rusted roots: March 2014

My kids have memorized the 2 greatest commandments (Mark 12:29-31)

   Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And
     you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
     and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There
     is no other commandment greater than these.”

I don't want them to only be able to recite it, but I want it to infiltrate every aspect of their lives. Most of all, I want to teach my kids Who God Is, because I suspect that it is by knowing God and His love and His character that we learn to respond with an appropriate love for (1 John 4:19) and fear of (Prov 1:7) Him.

Second to that, I want to teach my kids that our actions should be motivated by a desire to thank Jesus (for the great extent of His love for us by dying on the cross in our place and rising from the dead so that we may, too, rise and have eternal life) (Jn 14:21).

So we made these. In the center is Love God. The 6 ways (categories) for Loving God are via: Heart, Mind, Soul, Strength, to Love Others (Mk 12:28-31), and To Obey (Jn 14:21). I explained to the kids that when our daily schedule does not reflect these things, I'd be willing to guess we lived that day for ourselves and not for God (for our will and not for God's will).

How can I teach this best other than modeling it for them and leading them to live this out?

So, I've recently decided to try using these as categories for scheduling our homeschool days in order that they might know the "why" behind the things we do. And I've created a notecard box with dividers for these categories (so that each day we can read 1 Bible verse notecard from each category before we begin the corresponding event on our schedule):

LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART & SOUL
(WORSHIP via PRAYER, SONG, BIBLE STUDY & PERSONAL PRAYER JOURNALING)

Notecard Categories:

Why Pray

Why Read The Bible

LOVE GOD (& THANK HIM) BY OBEYING HIM

(RESPOND TO GOD by writing in Prayer Journals)

Notecard Category

Why Obey Him

LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR STRENGTH /
LOVE GOD BY SERVING OTHERS

(PHYSICAL EXERCISES & PRE/POST-MEAL RESPONSIBILITIES)

Notecard Category:
Exercise/Stewardship/Responsibility

LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR MIND

(MENTAL EXERCISES)

Notecard Category:
Why Learn

LOVE GOD (& THANK HIM) BY LOVING/SERVING OTHERS (play with siblings/neighbors/friends)

Notecard Category:

Love One Another

The prayer of my heart is that God will use this routine to help me expose my children to a variety of Bible verses about each of these 6 categories and that His Word will take root in their hearts. And I hope God's Spirit will give them understanding that God, alone, is worthy of our affection, time & service and that He (the Life-Giver) is the only One worth living for (not ourselves).

And so...we begin.

In case you are interested, here are the verses on the notecards in each category:

Flashcard Verses

Why Pray:

2 Chron

7:14-15

34:1-4

55:16-17

145:18-21

15:29

Isa

59:1-2

Jer

29:12-14a

33:2-3

5:44-476:9-13

6:5-8

7:7-11

18:19-20

26:36-46

26:36-39,42,44b

18:1-8

9:31

Rom

8:26-28

Eph

3:20-21

6:10-20

Php

4:4-7

Col

4:2

1 Thess

5:16-21

1 Tim

2:1-8

Jas

1:5-8

4:1-12

5:13-18

1 Jn

3:22; 5:14-15

Why Read the Bible:

8:3

1:1-6

34:8

63:1,5

119:34-38

3:5-8

8:10-12

8:32-36

15:20-22

15:31-33

17:24

17:27

18:15

19:26-27

28:26

Jer

15:16

4:4

4:13-14

6:35

8:31-36

Rom

12:2

Eph

4:11-16

6:10-20

Col

3:9b-10

3:16

2 Tim

3:16-17

Heb

4:12-13

Jas

1:19-22

1 Pet

3:13-17

Why Obey:

3:1-12

3:11-12

5:23

6:20-23

8:32-36

12:1

13:18

13:24

15:10

15:12

15:24

15:32

17:1

17:10

23:14

25:28

28:26

Eccl

5:6

12:13

Isa

59:2

5:6

5:21-26

6:1-4

6:5-8,16-18

7:24-27

8:31-36

14:15-24

15:4-11

15:9-14

Rom

2:4

12:1

Gal

5:22-26

Eph

2:1

2:8-10

4:17-24

6:1-3

6:5-7

Php

1:27-28

2:8

2:14-16

4:8-9

Col

3:17,20,23-25

3:20

3:22

1 Thess

4:3-4, 6-8

5:12-13b

5:14-24

2 Tim

1:7

Tit

1:16

3:8-11

Heb

12:3-6

12:10-11

12:3-15

Jas

4:17

2 Pet

1:5-9

1:13-16

Jude

1:24-25

Rev

3:19

Exercise/Stewardship/Responsibility:

Definition of a Steward

6:9-11

15:19

21:25

25:28

Eccl

3:1-8

12:28-31

Lk 16:10-12

Rom

12:4-6

1 Cor

6:19-20

6:24-27

12:4-27

Gal

5:22-26

6:5

Eph

2:10

4:28

Php

2:14-16

1 Thess

4:3-4,6-8

2 Thess

3:10,12

2 Tim

1:7

2 Thess

3:7-8

Heb

12:11-13

2 Pet

1:5-9

Why Learn

1:2-7

1:29-31

10:13-14

18:15

19:27

20:15

24:5

Eccl

7:12

12:11-14

1 Cor

6:19-20

Eph

2:10

1 Pet

4:10

Love One Another

15:4

15:1-2

17:9

17:13-14

17:17

19:17

Eccl

5:6

5:9

5:21-22

5:38-42

5:43-47

6:14-15

7:1-5

18:6

18:15-17

18:33-35

18:35

25:31-46

12:29-31

6:37

17:3-4

13:34-35

15:12-14

Rom

5:8

12:9-16

12:14,16b-21

12:16b

12:18

1 Cor

Gal
5:22-26

6:1-2

Eph

4:24-32

5:21

Php

2:3-8

Col

3:15

1 Thess

4:3-8

5:13b-24

2 Thess

3:13-15

1 Tim

2:8

2 Tim

2:22-26

Heb

12-14-15

Jas

1:19

3:13-18

5:16

5:19-20

2 Pet

1:5-9

1 Jn

4:21

Pray For The Kids

119:34-38

139:1-4,23-24

Php

1:9-11

2 TYPES OF AUTHORITY:

Oppressive Dictator

Tyrant Leader

Acts like a Tyrant Acts like a Patriarch

Treats people like slaves Treats people like family

Instills fear Generates enthusiasm

Manipulates/Uses/Takes Advantage Teaches/Motivates/Encourages/Inspires

… at the expense of others

Arrogant/Proud Humble

Commands Serves

Demands Asks

Drives Coaches

Hypocritical/Demands from others Leads by example

… what he does not do himself

Unfair Just

Loves/Protects Self Loves/Protects Others

Says, “I” Says, “We”

Bossy/Bosses others Team Player/Participates

Blames others when things break down Coordinates the fixing of the break down

Fires/Kills/Abandons when mistakes are made Shows Mercy for mistakes

Expects Perfection Promotes Growth & Improvement

Knows how it’s done Shows how it is done

Takes Recognition/Credit for success Gives Recognition/Credit for success

Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Philippians 2:1-11 "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

rusted roots

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

A Daily Schedule that Reflects the Greatest Commandments

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

2 TYPES OF AUTHORITY - Leadership Development