For Episode 004...

Rachel Swanson joins us to answer a question that her child recently asked, and it's a great one. If God is in control and He gets to decide all things, couldn't He have saved us some other way? Why did Jesus have to die?

Rachel will tell us how she answered that question, and will share some more wisdom for busy parents, so if that's you (and I'm pretty sure "busy" describes about 99% of parents), then go ahead and listen in.

You can listen to the Questions Kids Ask episode answering Why Should We Care About Diversity? on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play, or listen below.

Today’s guest is Rachel C. Swanson. She is a dental hygienist turned best-selling author, speaker and accredited christian life coach. Her best-selling book, "Big and Little Coloring Devotional," was birthed by her own struggle to keep it together a… — Today’s guest is Rachel C. Swanson. She is a dental hygienist turned best-selling author, speaker and accredited christian life coach. Her best-selling book, "Big and Little Coloring Devotional," was birthed by her own struggle to keep it together as a busy mom of three children under two. Rachel has been married to her husband for eleven years, and they live in country town just outside Los Angeles, CA. You can learn more about Rachel by visiting her website at www.RachelCSwanson.com.

Let's get to know Rachel a little better. She added a little quirk to her bio for us -- She is deaf in her left ear due to an illness at 6 months old. Isn't God kind to us that He has given us two ears and so many ways to communicate and to be healthy? God has shown His kindness to us, and to Rachel, in allowing her to continue to be able to do all she needs to do.

So, let's just into our tough question, which is from Rachel's kids.

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

Ultimately, God is in control, and He dearly loves Jesus and also dearly loves us. Sin separated us from God, and only Jesus' sacrifice could fix this separation. Jesus was completely sinless, so He was the only suitable sacrifice to pay for sin before a holy, perfect, sinless God. Jesus died so that we could have a relationship with God forever, but also so that we could have that relationship now with abundant life in His presence.

Because of Jesus' death, we can now pray and talk to God personally, rather than going through a priest like they did during Old Testament times. Jesus has become our High Priest, who prays for us and has provided the way for our relationship with God to be made right.

Basically, Jesus took our place. This is the concept of substitutionary atonement. Jesus took the punishment we deserved so that we could take His place as God's child. Man. That's incredible, right?

Featured Resource

This adorable devotional is bound at the top so that a parent or grandparent and child can sit across from each other, both coloring and working on their side of the book. And today, you can head over to the Questions Kids Ask group on Facebook to enter to win a copy! Let’s get back to the show.

How Do You Continue To Learn Yourself?

Take captive those small moments. Listen to Scripture in the car. Read as your kids put on their shoes or eat breakfast. Listen to podcasts while you are in the shower. Take every moment captive, and jump into God's Word even if only for 5 minutes at a time.