Here it is the end of March!
Did you fly a kite yet?
Time to recap our month of March articles and preview the articles coming up in April. Just for fun I’m sharing a lot of my family photos taken during Passover Week as we go through our reviews and previews:
MARCH 2021 REVIEWS AND APRIL PREVIEWS
SEASONS
The IN SEASON Lifestyle blog put forward a lot of new articles in our SEASONS topics during the month of March and we also reposted some of our most loved seasonal reminders.
Perhaps you have wondered why we put so much emphasis on SEASONS here. This March article explains: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/seasons-why-place-so-much-emphasis-on-seasons/.
The bulk of March articles included Passover, Early First Fruits Resurrection Day and Unleavened Bread articles; but we started out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and recognizing the changing from Winter to Spring. You can see those articles here: St. Patrick’s Day ( https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/how-will-you-celebrate-st-patricks-day/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/praying-like-st-patrick/, ) Spring: (https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/welcome-spring-of-2020/)
Passover was shared in a million different ways; and you may find most of those articles here:
https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/seasons-passover/
https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/transformation-through-counting-the-omer/, https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/preparing-passover-seder-during-covid-19/;
Unleavened Bread articles are recapped here:
Early First Fruits and Resurrection Day are recapped here:
https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/finding-the-calendar-before-passover/
https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/early-first-fruits-is-resurrection-day/
https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/passover-week-looking-at-early-first-fruits-and-counting-the-omer/;
Most of the newest articles posted were concerning the fifteen elements of the Passover. Passover is SO FULL every year that it is easier sometimes to break it down into sections and think about each one separately. That is why we posted separate articles to explain each step. It really isn’t at all complicated when you take the time to understand.
Here are the links; should you wish to re-read them or save for next year: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/exploring-the-15-elements-of-passover-kadesh/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/exploring-the-15-elements-of-passover-urchatz/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/exploring-the-15-elements-of-passover-karpas/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-the-passover-seder-yachatz/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-passover-maggid/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-the-passover-seder-rachtzah/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-the-passover-seder-motzi/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-the-passover-seder-maror/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-passover-seder-korech/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-passover-shulchan-orech/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-the-passover-seder-tzafun/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-fifteen-elements-of-passover-seder-nirtzah/.
So much of the meaning of these fifteen elements comes from the Hebraic/Jewish culture; but Christians of today can look further through the eyes of The New Testament and see Jesus and shadows that were fulfilled in every element that is shared. It is a good way to soak in the Gospel; by learning the Old Testament meanings and then moving to the New Testament meanings. That is how God presents His story to us; and it is a great way to remember and learn, and look to the future of The Kingdom of God.
We hope you enjoyed the High Holy Day Season, and that your Passover, Unleavened Bread and Early First Fruits Resurrection Day were all wonderful.
Our family started the Holy Week with a Passover Seder that featured PJKids Children’s Seder. This was mostly for the sake of our seven year old granddaughter; but all of us adults enjoyed it too! I’ll pass on that link if you want to check it out: https://youtu.be/3JN9gJg1H0w?list=PLT8NilM_8EhOrNy0fvaA8zeOgf-RCvIsl.
The whole Seder presented by PJKids is from a Jewish perspective; but I just explained to our group in the beginning; God used the Jewish people as a pattern for a nation of people who followed Jesus; and that they are the people from which God chose to create the human bloodline of Jesus. Jesus DID the Passover Seder with his family each year on this earth. We have so much to learn from them; and God sent Messiah through them to all of us!
On Early First Fruits with the teachings for my own family; I am careful to include all of the New Testament stories; so I point out that on Passover we remember the shadows and types from the Old Testament; and on Early First Fruits Resurrection Day (3 days after Passover on the 2nd Day of Unleavened Bread.) I try to put more emphasis on the Resurrection stories that fulfilled the meanings which we discussed at The Passover.
Over the period of Passover Week; we see the beginning, the middle and the end; and/or the past, the present and the future of God’s Kingdom. We also see how each ending is only a new beginning. That is the way God tells time.
I like to tell the New Testament stories with Godly Play methods on Early First Fruits day; starting with the birth of Christ, moving to the day they lost Him in the Temple, moving to the Baptism of Jesus by John, moving to His temptations in the desert; moving to the miracles of healing and the stories of how Jesus came close to people, then moving to the crucifixion and then the Resurrection for the grand finale.
There are actually seven stories altogether which build upon one another and it is great when you tell one each day of Unleavened Bread and review them all at the end on the last day of Unleavened Bread.
By the end of this whole week of 8 full days; we know the old and the new, the beginnings and the endings of God’s great story. This is something all of us “adult children” also need to review and remember every year when we think of The Miracles of The Resurrection. We are all children in God’s eyes and we are all constantly learning. God is always teaching something new. I’ve never been through a Passover week without God revealing something new and wonderful that I had not realized before; even though it is constant repetition; it is simply constant renewal.
MONDAY NIGHT MENUS
As well as putting great emphasis on the “telling;” it was our intention to include two new Passover recipes in our MONDAY NIGHT MENUS topics, and to feature our Passover craft for counting the Omer in our PEN ART topics; but time did not allow for all of these. I guess they will just have to be put right into the middle of this newsletter recap until we can feature them later and larger in an article for next year.
The recipes we missed were Brussel’s Sprout Slaw and Lemonade and Matzah Salad. Here they are in case you are still interested or want to tuck them inside your files for next year:
BRUSSEL’S SPROUT SLAW
1 bag brussel’s sprout (shredded)
1 large red onion (chopped fine)
3 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Shred the sprouts and chop the onion and mix together well. Combine the apple cider vinegar, the sugar and the lemon juice and stir into the sprouts and onion mixture. So simple; but oh so good! Enjoy!
LEMONADE MATZAH SALAD
4 sheets matzah
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter (melted)
1 thawed can lemonade concentrate
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature
1 large tub cool whip topping
2 cans Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
Mix the first three ingredients and pat in the bottom of a large casserole dish for the crust. Reserve some of this to sprinkle on as a topping though. Using a mixer, mix together the last four ingredients. Pour into prepared matzah crust and then sprinkle with the topping. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. We use this as a dessert; although the recipe says it is a salad. Sometimes instead of using the matzah crumble on top we sprinkle with blueberries instead. Either way is delicious! I like to use the matzah for Passover meals.
We DID give you some good Passover Recipes here:
We also shared some St. Patrick’s Day recipes here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/corned-beef-and-cabbage-my-favorite-recipe/.
PEN ART
We enjoy sharing seasonal crafts as well as art and art events here in the PEN ART topics. The craft we used for Passover that didn’t get published in as a March article was oh-so-simple to do.
We cut out 50 colorful sheets of paper and placed them (after we numbered them from 1-50) inside a mason jar. We tied pretty ribbons around the jar. The follow-through for the person receiving the jar is to make a note each day of what God taught them during that day and place it back inside the jar. At the end of 50 days after Passover when we come to Pentecost; we will take them out and read them and rejoice in the abundant way that God blesses us each day of our lives and leads us in the right paths.
There were other things we wanted to do in March for PEN ART topics; such as writing a review of “The Telling” by Marc Gerson. This is a wonderful book that is all about The Passover Seder. It is from a Jewish perspective; but you can’t help but also see the Messianic truths in the service as you read his thoughts on The Passover.
Perhaps we will get a review of this book in time for next year; but in the meantime – we highly recommend this book for anyone to read at anytime of the year; not just Passover. It is a classic that will stay around and last from year-to-year. One thing he points out is that Passover thoughts carry on throughout the remainder of the year.
Well; enough of what we forgot or didn’t have time to do; lets review what we WERE able to get out there for you; because it was a month full of thought-provoking articles.
COME AS A CHILD
Our COME AS A CHILD bible study continues slowly trekking all the way through the pages of the scriptures one page at a time. The lessons for the month of March were found in Deuteronomy Chapters 21 and 22. God never ceases to amaze me with His timing. Almost every lesson fell right in line with what was going on in our modern day culture. Here are the links for your review:
https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/what-to-do-with-rebellious-sons/;
https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-little-case-law-that-changed-the-world/;
PRODUCTS WE LOVED FOR THIS SEASON
Some products for the season were shared here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-in-season-lifestyle-newsletter-for-february-2021/; https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/the-in-season-lifestyle-community-store-for-april-2021/.
COMING UP IN APRIL – TOPICS PREVIEWS
COME AS A CHILD APRIL TOPICS PREVIEW
Of course our COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY will continue in April. We will take up where we left off in Deuteronomy Chapter 22. Please feel welcomed to join in with us every Thursday on line. If you wish you can receive these bible study lessons each week in an e-mail. Just request and let us know where to send them by filling in the comments section at the bottom of the blog articles.
THE HOUSE DOCTOR APRIL TOPICS PREVIEW
We have a few decorating ideas up our sleeves for April. We are loving yellows and blues; which is a continuation from our color schemes for Christmas and Passover. The colors are still in our heart and we are going to decorate yet another season with them. Stick with us and see how many ways we can bring out the yellows and the blues. Maybe we will have some bedroom ideas this time around instead of main house decor.
PEN ART APRIL TOPICS PREVIEW
There are about a million and one book reviews we want to share on this blog. So many new publications have caught our attention this year. Perhaps that will happen in April in our PEN ART Topics.
OH THE PLACES WE WILL GO APRIL PREVIEW
Spring is an awesome time to explore some more little mountain towns. We are headed way up through the Blue Ridge Mountains this month to a little town called Andrews, and we may also explore Murphy. There are lots of hidden gems in this part of the mountains and we intend to see their springtime splendor. Come along with us in April; it will be great!
PIECES OF THE PUZZLE APRIL TOPICS PREVIEW
So what theology is confusing to you after we have explored the Mystery of Resurrection? What about the Mystery of Pentecost. We need to be getting ready, though it is early. There are days in between Passover and Pentecost where we count the Omer and learn how to grow in our walk with Christ.
What has he been showing you? It is the time for new discoveries and we will try to cover all that we can in such topics for the month of April.
SEASONS APRIL TOPICS PREVIEW
God was directing us when we decided to name this blog The IN SEASON Lifestyle. It is amazing how the Holy Days and Holidays play into our lifestyle. This month of April though gives us a little window of no events. We have time to explore the wonder of God’s creation and celebrate such springtime things as rain, flowers, sunshine, fresh air and newness. This year April is a good month for sitting back and pondering what God is teaching us daily and we will talk more about these things in our April articles to come. We hope to bring you gardening tips and ways to sit back and relax and enjoy the glory of springtime.
MONDAY NIGHT MENU APRIL TOPICS PREVIEW
It is time to bring out those fresh vegetables and to make up some delicious springtime salads. We hope to have some new spring recipes to share with you; as well as some tasty warm weather desserts. Get your taste buds ready to indulge!
We look forward to seeing you here in April!
Gail Landgraf/Editor/The IN SEASON Lifestyle Blog
BTW: Have you checked out THE GOSEPL HIDDEN IN GENESIS yet? I’m getting nice reviews of Book Two, which was recently published. I am presently working on a workbook that can be used by small groups with these two books. You can order either Book One or Book Two here if you like: