Looking for something fun to occupy your kids this week? Here is a link to some fabulous *free* Easter printables!
Easter Activities
A Modern Gospel Hymn to Lift your Spirits
I am loving this song lately – all about God’s power and letting go of fear. Come for the uplifting message, stay for the beautiful music.
Lyrics
I was stacking up the years I spent trading punches with the enemy
Built myself a double thick stone
Tower of lies, higher than the eye could see
Trapped in my flesh and bone
Crying out to You Lord, I’m desperate
Love, come rattle this cage and set me free
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down
Oh Lord, my prison turns to ruin
When Your love moves in
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down, come down
Truth was crashing through the pride and the blame
Cutting straight into the heart of me
Long before I ever called your name
You were fighting for my victory
Carved in Your flesh and bone
Are wounds that have said my souls forgiven
Oh now, I can feel the darkness trembling
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down
Oh Lord, my prison turns to ruin
When Your love moves in
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down, come down
Rebuild me from the ground up
All I wanna see is You
Terrify the lies with truth
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down
Oh Lord, my prison turns to ruin
When Your love moves in
All of my fears like Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down, come down
All of my fears gotta come down
Jericho walls
Gotta come down, come down, come down
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Andrew Ripp / Ethan Hulse
With God
I have been here always
Since the beginning of the universe.
My spirit, my spark has always been alive,
Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.
In everything I’ve been through,
Hell and high water,
I have prayed and had faith in God,
To be warm, dry, comfortable, and alive.
– Von Helwig
If you find yourself overwhelmed today….
If you find yourself overwhelmed today, if you are tempted to despair because of the circumstances of your life or the state of the world, lift up your eyes and fix them on God. Trust in the goodness and mercy of God. Strengthen your resolve to oppose violence in all its forms, to conserve and protect the earth, to toil and sweat for justice, to pray and work for peace. Do not fear; only believe.
-Br. David Vryhof
Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Footprints
A musical version of the well-known poem by the same name, this song has a catchy tune and an uplifting reminder that we never have to walk alone.
Lyrics:
I’ve fallen through the floor again, crashed into the basement
Your pain was swallowing me
I was like a lead balloon when I couldn’t even get up to
Turn the lights on, the dark was swallowing me
Lord knows you can’t trust your head
When you’re standing on the edge
I’m breaking down
Lord knows you can’t trust your head
When you’re hanging by a thread
I was breaking down
And I saw only two footprints in the sand
Thought you’d abandoned me and
Let go of my hand
But you were carrying me
Carrying me to safety
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Two footprints, two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Oh what if I had got the things I knew it was I
Who’d abandoned with you
Forgive me, I was lost and found
You had never left my side
Picked me up when I thought I would die
You helped me and I was fine
Lord knows you can’t trust your head
When you’re standing on the edge
I’m breaking down
Lord knows you can’t trust your head
When you’re hanging by a thread
And I’m breaking down
Only two footprints in the sand
Thought you’d abandoned me and
Let go of my hand
But you were carrying me
Carrying me to safety
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Only two footprints in the sand
Thought you’d abandoned me and
Let go of my hand
But you were carrying me
Carrying me to safety
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Two footprints, two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Two footprints, your footprints in the sand
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Sia Kate Furler / Joshua Valle / Tyler Mathew Williams / Nikhil Shanker Seetharam
Footprints lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Songtrust Ave, ST Music LLC
You Build us Back with Precious Stones
This wonderfully hopeful song was inspired by Isaiah 54:11-13 , which reads:
11 O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
I am about to set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
your gates of jewels,
and all your wall of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the prosperity of your children.
Build Us Back – Lyrics
Newsboys
We’ve been crumbled, we’ve been crushed
City walls have turned to dust
Broken hands and blistered feet
We walk for miles to find relief
When the thief takes, when our hopes cave
You build us back
You build us back
When the earth shakes, when the world breaks
You build us back
You build us back
We are scared, we are poor
All our safety nets are torn
We’ve been humbled to our knees
From these ruins, we believe
Redeemer, redeem us
Restorer, restore us
Oh build us back
Though the mountains be shaken, the hills be removed
Your unfailing love remains
After all that’s been taken, Your promise, still sacred
You build us back with precious stones
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Jason Walker / Mark Stuart
Build Us Back lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Capitol Christian Music Group
Whenever I am weak, then I am strong
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. 3 And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. 5 On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.
6 But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, 7 even considering the exceptional character of the revelations.
Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me,
9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Before the Morning
This is one of my favorite songs for those dark hours that feel endless – a reminder to hold on, because morning is coming.
Lyrics:
Before the Morning
Josh Wilson
Do you wonder why you have to feel the things that hurt you
If there’s a God who loves you, where is He now
Maybe there are things you can’t see
And all those things are happening to bring a better ending
Someday somehow you’ll see, you’ll see
Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still have a reason to sing
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming
So hold on you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning
My friend, you know how this all ends, you know where you’re going
You just don’t know how you’ll get there, so say a prayer
And hold on cause there’s good for those who love God
But life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time
But you’ll see the bigger picture
Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory
Once you feel the weight of glory
All your pain will fade to memory
Would you dare, would you dare to believe
That you still got a reason to sing
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It can’t compare to the joy that’s coming
Come on you gotta wait for the light
Press on and just fight the good fight
Cause the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the hurt before the healing
Oh the pain that you’ve been feeling
It’s just the dark before the morning
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Josh Wilson / Ben Glover
Before the Morning lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group