The Lord is Eternal!

Eternal:  Without beginning or end; endless; immortal.

God is eternal, everlasting, never ending. That is such a reassurance when everything else seems to be moving in and out of our lives at the speed of light! I have noticed that it is much easier for children to understand the eternal nature of God than for adults. They accept with total trust that forever is just that—forever. We can learn so much when we look at things through their eyes. I have joyfully received this gift of eternity with the eyes of a little child, and pray that you have too! 

“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:17)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is E. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

Our God is Extraordinary

Extraordinary:  Far beyond the common; remarkable; rare; wonderful.

God is extraordinary! He is amazing, and is as far beyond “ordinary” as you can find. Just when we think we understand Him, He surprises us with out-of-the-ordinary miracles and wonders. Once we realize that He is extraordinary and unlimited in what He can do, our faith begins to get stronger and more expectant. Never, ever limit God with weak expectations or failing faith—He is extraordinary in His love and power. He works through us and around us, and expects our faith to be at least that of a mustard seed! 

“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul.” (Acts 19:11)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is E. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

Exquisite is the Lord!

Exquisite: Being in the highest degree; very excellent; complete. 

God is exquisite! Have you seen the rainbow of colorful light produced from a prism or faceted diamond? It is mesmerizing. You can’t stop watching the beautiful and exquisite variety and pattern of colors. God is exquisite—we seek Him and want to be in His presence. The closer our relationship, the more we can see His splendor and just how much He loves us. 

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is E. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

God is Empowering

Empowering:  Enabling, authorizing.

God is empowering, giving us strength, power, and courage to face anything. When I was young, I was convinced that I could do it all, handling whatever life threw at me. And then life happened, the boat was rocked, and I learned just how weak I was. The Lord quickly reminded me that His strength is the only strength that matters, and that I can’t do anything without Him. As a parent, there are times when everything seems to be going wrong, and then that “one more thing” happens and I feel powerless in the chaos. We’ve all been there. I have to make myself remember this verse, and whom to call on when I need strength: 

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) 

It works every time! He is our strength and our strong tower!

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is E. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

He is Enduring

Enduring:  Lasting; continuing without perishing.

God is enduring. No matter what we do or how far we stray, He remains our loving Father. Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son gives us the perfect picture of the enduring love of God. He loves us and supports us through it all. We can’t wear Him out with our bad choices or mistakes. His love endures, and He has provided a path to His presence through His Son, making sure that we will be His forever! 

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.” (Psalm 145:13)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is E. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

The Lord Protects!

Protective:  Sheltering, keeping safe from harm.

God is protective of those who love Him—those He calls His children. He is our strong tower! As I look back over my years of parenting, it is so easy to see His fingerprints in our lives. From surviving a horrific accident to what seemed to be simple life choices, He has been there protecting us each step of the way. Raising a family can certainly provide plenty of examples of His presence in our lives, and I thank Him daily for His protection!
  
“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” (Psalm 91:14)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is P. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

He is Pure!

Pure:  Genuine; real; true; incorrupt; without blemish.

God is pure, without flaw or blemish. He is perfect and can only be surrounded by purity. We are so far away from purity that it’s like comparing night and day. He knows this, and He provided the path for us to approach Him through His son, Jesus. 

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is P. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

Give Praise to God!

Praised: Given glory; shown gratitude.

Praise God for His unending love, faithfulness, kindness, provision, and protection! Praise is a form of thanksgiving, a way to say thanks, and in all of the busyness of our lives, we sometimes forget to say thanks to the One Who makes it all possible. Start today by praising Him for His many gifts, particularly for the gift of His Son, our Savior!

“For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.” (Psalm 117:2)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is P. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op!

The Lord is Powerful!

Powerful:  Strong; forcible; mighty.

God is powerful in ways we cannot begin to understand or measure. As a geeky engineer, I used to try to understand things on a measurable scale. Then, as my walk with the Lord strengthened, I learned that some things can’t be measured, such as love for a child, the power of faith, or the awesome power of God. His power knows no end. He overcame death through His Son, Jesus! 

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is P. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

Perfect is the Lord!

Perfect: Finished; complete; consummate; not defective.

God is perfect in every way—absolutely perfect, with no slight errors or faults. That’s a difficult concept to understand, since we have nothing perfect to compare Him to. Nothing manmade is perfect, no matter how hard we try. The closest I can come to perfection is the perfect peace I have when I trust Him completely. It’s when I take my eyes off of Him that I begin to sink. 

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is P. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

The Lord is Our Oasis

Oasis: Something or some place that provides refreshing relief.

God is most definitely my oasis, my ever-present shelter when things get tough and the problems feel bigger than anything I can face alone. Since He is omnipresent, He is always an oasis no matter where I go—a very important feature in the life of this busy mom. Here’s the Scripture that I find myself repeating when the going gets challenging: 

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is O. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

He is Openhanded

Openhanded: Generous.

God is very openhanded with us, His children. He is the perfect Father, and he wants the best for us, providing exactly what we need.

Jesus reminded us to tune in to God and talk with Him when He said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9–10)

I am still working on strengthening my relationship with Him—a lifetime process, indeed.

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is O. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

Our God is Orderly!

Orderly: Arranged in a neat way; in order.

God is definitely orderly! The cycle of the days, the path of the moon, the orderliness of everything in the universe—these are all signs that give us a peek into the way God thinks and designs. He tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:33:

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 

Everything runs smoothly like clockwork, unless and until He chooses to change things . . . like making the sun stand still, or resurrecting His Son from a certain death!

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is O. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

Jesus is Owner!

Owner: To have power or control over. 

God owns everything, everywhere, for all time. Whew! That makes things much simpler, doesn’t it? He blesses us with gifts and talents, and we use these gifts to help advance His kingdom as best we can. He owns everything, just as He said in Psalm 50:10: 

“for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.”

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is O. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

Our Omnipresent Savior

Omnipresent: Present in all places at the same time.

Have you ever felt totally alone, and had a moment of fear? I have, and I have learned to remind myself that God is always with me, ever-present in my life! He is with all of my family, no matter how far out around the globe our loved ones travel. He is just as present in Cambodia as He is right here in the mountains of Tennessee or the beaches of Australia. One of my favorite verses that reminds me of His ever-presence is:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is O. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op! 

He is Healing

Healing: Tending to cure.

God is healing—tending to our needs and binding up our hurts. We have to call on Him, as David reminds us in Psalm 30:2:

“O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.”

I know firsthand that He heals, and I love sharing the healing miracles of Jesus with children of all ages! Children get the connection between our God that heals and the healing acts of Jesus, and I try to reinforce that when studying the story of Easter.

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is H. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op!

Honest is the Lord!

Honest: Upright; just; fair in dealing with others.

Looking up the definition for “honest,” I find words that only begin to describe our heavenly Father. He tells us His truths in His Word, and expects us to be honest, as well. We all want honesty, and we teach our children the importance of honesty, over and over again. What a great example God provided with twelve-year-old Jesus’ honest reply to Mary when she found Him in the temple after a three-day search:

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is H. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op!

Our Heavenly Father

Heavenly: Of heaven; divine.

God is our heavenly Father, the Maker of heaven and earth. On clear nights here in the Appalachians, I can see uncountable stars as they stretch out in the Milky Way overhead. The sheer beauty of the heavens reminds me of God’s love and creativity. I can’t fathom the depths of His love or His heavens, but of this I am sure: His love for us is so complete that He sent His Son to be our Savior, just so we can be with Him for eternity. Praising Him today!

“to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
  who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.” 
(Psalm 136:4-5)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is H. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op!

Jesus is Honored!

Honored: Respected; revered; exalted; glorified.

We exalt Him and give Him glory for His endless love and forgiveness! Where would we be without these? In His love, He had a plan for our salvation, and the prophets spoke again and again about the coming Savior. Jesus opened the doors of heaven for us!

"Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
(Psalm 84:10)

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is H. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op!

Holy is the Lord!

Holy: Pure in heart; free from sin.

“Holy” is the word of the day, as we begin our search for words that describe God with the letters in HOPE, the theme of our Easter Facebook Co-op. Holy is His name, born in a stable – the Son of God! When using the Easter Unit Study, I always began with the birth of the Lord, so that the children could begin at the beginning of His life and see the connection between Jesus, the infant, and Jesus, our Savior.

Join us on Facebook as we move into the very heart of our faith and learn about the message of Easter!

PS. In these weeks before Easter, my blog posts are focusing on a word describing God that begins with a letter from the word HOPE - this week's letter is H. Come join the celebration at our Easter Facebook co-op!

The USAB Easter Co-op is Around the Corner!

The USAB Easter co-op is almost here! I hope you are as excited about it as we are. Starting March 4th,  we will be sharing ideas and encouraging one another on our Facebook page, as we go through the Easter unit study together. 





Of all the people we want our children to know, Jesus Christ is the most important. It is essential that they have a thorough understanding of the one who bought our salvation. As we celebrate Easter, this study gives us the perfect opportunity to instill in our children a better understanding of our faith and the reason for our joy during this season.

The holidays of Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter or Resurrection Day are included in the study, as well as the events leading up to Jesus' ascension to heaven. The study includes the people and places involved, helping your students investigate and understand the history and meaning of these events.

Teach your children about Jesus, salvation, and love. Make some hot cross buns, pack a blanket, and head for the sunrise service—it will take on a whole new meaning this year! Easter is on sale just in time for our co-op,  for only $6!*

Athletes in the Bible is also at a special price this week: 

Did you know that Jesus was an athlete? Athletes in the Bible is an interesting adventure into the Word for a new look at men who were not always noted for their athletic skills. While their names might be familiar, get ready for a fresh new look at these amazing men and how they needed athletic abilities and strong faith in their efforts to obey God. Just like you, they struggled with all kinds of temptation, challenges, and trials, yet they still succeeded in following God’s will.


Athletes in the Bible spotlights:

• David
• Elijah
• Samson
• Peter
• Paul
• Jesus

Students will be introduced to the athletic abilities and character traits of these men of God as they follow them across the Holy Land, tracking the paths of their lessons and their lives. Throughout this study your students will learn Scripture that will equip and strengthen them for athletic pursuits and life itself. Athletes in the Bible is on sale now for only $7!*

*Sale prices go through 3/2/13.