March 2021 - My Beautiful Mess

Holidays, Homeschooling, Prayer & Spirituality

12 Beautiful Easter Books for Children

March 24, 2021March 23, 2021by Mary LentzLeave a Comment

Join me as I share 12 beautiful Easter books for children, perfect for filling Easter baskets or just sharing the story of the Resurrection with kids.

Becoming a parent was very interesting. I never considered how I might share the Easter story with my children. My boys, ages five and three are interested in Jesus, but are barely starting to understand the concept of sin, much less theology like the hypostatic union and substitutionary atonement. That understanding will come in later years, but right now is really just about them being introduced the the passion of Christ, the crucifixion and the resurrection as it happened.

Today, I’m going the share 12 beautiful Easter books for children. Each book is different and I will try to illustrate some of those differences. You can give the book as a gift to your child or even tuck it in their Easter basket like I do. If I see any differences in denomination, I’ll try to mention that.

12 Beautiful Easter Books for Children

God Gave Us Easter

God Gave Us Easter is a favorite book. We actually have the companion book, God Gave Us You, which is a beautiful book about how God created us. In God Gave Us Easter, the book includes the same characters and similar beautiful language. I will say that this book doesn’t get into the nitty-gritty of Jesus dying on the cross. It keeps it very light hearted. So if you are looking for something with more of a high-level overtone, this one is a beautiful book. This book is probably better for very young children that you understand death or the idea of crucifixion. See below for my more biblical choices.

The Easter Storybook: 40 Bible Stories Showing Us Who Jesus Is

This is a beautiful storybook with a biblical foundation showing us the character of Jesus. The storybook has lovely illustrations for each story and a bible passage. The stories selected are designed to give children a look at the character of Jesus. We see Jesus as a teacher, redeemer, rescuer, friend, King, savior, Each story is one page long and includes a scripture passage. At the end of each story, there are questions for children to think about or answer. This one is a favorite of ours! I think this book is great for preschool age through about nine.

Notes From Jesus

This is a lovely book! Although it isn’t specifically Easter themed, I think it is really lovely because it lays the foundation for establishing a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. It provides answers to common thoughts and questions like, “how does Jesus feel when I mess up?” “Is it okay to pray with my eyes open?” “Does Jesus care about my day?” The answers are simple in a narrative that is easy for young children to grasp and thoroughly explains God’s love for us.

This book is recommended for ages six and up, but honestly, I find it perfect for my four-year-old who is just starting to build a relationship with the Lord.

We Believe: An Alphabet Primer

I’ve included this book, for those looking for a Catholic perspective. We Believe: an Alphabet Primer is a lovely book with simple, colorful beautiful illustrations. The artwork is vibrant and has a lovely color palette. In the book the alphabet is used by theological terms. If you are a Catholic, you will probably enjoy that this book discusses things like the Eucharist, the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. I was raised as a Catholic and this would have been a lovely book when I was young. If you are a Protestant, like I am now, you may want to skip this book as it does have Catholic theology. This book is best for children four and under.

Lift The Flap Easter Stories For Young Children

This sweet book, Lift the Flap Easter Stories for Young Children, is great for little ones who have a hard time sitting still for stories. When my boys were between the ages of two and three it was so hard to get them to sit for stories. This is where I think lift the flap books are very helpful. It gives them something to do while we are reading and keeps those little hands busy. This short book is about sixteen pages and is perfect for ages two through five. There are multiple flaps per page with colorful explanations. This covers the major events surround the resurrection story but omits the gruesomeness of the crucifixion because it’s designed for toddlers.

The Donkey Who Carried a King

This book by reformed pastor R.C. Sproul is a beautiful, endearing story and certainly one of my favorites. Now this book is going to be very different from other books in this list. First, this book is not really centered around the events around the resurrection, ( I mean it IS and it ISNT) rather it is centered around Christ coming in humility not to be served but to serve. In essence it is more of a moralistic tale than a play by play of the Easter story. I think it is a really good book especially when paired with other Easter stories.

Click Here for Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas

Twas the Easter Morning

If you like Twas the Night Before Christmas, you may really enjoy this Twas the Easter Morning as well. This book uses the same ionic pentameter of Twas the Night Before Christmas except it tells the story of Easter instead of Christmas. That makes if for a special telling of the Easter story. The illustrations in this book are really breathtaking. I have a feeling this one is going to be a classic story in years to come.

The Easter Story

The Easter Story book is great for kids around the kindergarten – first grade age. The book is biblically based with lovely illustrations and isn’t too long ( it is 32 pages). There is also a board book version available if you want tear resistant pages. It is not graphic for children who may not be ready for the crucifixion. However there is just one small thing I would change and it is probably a minor detail to most parents. It says that Jesus died so that we “will” all go to heaven. We don’t want to imply universalism to our children. It should read so that we “can” all go to heaven. This is probably such a minor detail that most parents won’t care. After all, that kind of theology is something that can be discussed when children are older anyway. Still, this is a great biblical story.

100 Little Bible Words

So I’ve included this book, 100 Little Bible Words, in the list because I don’t want to leave out infants or children under the age of two. This board book contains 100 words to build the vocabulary of your little man or lady. Throughout the pages it goes through major biblical themes like the creation story, Noah’s ark, etc. It provides a scripture, then provides words related to that part of the Bible. For example, Noah’s ark lists many animals. The creation story teaches words like Adam, Eve, apple, tree, sun, light, sky, etc. Although this isn’t specific to Easter, I still think it is a great book to start introducing biblical vocabulary. This little book is perfect for an Easter basket.

The Very First Easter

The Very First Easter by Paul L Maier is a beautifully illustrated book of the Easter story. The book is biblically accurate and Christ focused. The illustrations are really lovely and contains accurate scripture. However, I thought I would mention two things for the discerning reader. The first is that the book infers early on that the Easter bunny is not real. If your children believe in the Easter bunny, this might catch you off guard. Additionally, after stating the scripture verbatim at the Lord’s supper, the book says then explains that it is a sacrament which offers grace and forgiveness of sins. It is fairly subtle but obviously, your views on transubstantiation may find this verse troubling. I think it is subtle enough, but I still thought I would mention.

The Story of Passover

I thought I would include The Story of Passover by David A Alder in the list. While this book isn’t about the death and resurrection, I think it’s appropriate for children to understand what passover is referring to in scripture. After all, I don’t think it was any coincidence that Jesus died on the anniversary of God setting the Jewish people free from slavery. For we were slaves to sin and now we have freedom in Christ. This book centers around Moses leading the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt. The book is full of bold illustrations and is good for preschool and young elementary school children. My only critique is that although it explains the events leading up to passover it doesn’t not fully explain the passover seder.

The Donkey No One Could Ride

This sweet book, The Donkey No One Could Ride, by author Anthony DeStefano is a sweet tale of a donkey who felt unworthy until he meets his master, Christ. This adorable rhyming tale is best for kids under the age of seven. I will add that this book doesn’t really tell the Easter story like other books. Rather, this is more about our relationship with our master. It also centers around Palm Sunday. Still I think it’s a really lovely, innocent tale that will encourage children to see the love of Christ.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter. Be sure to check out some of my other book lists like 10 Books to Read as a New Mom, Classical Books for Kindergarteners and 10 Books That Will Strengthen Your Marriage.

Cleaning, Organization

The Ultimate Declutter Checklist

March 13, 2021March 13, 2021by Mary Lentz2 Comments

Living with less can actually help you enjoy your home more. Today, I’m providing the ultimate declutter checklist, a free printable to help you tackle clutter.

The Secret to A Clean House

Do you want to know the secret to a clean house? It isn’t having a maid that stops by every week. Nor is it spending all your free time cleaning. No, the secret lies in the amount of things you have. The more things you have, the more there is to put away. The more picking up you have to do, the more there is to make a mess.

The key to a tidy house is having a place for everything. If everything has it’s place, then there is order. It is impossible to be neat if you have clutter taking over every surface, every closet, every nook, every shelf, and every cupboard. You can’t put things away if there is no place to put it. We are always acquiring new things. Birthdays, anniversaries, well meaning family, trickle items one by one into our home and before you know it, closets are full. The less you have the more spacious and clean your house looks.

Decluttering your home is a something that needs to be done on a regular basis. Clutter is one of those things that makes your house look dirty when its not. What’s worse is that we kind of get used to our clutter but people who visit our home, notice it instantly. I try to do some amount of declutter every month.

Tips for Taming Clutter

There are lots of ways that you can tame the clutter that you decide to keep. One way is to contain small groups of objects in containers or in baskets. Decorative baskets mask the clutter making shelves or cupboards appear neat and tidy to the eyes.

I’ve also found that if you have a hard time taming items in drawers, draw organizers are a great help to guide you. Personally, I’ve grown really fond of folding towels and clothes up differently in order to maximize space. For instance, in my children’s drawers, I store clothes vertically in the drawers. You get far more clothes in the drawer and I find that we rotate all the clothes because they are all visible at once. It even helps my little pick out his clothes easier.

Time Method

I’ve also found that even spending fifteen minutes a day decluttering makes a huge difference when it comes to staying on top of clutter before it gets overwhelming. Focus on hot spots that attract clutter. Then if you have time pick a drawer or area to toss out things. Setting a timer and doing as much decluttering in that time can help you tackle clutter a little everyday.

Zone Decluttering

The printable I’ve created for you below is focused on zone decluttering. If you don’t have time to do a whole room, just pick one line item and work on that, working your way eventually around the house.

Some people swear by the trash bag method. Grab a trash bag and declutter until you fill it up. Once it is filled you are done. Some people do this once a week, every other week or even once a month. Other people have a 1 in 10 out rule, meaning for every new thing they buy, they throw ten things out. I tried this but don’t consistently remember to do this. So I do better with regular decluttering in other ways.

Take a look at my posts 8 Places to Cash in Clutter and 50 Things To Throw Away Right Now. If you need help decluttering books, my post 5 Steps to Decluttering Books might help you.

Questions to Help You Say Goodbye

I always ask a series of questions that help me say goodbye to unnecessary things. I think many times we hold on to things because we have good intentions of using them and I think we also feel guilty that we spent good money on it. Having spent money on it makes us feel obligated to keep it until we use it. However, chances are if you haven’t used it in a year or six months, you probably won’t ever use it. Sad but true.

Here are some of the questions I ask myself when I am purging:

Is it broken, damaged or missing pieces?
Is it very worn?
Do I have something else that serves the same purpose?
Am I holding on to it out of guilt?
If I saw it in a store today, would I buy it again?
Does it fit?
Is it still in style?
Do I really love it?
Have I used it in the six months?
Do I really want to keep handling this item again?
Is keeping it worth the space it takes up?

The Ultimate Declutter Checklist

Be sure to download your free ultimate declutter checklist and get started today. I have organized your checklist by room and I’ve included a list of questions at the bottom of the page to help you make decisions. If you are really on the fence about giving something away, you can do a little trick I sometimes I do. I pack it in a box and label it, “throw out in six months” and I put the six month date. Anything I am uncertain about goes in that box. If six months pass and I have not gone into the box, I put it in the trunk of my car and take it to the nearest donation place without ever opening it up. If you open it up, you’ll be tempted to keep it. If you don’t open it up, you probably would never miss it.

Your decluttering checklist includes 7 pages. You can print out multiple copies of the bedroom and bathroom page for however many bedrooms and bathrooms you have. I’ve included some extra spaces for you to add your own items as well.

Download Your Printable Declutter Checklist

What are some of your own decluttering tips? I’d love to hear about them in the comments. Also be sure to share this post with friends who need a decluttering checklist!

Personal Growth, Prayer & Spirituality

30 Bible Study Journal Prompts

March 6, 2021September 29, 2021by Mary Lentz2 Comments

If you want to take your journaling to a new level, while also pursuing holiness, well, I’ve got 30 Bible study journal prompts to help you grow in God’s word.

Hey, friends! Today, I’m doing a different variety of journal prompts. So in the past I’ve done some topical based scripture reading like, grief and depression and anxiety and fear. I’ve also done tons of different journal prompts like, Christian Journal Prompts, 50 Journal Prompts and Lenten Journal Prompts.

This post is going to focus on a variety of scripture verses. Read them, pray over them, then answer the questions below. You can also expound on your own interpretation of the verse or how you feel God’s conviction. I hope that you enjoy these 30 bible study journal prompts. If you prefer this style of journaling, please let me know in the comments and I will create more of these types of posts.

Enjoy studying The Word while also reflecting on your own spiritual life, actions and attitudes. Remember, if you have fallen short or sinned in these areas, God is faithful to forgive us. Confess, repent, walk in grace.

30 Bible Study Journal Prompts

1 Kings 18:20-21: Elijah, standing before the false prophets of Baal tells them to make up their minds about who to worship. A false God or the true one. We too must decide between our idols (the world) and God. Describe any internal conflict you have between the things of the world and full devotion to God. Where do you stand?
1 Kings 18:22: Continue reading the next verse. Elijah stood up for the one true God against idolaters all alone as everyone was worshipping the false God. He was only faithful prophet at the time. Describe how you feel about standing up for God even if it means standing alone. What scares you the most about doing so?
Matthew 6:31-32: Here Jesus promises to fulfill our needs. How do you feel about trusting God’s provision? Where are areas in which you need help trusting?
2 Timothy 3:2:-5 Here Paul describes the nature of people in the last days. How do you see these attributes in today’s culture and society? What steps can you personally take to combat this worldly mentality?
Proverbs 3:11-12: Why does God discipline us? What should be our attitude?
Luke 12:51 The Greek word Luke uses for division is diamerismon which means hostility, discord and to break up. How has choosing Jesus created division in your life? The stronger we stand for Christ, the more division we will face. How far are you willing to stand for Christ?
Revelation 3:14-16 John is writing to the church Laodicia. This apostate church is also lukewarm. Read what God is going to do with them if they don’t repent. Examine your own life for areas you are lukewarm. Where is your own church lukewarm and what can you do to change it?
Titus 3:1-2: Examine the behaviors in this verse. How well do you feel you have been obeying the command in this verse?
Luke 12:4-5 This is a strong message about persecution and that we shouldn’t fear the rejection of other sinners, rather God. Examine your own life. Where do you see yourself acting sheepishly for fear of offending people with the gospel?
Matthew 6:19-21 Here Jesus warns us about getting caught up in materialism. Write an honest assessment about your attachment to things (possessions), money, and worldly materialism. Then write a prayer of repentance.
Acts 5:27-41 Here we are given the example about how we are to respond to persecution. We have our own persecution today which includes cancel culture. Write a note to yourself, using the apostles’ examples found in these passages on how we should respond to persecution for the gospel.
John 21:18-22 Here Jesus predicts Peter’s eventual crucifixion. When Peter asks Jesus about John’s death, what is Jesus’ harsh response? What does that say about questioning God’s plan? What does this say about comparing our lives to others?
Proverbs 18:17: What does this say about the world’s narrative, the media, and even in our own relationships?
1 Corinthians 18-25: Explain what these verses mean. What does the message of the cross look like to the world?
Psalm 11: 3-4: When the bottom is pulled out from beneath us, what do the righteous do? What does the Bible say next? How does this encourage you?
1 Corinthians 1:26-29: What does this say about the kind of person God choses? Why does He choose the people the world would discard?
Matthew 7:1-5: Here Jesus reminds us that before we judge someone to first look to see if we too are committing that sin. We have a tendency to see the sin of others while justifying or ignoring our own. Write down the sins of others that have bothered you this week as well as your own sins. Mix them together. When finished, write out a letter of repentance. Do these sins bother you? If not, ask for God to give you a contrite heart/
Philippians 2:3-5: In a culture that likes to elevate the self, Paul tells us to imitate Christ’s humility. What does following Christ look like when it comes to dealing with others?
Philiipians 2:12-16: Complaining is a serious problem. What does Paul saying about grumbling and why should we avoid it?
Proverbs 28:13: What does this verse say about secret sins? Do you harbor secret sins for which you need to repent?
1 John 4:20: Does this verse exclude people who are of a different political party than you? Does it exclude those with whom you disagree? Write about the things you find personally hard in following this verse. Then ask God to help you with that.
Matthew 15:10-16 Explain the meaning of these verses. How are our hearts and words connected?
Galatians 3:27-29 The world tells us our identity is in our race, gender, financial status, career, ethnicity, political party, etc, but those things are temporal and passing away. What does this verse say about our identity in Christ? What happens when we are baptized? How does this line up with your world view?
Romans 12:12 The world (society & culture) will always be trying to get us to think like him. What does Paul say we need to do combat this? What will you commit to doing?
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 How should we view trials? What is God’s purpose?
Luke 9:27-27: The world would tell you to “love yourself “and to focus on you, your comfort, etc. What is the call for the Christian instead? Where are you falling short?
Colossians 3:12: Paul discusses the attributes of a Christian. How have your actions lately lined up with this. Repent to God if needed.
Ephesians 1:5: What does this say about the plan for our life? How does this change your view about the events in your life?
2 Timothy 2:9 What does this say about working or earning salvation?
2 Corinthians 10:5 What is this verse saying about conforming our will to His?

More Journaling Prompts

Be sure to PIN this post for later and share it with a friend who will love it. Below are some of my other journal prompt posts.

Month: March 2021

12 Beautiful Easter Books for Children