One of the Prayer Projects we utilize with our children is a P.R.A.Y. Journal. This is for them to record their prayers, giving them 4 areas to pray about, using the acronym P.R.A.Y. Daily specifics are written for each area. We want to teach them to think about their prayers, not utter vain repetitions.
P. is for Praise and Thanksgiving. We write our Praise to God and what we are Thankful to Him for.
R. is for Repentance. We ask for forgiveness and help to turn away from our sins.
A. is for Ask. We ask that our needs and those of others be met.
Y. is for Yield. We surrender all to Him, for His service.
We utilize pretty P.R.A.Y. Journal pages that are 1/2 letter size. You can put them in a 8.5 x 5.5″ binder, or spiral or comb-bind them. (Spiral is probably the easiest for children to use them.) Utilizing these journal pages works best, at least until the children are old hats at this, because each page has a section labeled as to what area they are to pray and write about. There are many styles to choose from, showing the wonders of God’s creation. You can make a whole journal of just your one favorite, or mix and match them for variety.
If you don’t want to print off a page for each day and bind them, you can just print off the instructional page and paste it into the front of a Composition Notebook, to serve as a reminder of what to pray for and write. This works OK with older children who are already doing P.R.A.Y. Journals well, but is not as helpful for younger children or those just starting.
Enjoy this helpful way of teaching your children to Pray through Journaling. It is an awesome tool for both your children and yourself.
See other ways we help our children learn to pray here.
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
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In discipling our children one of the things we need to teach them is how to pray. If we don’t, they will be forever stuck in their vain repetitions. Prayer will hold little meaning if they don’t “get it” that we are praying to a real Person - the One who made us, loves us, cares for us. The ONLY One who is powerful enough to help us in all our needs. He cares for us and wants us to talk with Him. He’s always available to listen.
Our Lord has taught us to pray and we can use that to teach our children. But we must beware that this also does not become a vain repetition. Prayer needs to be from the heart.
In our family we have several tools we use to assist our children in learning to pray.
1. I pray around them and with them. They see and hear mama praying all through the day about all things. As I go about my day and something comes up, I pray. When they come to me with a need - or I go to them! - we pray. Whether it be a skinned knee, or a discipline problem, they know God is interested and is there to help.
2. We all pray together as a family. Each one prays aloud during our morning and evening family worship times. They hear not only mama, but also all the other family members praying.
3. We teach them specifics about prayer, from God’s Word. We take note throughout the Bible as to what He teaches about prayer, but we also specifically study His teaching to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them to pray.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism gives a good summary of this teaching, and we really enjoy the book, Training Hearts Teaching Minds, which gives a short daily devotional that helps explain the questions and answers to children. Although we do memorize the questions and answers, it is not just rote memorization, it is in the context of reading and discussing the questions and answers and the Scriptures they are based upon. We also use other books and resources, especially with the older children. (Read more about Notebooking our way through the Shorter Catechism.)
4. We utilize Prayer Projects, usually within our morning family worship time. One is a Family Journal of Prayer Requests. In this Notebook (spiral bound or Composition) we list needs as they come up. This may be the needs in our own family, or of friends and neighbors, or others God brings across our path in our community, nation, or world. We list the need and the date, then check it off and date it when the answer comes.
5. Another Prayer Project is our Focused Prayer List of those we pray for regularly. We have a schedule to help us remember to pray for various people and areas of need. The goal is to pray specifically for these things, for their current situations and needs. We’ve used both a simple page in my Redeeming the Time Journal and a more elaborate Lapbook format for this project. (Read more about our Focused Prayer List.)
6. I also teach our children to Journal their prayers. It is such a blessing to go back through these and see what God has brought us through. Our P.R.A.Y. Journals help us in this. We write specifics for 4 areas of prayer, based on the acronym P.R.A.Y. (Read more about P.R.A.Y. Journals.)
Begin using one of these tools today to help your child develop a meaningful prayer life. Add other tools as the Lord leads you. Don’t feel you have to do all of them all of the time. These aren’t a ritualistic format. They are just tools that help us teach.
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
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National Bible Week ~ Nov. 23-30
Join us this week in studying and celebrating the history of the Bible and its enormous influence on our culture.
Perhaps you’d like to order a historic Bible, like the Geneva Bible, the Bible of the Reformation, that the Pilgrims brought with them to this New World. This was the first study Bible with commentary notes - as well as chapter and verse divisions.
Some of our favorite resources appropriate for getting or giving this week - and using every week! - are:
Geneva Bible 1599 edition - the Bible of the Reformation - also available: 1560 edition
KJV Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible - my favorite study Bible, because it contains a Strong’s concordance of key words and a Lexicon (yet still is not a “hefty” Bible) - new 2008 edition!
Giant Print New King James Bible - for beginning readers (or anyone who has trouble with smaller print.)
Bible on mp3 - KJV narrated by Alexander Scourby
How the Bible Came to Us - short interesting story, with many colorful illustrations and some activities.
The Scripture Guide - Uncle Austin, The Bible Man, teaches his 2 nephews about the Bible over their holiday. Great story.
The Child’s Story Bible - by Catherine Vos. Our favorite family story Bible.
What the Bible is All About - Get a good overview of the big picture of the Bible.
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
1 Thessalonians 5:23
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Posted in L.E.D. Bible & Worship
I could go many different places with that title. And many of you probably know my ultimate answer - renewing your own mind. But what I want to look at today is what area of learning should we start to renew our own mind in when beginning to apply a biblically principled education in our homes.
I believe we begin with our foundation, the Bible itself. We need to KNOW the Bible, to have it internalized. Learn how to study the Bible, how to deduce principles - find wisdom therein, and apply it to our lives, and also learn the content of the Bible, its unified message and stucture. This will be completely fleshed out in Freedom & Simplicity™ in Bible, and bits and pieces can be found in the L.E.D. Bible & Worship category of this blog and on the L.E.D. webpages.
The other area I believe is key to begin in is HisStory. Just as the Bible reveals God’s Plan. HisStory demonstrates the outworking of His Plan, in the lives of men and nations. Everything we study will connect to these two things - God’s Word and God’s World. In our studies of HisStory we apply our methods of study through reasoning, to apply Biblical principles, apply the lessons learned to our own lives and the world around us. We first lay down the foundations of the origin, purpose, principles and rudiments of HisStory, and then begin to study through the content of HisStory, looking at it through this Big Picture foundation, and studying it through our reflective methods. Freedom & Simplicity™ in HisStory fleshes this all out, leading you through how to learn and teach HisStory. In addition, you will find bits and pieces on the L.E.D. HisStory category of this blog and on the L.E.D. webpages.
What can you do in the meantime, while you are renewing your mind and learning how to teach by biblical principles? Check out this article.
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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A couple questions have been asked about my Bible Lessons post. Here’s a little more information, both on the basics and details end of things.
1. We follow the Freedom & Simplicity™ in Bible method and schedule (not yet published) and have a "routine" of going through the Bible each year (or so. We just keep going until we’re done, then start over again.) It is divided into 6 terms each year, relating to the PIPEline and each year we study different things within each of those terms. Term 1 covers Creation & Flood links. Term 2 covers the Patriarchs link and Moses, from the Law link, Term 3 continues the Law link (including Judges, Kings & Prophets), Term 4 covers Jesus Christ, Immanuel (the Gospels), Term 5 covers the Early Church (the letters of Paul), Term 6 Early Church (the letters of others).
We do NOT try to cover EVERYTHING (every person, every event) in the Bible each year. We cover different aspects, and usually within a Theme for the Term. The Theme is a thread that runs through all the lessons connecting them, as the Theme of Covenant ran through those I posted.
2. The other questions I got mainly had to do with our last lesson and the connections made there. I’ll just share a Scripture or 2 that will help you get started on your own study of this.
Most of you already know Jesus is the Lamb of God, slain, and His blood covers the sins of His people, delivering them from death. For a direct starting Scripture, to make the reasoning easy for your students 
, 1 Cor. 5:7 says, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us."
A starting Scripture for the other connections is in 1 Cor. 10:1-4, "all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." We are told in John 6 (see especially vs. 51) that Jesus is the bread of life, come down from Heaven. In John 4 & 7 makes further connection to the living water that comes from the Rock that is Christ (1 Cor. 10). We "eat and drink" of Christ after salvation, and that is represented and celebrated as we partake of the Lord’s Supper.
This is built upon our other lessons and the connections made there: Egypt - the world, land of slavery, to sin; Pharoah - satan, "god of this world" of sin; after Passover (salvation) leaving "Egypt" behind, defeating "Pharoah", then baptism, crossing over to new life of freedom and following God (the cloudy and fiery pillar), and walking through the wilderness being fed from Heaven, and worshipping God in the tabernacle (we are the temple of the Holy Ghost,) until we cross over into the Promised Land.
Are you excited to study out this awesome principle of Representation through the story of the Covenant of God in the lives of Moses and the Israelites yet? I’d say these were our favorite lessons, but I think I said that about our Lessons on "In the Image of…"
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Posted in L.E.D. Bible & Worship
Sometimes this journey of home education is not just "The Road Less Traveled", it’s a roller coaster of ups, downs, and sharp turns. As we follow and teach Lifestyle Education through Discipleship™, education based on biblical principles, we try to present the Freedom & Simplicity™ of home education in the Spirit, grounded on the Word. Well, my nicely laid out chart for our Freedom & Simplicity™ in Bible course is, of course, completely grounded on the Word. But following the direction of the Spirit within that sometimes leads to an adventurous ride.
We just completed this term, which for our Bible course covered the PIPEline period of the Patriarchs to the Law, Abraham to Moses. On my chart it had a few nicely termed titles for the themes of each week, but as I studied to prepare to teach, I saw how God had orchestrated it to come together. A clear theme of Covenant was being laid through each week, each lesson.
The first week we studied Abraham. We studied the giving and the promise of the covenant - initiated by God, the sign of the covenant - circumcision, faithful to the covenant - the test of sacrifice.
The second week studied Isaac, heir of the covenant. We studied human covenants under God’s - and those under covenant in a covenant household, the servant sent for the Bride, the marriage covenant.
The third week we studied Jacob, unworthy of the covenant. The unlikely choice for the covenant, wrestling to enter the covenant, servant of the covenant.
The fourth week we studied Joseph, learning to walk faithful to the covenant. We studied his knowing the call but being proud - pride comes before a fall, his faithfulness through his humbling - God’s means of refining, and God lifting him up - and Joseph seeing "God meant it all for good."
The fifth week we studied Moses, re-instater of the covenant. We studied Moses’ confronted by the covenant - and his excuses, his failure to bring his son up in the covenant, and God’s power through the covenant.
The sixth week we studied Israel and symbols/representations of the covenant. We studied the passover - and its relation to salvation, the crossing of the Red Sea - and its relation to baptism, and the manna and water in the wilderness - and its relation to communion.
The best laid plans are those directed and brought together by God Himself, the author and finisher of our faith. As I studied His Word, He was faithful to lay out our plans in such as AWESOME way.
We didn’t just study these stories in and of themselves, reading, researching, and recording what we found. But we studied through them in relation to what God had for US in them, reasoning, relating, and releasing the application to our lives, and how God wanted us to grow through studying this. It is amazing, but I still continue to be amazed at how home education in the Spirit, grounded on the Word brings such Freedom & Simplicity™.
What holds us and our families securely on the path of life?
Genuine faith will always involve reliance upon the biblical Christ. If the integrity of the message about Christ is compromised, children may put their faith in something other than the true Savior—that is, "another Jesus" and "a different gospel" (2 Corinthians 11:4).
Jim Eliff relates our lifeline to a ferry cable that keeps it from being carried downstream.
Consider the importance of that cable, and then think about this: God’s Word is such a cable for our children. If they are ever going to renounce "ungodliness and worldly desires" and follow Christ (Titus 2:12), they must hear the truth. We must apply what the Apostle Paul makes lucid through a series of questions in Romans 10:
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? . . . So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (vv. 14, 17)
Faith depends upon the facts of Christ’s saving work. As parents, grandparents, pastors, and teachers of children, we are obligated to make these facts as clear as possible. A child’s real understanding of the gospel is in God’s hands (cf. Romans 9:16), but our children cannot believe unless they hear the truth. They should grow up breathing biblical air!
He goes on to share three obvious practical implications. Read the whole article here. It’s a worthy short read.
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Greetings from Me and My House,
This week we are finishing our first term. In Bible that means we are finishing our studies in Beginnings. This year’s focus has been on the principle of God’s Design.
We have looked at God’s Transcendence, how He is different than anything else, His incommunicable attributes. All else is created by Him and apart from Him.
Then we looked at Man in the Image of God, how God has “communicated” (shared) some of His attributes to some degree with man, making him different than any other thing in Creation.
Next we looked at God’s Design in the Heavens and Earth - in Time, Space, and Matter, and in living things to reproduce “after their kind”, and the purpose for Creation.
The next week was one of the hardest for me to bring together. But we saw that there is even Design in temptation, satan’s perverted methods really don’t change much, nor does the result of sin.
Last week we looked at God’s Design in the life of Noah. I’ve already blogged about that, how amazing His Sovereignty is even in the “smallest” of details.
This week we are looking at the beginnings of nations, God’s Design in Noah’s sons. We’ve mapped where the various families settled and began building nations. We’ve looked at the prophesy given by Noah and saw God’s Design for fulfilling His dominion mandate through the lives of men. Once more we are amazed at what we can learn from the “jots and tittles” written thousands of years ago.
Though we are moving on after this week, we’ve by no means exhausted these areas. But they will be revisited from a different angle again, as we build our learning, here a little, there a little.
After 20-some years of serious Bible study, (after 20-some years of mostly Bible stories before that,) I still stand amazed at the freshness and depth of God’s Word, teaching us something new everytime we gaze into it.
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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Greetings from Me and My House,
Well, contemporary to the time period we are studying - early 1800’s.
The last couple weeks or so we have been studying the War of 1812 - looking at God’s Providence, cause and effect, individuality, and such. We’ve met the men and lived through their battles. One of the things we’ve done is had the children each pick a battle and draw it and then narrate from their drawing what happened.
One of the key people we looked at was not a big General or fighting war hero. We didn’t look at him initially or even primarily for what he is most known for. We took a back door, and fell in love with him for a scripturally rich hymn he wrote. He wrote of his inexpressible praise for God, and for all He has done and does.
We saw in action a quote we memorized at the beginning of the year: "A good hymn is the best use to which poetry can be devoted.", by another poet of renown, John Greenleaf Whittier.
Our poet is Francis Scott Key, if you haven’t guessed yet. Of course, once the children knew who it was, they knew what he is most famous for (our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner,) and his and its connection to the War of 1812.
We learned the other verses of the Star Spangled Banner and saw the depth in them, and realized that like hymns, you really don’t know the author’s heart, intent and message if you don’t know all the verses. We lose much Biblical teaching by eliminating some of them.
The hymn we learned is Lord, with Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee. Click here for the words. It’ll be worth it.
For Me and My House ~ At Jesus’ feet,
Lisa @ Me and My House ~ Discipleship for Life!
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