In our home, we often try to use scripture as bedtime prayers with our kids, especially these 3 particular Psalms. Of course, we all know how typical bedtime prayers go: "Now I lay me down to sleep..." "Father, we thank Thee for night..." My wife and I try to pray with our kids every night before they go to sleep. Probably a lot of Christian parents do the same. One way to infuse a lot of rich meaning into bedtime prayers is to use fitting verses from the Psalms. Reciting a short section from the Psalms not only fills our children's minds with God's truths as they drift off to sleep, but doing so repeatedly can ...Read More
5 Reasons to Teach Kids the Apostles’ Creed
It is ironic we even need to be persuaded about this issue today. The Apostles' Creed is one of the oldest Christian creeds, confessed by believers as a summary of the faith for more than 1600 years. Yet I know parents who would painstakingly teach their children to memorize Bible verses, math facts, Latin vocabulary, and famous speeches, but would find the Apostles' Creed a waste of time. Why is the Apostles' Creed worthy to take up space in our kids' brains? 1. It teaches our kids that Christianity is "confessional." For the last couple hundred years, American Christianity has by-in-large moved away from the ...Read More
3 Great Psalms to Use for Mealtime Blessings
There are some wonderful Psalms to Use for Mealtime Blessings for your family. "God is great, God is good..." "Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts..." There are a number of good traditional Christian mealtime blessings out there, but why not use meals as a opportunities to also teach Bible verses? There are three really great Psalms to use for mealtime blessings. Let's look a bit closely at them together. Tip: post one of these psalms in your dining area and recite it during meals. Or post all three: one for breakfast, another for lunch, another for dinner. If you recite these before every meal, your children ...Read More
3 Reasons Your Family Should Memorize Philippians 2
If you have your children memorize Scripture, unless you plan on memorizing the whole Bible, you're going to have to be choosy. What passages should you memorize? There are many texts in the Bible worth memorizing, but this last school year our family chose Philippians 2:1-18. Each night during family devotions we helped each other to recite the passage, little by little, until the whole thing was committed to memory. Why did we settle on Philippians 2? Why did we choose this over other passages? 3 Reasons to Memorize Philippians 2 1. If you’re looking for a concise passage that marries central Christian ...Read More
The Day I Became Dad & Husband at the Same Time (or, Why Dating Single Moms is Cool)
Six years ago today I met the woman of my dreams. A couple weeks before, we found each other on eHarmony, and we arranged to meet for our first date. Trisha and I continued to date for several months, and less than seven months after our first date, we were married. When I met Trisha, she was a single mother of a three-year-old. (Her first husband died when their son was only seven months old.) As our dating relationship progressed, as we got more serious, the sobering thought kept returning to my mind: I could be this little boy's dad some day. On Christmas Eve 2007, I proposed to Trisha at a family party. That ...Read More
5 Great Bible Verses for Kids to Memorize About Patience
Are your kids struggling to learn how to be patience? Here are 5 great Bible verses for kids to memorize about patience. They can help adults learn about patience, too! I'm a fairly impatient person. Unfortunately, some of my kids have picked up this nasty trait as well. For some, patience might be a more natural virtue, but the Bible teaches that true Christlike patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Here are several passages that can be a great help to your kids when it comes to the area of patience. Have them commit one or two of these to memory. (If you're like me, you might needs a few of these ...Read More
4 Good Reasons to Buy eBooks
I was telling someone about a bundle of ebooks I recently purchased for some ridiculously low price. Her response was, "Oh, that would be a good deal if they were real books." Well, yeah, I thought, "It would be cool if I could spend $0.99 and get the latest hardcover best-seller, shipping included, delivered to my doorstep instantly. But since we don't live in Mr. Roger's Magical Land of Make-Believe, I guess I'll have to settle for this inferior downloadable option." Actually, I've started to prefer ebooks to to physical copies for a variety of reasons. Don't get me wrong, there are many things about physical ...Read More
10 Reasons Why Your Kids Should Memorize the 10 Commandments
There are many texts in the Bible worth memorizing. Why is Exodus 20:1-21 such a good passage learn? 1. God highlighted the importance of the Ten Commandments by how he gave them to His people. The giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai is the one time in human history a large group of people undeniably heard the audible voice of God (Exodus 20:1,19; Deuteronomy 5:4-5,24-26). They are the only part of Scripture that was literally “hand-written” by God Himself on tablets of stone (Exodus 24:12-13; 31:18; Deuteronomy 9:10). Among all of God’s words, the Ten Commandments alone were carried in the Ark of the ...Read More
