HELP YOUR KIDS LEARN AND LOVE THE BIBLE
ISBN 978 0 764 237 942
LONG STORY SHORT: ten minute devotionals to
draw your family to God
ISBN 978 1 935 273 813
MEALS WITH JESUS
ISBN 978 1 784 985 769
101 DEVOTIONS FOR GUYS
ISBN 978 1 781 919 828
101 DEVOTIONS FOR GIRLS
ISBN 978 1 781 919 835
ASK: Real World Questions, Real Word Answers
ISBN 978 1 527 103 399
Samuel Pepys and Anne Frank had at least one thing in common – they both wrote diaries that are now in print. Keeping a journal requires discipline that not all of us have, however, as Wake, Shower, Eat, Repeat seems too dull to write about.
Yet, regularity in life is important. We all need good eating and hygiene habits. Spiritual habits require consistency too.
Good spiritual habits
So, as we teach children to brush their teeth and eat ‘five a day’ we should teach them and ourselves to wash our souls in the word and benefit from its spiritual nourishment with the same commitment with which we eat our meals.
There are some great resources to help you do just that.
Check out Thinkingkidsblog.org. I’ve been impressed with its Bible curriculum material and there are a couple of simple, inexpensive, devotional calendar downloads. The author is a good source of book reviews and has recently written Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible (Bethany House).
A Bible calendar on your kitchen table is a good way to encourage a short family devotional time each morning. I have used a perpetual calendar myself in the past which makes sense financially as it is something that you can reuse year on year. Try online at Eden.com for a good selection of spiral-bound options. Day One Publishing also have their own range of calendars – one specifically designed for children.
Marty Machowski is an author that I would definitely add to my list of favourite Christian children’s authors – ones that you can trust. He is the author of Long Story Short – ten-minute devotionals to draw your family to God, (New Growth Press). This book just goes to show that a regular commitment to Bible reading and prayer does not need hours of your day. And there is enough material here to cover 78 weeks.
One other title worth mentioning is The Good Book Company’s Meals with Jesus. This goes through the book of Luke in ten minutes a day for 34 days. It has some optional extras for those days that are less frantic than others.
Before they fly
Devotions for tweens and teens are important to get right. If good habits are formed at a young age they can easily be lost in puberty. So, build up your teens before they fly the nest with some books that are cool enough and small enough for a teenage backpack. Christian Focus has two devotionals: 101 Devotions for Guys and 101 Devotions for Girls. David Robertson’s book ASK is larger in format but expertly combines apologetics, Scripture as well as prayer.
Using any of these resources mentioned or a combination of them would be a good way of integrating the word of God into family life. Read, Pray, Repeat becoming a normal and soul enriching part of the every day.
