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Scripture Memory – Chapters of the Bible
My girls and I decided recently to work on memorizing entire chapters of the Bible together. We are currently working on Psalm 91. This is a beautiful psalm. I printed out the chapter – one sheet for each of us and as we work on each verse, I am highlighting the current verses in yellow. We are learning one and then adding the next and so on. We practice the verses during morning worship as well as throughout the day.
What is your family doing for Family Worship this week?
Family Worship – Coloring Page
This week in our family worship time we read a story about a Pigeon named Pete who after being shipped from New York to Australia escaped and flew home! The children loved this story! I love this time we can spend together snuggled on the sofa reading and worshiping together. I found a coloring page of a father and son reading the Bible and I wanted to share t with you.
We received three new devotional books for the year. One of them is for my teen girls, one is for my soon to be 20 year old son (planning to drop it in the mail for him) and the other is for my husband and I to share together. I was excited to get the books in the mail!
What have you been doing this week during family worship?
A Heart White as Snow
During our morning worship this morning we again read from our devotional book for the year, God’s Amazing Creation by Vicki Redden, Dee Litten Reed, and Joelle Reed Yamada.I particularly love this book because every devotion has an illustration taken from nature. My children and I are nature enthusiasts to say the least! Today’s story was about how Jesus makes our heart white as snow, the Snowy Owl and white Sand Dollars. It is yet another reminder that God’s love is found all around us. We just need eyes and hearts open to spy it.
In this morning’s devotion titled “I Spy,” Dee Reed says, “When you were in beginners and kindergarten in Sabbath school, you sang a song that said no matter how dirty your heart is with sin, “Jesus makes it white when He comes in.” It’s true. When we ask Jesus to forgive us, he will make our sins whiter than snow. And when Jesus is looking for a child with a clean loving heart, He’ll look at you and say, “I spy!”
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; they they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18
Isn’t that a beautiful promise? Our children need to be reminded daily that Jesus can make them clean.
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Each Wednesday, we will add a new post for A Year of Family Worship and you can do the same. Share your goals, experiences, and ideas for family worship with the rest of us!
If you don’t have a blog, you can add your comments in the comment section! You can join A Year of Family Worship here. And you can see the 52 Weeks of Family Worship here.
If you do not have a blog… you can either post your ideas here in the comments or even join our Proverbs 31 Sisters Network and get a free blog that way!
A Year of Family Worship: Lessons in Nature
This past weekend we took our church youth group (Pathfinder Club) on a camp out. I love camping and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. I love waking up to the fresh air and a warm campfire. I enjoy worshiping God outside – which made me think. If we can worship God outside on a camp out, why can’t we worship God outside for Family Worship?
Why not take your family outside in the backyard or even to a beautiful park on a Sabbath afternoon and sing songs of praise and other thoughtful activities? One of the requirements our Pathfinders had was to go out in “nature” and find three things that represented God.
Some of the things kids came back with:
- water – “Jesus is the Living Water”
- a rock – “Jesus is the Rock of our Salvation” or We should build our house on the “Solid Rock”
- a heart shaped Redbud leaf – “the heart of God” or “God’s love for each of us”
- a three leaf clover – “The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”
- a vine – “He is the vine, we are the branches”
There are so many expressions of Christ in nature! This activity is fun for kids and adults of all ages. This week, when the weather is nice, why not go ahead and have Family Worship in the backyard and see how creative you can be finding the character of God all around you?
I am currently reading the book, Lessons Jesus Taught by Ellen White. Yesterday I read the following passage and felt it fit so well with this idea of worshiping in nature:
“So through the creation we are to become acquainted with the Creator. The book of nature is a great lesson book, which in connection with the Scriptures we are to use in teaching others of His character and guiding lost sheep back to the fold of God. As the works are studies the Holy Spirit flashes conviction into the mind…
We should study the Saviour’s parables where He spoke them, in the fields and groves, under the open sky, among the grass and flowers. As we come close to the heart of nature Christ makes His presence real to us, and speaks to our hearts of His peace and love.
And Christ has linked His teaching, not only with the day of rest, but with the week of toil. He has wisdom for him who drives the plow and sows the seed. In the plowing and sowing, the tilling and reaping, He teaches us to see an illustration of His work or grace in the heart. So in every line of useful labor and every association of life, He desires us to find a lesson of divine truth. Then our daily toil will no longer absorb our attention and lead us to forget God; it will continually remind us of our Creator and Redeemer. The thought of God will run like a thread of gold through all our homely cares and occupations… We shall ever be learning new lessons of heavenly truth, and growing into the image of His purity.”
Isn’t that what we all desire? To see the face of God, to feel His presence all around us? Teach your children about the Creator. In doing so, you will both be drawn closer to Him.
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Each Wednesday, we will add a new post for A Year of Family Worship and you can do the same. Share your goals, experiences, and ideas for family worship with the rest of us!
If you don’t have a blog, you can add your comments in the comment section! You can join A Year of Family Worship here. And you can see the 52 Weeks of Family Worship here.
If you do not have a blog… you can either post your ideas here in the comments or even join our Proverbs 31 Sisters Network and get a free blog that way!
A Year of Family Worship: The Bible Story
The Bible Story Books.
You have probably seen those blue hardback Bible Story books in the doctor’s office, dentist office, or hospital. I remember my mother reading stories from them while we sat for what seemed like hours in the waiting room at the doctors office when I was a little girl. We didn’t own a set of our own back then. Well, now I have a set of my own. In fact, in our house, we have several sets and even recently purchased a set for each of our children. We found used sets on ebay.
I highly recommend you purchase a set for your own home, if you have not already! The books authored by Arthur Maxwell, are written in a classic story like fashion. The illustrations are charming. But the most important thing about these books, would have to be that they teach you the Bible! They are perfect for children and parents alike! If you are a mom, like me, who didn’t grow up with a solid knowledge of the Bible and the stories, this 10 volume set is perfect! You will learn so much from just reading the stories.
From The Bible Story Book Website:
Imagine for a moment your family sitting down together for a regular Bible story at bedtime. That’s better than some silly—or disturbing—television program, isn’t it? And it’s a wonderful influence for good…
Each short, five-minute chapter in The Bible Story can help give your children the strength to stand up to the temptations they face. Each story can help build a foundation of values upon which your children can establish happy and successful lives.
- Easy to read and understand
- 411 stories in 10 volumes
- 1,200 color illustrations
- Stories are true to the Bible
You should visit their website, and learn more. And if you can’t afford the price of new books, get some used ones! They are usually in excellent condition! These books will be a welcome addition to your Family Worship time.
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Each Wednesday, we will add a new post for A Year of Family Worship and you can do the same. Share your goals, experiences, and ideas for family worship with the rest of us!
If you don’t have a blog, you can add your comments in the comment section! You can read about A Year of Family Worship here. And you can see the 52 Weeks of Family Worship here.
If you do not have a blog… you can either post your ideas here in the comments or even join our Proverbs 31 Sisters Network and get a free blog that way!
Resurrection Cookies
We will be making this recipe on Saturday night. It has been a few years since we have made them and the children are excited!
Resurrection Cookies
You will need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch salt
1 cup sugar
a zipper baggy
1 wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible
Instructions:
These are to be made the evening before Easter. Preheat oven to 300F.
*** (this is very important — don’t wait until you are half done with the recipe).
Place pecans in zipper baggy and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested. He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read: John 19:1-3
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read: John 19:28-30
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read: John 10:10&11
Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read: Luke 23:27
So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read: Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read: Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Read: Matthew 27:57-60
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. Read: Matthew 27:65-66
GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read: John 16:20&22
On Resurrection Sunday (Easter) morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read: Matthew 28:1-9
A Year of Family Worship: Morning Worship
“And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him…” Luke 24: 28-31
I know I have mentioned this before, but in our house, I try to have family worship each morning just after breakfast before we clear the table. This worship time tends to be shorter than our evening worship.
You also know by now, that I am a firm believer in morning devotions for women. It is so important to seek out Christ first thing in the morning before we do anything else! So, if it is so very important for each one of us to have personal devotions every morning, isn’t is just as important for us to teach our children to seek out Christ first thing every day?
Are you walking with Jesus each day or do you feel like He is often going one way and you another? Has Jesus walked on past where you were going? Or have you constrained him? Morning devotions give us the opportunity to wrap our arms around Jesus and constrain him. Morning worship helps us grasp His hand and tell Him, “Abide with us!” Through morning worship we are able to seek out Christ daily and keep our focus on Him.
Our children need to be taught how to “abide with Him.” Create in your children – now – a desire to spend time with Jesus at the beginning of the day so that when they are grown it won’t be so hard to get into the habit. “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22: 6
We need to wrap our arms around Jesus, constrain Him, each morning as a family and say, “Lord, I am not letting you go!” As a family find His purpose for your lives. Discover together what it is you can do as a family to serve Him on a daily basis.
Use morning worship time to discuss the days events, plan how best to use your time and most importantly pray that God’s will for the day will be made known to each one.
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If you would like to take part in A Year of Family Worship, add your blog to the Mr. Linky below. If you don’t have a blog, you can add your comments in the comment section! You can read about A Year of Family Worship here. And you can see the 52 Weeks of Family Worship here.
Each Wednesday, we will add a new post for A Year of Family Worship and you can do the same. Share your goals, experiences, and ideas for family worship with the rest of us!
If you do not have a blog… you can either post your ideas here in the comments or even join our Proverbs 31 Sisters Network and get a free blog that way!
When you add your link below with the Mr.Linky… please add the link directly to your post on Family Worship – not to your main blog. This way, folks don’t have to go searching for the Family Worship post!
A Year of Family Worship: Scripture Adventures
Yesterday I discovered a new Scripture Memory product that you can download for free! Scripture Adventures 21 Day Bible Memory Verse Challenge is perfect for your whole family!
Over the course of 21 days you and your children will learn 12 meaningful verses from the Bible. Here is what the author says at the beginning of the e-workbook:
21 DAY BIBLE VERSE MEMORY CHALLENGE
They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Why not form a habit that will put God’s Word in the hearts of your children for a lifetime? In the next twenty-one days, you and your children will begin a journey that will get you learning and loving the messages of the Bible. In just five minutes a day, you will help your children memorize, review, and retain important Bible verses that will help them love and live God’s Word.
The e-workbook is well-done, and the ideas and activities presented will help you and your children form a solid habit of memorizing Scripture.
Scripture memory is such an important gift we can give our children (and ourselves) so why not make it fun?
This week, my daughter Emily has taken a special interest in selecting verses for us to memorize. Because she showed an interest, I have encouraged her to continue choosing verses for us to memorize as a family. Assigning children different responsibilities for Family Worship time helps them feel connected to the family and a part of the worship experience.
What have you been up to this week?
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If you would like to take part in A Year of Family Worship, add your blog to the Mr. Linky below. If you don’t have a blog, you can add your comments in the comment section! You can read about A Year of Family Worship here. And you can see the 52 Weeks of Family Worship here.
Each Wednesday, we will add a new post for A Year of Family Worship and you can do the same. Share your goals, experiences, and ideas for family worship with the rest of us!
If you do not have a blog… you can either post your ideas here in the comments or even join our Proverbs 31 Sisters Network and get a free blog that way!
When you add your link below with the Mr.Linky… please add the link directly to your post on Family Worship – not to your main blog. This way, folks don’t have to go searching for the Family Worship post!
A Year of Family Worship: Praying for Our Worship Experience
Have you prayed about it?
Teaching our children to worship God with respect and reverence and with adoring love is not something to take lightly. So have you prayed about it?
What is it that God wants you to teach your children through family worship? What is it God wants you to learn through family worship? How can family worship bring you closer as a family?
Prayer should be our first priority no matter what it is we are undertaking. During worship our hearts should be open to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Sometimes trying to keep little ones still and interested can seem like an uphill battle. If you are having a hard time with your little ones (or even the older children) bring it to God! Ask Him to bless your worship experience and to show you exactly what you should be praying for and what your worship time should focus on.
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If you would like to take part in A Year of Family Worship, add your blog to the Mr. Linky below. If you don’t have a blog, you can add your comments in the comment section! You can read about A Year of Family Worship here. And you can see the 52 Weeks of Family Worship here.
Each Wednesday, we will add a new post for A Year of Family Worship and you can do the same. Share your goals, experiences, and ideas for family worship with the rest of us!
If you do not have a blog… you can either post your ideas here in the comments or even join our Proverbs 31 Sisters Network and get a free blog that way!
When you add your link below with the Mr.Linky… please add the link directly to your post on Family Worship – not to your main blog. This way, folks don’t have to go searching for the Family Worship post!
Q & A: How to Wake Up Without Waking the Kids
Photo Credit: Mehmet Goren
Q: Hi Melissa! I am reading through some of the Spring Cleaning reading you’ve given us, and I’m coming across a question that I’ve had in the past and have never come up with a solution for. How do I manage waking up early for devotion and getting breakfast ready for my family without disturbing their sleep?
I have two kids (ages 2 and 3) who are light sleepers, and I worry that an alarm will wake them since they’ve been known to wake up at the sound of a car driving by outside. They generally wake up around dawn anyway, so I really don’t want to wake them earlier because they won’t be getting enough sleep. With this in mind, I have wanted to wake in the morning to do a devotional each day and start the day off right, but I can’t figure out how to make it work without disrupting the rest of my family. Do you have any suggestions? Or alternatively, do you have any suggestions on how I can do a morning devotional if they’re awake with me?
I’m sorry to bother you with such a silly question, but it’s something that’s been circling my mind for months and I just don’t know what to do with it. I know that as they get older things will be different, but I would like to find at least a temporary solution for now.
– Amy
A: Hi Amy, I understand how hard this can be. I had a baby, (she’s 9 now) who would wake up at any noise and was sooo hard to put to sleep! This is not a silly question! I am so glad you asked!
First, I would pray about it.
Second, go to bed early enough that waking up early is easy.
Third, ask God to help you wake up at a specific time. (I can’t count the times I have asked God to wake me up at a certain time and He has! )
I use my cell phone for my alarm clock. My husband uses our actual alarm clock. But with my cell phone I can set the ringer on real low – say 2 or 3. and it will wake me up. I don’t know if that would work for you.
So, if none of those ideas work, I’d have my devotions at the breakfast table either during or just after we ate.
I usually do family worship with my kids just after breakfast. Since your children are little you could have family worship and then tell the kids to go play for 15 or 30 minutes (whatever you feel your kids can handle) while you have your “Mommmy Worship Time.”
If they try to bother you during that time tell them that they have to wait until you are done. If you have a problem with them listening to you, try setting an egg timer and telling them that when they hear it “ding” they can come out of their rooms (or where ever they are playing).
This time will pass quickly and it will get easier as time goes on. One day you will miss all this! I hope these suggestions work. May God bless your efforts!
– Melissa
