ABC Bible Verses: K, L, M

Week 11: K - "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies" Psalm 34:13
*sigh* as mentioned in the first post on the ABC verses, I would pick up our list on Mondays and teach the verse over breakfast. Then we'd review it throughout the day and Tuesday do an activity that helped us remember it. So I picked up the list and thought "GREAT verse - how in the WORLD am I ever going to help them understand it? and WHAT kind of activity could we possibly do?"
We reviewed it over breakfast and gave them a chance to hear it a couple of times. Miles immediately started to tackle it mentally but kept swapping words around and leaving things out. I told him to be patient and we'd talk about it after we'd cleaned up from breakfast. I knew we needed this verse and that it would address some of the things we're struggling with!
So, we cleaned up and talked about it again. This time he scoffed, "How can my tongue do evil?" *DING* (lightbulb went off). I asked the boys what evil means and then to give me examples of some evil/bad/wrong things we can say to each other (they loved that).  We talked about how it's not just our tongue or lips that say bad things but they come from our heart!

Then I said, "Now try saying a bad thing about your brother without using your tongue". It is AMAZING how much children like the silliest little things.

This attempt got them going on talking with their tongues out so we did the verse in that way (neep nor nun shrun emul an nor nits nrom nellin nies). We practiced it that way for a while and then I had an idea for an activity!

The next day we made puppets from paper bags with big tongues hanging out (Will chose to make a puppy puppet and Miles made himself as a superhero). Then the puppets said the verse! Now it's memorized!!

Week 12: L
I really don't know what happened to L. I'll check with the boys after naps and see if we even did it! I think we did but I can't recall what it was!

Week 13:M  "My little children, do not love in word only but in deed and action" 1 John 3:18.
We've been doing "M" for two weeks now that school has started back and things are a little more crazy (not many pajama days around here). And I think now, that we may have memorized it wrongly but we'll work on it. I really like this version (the Good News translation) "My little children, our love should not be just words and talk, it must be true love; which shows itself in action". The boys are still getting tripped up over some the words and syntax but when asked what it means they say, "Don't just say it; do it"! And I LOVE that they get the meaning!


 I'm so proud of the boys for all the time they took to learn them with me (did they have a choice?!) and for Jake's support! He would get so excited when he would come home and they would have learned a new verse. Jake also got into "gentle reminders" through the verses we memorized!
I'm so thankful that my friend, Melanie, taught her girls last summer and was an example to me! I pray that it won't end here (I still feel like we need to make it to "Z" even though the summer is over) and that the boys would cultivate a hunger for Scripture in their lives through our summer verses!
BTW - if you want to memorize the verses and you don't feel like "coming up with" activites like we did (only b/c I didn't have a copy of the book) check out Susan Hunt's "My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts" or find their page on Facebook under the same name. Apparently she has little devotionals that go with each verse and activities to do together!

ABC Bible Verses: H, I, J

Week 8: H - "He is not here. He is risen" Matthew 28:6
We got to talk through the story of Jesus, why He died for us, how He trades us his forgiveness for our mistakes and how He didn't STAY in the tomb - but rose from the dead!

Week 9: I - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13.
What a GREAT verse! Miles has recently started saying, "I can't do it" and this is a great way for us to remind him that he CAN and that God is always there to help him (whether he feels he has the strength or not). These verses are also really convicting to us as parents. We CAN do all things through Christ (we can be consistent, loving and expecting the best, finding the energy to do laundry, dishes, make food, fix endless amounts of sippy cups for thirsty children AND find time to play with them at the things they love).

Week 10: J - "Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" John 14:6
This verse is really DEEP! Whoever knew? (Whoever taught it to a preschooler knew!) The boys have started telling little white lies around our house (as most kids do, I suppose). Mostly because they don't want to get in trouble or they want something to be so they feel their words can make it so! But this verse reminds us that Jesus is THE TRUTH! He is the real way, no matter what ways we attempt to contrive something to be so. He is forgiveness. He is love. He is peace. He is hope. He is LIFE. He is ...

ABC Bible Verses

Week 4: D - "Do everything without complaining" Philippians 2:14
AH! This is one of my favorite weeks!! I especially love the way Will says, "wuhout tumpaining". I had to watch myself on this week, too! How easy it is to complain about the struggles around us?? We all go through it, we decide to upload a photo and what we expect will take us a couple of minutes takes up so much time that naptime is over before we know it!! What a great gift to give our children to take it all in stride, to hold our tongue before we complain and to face everything with the grace of Christ! I need more of this verse in my life! By this week, I've quit trying to stress where it's found (just letting them know it's in the Bible). They were starting to mix up all the numbers and books and I decided at their age, the important thing is that they get the VERSE! We will work on Books as they get a little older and chapters and verses after that (after all, the chapters and verses weren't put there by God anyway!)

Week 5: E - "Every good and perfect gift is from above" James 1:17
This week were packing up and heading for Pensacola to visit Jake's family there. Before we headed out, we downloaded a box template from Microsoft Works. Then I let the boys color a sheet of paper drawing whatever they liked! Miles has gotten very interested in drawing lately and can draw some spectacular people! This week, though, he was interested in drawing aliens, Santa Claus aliens, and space ships full of eyes. Will is still pretty much filling up the paper with color - he hardly leaves a speck of white! After they colored, we traced the templates and cut our paper (meaning, the boys cut and I tried to turn the paper quickly enough to catch the blades at just the right angle)!! Then they each got to use a glue stick and attach the sides of their little box! After that, I let them pick a prize and put it in the box. We talked about how every good thing comes to us from God; our friends and family, our food, our house, our car, our toys, our clothes, everything! My trip to India has had an indelible impact on the boys because in moments like this they frequently ask me if children in India have _____ (a house, a car, clothes, etc).

After we got our boxes set, we headed out to pick up Memomma and drive to Pensacola. On the way, we stopped at Bates House of Turkey (and if you have never eaten there it is a true "rest"aurant)! They had the perfect children's plate (some turkey, a pickle, carrot sticks, etc). As we finished up, Memomma and I were commenting that we needed to get a dessert. The waitress overheard us and said, "We actually closed a few minutes ago". It was disappointing but we got gathered up to leave. Before we could, the waitress arrived with two pieces of pie. She said, "The Manager said to give these to you". I burst out, "Every good and perfect gift is from above" .... what a precious teaching moment for the boys! He is constantly showering us with good gifts out of nowhere!

Miles hasn't quite gotten this verse, but I haven't corrected him because I like his version as well, "Every good and PEACEFUL gift is from above"!

Week 6: F - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will have everlasting life" - John 3:16.
I wasn't sure how well we would do with a verse this long! Miles (realizing that prizes were involved as well as a desire to learn it before anyone else) mastered it within a couple of hours. I love the way he kept saying it, "whoever belives in Him will have ever-LIVING life" (isn't funny how they get the true meaning?)

Week 7: G - "God is love" 1 John 4:8
After last week's LOOONG verse, we were excited about this one! We had lots of conversations about how God loves us, how He shows us that love and how we can be loving like God!