Recipe for Lemonade

"When life give you lemons; make lemonade" sounds simple enough! Though; you do need something to cut the lemons, something to squeeze them, something to put the juice in and unless you like super sour lemonade some sugar and water. Not as easy as it originally seemed, right? I've had a rough couple of weeks and though I'm still working on "making lemonade" with my lemons; here is my recipe so far.

Lemonade for life:

1) cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

As we walk daily with Christ and seek His will and work towards the furthering of His Kingdom; Satan works against us and it can be discouraging, drawn out, hard, stressful and leave a bitter taste in your mouth. The car breaks down for the upteenth time and you don't have money for repairs = lemon. Someone starts talking badly behind your back at work = lemon. A family member is suddenly hospitalized = lemon. You lose your job = lemon. Life is changing and you don't know where to go or what to do = lemon, lemon, lemon, lemon. Life isn't easy and God even promises us in His word that it won't be easy! As I've grown I feel like God keeps giving me a distaste for this world; material things here just don't satisfy and the world becomes more and more sinister and it's a hard to not be hardened, crabby or bitter towards people. So take all of that and put it in God's pitcher.

2) cups sugar
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects,  always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Cor. 13:4-8 just as a "spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" so does a couple cups of love, even a dash of love and those lemons are not as sour as they used to be. Perspective is everything and situations can either break you or make you stronger and therefore draw you closer to God or pull you away. Things get so hard and depressing so fast and when you meditate on them they become bigger and harder. However; that's where God comes in and when we trust Him our perspective shifts from the problems and ourselves to Him and He shows us the beauty of His hand, how little the problems are and the joy hidden in the mess.

3) cups cold water
The Word of God is living water to our thirsty souls. He speaks so clearly in His word and I've been brought to tears countless time by the beauty, love and wisdom that I've found drinking from His Word and pouring out my heart to Him in prayer. Prayer is essential and it doesn't have to be pretty! It can be just that gut wrenching cry as you just drop to your knees, that tear that silently trickles down your cheek or a whispered "Help me". God understands. He knows our hearts, our dreams, desires, hurts, how many times we've smiled and how many times we've cried. Our prayer to Him doesn't need to be eloquent, it needs to be real. 

So, take your lemon juice and begin to sprinkle it with some sugar. It's not easy as the majority of the time we'd much rather "give people what they deserve" which love usually isn't the first thing that pops into our minds. But, love anyway. Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." and it's a struggle for sure but Satan has already been defeated, don't live life like he's won. 
Add your water as you are filled through Jesus' word and stir vigorously. 

Just keep trusting, praying, drawing near to Him and loving. You'll begin to see a change in ways you wouldn't have thought possible. 

Seeds of Hope

Easter = spring, poofy dresses, ties, button up shirts, hats, bunnies, chicks, chocolate, eggs, family, church and... Jesus' birth.... no wait! Jesus dying on the cross?... Jesus coming from heaven?....

I recently watched a video where a group of youth students interviewed people in Seattle, WA asking strangers what Easter was about and who Jesus was. The responses shocked me! Yes, I know that bunnies and eggs are greatly advertised this time of year, but surely people know that it's the day we celebrate Jesus' victory over death. We assume a lot in our lives; sometimes it's little things; the dishes have been washed and put away or the children brushed their teeth. Sometimes it's bigger: She's in church, surely she's saved. His shirt says he loves Jesus so he must be a Christian.

I was talking to someone recently about relationships and really getting to know peoples stories and what makes them, them. He quoted a friend saying "a lot of people's relationships are a mile long but only an inch deep" we're so worried about fitting in that we forget that we are the most inspired by the people who stand out and make a difference. You don't have to go up to a person and say that they're a sinner and need Jesus RIGHT NOW! Relationships start with a seed being planted, "why is she helping me?", "why is is he always so nice?", then watered "Tell me more about Jesus" and cared for as it grows "Bible study tonight!", All you have to do is begin and plant the seeds of God's Hope.

My directors, Byron and Shelley Tlucek seek to do just this by sharing God's love and the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection in ways that our preschoolers will understand and that will plant deep seeds in their hearts. The preschoolers heard about Jesus' birth at Christmas and have been learning about Jesus' life, His miracles and the disciples over the past couple months.

The last two weeks before Easter vacation we began sharing Resurrection Eggs with the preschoolers; each Resurrection Egg has an item that symbolizes a small part of the Easter story; starting with Jesus entering Jerusalem and ending with the empty grave. The kids LOVED them! By the end most of them could tell you what was in each each egg and the oldest class could tell you what it symbolized!!! 

'

The last two days of preschool the kids put together salvation bracelets to help them remember the Easter story and to share it with their families. Each child was given a bag with 5, different colored beads and a piece of leather

We went over the the different colors and what they mean as the preschoolers carefully put together their bracelets

One of our 2's ready to tie and finish her bracelet!

Black for our sin. Red for Jesus' blood that was shed. White symbolizing Jesus washing our sins away when we accept His gift of salvation. Green for growth as we learn and grow with Jesus. Gold symbolizing the streets of heaven, where we will go to be with Jesus when we die.

Such a fun and easy way for the kids to remember!

Each child also received an Easter coloring book, retelling the story of Jesus' death and resurrection in kreyol

A box of crayons

And a plastic egg with 30 jellybeans inside, the same amount that Jesus was bought for. The King of Kings bought for the mere price of a slave. 

We pray that these children share the message of hope and joy with their families and that seeds would be planted in all of their hearts and communities and that the seeds they plant will then sprout and grow

Because seeds grow and change, and as they grow and change the world around them changes and; if one preschooler shares with one parent and then they both share with two other people and then those four people each share with one person.... we can change the nation of Haiti and the world for the glory of God!

Will you share Jesus' story this Easter with someone you don't know? Will you plant seeds with your words and actions? Thanksgiving isn't a religious holiday per say, (though religious people take this time to look back and thank God for all He's done the past year) but, Thanksgiving is when most people, religious and nonreligious, seek to reach out and feed the homeless, why? Because we're going to eat a feast ourselves. So, what should we do on Easter? Shouldn't we spread hope since, if Jesus didn't rise from the dead we have no hope?! How can we? Invite ISI students to your Sunday lunch, sunrise service at the homeless shelter or at the park across the street? I don't know how God is leading you but I do encourage you to pray about it. See where God takes you; most likely its out of your comfort zone..... but it's all worth if for the glory of God!