Let's Give 'Em Something to Talk About!
Warning: Bragging Alert!
In the last few weeks, two of my children have been praised to our church congregation as well as to my husband and me personally. In the early days I used to shrug it off, but now I listen intently knowing that these are rare and precious words to a mother's ears. (I also know that it probably means that they are going to do something terrible in the next few minutes!)
My sixteen-year-old was publicly praised for having completed a Bible course on the book of Exodus and on receiving a superior grade on the four hour test to follow. He was given high acclamation for his debating skills when discussing passages concerning the hardening of Pharaoh's heart and others. My eleven-year-old was privately praised for knowing all of the answers to random Bible fact questions. Heavenly music to the ears of a mother who is attempting deliberate discipleship.
How do I disciple my children in the Word?
The answer goes back a few generations.
My model of deliberate discipleship came from my mother. She is by all definitions a planner and very deliberate. It was my mother who taught me to read, to sing, to play the piano, to memorize scripture, to keep house, to be a good student, etc. She has recounted the conversation she had with my father before my oldest brother was born in which they decided that they would teach their children everything that they knew. And they did!
But their main goal was to teach us the Bible. My mother learned the Bible from her parents as well as from her preacher when she was young. She had a very earnest preacher named Hall Crowder who, with his wife Alice, was intent on teaching the Bible to people of all ages. Together they held an after school Bible hour for school-aged children at the church building where they would learn scripture, play games, and have a wonderful time together. They were such an inspiration to my mother that she named her first daughter after Alice. It was from these mentors that my mother learned methods of teaching and inspiring children in the Word. These were passed on to me. And I am intent on passing them on to my children as well.
"So what are these secret discipling ways?" you ask. They really aren't a secret, for they have been a blessing to many children through the years.
1. Read the Bible every night to your children.
My parents read the Bible with us. And I read the Bible with my children. When they were young I read from age appropriate Bible story books. Our favorites include Egermeier's Bible Story Book (out of print, find it on Amazon,) Bedtime Bible Story Book by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut which I found at the Dollar General Store, and a CD collection called Bible Songs & Stories for Children by Sunny Day Studios that my youngest listened to EVERY night at bedtime.
When they got older I read straight from the Bible. We have read through The Daily Bible at least once with the older ones. I am currently reading through the Bible using the amazing curriculum developed by Mary Baker, a personal friend. It is called The Bible Study Guide for All Ages. (You can find this on the internet.) Mary wrote this curriculum for use with her own four children at home. There are four units which cover the entire Bible complete with review questions, a timeline, maps, drills, songs (CD), and game ideas. I've been using this curriculum in Sunday School for about 12 years and am on course to cover the entire Bible at home with my younger two before one leaves for college.
With the Bible as our tutor, we learn so many things together and are able to discuss situations as they arise in the scripture. It's ALL IN THERE!
I know your burning question. EVERY night? Yes. Why do I say every night? Because even our best intentions will likely produce 5 or 6 nights if we aim for 7. And why is it important to aim for 7? Because if we say that we are putting God first, but we are not learning His ways and teaching them to our children, then we are not being honest. How else can we "Train up a child in the way he should go: (and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6))? The Word is our training tool.
When Moses says, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise (Deut. 6:6-7)," I take that to mean that the Lord's commands should be something we KNOW. The Israelite people to whom Moses was speaking didn't have a Bible to flip though. They weren't packing around personal stone tablets. They had to KNOW these commands. They had to have them implanted in their brains. How did they do this? They taught them, talked about them, and repeated them many times during the day. How else can we learn something without studying it? Without practicing it/repeating it?
Reading the Bible to my children regularly is hands down the best mothering decision I ever made.
2. Memorize the scripture.
"9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 110:9-16
If we want to avoid sinning, we must hide the word in our heart. The wonderful thing about children is that they memorize things so easily! I always say it's because they don't have years' worth of clutter in their little brains. But if you have kids, you know this is true. They can pick up words and sentences so quickly in the preschool/elementary years which is perfect for memorizing scripture. And since it is learned at such an early age, it is more likely to "stick" than it might in an adult or older person. INCREDIBLE!
These eager little sponges can soak up God's words (literally) so that later they can dissect it and find out the how's and why's. Let's take advantage of this wonderful gift God has given us as parents to pour the Word into our little ones in the early years!
Sounds great.
Now how?
My mother had lists of important scriptures that are foundational to the Christian faith. These included the names of the books of the Bible, days of creation, the 12 sons of Jacob, the 10 Commandments, the names of the judges of Israel, and the 10 Egyptian plagues. Early verses were Gen. 1:1, John 3:16, and Acts 2:38. She would display a list in Sunday school. Every time a child memorized a verse, they received a star and were able to move on to the next scripture.
When I began teaching, I used these same scriptures. There was wonderful participation with the addition of a prize from the treasure box with each passage learned. My own children were able to memorize numerous passages, up to chapters at a time. We practiced every night during Bible story time as well as on the way to worship service on Sundays. What a blessing!
3. Sing scripture songs.
There are literally hundreds of songs written with lyrics to Bible verses. And as you probably know, kids love to sing and they can learn songs in less than a minute. Before you know it, they are singing the Bible! My mother taught me numerous scripture songs which I have passed along.
Some great Bible songs albums we sing along with are Wee Sing Bible Songs and Wee Sing More Bible Songs when the kids are young. Also, Steve Green's Hide 'Em in Your Heart albums and The Bible Study Guide's Children's Songs CD. There are surely many more.
Currently we sing hymns and praise songs together. There is almost nothing sweeter than hearing four part harmony coming from the mouths your own disciples while singing words about the Father. We sing in worship services, in the car, and around the piano.
And don't forget about the Christian radio station for trips in the car! We even plug in our phone and and sing to "Days of Elijah" or "Alpha and Omega" or anything else we have a mind to.
These are three ways that deliberate discipleship has been passed down to me. These are ways I have intentionally taught my children about the Lord. (Not to overlook regular Sunday morning and Wednesday night worship, youth group activities, service projects, Bible camp, etc.) So when someone wants to relay something significant about my children's Bible knowledge, I don't take it as "luck" or "happenstance." I am thankful and thrilled to see that through God's power they are "getting it" and that others notice! My children are making an impression on all those around them. (We all are EVERY MINUTE.) And I want it to be the "This Little Light of Mine" kind of impression!
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." I Tim. 4:12
With conscious and purposeful action we can guide our disciples' hearts and minds into becoming the followers of Christ and examples that we all strive to be!
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like he dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." Psalm 37:4-6
P.S. Thank you to the ones who have recently recognized the good qualities in my children. I have come to realize what a wonderful blessing and encouragement we can be to each other when we acknowledge these gifts. Words matter!
"So what are these secret discipling ways?" you ask. They really aren't a secret, for they have been a blessing to many children through the years.
1. Read the Bible every night to your children.
My parents read the Bible with us. And I read the Bible with my children. When they were young I read from age appropriate Bible story books. Our favorites include Egermeier's Bible Story Book (out of print, find it on Amazon,) Bedtime Bible Story Book by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut which I found at the Dollar General Store, and a CD collection called Bible Songs & Stories for Children by Sunny Day Studios that my youngest listened to EVERY night at bedtime.
When they got older I read straight from the Bible. We have read through The Daily Bible at least once with the older ones. I am currently reading through the Bible using the amazing curriculum developed by Mary Baker, a personal friend. It is called The Bible Study Guide for All Ages. (You can find this on the internet.) Mary wrote this curriculum for use with her own four children at home. There are four units which cover the entire Bible complete with review questions, a timeline, maps, drills, songs (CD), and game ideas. I've been using this curriculum in Sunday School for about 12 years and am on course to cover the entire Bible at home with my younger two before one leaves for college.
With the Bible as our tutor, we learn so many things together and are able to discuss situations as they arise in the scripture. It's ALL IN THERE!
I know your burning question. EVERY night? Yes. Why do I say every night? Because even our best intentions will likely produce 5 or 6 nights if we aim for 7. And why is it important to aim for 7? Because if we say that we are putting God first, but we are not learning His ways and teaching them to our children, then we are not being honest. How else can we "Train up a child in the way he should go: (and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6))? The Word is our training tool.
When Moses says, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise (Deut. 6:6-7)," I take that to mean that the Lord's commands should be something we KNOW. The Israelite people to whom Moses was speaking didn't have a Bible to flip though. They weren't packing around personal stone tablets. They had to KNOW these commands. They had to have them implanted in their brains. How did they do this? They taught them, talked about them, and repeated them many times during the day. How else can we learn something without studying it? Without practicing it/repeating it?
Reading the Bible to my children regularly is hands down the best mothering decision I ever made.
2. Memorize the scripture.
"9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 110:9-16
If we want to avoid sinning, we must hide the word in our heart. The wonderful thing about children is that they memorize things so easily! I always say it's because they don't have years' worth of clutter in their little brains. But if you have kids, you know this is true. They can pick up words and sentences so quickly in the preschool/elementary years which is perfect for memorizing scripture. And since it is learned at such an early age, it is more likely to "stick" than it might in an adult or older person. INCREDIBLE!
These eager little sponges can soak up God's words (literally) so that later they can dissect it and find out the how's and why's. Let's take advantage of this wonderful gift God has given us as parents to pour the Word into our little ones in the early years!
Sounds great.
Now how?
My mother had lists of important scriptures that are foundational to the Christian faith. These included the names of the books of the Bible, days of creation, the 12 sons of Jacob, the 10 Commandments, the names of the judges of Israel, and the 10 Egyptian plagues. Early verses were Gen. 1:1, John 3:16, and Acts 2:38. She would display a list in Sunday school. Every time a child memorized a verse, they received a star and were able to move on to the next scripture.
When I began teaching, I used these same scriptures. There was wonderful participation with the addition of a prize from the treasure box with each passage learned. My own children were able to memorize numerous passages, up to chapters at a time. We practiced every night during Bible story time as well as on the way to worship service on Sundays. What a blessing!
3. Sing scripture songs.
There are literally hundreds of songs written with lyrics to Bible verses. And as you probably know, kids love to sing and they can learn songs in less than a minute. Before you know it, they are singing the Bible! My mother taught me numerous scripture songs which I have passed along.
Some great Bible songs albums we sing along with are Wee Sing Bible Songs and Wee Sing More Bible Songs when the kids are young. Also, Steve Green's Hide 'Em in Your Heart albums and The Bible Study Guide's Children's Songs CD. There are surely many more.
Currently we sing hymns and praise songs together. There is almost nothing sweeter than hearing four part harmony coming from the mouths your own disciples while singing words about the Father. We sing in worship services, in the car, and around the piano.
And don't forget about the Christian radio station for trips in the car! We even plug in our phone and and sing to "Days of Elijah" or "Alpha and Omega" or anything else we have a mind to.
These are three ways that deliberate discipleship has been passed down to me. These are ways I have intentionally taught my children about the Lord. (Not to overlook regular Sunday morning and Wednesday night worship, youth group activities, service projects, Bible camp, etc.) So when someone wants to relay something significant about my children's Bible knowledge, I don't take it as "luck" or "happenstance." I am thankful and thrilled to see that through God's power they are "getting it" and that others notice! My children are making an impression on all those around them. (We all are EVERY MINUTE.) And I want it to be the "This Little Light of Mine" kind of impression!
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." I Tim. 4:12
With conscious and purposeful action we can guide our disciples' hearts and minds into becoming the followers of Christ and examples that we all strive to be!
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like he dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." Psalm 37:4-6
P.S. Thank you to the ones who have recently recognized the good qualities in my children. I have come to realize what a wonderful blessing and encouragement we can be to each other when we acknowledge these gifts. Words matter!
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