crissycates.com

Living life on purpose.

Easy Verse Memorization: An Essential Tool for You and Your Kids

As a kid raised in an old Baptist church (we were there every time the doors were open), I’m pretty sure I was born knowing John 3:16 by heart. I remember being shocked when dating my husband and he told me he didn’t have that verse memorized. (What a heathen he is.) Having said that, I can’t say I continued on the path of scripture memorization as I grew older. I never grasped the value it holds until I became an adult and realized the impact of having those verses inscribed on my heart to guide me.

The Bible relays to us that memorizing scripture is kind of a big deal.

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

I should not only be memorizing scripture myself, but also (and especially) be teaching my children to memorize scripture. If they don’t learn it while they’re young, they will miss out on the many blessings and comfort it provides. If it’s a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105), we certainly should not rob ourselves and our children of such a tool.VIEW POST

Our Spring Break Bucket List

Spring Break Bucket List 

Can you believe it’s already here? It seems like we just wrapped up the Christmas holidays, but we’re not complaining! Summer is going to be here before we know it, and with the winter we’ve had, I swear I won’t complain about the Texas heat. I mean, I’ll try not to. 😉

As usual, Spring Break is going to be low-key for us. We relish our time at home void of busy schedules and demands. The only bad thing is that, although we enjoy going without a clock or calendar on these few and far between occasions, let’s be honest – those 5 days fly by super fast! I came up with some Spring Break Bucket List items to help us be more intentional with our time spent together. We’ll try to get to all of these next week!

Play a game of front yard family baseball. Baseball season is upon us, and it never hurt anyone to get outdoors and be active!

Have a family movie night. Popcorn + family + movie = FUN!

Date your mate. Because date nights don’t happen often enough!

Create a work of art. Maybe I’ll take the kids to Painting With a Twist like we did last Spring Break, or maybe I’ll let them get creative here at home with supplies or Legos!

Perform 3 random acts of kindness. Pay for someone’s order in the drive-through, tape a dollar to a soda machine, mow someone’s lawn, pick up trash at the park…get creative!

Take a treat to your neighbor. Dinner, cookies, flowers, a candy bar, a picture drawn by your kids…

Call your grandparents. They’d love to hear from you and your littles! Better yet – pay them a visit!

Read a book. This is always a good idea! I’d like us to finish up our current selection, Wonder.

Gaze at the stars in the night sky. I’ve been wanting to throw a blanket in the bed of the truck and watch for shooting stars, but we haven’t ever made time for it. This seems like a perfect week with both nice weather and time on our hands!

Get in or on the water. It might still be chilly, but dip your toes (or make a splash!) in the lake, ocean, or pool, and/or take a boat ride!

Parenting On Purpose and For a Purpose

Are you projecting a bright future for your children?

Having the opportunity to project a positive future for our children is incredible. Knowing that I have the power to influence my kids’ beliefs about themselves that will shape the rest of their lives is great…and maybe a little weighty.

You see, the words we speak to our children become their inner voice. They will inevitably believe about themselves what we believe about them. They learn what we believe about them by both the words we say and how we treat them. There are some foundational truths that must be instilled in our children in order for them to have the best chance in life. Sure – they’ll likely survive without them, but we want so much more for our kids than simple survival, right?

They need to know they are loved no matter what.

Kids usually know they are loved, but so often they will test the boundaries of that love to see if it has limits. When they find consistent rules, loving and appropriate discipline, and genuine shepherding of their hearts (not just demands of outward obedience), children learn 1) that your love is not conditional, and 2) you are a trustworthy and unwavering support system. Whether or not these truths are established will determine the framework for your lifelong relationship with your children (and even their relationships with others). No pressure!VIEW POST

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