What does Easter mean to you? How do you and your family celebrate? Do you have traditions that have been handed down for generations? Let's look at the real meaning of Easter.

Many of the crowd that had hailed Jesus as King just a few days before, turned against Him and they, along with the Pharisees, demanded that Jesus be crucified.

How many times have we gone against our better judgment in the heat of the moment and sided with the majority? Pontius Pilate finally gave in to their demands and sent Jesus off to Calvary to be crucified.

What the rulers didn't realize was that God had planned redemption for sin through the death of His Son. Jesus willingly offered Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the world so we could be redeemed from sin and justified before God.

Do we look at the empty tomb and rejoice that the angel told the women, "He is risen, just as He said?" Or are we, like the disciples, confused? Jesus had told them of His death, burial and resurrection, but they really didn't understand until they physically saw Him after the resurrection. How do we react to this good news? Do we thank the Lord for His indescribable gift, the gift of new life, or do we reject Him?

Easter is the culmination of Christianity. Without Easter, Christmas would be meaningless. That perfect baby born in Bethlehem grew up to be the Savior of the world. Without Christ's death, burial and resurrection we would not have the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Christ Jesus when we accept Him as our Savior.

Have a glorious Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. He is risen!

Easter services

Easter sunrise services will be held in both Crestview and Laurel Hill. One is 6:30 a.m. April 16 at Old Spanish Trail Park, Stillwell Boulevard, Crestview. The Crestview Area Ministerial Association hosts that.

The other is 6 a.m., April 16 at Gene Clary Park, located on the corner of New Ebenezer Road and Park in Laurel Hill. Bring chairs and dress in warm clothing. If it is cold, bring blankets.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Easter is the culmination of Christianity

High debt levels … lack of savings … the inability to budget – these problems all have several causes, but one of them is almost certainly financial illiteracy. Too many of us just never developed the money management skills necessary to cope with our complicated – and expensive – world.

But if you have young children, you can teach them some money-smart lessons – and who knows? You could use the opportunity to give yourself a few valuable reminders, too. Here are some suggestions for a financial "curriculum":

•Save for a goal. In our highly commercialized culture, it's almost inevitable that your children will eventually become somewhat acquisitive. Obviously, it's important to teach them that they can't have everything – and they certainly can't have everything right now. So, once they are old enough to receive an allowance or to earn money in some fashion, encourage them to set a goal for something they want, such as a toy or video game, and to put money aside every week for that goal. It's also an excellent idea to model this behavior yourself. So if you are considering making a major purchase in the not-too-distant future, such as a car, show your children how you are setting aside money regularly for this purpose, rather than borrowing as much as you can or putting the entire purchase on a credit card.

•Establish a budget. It can be challenging to create a household budget and just as difficult to stick to it – but for most people, it's worth the effort. You'll be doing your children a favor by showing them how you have a certain amount of income and where it goes – mortgage, utilities, groceries, retirement accounts, etc. – each month. Explain to your kids that by staying within your budget, you can help avoid problems such as debt and extra fees tacked onto bills for late payments. You might also want to point out that, as your income rises, you can gain greater flexibility in budgeting. Here's the key point: Living within your means pays off in the long run.

•Have fun with investing. It might surprise you, but even young children enjoy learning about the investment process, especially if you explain to them that they can be an owner of a company that makes a product or service they like.

You might want to pick such a company and, along with your child, chart its course over time. You could give your child a pretend $100 bill to "invest" in this company and then see how its value changes, explaining along the way that various factors – such as the popularity of the company's products, the skill of its managers, and so on – will affect the stock's price.

At some point, you may even wish to purchase real stocks for your child and place them in a custodial account. And you might also want to show your child how your own stocks and other investments are performing. The investment world can be fascinating, and by sharing your enthusiasm for it with your children, you can encourage them to invest throughout their lives.

Knowledge is power. And the more knowledge about finances and investing that you can impart to your children now, the more empowered they will be to make smart financial moves in the future.

Edward Jones wrote this article for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Teach your children about finances, investing