- For school, we start with the Bible.- As we're going about our day, we relate things back to God's Word-- stories that we can learn from, etc. For example, when my almost-4 year old took some candy and was found cowering, facing the corner, eating his candy (he didn't realize that it was OK with me... he just saw me give some to his sister and wanted some, which I was coming back to give him), my oldest son and I talked about how we really aren't any different in our core than Adam and Eve were... knowing that we've sinned or done something wrong still makes us want to hide.
- We buy and find Bible story and scripture song tapes & CDs for the boys to listen to (at bedtime and throughout the day, as they're playing, etc.)
- We listen to the Bible on CD-- we've been buying portions of "The Bible Experience" on iTunes, and I love it-- we can listen to the Word in a vibrant and memorable way-- learn more about "The Bible Experience" here. It not only ministers to me and allows me to hear the Bible in a fresh way, but it also helps my children to hear more of the Word, and my almost 6 year old in particular asks questions about what a word means, or what a certain part means, after nearly every time we listen to it.
- Buy scripture-based music (Sovereign Grace has very theologically and biblically accurate songs that are also uplifting and enjoyable; we also have gotten Scripture memory CDs that are put to kids' music... like Sing the Word from A to Z).
- Family Bible time- nearly every night (we don't do Sunday nights since we've already had a lengthy church time in our home with other families on those days)... this is just a 15 minute (give or take) time where Doug reads through a passage or a Bible story, we all talk about it, and then spend some time in prayer together as a family. Sometimes we also sing or act out part of a Bible story to help "lodge" it in our children's minds. We keep it simple but make it a priority in our home.
- We have TONS of children's books about the Bible: Bible story books, Children's Bibles, long, short, rhyming, informative, etc.
- We watch Bible videos as often as anything else. I'm not against other videos (we love Cars and Incredibles around here)... but we try pour in MORE of the Word than anything else. So, for example, when we noticed that our sons were living, breathing, talking, and thinking about Transformers nonstop, we did a cease-fire of all Transformers cartoons (even though they'd only watched it a couple times-- we're not big TV people)... and it helped correct the saturation of their little minds. We want them to be excited about the Word- not about some dumb show (apologies to all Transformers fans--including my husband-- I'm just putting it in an eternal perspective).
- We memorize scripture passages together as a family. So far, we've learned Psalm 1, the Beatitudes, and Psalm 23. We aren't legalistic about this, but we try to continue learning things together, at a pace so that at least our oldest two children can intake what we're learning.
Anyway, those are some of the things that we do. What do YOU do to keep the Bible at the center of your family's life, interests, and learning?
13 comments:
I think it's great and Very important for our children to be excited about the Word... but I think it's totally OK for them to be excited about other things - it's healthy to be excited about other things. There are many stories in the Bible that reflect that too. I feel that if you are overprotecting your children too much then they will rebel when the get older. You have to encourage them and teach them the importance of the Bible and getting excited about it, but then you have to let them make that priority on their own. Until they make it their own, then they're just doing it for you and then when you're away they'll do whatever they want (so they have to make it what they want).
Kathryn Gelibser
Hi Jess,
I've had your blog on my homepage for some time now. It is very encouraging to know of younger ladies loving the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. May God bless you each day as you raise your "arrows" for Kingdom work.
We are blessed to have Daddy at home most of the time. He came home to work two years ago. We have nine children and God just knew we needed him home!
He does bible reading and prayers after breakfast and in the evening after we eat. We also enjoy singing in the van as we go places. The Steve Green "Hide Em' in Your Heart" songs have been a blessing as they are all from scripture. We also have benefited from godly teaching about creation vs. evolution using Dr. Jobe Martin's "Creatures that Defy Evoulion" series. I try to keep pleasant uplifting music on during the day when we are not studying. The CD that we've been listening to mostly these days is "Sooth Me" by Serene and Pearl (of Above Rubies).
These are just a few things we do. Thank you for sharing your ideas. It's so good to think of other things we can do to help our children in their (and our) walk with the Lord.
Blessings,
Darla
PS. I hope I didn't break the second comment commandment by sharing these resources! They have just been such a blessing.
Kathryn,
I think you misread my intent. My kids love and are excited about all kinds of things... but they don't need to eat, sleep, live, and breathe other things. That's true for anything... I don't want them to eat, sleep, live and breathe for ice cream. Or for soccer. Or for a girlfriend when they're 12. Or for Transformers. In any of these things, I would be careful to put that thing (ice cream, soccer, a girlfriend @ 12, etc.) back in its right place in their lives, because they are at an age where they need someone else to exercise control over their lives when they are not yet wise or mature enough to do so.
Respectfully, at ages 6, 4, 2, and 2 months, my kids certainly are *not* at an age to make scripture a priority "on their own". I'm not talking about mind control here... I'm talking about the plain old fact that what goes in is what comes out.
Jess
Thanks, Daria... good suggestions!
(And no, the 2nd comment commandment is for people who come and "spam" about their weight loss program--for example, or their own candidate--without relation to the post, or for their website.)
Jess,
Your right. What goes in will come out. If the children see God as our top priority (not only on Sunday or during bible time but in all we do) it will be evident in their lives as well. They will learn to apply God's word in all circumstances (ie. how I honor my parents, treat my sister, interact with my neighbor, act in private etc.)
The most important thing, in my opinion is to pray about what He wants our family to focus on to bring us to a closer walk with him. Not only that, but to be a light in the world.
Darla
I posted this a few days ago about our family devotion times...
http://bigearcreations.blogspot.com/2008/05/shakin-living-room.html
The thing that we love doing is letting our kids lead worship in our living room. They pick the songs... lead our family in singing in the living room (complete with mics and air guitars)... and we let them have fun with it!
its one of our favorite times!
I LOVE Sovereign Grace music for the reasons you mentioned(theologically and biblically accurate songs), and they have such beautiful music. My brother and his family actually go to a Sovereign Grace church, and I've been able to visit it a few times with them. It is always such a blessing to be there. Great post!
Jess,
I just blogged about this VERY thing, and got a tip you had posted about it too...I'm deeply concerned about the all out attack on the very authority of Scripture...nothing could be more important, especially now, than we teach our children, thoroughly, the Word of God. Thanks for this post!!!
(BYW, I recorded a Scripture song CD to help families memorize passages--just a little shameless plug ;-)
It sounds cheesy, but the Veggie Tales folks have some good CDs that are worship music, and they are fun, and kids love them. My nephew (21 months, almost!) calls it his "Holy" CD (because they sing "Open they eyes of my heart," and the word Holy is in it...you know babies). It's just a fun, great resource for little ones. My nieces loved it when she first came out of the nursery into "big" church and recognized the songs from her CD!
I love your suggestions. I think the "as you go" piece of relating the events of your day to Bible passages is a great way to demonstrate that His Word is relevant to our lives. Kids know when something is a part of you and not just something you do at the appointed time.
One other scripture memory idea my daughter and I have had fun with is flash cards. She's not reading yet, but we write the verse on one side of an index card and draw a picture to remind her of it on the other side. I show her the picture, and she says the verse for me. She loves to practice saying "her verses."
You mentioned that Bible Experience. If you're enjoying that, I've no doubt you'd love The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible. It has Jim Caviezel from The Passion of the Christ and other great actors. I've enjoyed listening to that one a lot.
wow! i just read through three post lickety split! i so enjoy my visits here. This post about what you do to keep the Word central and priority one in your house just warms my heart! It's happening very similarly in our home too, minus the husband leading an evening Bible time together (my dh doesn't know the Lord yet :).
Sounds like you've got a Timothy Mom heart for sure! Come visit me at timothymoms.blogspot.com if you'd like :)
Sheila
Okay, I'm not a mom (yet) - but as a children's pastor, one of the things I do as a service to the families in my church is what I call a "take a look sheet." Each week, I give the kids (and I have a copy downstairs for their parents, too!!) a half sheet of paper that has a question for each day of the week, and a Scripture that they need to look up in order to find the answer. All of the questions take a deeper look at what we talked about that day (which is also in sync with my senior pastor's vision, so families are learning together). I have gotten many positive responses from parents - and this has encouraged families to begin their own devotional time, using what they are learning in church on Sunday mornings!
Those of you whose kids are involved in children's programs at church...I would encourage you to take a look at what they are bringing home and and talk about whatever Bible story or lesson they learned about that day. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I am here to minister to and encourage families to grow together...it is absolutely impossible for me to be the #1 spiritual influence in kids' lives when I only see them for an hour and a half a week...
Thanks for the great ideas that I can use when I have kids of my own, and for the encouragement that there are families out there who do "get it."
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