Deuteronomy 6:7 says to talk about God's commands/word when you lie down. One of the first things I did to implement God's word into bedtime was quoting Psalm 23 to my boys as they were going to bed.
I got the idea from Mark Cravens. It wasn't hard. I already knew Psalm 23. So I quoted, modernized the language a bit from the KJV (e.g., He leads instead of leadeth), and added hand motions to dramatize it a bit.
The boys loved it and by 3 Allan could quote it from memory! Now they beg for a psalm before I leave the room!
My oldest son just turned ten. While this fact makes me feel a bit older than I would like to feel, the age is a very special time - he is now almost a man.
Brandy (my wife) and I decided that ten, in our house, will forever be a very special time for our kids. To make it special, we held a kind of ceremony during his birthday where we presented him with a small, but private, prayer journal. Inside the prayer journal were two blessings - one written by my wife and one written by myself. Embedded in the blessings was an explanation of his role as the oldest of the children (to lead and protect his younger siblings both spiritually and physically) but also a demand that he grow closer to God, himself, or he won't be able to do it.
Every night before bed, our son is supposed to write out his prayers or requests in order to keep a record of his spiritual blessings. Already, the Lord has moved in his life for he testifies that God has helped him not get so frustrated with his math schoolwork, etc., etc.
The other day I was in his room and I saw his prayer journal on his bed, so I snuck a peak. His latest entry was a request that "papa" not yell at him - we had just had a scolding session not too long before. Of course, you can imagine the horrible feeling that came over me - how am I to compete with that?!
In the end, though, this nightly prayer journal for our new little "almost-a-man-so-it-is-time-to-start-preparing-yourself" guy should help guide him in the right direction, especially since in just two more years he becomes a real man.
I love Justins idea. I have a 10 year old daug and have struggled with how do I get her to really draw closer to the Lord. She struggles with emotional and anxiety issues, but I also know if you she could depend more on God she could overcome them. I just might have to get her a journal and encourage her in this way.
Deuteronomy 6:7 says to talk about God's commands/word when you lie down. One of the first things I did to implement God's word into bedtime was quoting Psalm 23 to my boys as they were going to bed.
ReplyDeleteI got the idea from Mark Cravens. It wasn't hard. I already knew Psalm 23. So I quoted, modernized the language a bit from the KJV (e.g., He leads instead of leadeth), and added hand motions to dramatize it a bit.
The boys loved it and by 3 Allan could quote it from memory! Now they beg for a psalm before I leave the room!
I think ill try this!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest son just turned ten. While this fact makes me feel a bit older than I would like to feel, the age is a very special time - he is now almost a man.
ReplyDeleteBrandy (my wife) and I decided that ten, in our house, will forever be a very special time for our kids. To make it special, we held a kind of ceremony during his birthday where we presented him with a small, but private, prayer journal. Inside the prayer journal were two blessings - one written by my wife and one written by myself. Embedded in the blessings was an explanation of his role as the oldest of the children (to lead and protect his younger siblings both spiritually and physically) but also a demand that he grow closer to God, himself, or he won't be able to do it.
Every night before bed, our son is supposed to write out his prayers or requests in order to keep a record of his spiritual blessings. Already, the Lord has moved in his life for he testifies that God has helped him not get so frustrated with his math schoolwork, etc., etc.
The other day I was in his room and I saw his prayer journal on his bed, so I snuck a peak. His latest entry was a request that "papa" not yell at him - we had just had a scolding session not too long before. Of course, you can imagine the horrible feeling that came over me - how am I to compete with that?!
In the end, though, this nightly prayer journal for our new little "almost-a-man-so-it-is-time-to-start-preparing-yourself" guy should help guide him in the right direction, especially since in just two more years he becomes a real man.
I love Justins idea. I have a 10 year old daug and have struggled with how do I get her to really draw closer to the Lord. She struggles with emotional and anxiety issues, but I also know if you she could depend more on God she could overcome them. I just might have to get her a journal and encourage her in this way.
ReplyDelete