I’m slowly emerging from the first-trimester fog and hope to be back to blogging soon. In the meantime, I want to tell everyone about a new cd from Seeds Music–“The Power of Encouragement.”
I was fortunate enough to get this cd a while ago, and my kids LOVE it. Their favorite songs are “Take Heart” and “Go.” My favorite is “A Servant to All,” which talks about anyone who wants to be first being last. One day after we’d been listening to this cd, Christopher decided to give up his turn to choose what video to watch and quoted the verse! I have to admit, this has only happened once, but it made my day! This cd is upbeat and the Bible verses are terrific ones for both me and the kids to commit to memory. I highly recommend it! We also have the Faith and Praise cds, and they are excellent as well. Click here to see a previous post I wrote about these great cds.
Galatians 6:7-9: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
One of my most important jobs as a mom is to plant seeds of God’s truth in my children’s hearts. Two great tools I have been using recently are Steve Green’s Hide ‘Em in Your Hearts CD and my new CD’s from Seeds Music. I love the Steve Green CD, but the Seeds music CD’s are FABULOUS. (Thank you, Julie, for introducing me to them!) They have adults and children singing, but it is so well done that I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself listening to them even without kids in the backseat. Honestly, the Ephesians 2:8 song brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. I have the Praise and Faith albums, and I plan to order the others soon.
It is such a blessing for me to watch my kids as they listen to God’s Word set to music. I pray that God will take these seeds we are planting and grow them into living, active faith in Christ. I’ll admit it, I’m becoming a bit of a fanatic. It is hard to get excited about singing about bus drivers and climbing spiders with my kids when we could be singing, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). There’s just nothing better than the Word of God.
This post is part of Works For Me Wednesday at Rocks In My Dryer. Head over there to see everyone else’s great ideas. You’ll be glad you did.
Scripture memory is important at our house. It began with teaching Christopher the basics of faith and life–Ephesians 6:1, Romans 3:23, Psalm 119:105, John 3:16, etc. Last year, Christopher did AWANAS, a children’s Scripture memory program. Most of the verses were pretty short, and I started coming up with little tunes to help him remember some of the longer verses. After all, Christopher had been able to learn to spell his name at a young age after I came up with a simple jingle. He still sings it to himself as he is writing is name. (Eleven letters is a lot for a 4-year-old. Note to self: Give future children shorter names.)
A year ago, I decided we could all benefit from memorizing the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. I had tried in vain to memorize them myself over the years. But when I set the verses to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” it stuck. Christopher can easily remember the song, even if it has been a few months since we reviewed it. I will let him demonstrate:
Now if I could only teach the application of these verses by better living them out, especially in my interaction with my kids!
I’ve also tried setting I Corinthians 13 to “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” but I’m not sure its the best fit. Have you set Bible verses to music for your kids or have another memorization tip? Leave me a comment and tell me about it!
Addendum to original post (7/6/09): Since this post, one primary way I have used to teach Scripture to my kids are the wonderful CDs made by Seeds Family Worship. Visit their site to order CD’s or read posts I have written about them–they are fantastic!
I am a redeemed child of God, rescued from my sin by the blood of Christ alone. I am a wife and stay-at-home mom to my two sweet boys, ages 4 and 6, and a baby girl who will turn one in April. I love reading, writing, watching football, and scrapbooking in my abundant free time (ha!). I spend most of my day answering "why?" questions, sweeping my kitchen floor, and trying not to sound exasperated as I say "because I told you to" for the 100th time.
I have found motherhood to be the toughest challenge I've ever encountered, and I am learning more and more to rely on Christ's grace and strength. I write this blog with three goals in mind: that God would be glorified, that other moms would be encouraged, and that I would be reminded of the great lessons God is teaching me along the way.
The Bible (obviously.)
"Don't Make Me Count to Three" by Ginger Plowman
"Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp
"31 Days of Prayer for My Child" by Allison Yates Gaskins & Susan Yates
"Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
"Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow
"Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit" by Teri Maxwell