Your First Peek Inside Easter Love Letters from God

As an author, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of opening your new book for the very first time, reading the words you wrote and taking in every minute detail of the illustrations, drawn so beautifully by the brilliant Sophie Allsopp.

Easter Love Letters from God, the fifth book in the series, will be in bookstores in less than two weeks but if, like me, you just can’t wait to open it, here’s your sneak peek inside its pages, with some of my favorite extracts and pictures….

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he didn’t come to fight the Romans. My son came to fight hatred, sadness, and unkindness. And the only way to fight those enemies is with love.

Right there, in that room, Jesus showed his disciples what love looked like. He took their feet in his hands, and washed them, just like a servant would. The hands that created the world washed their feet. The special one from heaven made the disciples feel like they were the special ones.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled,” Jesus said. I’m going somewhere wonderful. You can’t come with me yet. But one day, I will come back and take you there. It’s a beautiful, happy place, with lots of rooms. It’s a home that’s big enough for everyone, and I’m going to get it ready for you.”

Darkness fell as the disciples followed Jesus out into the night. Jesus walked through the quiet streets toward the Garden of Gethsemane. He wanted to pray. The moon shone through the olive trees as Jesus knelt down. The garden was gloomy. All was still.

The wind howled. The whole earth trembled. The rocks shattered. The hills quaked. And the mighty curtain in the temple split in two. But Jesus was still.

It was finished.

Outside the cave, two guards kept watch. The big heavy stone was sealed in place. And for three whole days, all was still…..But inside that quiet cave, God was working. If you tried to peek inside, you couldn’t see anything. If you stood outside and put your ear to the big stone, you couldn’t hear anything. If you tried to imagine what was happening, you couldn’t. But inside, God was doing something utterly amazing. Something only God could do. And the world held its breath and waited with him.

The birds could feel an early morning whisper, a song, gliding through the trees. And now, the birds could hear it- a whisper that got louder as it danced along. It was a name. A name carried on the wind, sailing through the leaves, rushing through the grass. The birds perked up and opened their beaks to join the chorus of all creation as every living thing sang the name, the name that is above any other name.

“Jesus! Jesus! Jesus is alive!”