help with self-control? What can help us be more patiently enduring with people and circumstances? How can seeing each other as family help us love one another well? How can we love others with the love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7?

Everything We Need

July 29, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, July 27, 2025. Sermon text: 2 Peter 1:3-4 We have everything we need for a godly life. Sentence has: 68 words 9 prepositional phrases 5 dependent clauses God called us. “By His divine power” The word here is summon Like Lazarus, come forth. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. By revealing Christ to us. “Through the knowledge of Him” Side note, ambiguity: The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We need to note that this comes to us by grace, but also that we have a part to play here. Effort is not a 4 letter word. You have no excuse for: Pornography- You have everything you need. Substance Abuse- You have everything you need. Pride- You have everything you need Laziness- You have everything you need Anger- You have everything you need. Prayer and Scripture Reading- You have everything you need. Evangelism- You have everything you need. He’ll go on to mention supplementing He has given us what we need for godliness now, and He promises us even greater things to come. We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature 2 Pe 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature Unusual word… The “divine nature” (Theos) appears only here and in Acts where Paul addresses the Areopagus an odd work choice and would have appealed to his pagan readers. Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Redefining what it means to become like God. Christ shared in our nature that we might share in His. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. In 1:3, it’s through the knowledge of Christ that we are called to Him. Here, we see that a fuller revelation of Christ will conform us even more fully into His likeness. How so? Purity Immortality Restoration to Eden Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, We have everything we need for a godly life. English readers are apt to understand calling in terms of an invitation that can be accepted or rejected. Peter has something deeper in mind. Christ’s call is effective, awakening and creating faith. -Thomas R. Schreiner 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The ambiguity in the text indicates that Peter does not clearly distinguish between God and Christ, which indicates that God and Christ were venerated equally. - Thomas R. Schreiner Excuses are Eliminated We will share in Christ’s Divine Nature Acts 17:29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. Purity Immortality Christians also share in God’s immortality. They are not trapped in this world. Though ‘perishable’ now, Christians will be raised ‘imperishable.’ -Paul Gardner Glory John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. Discipleship Questions: 2 Peter 1:3 says we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness… Do you find that verse encouraging, challenging or both? Are there any areas of your walk where you struggle to believe that you already have everything you need for success? Do you ever make excuses to yourself or others for a lack of godliness? If yes, explain. How much work does it take to live as a Christian? What does it mean that we will be “partakers in the divine nature”?
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