Getting Our Kids into God's Word

The main reason that we teach our kids to read is to be able to read God's Word.  Then they can read for themselves what God tells us, not just have to take our word for it.  Since both Buddy and Sweetie did such a great job of learning to read this past year, we gave them each their own Bible at the end of our school year last month.  We also gave them a blank journal along with it.

Even though we are officially on summer vacation, I don't want them to forget everything we worked so hard to learn, so I have been incorporating ways to get in some practice in some new and fun ways.  We also want to work on helping them get familiar with their Bibles this summer, so we have been using them while we practice writing verses.  A couple times I have used some of the Bible studies at Good Morning Girls (I highly recommend the Ministry of Motherhood and Proverbs 31 studies!) and have learned to use the S.O.A.P method when studying verses.  This stands for writing the Scripture, Observations, Application to our lives, and Prayer.  I thought we could incorporate that a little bit into what the kids do.  We have been using the book Little Visits With God and I love how easy it is to use with the kids.  I had this book from when I was young and I still remember reading through it. 

Each story begins with a verse that is explained through the story.  The stories are fairly short and really keep the kids' interest.  And then at the end there are questions that we can ask the kids (keeps them paying attention even more if they know they have to answer a question!) and a short prayer.

Instead of having the kids do the whole S.O.A.P method, I write the verse on our white board each morning and they copy it into their journal. (Writing the Scripture)

Then for the Observation, Application, and Prayer part, we read and talk about the story in Little Visits With God.  When they get older, then we can start have them doing that part on their own in their journals also. 

  I happen to have two copies of Little Visits With God, so if you would like our extra (gently-used) copy, just leave me a comment letting me know.  I would love to bless someone with our extra!  I will randomly pick a winner next Wednesday, June 27.

What do you do to get your kids into God's Word?  I would love to hear your ideas!



Blessings,

Linked up with:
Raising Homemakers
Far Above Rubies
The Better Mom
Teach Me Tuesdays
Titus 2sday
Women Living Well
A Delightful Home
Raising Arrows
The Modest Mom
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

9 Years Ago

Mark

1983-2003

9 years ago today God completely healed my little brother from cancer.  While it was not the way we were hoping, I am so happy that Mark will also be there to meet me when it is my time to meet my Creator.  We love and miss him and can't wait to see him again!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

Blessings,

Glorious Day

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises

One day when sin was as black as could be

Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin

Dwelt among men, my example is He

Word became flesh and the light shined among us

His glory revealed

Living, He loved me

Dying, He saved me

Buried, He carried my sins far away

Rising, He justified freely forever

One day He’s coming

Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain

One day they nailed Him to die on a tree

Suffering anguish, despised and rejected

Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He

Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree

And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer

One day the stone rolled away from the door

Then He arose, over death He had conquered

Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore

Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him

From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming

One day the skies with His glories will shine

Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing

My Savior, Jesus, is mine

Oh, glorious day

-Casting Crowns

If you would like to listen to this song on YouTube, go HERE

Blessings,

Indescribable

My kids love talking about space, the stars, planets, etc.  It seems that many times we get off topic in school and end up talking about what's in space instead.  Every time we do, I am reminded of the great you tube video series I shared on my blog long ago.  I recently went back to watch them and found that those specific ones are not available anymore, so I thought I would share different ones (of the same series) here and so any of you that missed them the first time will be able to see them.  His speech is divided into 5 parts, each about 10 minutes long, so you don't even have to listen to it all at once if you don't have time. It is a good reminder of how insignificantly small we are in comparison to the rest of God's creation, yet He still cares for us so much more than anything else! He truly is indescribable! Enjoy!

I Will Rise

This is one of my favorite songs.  I am so thankful to my Savior for the victory he gives us over the grave.

Waving the White Flag

This is a guest post by Brook, author of Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most.  I personally already have this book and have loved reading through it and using it to pray for my kids.  I highly recommend it for all parents and would encourage you to sign up!

Are you the mother of boys who
often finds herself ready to wave the white flag in defeat?

Do they drain you, overwhelm you, steal your heart, break your heart and cause you more
anxiety than you ever dreamed possible?

Maybe you only have one boy amongst a sea of estrogen and you just can’t figure out how
to respond to him in a way that affirms all that is good about his masculinity.

You're not alone.

Last May, over 1300 women and a few dads in SEVEN different countries joined together to
pray purposefully and passionately for the hearts of their sons in a challenge called
21 Days of Prayer for Sons. 21 Days is based on the
best-selling eBook Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need
it Most.



Even our best parenting efforts don't come with a guarantee. As much as we
might wish we could change their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), we
can't. But we serve a God who can. Knowing this, it becomes quite clear that there is
only one thing we can do…

Plead with God.

Pray.

“The fervent
prayers of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:17.

It’s our hope.

The next 21 Days of Prayer for Sons challenge starts
September 6 and ends September 26, 2011. How can you participate? Easy!

1. Purchase your own copy of Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in
   the Areas They Need it Most (just $5.97 as a PDF download or on
   A
   mazon Kindle!) You could, in theory, participate in the challenge without a
   personal copy, but your experience will be much deeper and richer with it.
2. Commit to praying for your son(s) or grandsons 10 times a day for 21 days
   straight. This is a huge commitment, so if you feel God leading you to participate, pray
   and ask Him to give you the strength and endurance you need.
3. Consider leading your own group on your blog or in your
   community!
4. Sign-up HERE!

Get inspired by recent participants!

“This challenge…has given me my joy back in mothering” ~LaToya

“Thank you for giving me a tangible method for transformation in my family!!”
~Anne

“Thanks, Brooke for your help. I’ve always known that God was listening; I just
didn’t know what to say!” ~Laurel

“So many heart changes are going on in our home and I’m just so thankful…”
~Ashley

************************

Brooke is a
mom of two young boys who leave her desperate for God’s grace. Her pursuit of being a
better mom has left her at the foot of the cross, knowing that if God doesn’t show up …
nothing happens. This dependence upon God to turn hearts of stone to hearts of flesh
leads her to her knees in prayer. She’s the author of the best-selling eBook Warrior Prayers:
Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most, creator of
the 21 Days of Prayer for Sons
challenge and co-founder of the well-loved online community for mothers of boys, the
M.O.B.
Society. She offers hope for change to the hearts of women at her main blog,
A
Life in Need of Change.

Quiet Time

Since having Peanut, I've really struggled to find a good routine for my quiet time.  I really prefer to have it in the morning, but Peanut is a pretty early riser and often it seems that no matter how early I get up, she (or one of the other kiddos) is up within minutes of me!  I think they just know when someone is up and need to be up too.  (I've often wondered if they conspire together to take turns getting up early and in the middle of the night.  They probably have a whole schedule planned out. "You get this morning, this morning, and this night, and I'll take these.  Maybe we'll give her a night off here, but then you can have this one again.  We gotta keep her tired, that's how we can get away with things!")  I have kind of settled into a pretty regular quiet time at night now once the kids are asleep, but by then I am beat and ready for bed!  Recently Jodi posted about having a comfy chair in her room for her quiet time and I think that I might have to give that a try.  If I can get a nice place set up in our bedroom, then maybe the kiddos won't hear me up and I can get my quiet time back to the morning. Even when I do find some quiet time, it can be hard for me to focus and not be thinking about what needs to be done around the house or something that is happening with the kids. This past Sunday our pastor said that if you have a hard time focusing, start asking yourself questions about what you are reading. I have tried this and it really helps, so I may start writing down more stuff also as I'm reading.I have been reading through the Bible chronologically this year and that has encouraged me to at least get that done everyday.  I have also been reading through A Wife After God's Own Heart, 31 Days to Clean, As Unto the Lord, and For Instructions In Righteousness (to plan out some character training to do with the kids.)  I have a journal to write prayers in and may start to use it (or another one) to write my reading notes/questions.  I have a couple other free e-books, Maximize Your Mornings and Mission Statements for Moms on my reading list.  I recently found this cute basket to keep all my books in so they are at least in one place and ready when I have some time.

Do you have a quiet time?  What works for you?  For other ideas, check out Jodi's post that I am linking up with.

National Day of Prayer

Today is National Day of Prayer and I just wanted to share a couple quotes that I recently heard or read that I really like.

First is one that I read in The Prayer Factor by Sammy Tippit. It is a quote by Andrew Murray: Prayer is the pulse of life: by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness.

And second is one that I heard on our local radio station: When we get to heaven and see what prayer has done, we will be so embarrassed we didn't pray more.

Having young kiddos can make it difficult to find a few quiet moments during the day to spend in prayer, but the rewards of making the time for it far out weigh the ease of skipping it!

Memorizing Scripture

As part of Buddy's curriculum this year he is learning a new verse from Proverbs each week.  One week to learn and remember a new verse is kind of fast for him and Sweetie, so I wanted to find a way to help them remember the verses even after we were done studying them.  At first we reviewed all the verses that we had previously learned each day, but that started taking quite a while once we had gotten a few months of school in.  Then I came across this site about memorizing scripture and thought that would be a great way for us also.  I changed it a little to fit our family better, but if you want to do it they way they describe, there is a link to printable divider cards at the bottom of the page.  We use a recipe file box with 26 divider cards labeled Daily, Odd, Even, Sunday thru Saturday, and numbered 1 & 16, 2 & 17, 3 & 18, etc until 15 & 30 and the last one is 31.  Then when we are learning a new verse, I write it on an index card and it goes behind the Daily tab to be repeated daily.  We usually have 2 or 3 verses there.  Once the kids have them down, they get moved behind either the Odd or Even tab so that we can review it every other day, depending on if the date is an odd or even number.  Once the kids know them better, they get moved behind one of the days of the week tabs so that they are reviewed once a week.  By this time the kids know them pretty well and then they get moved behind one of the tabs with 2 numbers on so that they get reviewed twice a month.  For example the one behind the 1 & 16 card gets reviewed on the 1st and 16th of the month.  We haven't learned enough yet to have any behind the 31 card, but it will be one that they know really well since that one will only get reviewed 7 times a year!

For other memorization ideas, visit Do Not Depart

Reverse Thinking

Blessed Be the Name

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21

It has been a difficult week in the community with the passing of Cash and Melanie.  It reminds me to be so thankful for the blessings God has given me in my life.  I know our children belong to Him and He can take them to their eternal home with Him anytime he chooses, but it still a struggle to understand why He chooses to call them home and leave us here without them.  After my brother passed away several years ago, my brother-in-law, who was only 5 or 6 at the time, said we don't need to be sad, God has his house ready, ours isn't ready yet.  So simple, but so hard!  Please continue to remember these families in your prayers in the coming year.  After a few weeks, life seems to go back to normal for the rest of the world, but they are still daily reminded of their loss.  I would encourage you to remember the day each one passed, jot it down by your prayer list or mark it on your calendar.  Each month as that day comes up, remember to pray for them as they mark off another month without their loved one.  Thankfully we can know that this is not the end, though.  When God calls us home, we will be reunited with our loved ones and spend eternity worshipping our Creator with them!

Merry Christmas!

What child is this, who, laid to rest

On Mary's lap, is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:

Haste, haste to bring him laud,

The Babe, the Son of Mary!

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,

Come peasant king to own Him,

The King of kings, salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

Raise, raise the song on high,

The Virgin sings her lullaby:

Joy, joy, for Christ is born,

The Babe, the Son of Mary!

Hope you all have a blessed Christmas!

My Princess Bible - Review

My Sweetheart loves all things princess. She loves to wear dresses, dance, and pretend she is a princess. She even says she is going to be a princess when she grows up. So when I had the chance to review the My Princess Bible from Tyndale House Publishers, I knew Sweetie would love to read this one with me. And I was right! We have been reading it together before bedtime and she loves it and always wants to keep reading more! This book is written by Andy Holmes and illustrated Sergey Eliseev, who have been done a nice job putting this book together to teach young girls about women of the Bible. Each chapter is about a different woman and talks about a character trait that made her one of God's special princesses. At the end of each chapter there are two lines where you can insert your princess's name to encourage her to be one of God's princesses. For example the story about Eve ends with “________ is God’s special princess; ________ is sad when she does something bad.” I have enjoyed using this book with Sweetie as a way to help her become familiar with these important women of the Bible and how we can apply what we learn from them to our own life.

I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers for free for review and it is mine to keep.

Have A Blessed Easter!

Matthew 28:1-10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

How Great Thou Art

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Sunrise

The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory. Psalm 97:6

I love having this view in the morning as I sit and cuddle with my Lovebug while the rest of the house is still quiet.

Prayer Request

I have a prayer request for you today. There is a 6 year old boy in our church who has been going through chemo the past few months for a tumor on his hip. This morning he went in for surgery and it is expected to last about 6 hours. Please pray for him, his family, and the doctors today as they all go through this. They are doing a partial, and possibly total, hip replacement and there is also the possiblity for nerve damage. Afterward, he will have to be in the hospital for about a week. Please pray for complete healing, but also for peace for the family for whatever outcome God has planned for them.


For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Have A Blessed Christmas!

The Birth of Jesus
Luke 2

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyre'ni-us was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and lineage of David,)

5 to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Indescribable

First of all I just want to let you all know that my little L FINALLY rolled over today!

OK, now for the topic of my post. M came across this video on YouTube the other day that I wanted to share with you. It is by Louie Giglio and he is speaking on how great our God is. I've never heard of Louie before, but I really enjoyed listening to him. His speech is divided into 5 parts, each about 10 minutes long, so you don't even have to listen to it all at once if you don't have time. It is a good reminder of how insignificantly small we are in comparison to the rest of God's creation, yet He still cares for us so much more than anything else! He truly is indescribable! Enjoy!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5