Did you read last week’s post and have good intentions, but then didn’t do anything?  Well, here’s an idea that may jumpstart you!  Forget the chocolate and flowers and give something new this year for Valentine’s.  Ummm…actually, chocolate would still be good.   But seriously, what about giving the gift of love through memorizing and reciting a verse or verses about love for a loved one?  This is something the kids could do for grandparents, a spouse could do for his/her beloved, families could learn together for each other, etc.  The entire chapter is below and I’ve bolded the most commonly quoted sections (verses 4-8a and 13).  Children of any age could make or help decorate a cut-out heart or card with the verse(s) on it to serve as a memory reminder and/or part of the gift.  Older children or teens might enjoy making their own version of the words in heart form, as seen below. 

Above is a sample of the type of “Take Action” ideas in Parenting with Scripture, paraphrased from the topic, Love. 

1 Corinthians 13 – The Love Passage

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.   If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.   It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Watch this and tell me you aren’t inspired…and have a smile on your face!   (Click on picture to connect to the YouTube video.)

This video went viral about 7 years ago.  I happen to know this sweet little girl!  She is one of my best friend’s daughters as well as one of my daughter’s best friends.   I want you to know that though this video is precious, there is nothing extraordinary about Abby or her mom.  (Sorry, Julie!)  What I mean by that is, she’s a normal little girl with a normal mom.  The difference is that this mom took time to teach her three year old a passage of Scripture. 

Did you catch the key phrases in that last sentence? 

Took the time. 
A three year old. 
A passage of Scripture…not just a verse. 

What I think this exemplifies is that we too often underestimate what we and our children are capable of. 

Whether Scripture memory is a new beginning for your family or this is just some encouragement to keep going, here are some suggestions that I hope can be helpful. 

15 Fabulous Verses to Memorize –
These are the Scriptures that I find most useful in teachable moments that pop up.  It’s a great place to start so you and your child will have them on your hearts when the opportunities arise to refer to them.  Click on picture to link to the free printable download.

(If link isn’t working, this is available for free on the “Downloads” section of www.parentingwithscripture.com .  It’s also in the back of Parenting with Scripture.)

Memorization Methods –
These include techniques for toddlers through teens.  Click on picture to link to the free printable download.

(If link isn’t working, this is available for free on the “Downloads” section of www.parentingwithscripture.com.  It’s also in the back of Parenting with Scripture.)

Where else can you find verses to memorize?

– Find verses from topics you frequently deal with using Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments.

– Ask your child’s Sunday School teacher or your Children’s Minister.

– If your child goes to a church preschool, ask if their curriculum has verses that goes along with it.

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.  Psalm 119:105

I have hidden your word in my heart…  Psalm 119:11a

Now available for free downloading:
15 Fabulous Verses to Memorize & Fun Scripture Memorization Methods

To find them, go to www.parentingwithscripture.com and click on the tab, “Downloads.”  There you can choose what you want to print.

The same information is in the back of the new version of the Parenting with Scripture.  However, the downloads have been created so that you can print them for easier reference.  I keep the verses posted on my fridge.  And thanks to my talented graphic designer, Laura Williams, the downloads look amazing!

In keeping with the subtitle of the book, A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments, I selected these 15 verses as ones that stand out because they are usable for a high frequency of common teachable moments.  If you’re needing a place to start for hiding God’s Word in your heart, this is a simple and applicable way.

We raise our children to take care of books and not color in them.  So it was surprising for my kids to learn at an early age, that they could actually write/color in their Bible….with purpose, that is!  When they first received their chapter and verse Bibles, we also bought special Bible highlighters for them.    These were easier for them to use than underlining with pencil or pen.  Because I didn’t want them to go crazy with “coloring” or lose the highlighters, I kept them for them in a safe place.  

I’ll be honest and say that as the years have passed we haven’t been super consistent with marking all the verses that they’ve learned.  But, even with what we’ve done, it’s brought about the joy of familiarity with the Bible.  I remember as a child thinking the Bible was such a huge book!  However, the more I marked verses and wrote topics beside them, the more alive that book became.  Just as I did as a child, now my kids are also flipping through their Bibles exclaiming, “Oh, I remember when I learned that verse!”   

Those markings help that “Big Book” come alive!

You can tell from the markings in the picture, that it was from when my son was a preschooler. 
As your children get older, encourage them to also write topic words beside them.