Scripture Memory - Hive Resources

A family devotional for the New Year

January 15, 2015 By: demingglobal11 Comment

Looking for a new family devotional to kick off the New Year? Then check out the recently released I Can Learn the Bible: 52 Devotions and Scriptures for Kids by Holly Hawkins Shivers. Published by Tommy Nelson, this weekly devotional will help you hide God’s Word in even the smallest heart in your home.

I Can Learn the Bible

Here’s what’s inside:

— a short and relatable devotion based on 52 Scripture verses

— explanations and illustrations of each verse that children can understand

— helpful discussion questions for parents to use in prompting their children to apply the passage to their lives

There are a number of things I enjoyed about this book, like the fill-in-the-blank statements sprinkled throughout the text that help prompt discussion.

The author also offers a sample daily schedule of simple activities for parents to help their children memorize the weekly passage. A far cry from the moralistic lessons typically found in children’s religious material, I particularly appreciated how the author embedded a biblical worldview into each devotional.

Ultimately, I love the author’s encouragement to parents feeling the pressure to raise godly children. In her introduction, she writes:

“…we can educate our children with a biblical worldview, we can enroll them in church activities and teach them principles to the best of our abilities, and we can pray for them, discipline them, and love them well. But there is nothing like the Word of God being planted in their hearts, taking root, and producing genuine spiritual growth. Ultimately, the spiritual well-being of our children rests in the hands of God – He will form and strengthen them through His Word and His Spirit.”

Overall, this is a wonderful devotional for families just starting to carve out time together in God’s Word, as well as for families with children ages 5-12. My only criticism is the illustrations are not available as Scripture cards or printable 8×10’s for framing. Now THAT would be fun!

Thanks to Tommy Nelson for providing a copy for review. You can purchase I Can Learn the Bible at the link. And psst, the kindle version is only $1.99 right now!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, click here.

About

Melissa Deming is the creator of Hive Resources — a site to help women sweeten their walk with Christ through Bible study, ministry and missions resources, and more. She is the author of "Daughters of the King: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Story." Melissa has an M.Div. in Women’s Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Missional motherhood: When you’re tempted to thrown in the towel on quiet times

June 2, 2014 By: demingglobal14 Comments

Keeping God’s Word in our hearts can seem like an insurmountable challenge during the darker days of mommydom.

It seems, lately, that each time I sit down to read God’s Word, I’m thwarted. It’s like my kids have a radar that tells them when I open my Bible or shut the bathroom door. Yelling starts, fighting commences, or one decides at just that particular moment to tell he’s awfully sorry, but there’s been “an accident” and a small clean-up on aisle 5 is needed.

And I watch that precious flame of peace that flickered ever so slightly when I sat down on the couch suddenly get extinguished with a giant bucket of water.

When the bottom falls out and frustration sets in, it’s tempting to throw in the towel on ever having a quiet time. But missional motherhood cannot happen without spending regular time in God’s Word and prayer. It is through the Scriptures, after all, that God aligns our hearts with His heart and helps us to see others how He sees them – with gospel eyes.

Last year, I was able to wake for early devotions before our house sprung to life. I grew spiritually by leaps and bounds as I poured over the Psalms in prayer and praise almost every morning.

This year, however, my boys’ sleeping schedules changed (age 5) without explanation. I suddenly found myself propelled back to the newborn stage getting up 2-3 times a night with each child. And when I finally dragged myself out of bed in the morning, meaningful devotions suddenly became a herculean feat.

For most of this year, I struggled with my inability to maintain my 5 a.m. wake-up call. I felt discouraged, deflated, and extremely frustrated. Finally, I had to come to terms with the fact that quiet times are going to look different at different stages of motherhood. There will be some seasons I can wake to a quiet home and other times I will need to adjust to shorter devotions.

Missional motherhood is NOT about meeting an imaginary standard I’ve set for myself, but trusting my Savior in the midst of challenging days (and nights!).

Looking back, I realize the year I was able to wake at 5 a.m. was a gracious gift meant to prepare me for the difficult days ahead. Many of the truths I gleaned from my walk through the Psalms last year sustained me while our family journeyed over rockier roads and dry patches we never expected to navigate.

So, how did I have a quiet time during those challenging seasons? Here’s a few ideas for mothers are tempted to thrown in towel on ever having a quiet time again.

Read the Bible together (but separate!)

If a child woke early, I’d set them on the couch with their story Bible of choice while I read next to them in my Bible.

I found this worked best, when we had a special reading area already set up. We had our Bibles in a basket by the couch, and I’d give them a granola bar to tide them over until breakfast.

Read the Bible while they are occupied

And by occupied I mean watching TV. I know, I can hear you gasping, but on the difficult days I made this choice, I was renewed, strengthened, and able to finish the day with the right heart. The key is not making a habit of hiring technology to babysit your kids. Remember, this is just a season!

Rely on Scripture memory cards

This year, I positioned Scripture memory cards in prominent places in my home (like above my kitchen sink) to help me to keep God’s Word in my heart. In fact, I started the Abide Groups last Spring when I was desperately clinging to the truths of God’s promises.

On those days where 20-30 minutes of peace to read my Bible could not be found, I used the cards to help me dwell on the riches of God’s love as I scraped leftover casserole from my corning wear.

Sometimes moments of peace can only happen outside the home. If you work, take Scripture cards with you on your morning commute. If you work out, take the cards to the gym.

When I was younger, my mother memorized the entire book of Ephesians on her morning walks. She kept her verses on index cards, but now you can track your progress on your smart phone as you work out.

Remember down time

As missional mothers, we must be intentional with the few hours of quiet we’re given each day. Taking advantage of down time is one way to sneak in a quiet time.

When my children were smaller, I often napped when they napped. For mothers of newborns this can be essential! Today, I’m more tempted to catch up a season of Downtown Abby on Netflix when those rare and glorious afternoon naps roll around, but spending time in God’s Word is usually the better choice for me.

New moms know best what their bodies and souls need, and those needs might change daily. The key is to pay attention to our hearts during those seasons, whatever they might be, and seek our Savior above all else.

So, stay encouraged, Mom, in whatever season you find yourself in! Regardless of where or how you are able to squeeze in a quiet time, be intentional to allow God’s Word to fuel your mission as a missional mother.

Hey, busy Mom! What do you do to sneak in a quiet time?

About

Free Leaders Guide for Memorizing 1 Cor. 13

February 13, 2014 By: demingglobal1comment

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Yesterday, I learned that a women’s group from a local church was taking my 4-week Scripture Memory Challenge for 1 Cor. 13 and forming their own Abide Group.

In case, you’d like to form a small group to keep you accountable to meditate on God’s Word, I’ve compiled all my notes into one downloadable PDF.

Free download

In this file, you’ll find talking points, discussion questions, and the Scripture card for each week. Download the 1 Cor. 13 Leader’s Guide here!

My Abide Group missed a few weeks here and there due to scheduling, but next week is our final meeting. The group has been such a blessing to me as I try to dwell on God’s Word and allow it to change my heart.

Here’s some ideas for your group:

Keep your group small

You’ll want to give everyone in your group a chance to recite the week’s designated memory verse. You’ll also want to include an appropriate amount of time to discuss what the Spirit has shown group members and allow for questions. Small group numbers facilitate better, more intimate conversation.

My group consists of four ladies from my church plus myself. Any larger and I think intimacy would be a little more challenging.

Keep your schedule rather than rescheduling around missing group members

I created the Abide Scripture Memory Groups with a short-term schedule in mind simply because I didn’t want anyone to loose steam in their passion to memorize a specific passage. Postponing your meeting only slows down the memorization momentum.

Keep Scripture memory a priority throughout the week

The point of the Abide Group is to dwell on God’s Word throughout the week. Group members will get more out of the challenge if they are actively allowing their minds to meditate on God’s truth. That’s how God’s Word transforms our hearts. But if we save memorization for the last minute, we won’t get very much out of it!

Keep an eye out for potential leaders

Discipleship is a task entrusted to every believer, not just those gifted with teaching skills. As mentors, we need to keep our eyes open for training potential leaders capable of rightly dividing God’s Word. The goal of the Abide Groups is to multiply. That means, Abide group leaders should encourage another group member to pray about starting and leading their own group.

Keep it fun!

Bring small prizes with you to give to ladies who have completed their memory work. Bring bigger prizes if they can repeat their designated verses along with all the verses from the previous week. For smaller prizes, I’ve given out candy. For larger prizes, I’ve raided my “gift bin” for small trinkets.

Are you forming your own Abide Group? I’d love to hear from you and how God has transformed your heart by meditating on His Word!