The Beatitudes

When I was a little girl, my dad would circle up our family each night and read the Bible to us. No frills. No games. Just my dad on the couch with his open Bible and he would read. There were a few passages in particular that he would read over and over and over. I remember sitting there as a little girl thinking, "I just want to go play with my dolls". But, little did I know that my dad was creating a hunger and thirst for the Bible in me. Now, I look back on that time as one of my MOST favorite childhood memories. He would read Psalm 100. The 23 Psalm, and many others. But one passage he had my brother and I memorize was The Beatitudes in Matthew. To this day, I STILL have it memorized. I understand now, the power of teaching a child while they are young. It never leaves you.

I read in a book, (Wild At Heart), that our children's idea of the world and how they fit into it, rests on our shoulders as parents. If that is true, and I want my boys to have a God conscious idea of this world, I need to be living it!!!

A few months ago, I started teaching Will The Beatitudes. Matthew 5:3-12. It's amazing how quickly he is catching on. What I'm really trying to do is KEEP IT SIMPLE. Everything in me wants me to make learning scripture a game. Or some creative song. Not that anything is wrong with those tactics. I just want him to appreciate God's word without all the frills. The way my dad taught me. I've written the verses out on construction paper and Will is learning one verse at a time. I can't wait to tell my dad that his persistence in reading the Bible to us every night, is now being passed on to my boys. Thank you Dad!


Because it's St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to share a few fun things I'm trying with my kids. If you have any St. Patty's day traditions, let us know!

*Put a drop of green food coloring in their milk.
*Look for 4 leaf clovers outside.
*Make Pistachio Jello Salad:
12 oz. cottage cheese
3 oz pckg. instant pistachio jello
1 lg. Cool whip
1 lg. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup marshmallows
optional 1 cup chopped nuts
*Play a game in the car - name as many things that you can that are green.

As long as I can remember, my dad has had an UNCANNY ability to spot 4 leaf clovers. He has even found many 5 and 6 leaf clovers!!! He would always give them to me and I saved every one. I have a book that I keep them in. Even though we live in different states, he will wrap them in a napkin and mail them to the boys. So, today, we're gonna do a hunt of our own and see if we can find one to send to Papa!