Time for Me & God

Well this is a topic about which I've read a little lately on other's blogs (Confessions of a Homeschooler and Granola Mom 4 God). It is always interesting and encouraging to find out that other people have the same struggles I do. Thinking I am sub-par in the "quiet time" area, compared to other moms who are keeping up with blogs, creating all sorts of curriculum and printables, and raising and teaching more kids than I have... I find that we are all the same when it comes to this real issue of spending time alone with the Lord, studying/meditating on His Word, and praying. It is something I go through in phases, depending on my schedule, the stage in life my kids are in, and even my own "dry spells" and complacency. I have found that if I can come up with (and keep) a schedule that I adhere to almost daily, then I am more likely to have this quality time in the Bible. I love schedules because they help me stay organized, remember what comes next, and give me a visual of what my day should look like.

Within the past 3 months, I have found that the schedule for my Time for Me & God works best after lunch when Lively goes down for a nap. I can put some cartoons on for Cutlet and settle down for a nice hour of relaxation, Bible reading, and communication with my Father. Right now this happens in my room, on my bed. We are still living with my in-laws after returning to the USA from Peru in mid-December. Once we get into our own house (sometime after summer???), then we'll see if my locale changes. But for now, it's great!

I have decided that I will pick a book of the Bible and just go through it, reading a bit each day, and really trying to focus on everything the passage is saying, referring to footnotes and other Scripture to help me gain a better understanding of what is being communicated. Currently I am working through Nehemiah, and it has been absolutely wonderful... with many timely, applicable themes to my life right now. It is a thought-provoking experience, and I am loving it!

From the Mouth of [Impressionable] Babes

Last night we were reviewing our Bible verses. Cutlet has now learned Genesis 1:1, John 3:16, and John 1:1. We've been trying to get Romans 3:23 down for awhile now, but for some reason he cannot remember "For all". He will say "For God" ... then stop. Or he'll just keep going with that and say John 3:16 altogether. But once we give him the word "all", he runs with it and knows the rest by heart. It's been difficult knowing what to do to get him to remember it. Granted we only review at night before bed, and I've thought maybe I should work with him in the morning as well. I just haven't. So finally last night I just had him repeat over and over: For all... For all... For all... For all... He was finally able to say it once by himself with no prompts. 

But the amazing thing was that in the middle of our frustration with Cutlet in trying to get him to say Romans 3:23, our little 2yo Lively just started into it all by herself in her cute little 2yo voice:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

WHAT?!? Did I just hear that right?

Amazing. I'm constantly reminded of how quickly and easily little minds grasp words, phrases and concepts. I just pray that "the words of my mouth ... [may] ... be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" so that my kids would hear and reproduce Truth and not foolish, crass talk. Amen.

Scripture Memory

This is one thing I wish I were better at. I remember back when I was a kid and my mom came up with a list of Bible verses we were going to memorize during one summer, but I don't remember what ever happened during the course of those school-less days... I'm the type of person who needs structure, lists and goals, and I thrive under the auspices of a coach and cheerleader to help me get the job done!

As I was perusing the Simply Charlotte Mason website, I came across the Scripture Memory System and read a few reviews. I am impressed at how it works, and I was also pleased to see that even the wee ones can start in on this right away! My ds is 4 years old, and even though we aren't officially homeschooling yet, this is something we can begin NOW and develop into a good habit (as a family even). And this will be one less new thing to introduce. I want my kids to begin to hide the Word of God in their hearts and let the work of the Holy Spirit begin to mold their hearts and minds.

We just started about 3 weeks ago. Since we were beginning again in the Jesus Storybook Bible, I decided to delve deeper into the story of Creation (see earlier post on our Creation lapbook). In addition, I figured this would be a good place to start with memorizing an easy Bible verse. So I am pleased to announce that Cutlet knows by heart:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

Now we are working on:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever

believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Last night Prince Charming & I delved into the Bible, looking for more verses to teach Cutlet as he begins mastering verse after verse. We came up with about 20 or so (for now!), including longer passages like Psalm 23.

We look forward to the upcoming days, months and years... hopefully being able to look back on these precious times with satisfaction of having accomplished what we set out to do ... and not wondering whatever happened during the course of those school-less days.