Saturday marks the beginning of the third year I have hosted neighborhood girls in my home to teach them lessons in life, love, character, and faith from women in the Bible. The girls are of Hindu and Sikh backgrounds. Fifteen big girls and three little girls came!
We learned lessons from Eve, the first mother, the first woman, and the first wife. Eve was created by God in His image from one of Adam's ribs. It is significant that is was a rib, a bone whose job is protecting the heart and lungs, a bone from his side nearest his heart. Women was made to be a partner with man, side by side, to be protected by man, and loved by man. She was not created from the skull, to be lord over man, nor was she created from the foot bone to be trampled on by man. Man and woman were created equal, but with very distinctive roles to play in life.
Eve traditionally gets a bad rap from men because she listened to the devil and ate the forbidden fruit. Where was Adam? If he is her protector and her partner, where was he? And why did he eat of the fruit when she handed it to him? Adam was held responsible by God, but when asked if he had in fact, eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he blamed "that woman." Eve, in turn, blamed the beautiful creature we know to be Satan.
To cover their sin, an innocent animal had to die. This was the first blood sacrifice required to atone for the sins of man. This is a precursor to what Christ did on the cross many years in the future to take away the sins of the world.
I chose intentionally in these four weeks before Resurrection Day as I prepare the girls to understand the significance of this most holy festival. India has so many festivals, but some have greater significance than others. Indian just celebrated one of the more popular festivals, Holi, where colored powders are thrown on friends (and unsuspecting foreigners). Easter is arguably the most important Christian festival, for if Jesus had not risen from the dead, there would be no reason to celebrate His birth at Christmas.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM EVE
1. Don't listen to the devil. Know God's Word so that you can recognize lies when you hear them.
2. Don't add to God's Word. It is complete. God frowns upon this.
3. Sin has consequences. Sometimes, others suffer consequences for your sin.
4. Don't blame others. Take responsibility for your own actions.
5. God's purpose for creation could not be fulfilled without woman! God has a plan for each girl's life.
6. God wants us to choose to obey Him. If we love Him, we will obey His commands.
VERSE
"I will praise you for I am remarkably and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14
INGREDIENTS
11/2 cups sugar ( the recipe called for 2 cups but I think that is too much)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
3 cups Oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. In a large pot, bring the butter, sugar, and milk to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
2. Remove from heat and add vanilla and peanut butter. Stir until peanut butter is blended.
3. Add oats and quickly drop spoonfuls on prepared wax paper. Add sprinkles if desired.
4. Store in airtight container.
CRAFT
Decorating Notebooks
This year, I decided to let the girls keep notebooks to record lessons learned from women in the Bible, recipes, and Bible Verses. I gave them each a blank sketch book, and colored paper to cover the book. They uses paper scraps, markers, and punches to decorate their book covers. They used markers, crayons, gel pens and templates to record the lesson in their books.
