Happy Easter!

The Jelly Bean Prayer
Red is for the blood He gave.
Green is for the grass He made.
Yellow is for the sun so bright.
Orange is for the edge of night.
Black is for the sins we made.
White is for the grace He gave.
Purple is for His hour of sorrow.
Pink is for our new tomorrow.
A bag full of colors,
So colorful and true,
Is a prayer, and a promise,
From Jesus to you!
©1997 Charlene Dickerson

This is a gift I give my kids each year. Attached to the little poem on a tag is a bag full of jelly beans for each color. I thought it would be fun to pass it along to anyone who wants to teach it to their kids.

Tomorrow my parents are going with us to Sonrise Church. It is a new church that I was praying to find and I hope we will be there for awhile. Its never easy trying to find a church that is a good fit for two sometimes very different people. On top of the other usual criteria for finding a church, what really stuck out to me about this church was the spirit of service it has towards the community. They have a separate fund that 100% of your offerings goes towards helping others in the community and even any members of the church who cannot pay their electric bills or grocery bills. They are also the only church in the nation that has their own seperate service for ex-prisoners (it is locked down and closed to the public). Additionally, they host homeless families in the evenings, go on missions, have a regular food drop off sight and many, many more funbdraisers and outreach services that happen throughout the year. I remember driving by before we began going there during the ice and snow storm and seeing a cold-weather shelter for anyone who was stuck outside. I think more churches need to be like this, though some churches like the one we used to attend seemed to be only looking out for their own good at times, thus giving the church a bad reputation. It is a breath of fresh air to see a successful church that only asks you give what you feel is right (and not a set amount), and they so wisely and widely distribute these offerings in ways you can actually see impacting the community. That is the real way of showing brotherly love.

I pray that everyone has a great Easter tomorrow and stops in awe of the wonderful and selfless act that Jesus committed when He dies upon the cross for our sins.