Lent and Easter Resources for Women and Children

My first thought was to write "Happy Ash Wednesday!" But I immediately realized that might not be received well since this first day of Lent usually follows forty days of a more solemn or sober attitude. But there is still joy in knowing that forty days from today, we celebrate Easter, the glorious and life-altering reality of Jesus' death and resurrection on our behalf. So, I WILL say, "Happy Ash Wednesday", because even in the sadness and reality of a broken world, we can still have hope that Jesus is alive.

I realize I should have posted this days or even weeks ago to allow time for anyone interested in ordering the Lent devotional before Lent officially starts (today), but, I will use the excuse card I have been recycling the past five months: "Sorry, I have a baby and I didn't have time to get to it."  It's true, but I do still wish I would have thought ahead. If you are interested in ordering it, you can purchase an instant download of the ebook through Amazon, so you could still order. For some reason, Amazon has the hardcover book on backorder so it won't be available until late March (or at least that was as of this morning's writing). Without further ado, let me just explain the book I am referring to.

Uncovering the Love of Jesus: A Lent Devotional by Asheritah Ciuciu
If you have ever felt in previous years that Easter creeps up on you or that you have lost the deep awe of what is celebrated on Easter in the Christian faith,  then observing Lent, the forty days leading up to Easter, may be a way to slow down and prepare your heart for the mega celebration of Easter. Because it IS worth celebrating that Jesus is alive and is still saving lives everyday, redeeming the way we talk, live, love, work, and even die. So if you want a fresh look at His personal, unfailing, never-ending love for you, this is a wonderful resource. I am starting the devotional today so I cannot say I have read it and agree with every word since I am starting it today on the first day of Lent. But, I loved Ciuciu's Advent devotional that followed the same format, but focused on the names of Jesus, called Unwrapping the Names of Jesus. She had Biblically sound devotions that I trust will also be the case for this Lent devotional.

The devotional starts with a bit of a history lesson on Lent and Ciuciu's explanation why it is a great idea to observe Lent even if it is not something you grew up doing since it is more commonly observed by the more tradition-focused denominations of Christianity. And then she dives into daily devotions about how Jesus loves perfectly. Each Sunday has a Weekly Celebration, including a simple prayer, Scriptural reading, discussion questions, and a song to sing. This can be done alone or with your family. Each Saturday has fun activities to help cement the truths from the previous week's readings into the heart and mind. In between the Sunday and Saturday special devotions and activities  are the daily meditations on different ways that Jesus loves. Examples are: Jesus Loves Perfectly, Jesus Invites Us Close, Jesus Rejects No One, Jesus Pays Attention, Jesus Honors the Dishonored, Jesus Drives Out Fear, Jesus Seeks the Lost, Jesus Loves the Unlovable, Jesus Loves His Enemies, Jesus Sacrificed Everything, and thirty more.

This is an intentional way for women to prepare their heart and mind for Easter. The devotions are not geared towards certain life seasons, such as moms, so any woman can read them, and honestly,  I think the devotions are absolutely appropriate for men too, if they can ignore the feminine book cover (that I think is beautiful!)


Disclaimer: I big Thank You to  Moody Publishers for sending me this free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided here.

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For the child in your life, this sweet book about Easter is great!

The Quiet Crazy Easter Day by Jill Roman Lord

I absolutely love Jill's Christmas-themed book, The Silent Noisy Night, and read it repeatedly over the Advent season with Elliot, so I was thrilled to hear she now has an Easter book too! Just as Jill supposed it was actually a noisy night of animals making their sounds as Jesus was born, now Jill wonders, it may have been a crazy day of rejoicing when Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Day! Maybe the frog croaked and birds chirped, wolves howled, as groundhogs hopped. Could doves have cooed while goats bleated? In similar fashion as The Silent Noisy Night, Jill uses animal noises to convey the very probably truth that both the birth of Jesus and His resurrection were "crazy", noisy days full of creation rejoicing. It is a wonderful way for caretakers to discuss what Easter means as a Christian and how we can use our voices, hands, feet, and everything we have to celebrate the day. With darling, vibrantly colorful illustrations by Kelly Breemer, this book is sure to become an Easter classic in our household, returning to it day after day during Lent to help our little one better understand the meaning of Easter. 

Disclaimer: I big Thank You to Lifeway for sending me this free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, which I have provided here.

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I usually do the She Reads Truth Lent Study, but decided to do the above devotional this year, but that is always a great Bible study! What are your favorite resources for Lent or Easter?