Summer School
Posted in Daily Focus on Tuesday, June 3, 2014
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Psalm 1:2).
The first day of summer break was here, and my children were excited to enjoy a different homeschooling schedule for the next several months. Expecting a new routine, my children were surprised the first morning when we started our day with a Bible lesson and prayer. "Mom," my young son said. "I thought we weren't doing school during the summer months."
"Well, you're right," I replied, "but God commands us to daily stay in His Word, and there's no such thing as a summer vacation from the Bible."
Summertime can be a temptation for Christians to go on holiday from studying God's Word. With so many outdoor activities and vacations, we are distracted from our normal routine and forget the importance of feasting on God's Word. Like the nation of Israel, we must feed on our heavenly manna one day at a time to maintain our spiritual strength, even during those times when we travel to new and exciting places. Since the Bible is the spiritual food that nourishes our soul and keeps us from sin, we must maintain a disciplined study of its truths all year long.
What about your homeschooling family? Have you made lesson plans to continue teaching God's Word to your children this summer? Whether you dive into a particular book in the Bible or develop a topical study, school is never out for studying God's Word. "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8).
Father, thank You for Your holy Word that guides and strengthens. Forgive me for thinking I can live without studying and meditating on its truths each day. Please, give me wisdom this summer to teach Your Word to my children. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Comments(16 comments)
CHRISTINA L 06/03/2010 06:12:28
I couldn't agree more with this!
PATTI C 06/03/2011 04:07:35
"...the Bible is the spiritual food that nourishes our soul and keeps us from sin, we must maintain a disciplined study of its truths all year long."
Oh, did I need this reminder today. Often I wonder what is going on with my kids, fighting, not listening. Then I realize just what you said, no spiritual food to nourish and keep them from sin....and the same goes for me too! Thank you for this.
KELLY S 06/03/2011 04:48:06
Do you have a devotional book for kids that you would recommend to use for devotions? We have devotions every night, but it usually consists of reading a random verse or two and prayer. It would be nice to have a resource to make it more enjoyable for the kids.
MAYA T 06/03/2011 08:25:50
I confess, I must do better at this. I do read, but I have missed a day or two myself. I do devotions with my kids as a course. I do feel it is necessary to get the word into them. I will do better. I repent. Lord, forgive me.
LISA M 06/03/2011 09:39:08
I am convinced that treating God's word like "another assignment" is a formula for spiritual disaster. That is why I don't enroll my kids into a Bible curriculum during the school year. God's word is special and far more important than any other subject. This does not mean we do not study God's word. We do, but in a light, open forum way that encourages participation and application. Memorization is vital as well.
As a pastor's daughter, Sunday school, and Christian school student, I was so inundated with Bible homework and quizzes, that I lost interest completely. By my freshman year of high school, I actually flunked Bible class. The treasure of God's word was lost to me because it wasn't taught in an applicable way.
I am not against Bible curriculum completely, especially for older children, because it's written for all the right reasons...to help us grow spiritually. The danger comes when we stray from the actual Scriptures and replace it with man's supplements.
We start each morning, except Sunday, with few verses in whatever passage we are in. Rather than just read, we dissect. What do these words mean? Get out the dictionary. What other time in the Bible was this topic discussed? Without explanation, kids' eyes glaze over and they just put up with it because they have to. Act out an army marching or put on a play. Apply It!!! Without personal application, the Word of God is lost and has no meaning.
CARIN M 06/03/2011 10:21:17
Bible is the most meaningful part of our home school. I could never go 3 months without it; it is the one element of our lives that keeps my children grounded.
SUSAN G 06/03/2011 11:15:58
You are right! I am going to purchase a family devotional so it will be easy to stay in God's Word! Susan
GREGORY S 06/03/2011 12:34:54
Amen
TRISTA J 06/03/2011 19:50:04
To Kelly S.... There are a lot of really good devotionals for kids or families available. Your local Christian bookstore should be able to recommend something appropriate for the age(s) of your child(ren). They even have devotionals featuring specific characters or themes for kids. I have found a surprisingly large selection of daily devotionals for kids at the local big bookstore. My younger children and I often make up our own devotionals/bible studies based on whatever is troubling or challenging them in them lives. That is something you can do without any book other than a bible. For example, my four year old suffered a number of small disappointments this week, so yesterday we sat down for our usual morning devo time and just talked and wondered aloud about how God uses disappointments to help us grow in character, and to lead us in new directions, or to show us how following our earthly desires can lead us away from Him. We then looked up a few related scriptures and today he was working on memorizing a new verse. He is also getting very skillful at using the concordance and indices at the back of his bible thanks to this method, not to mention what it does for his vocabulary and reading abilities! As Lisa M pointed out, study needs to be applicable to really stick, and creating our own devotionals from what is actually going on seems to really help with retention, especially with the young ones. Or you can also pick and choose from a daily devotional book instead of following it in order. Sometimes our study is completely kid-directed! Whatever materials you choose to use for daily devotions, I promise the time spent in study and conversation with your child(ren) will be some of the richest and most rewarding you will have homeschooling! I will pray for you all and your studies of God's wonderful word.
Trista
CHRISTY W 06/06/2011 09:30:09
I truly agree! Gods word should always be our daily bread. Already written daily ddevotions are a great way to have Godly influenced conversations with your children. On the other hand, some of those devotions are Biblicly incorrect...so just be careful of what you buy...make sure the writter is one that you are familiar with and ALWAYS read the preface. If you have trouble finding the right devotions for your family take the story books that you already own and find a scripture that realtes to it.....just an idea :) The time that you spend with your children directing them towards God is priceless. God bless you all in your homeschool walk with Christ.
C.W.
P.S. if anyone is looking for a great homeschool group in the Chicagoland area check out jcroots.com (JC Christian Roots Homeschool & Publications)...they have loads of info there.
JENNIFER B 06/03/2012 05:43:51
God\'s word is The SOURCE. Anything else we use-devotionals, curriculum, etc-are REsources. They should support, reinforce, and teach only the truths found in God\'s Word. They can be an excellent tool, but should not replace opening the Bible itself and reading directly from it daily. I appreciate these posts and those who comment. May we all be blessed with wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and strength to live it daily as we read and apply God\'s Word. May we instill in our children the same exciting daily habit and point others to the Word as well! Thanks be to God for His rich blessings and for His Gifts!
KATHY S 06/03/2012 07:37:00
Prayer and Praise. That\'s what we do here. I have little Devotional books, that my Brother who knows the Bible word for word purchased for us, so Inknow they are safe.
I feel badly that I struggle just reading the Bible with my son. Some of the wording seems more complicated than what it really is.
We like to watch movies about different Biblical characters, such as Joeseph.
Frankly, I remember more from the Veggie tales we watched when my son was little than anything!lol)
Anyway, I need to somehow incorporate the actual Bible into our school day. Jesus, always in our day, and more and more each day. I guess God works with each one iof us on different levels at different times in our lives.
I do agree with the one lady who commented on trying to make it not boring. As a child I was raised Catholic, we were taught about Saint this one and that ine. I never understood the Mass, it confused me more than anything, and there is not much I remember from my chilhood teachings from the Catholiv school except those \"Creeds\" yo0u had to repeat over and over. I can actually go to a Funeral Mass and remember the Creeds, just because we said them so much.
And for some people, they know,understand and remember in that particular faith, I personally, never had any desire for church as a child. I always Loved Jesus though.
Since then we\'ve since changed to a \"Non-denominational Christian\" Church. I feel as though the church is so \"Alive\". I understand everything that our Pastors say, and I really enjoy attending.
So, my point being, teach, learn,and worship our Lord Jesus, in whatever way you can do it best. He knows your heart, he will hear you and help you. I\'ll have to ask him for Bible Lesson assistance! Amen
LINDSEY G 06/04/2012 04:11:05
We love Jesus Calling for Kids by Sarah Young. If you\'ve ever been blessed by her original devotional for adults, Jesus Calling, you\'ll probably love her version for children/ families. Blessings to all of you.
TRACY MINYARD 06/03/2013 13:40:05
In the summer we participate in the Bible Bee. In Bible Bee the whole family studies one book of the Bible all summer. This is more in depth and a bit of work, but we have seen amazing rewards- of course! The first summer was hard but now I look at the competition as a little bonus and try to help the kids see that too. We focus more on studying scripture together and memorizing scripture is a reward in itself. We get the music cd and sing in the van together. I am doing the high school study this year to show them it is important to me too. My husband is reading a commentary and leading a weekly study with our family.
RUTH RODRIGUEZ 06/03/2013 13:43:19
Kelly S, I used "letters from my king." My kids are 7 and 10 and they love this devotional. It is one page of God writing to them with a Bible verse to "back up" that letter, plus a second short page of your child's prayer to Him as an answer to His letter. It is beautiful. Check it out at www.christianbook.com.
DEB WYLAND 06/03/2013 17:14:56
Great scripture! We are doing Thriving Family's "around the World in 60 Days" this summer. It includes a map, daily scriptures, facts about each country and continent studied, and how you can pray for the people of this place. There are even some activities and recipes along the way! If interested, go to thrivingfamily.com and search for "around the world in 60 days." Focus on the family website has free printable family devotionals, too. Or follow a devo plan on your Bible app (you version) if you have one. Lots of free resources! Thanks for your encouraging devos!