Timothy Moms Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Challenge: Week #1

This is the first week of the Deuteronomy 6:6-7 challenge. I decided to start this challenge mostly just to hold myself accountable and to purposefully plan to speak God's word to my children throughout our day.

I already have the desire to plant God's word in their hearts, but the challenge is to do as Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says and teach them when we wake up and walk along the road and sit in our house and when we go to bed at night. I'm so inclined to think teaching my kids God's word has to be some home version of "Sunday school." But Deuteronomy 6:6-7 tells me that God's way is much more natural than that. He just wants me to talk with them all day long, in every situation, and to use every opportunity to share with them what He's already written on my heart.

So each week I'll lay out a simple instruction for us to follow. The challenge is to do as Deut.6:6-7 says and draw what we talk about with our kids out of the Word we already have hidden IN OUR OWN HEARTS! We can't give to our kids what we haven't taken in for ourselves.

This week's instruction and challenge is:

1.Choose a favorite worship song you love to sing to the Lord and/or a favorite verse you have memorized and treasure for yourself.

2.When your child/children wake up the challenge is to sing your tune to them or speak your verse to them.

3.I encourage you to do it immediately when they rise. My boys don't always wake up like little sunshines. They often wake up grumpy and frumpy. But it always sets a worshipful tone for the day when the very first thing I say to them with a smile, no matter their response, is a scripture that I've memorized or a song that's on my heart. And I usually personalize it, such as if Israel, or a person's name, or he, she, or I is in the verse, I'll put my boys' names in it's place. Also don't use your lack of ability to sing as an excuse- I can't carry a tune in a bucket, but that doesn't matter when your singing to Jesus- He said make a joyful noise, not sing a perfect tune :). I've found that the longer I wait to sing or speak the word to my kids, the more the excuses abound and my morning mommy fatigue takes over along with the morning rituals that often times include complaints and irritations.

Be sure to post what you did for the challenge on your blog any time this week and then leave the permalink to your post (not just the link to your main blog page) on the Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog, please leave your comments to share how you're participating in the challenge.

Go here to review the Challenge guidelines. And remember, you don't have to post your link today. You can join in the Challenge at anytime and post about any of the challenges I write out and then come back and post your link on the cooresponding Challenge # post.

I'm praying for us mommas and our kids as we seek to lead them to Christ!

Sheila