Practical Prayer Part 3

 Heavenly Habits, Homeschool Habits  1 Response »
Sep 202012
 

When something is right in front of you it’s hard to ignore it. I’ve seen many different versions of a Bible basket shared around the internet lately and I was inspired. I gathered all our Bibles into one basket. I put the basket right in the center of the family room table.

The basket is simply a cheap one I picked up at Walmart in the back to school sale aisle. Yet it’s sturdy enough for every day use.

Keeping up the habit of seeking Him, I’m sharing the third in the Practical Prayer series at Passionate Purposeful Parenting today. Won’t you join me?

And here at Habits for a Happy Home, the rest of the series:

How do you keep The Word right in the center of your day?

Resources for Moral Living

 Habits for life, Heavenly Habits  No Responses »
May 182012
 

Today I share with you some of the resources I turn to often:

Plus a new resource we just recently discovered:


You might also be interested in my series, here at Habits:

  • The Habit of Moral Living, Part I – The founders of our nation believed in a moral code of conduct. Whatever their personal beliefs–whether Christian, Unitarian, or Deist–the moral code by which they conducted themselves was based in the Christian Bible. In the general principles of Christianity can be found the underpinnings of our republic.
  • The Habit of Moral Living, Part 2 – The “solid foundation of morals” is the Christian faith.  It is a faith of absolutes.  We can know what is right and what is wrong.  The truths expressed in the bible are unassailable.  The republic formed using biblical Christianity as a foundation has endured over 230 years.  Liberty was achieved.
  • The Habit of Moral Living, Part 3 – What happens when people reject God–the moral foundation of their society?  Benjamin Franklin said that as nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.  The apostle Paul, speaking to the church at Rome, spoke of those who rejected God and the consequences of that rejection.
  • The Habit of Moral Living, Part 4 – Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. –John Adams, October 11, 1798What happens to people who reject God?  For He is the very moral underpinning of a civil society.  Without Him, the republic cannot subsist any length of time.
  • The Habit of Moral Living, Part 5 - The Apostle Paul expands upon his essay about those with “defective thinking” in the book of Galatians.  In chapter 5, he provides a list of behaviors produced by the selfish motives of the defective thinker.

What are your favorite resources?

Devotionals and Other Resources for the New Year

 Habits for Happy Kids, Heavenly Habits, Homeschool Habits  2 Responses »
Dec 272011
 

When I find good resources I always want to share. This list of devotionals would be great to start with this new year or any time of year. Here’s our virtual stack:

For the youngest ones:

Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers

Tween Girls: A Girl After God’s Own Heart – A Tween Adventure with Jesus by Elizabeth George. Middle Girl, age 9, is reading this one.

Teen/Young Adult: The Lost Art of True Beauty: The Set-Apart Girls Guide to Feminine Grace by Leslie Ludy – My 14-year-old daughter and I are reading this aloud together after the younger ones have all gone to bed. This was recommended to us by Kim A (she has three girls). Continue reading »

Making Habits Stick: 31 in 31

 Habits for life, Heavenly Habits  4 Responses »
Aug 232011
 

In my last post on making habits stick I mentioned Flylady’s one habit a month. Since then I’ve been reminded of other avenues for habit building. One is making three goals to reach in 30 days. So, three habits in a month. 3 in 30.

But this is the one that I really like. My pastor shared that he tries to make it a habit to read a Proverb a day. There are 31 Proverbs. So one for each day of the month. Just one a day. So, say you start off with good intentions and read Proverbs 1 on the first day of the month. Then you fall behind and suddenly it’s the 4th. It’s ok. Just read Proverbs 4.

My pastor shared the age old, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ Then said,

“How about a Proverb a day will keep the devil away.”

I think we can all say that would be a great habit to build. And a simple route for making a habit stick. For me, the key is keeping it practical, building a new habit onto another habit that already exists. Reading a Proverb a day could naturally be the start of or follow my morning quiet time. Or it could be something the children and I all do together, right after breakfast. It could even be a new habit for around the supper table or tucking in time.

What do you think?

-Tricia homeschools five children from preschool to middle school. She’s forsaken life in the drive thru lane for the road home. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, homeschool and frugal living sites. You can find her facing that daily dose of chaos at Hodgepodge. Tricia is a.k.a. Hodgepodgemom.

Habit of family journaling

 Habits for a Happy Husband, Habits for Happy Kids, Heavenly Habits, Homeschool Habits  9 Responses »
Oct 132009
 

DSCN5628Often I longed to…

write down that cute something a child said…

trace around a pudgy little hand…

mark a special triumph or…

give thanks for a provision dropped in our laps.

I also knew I should confess that ugliness. Ask forgiveness for being so wrapped up and not noticing. And daily I need His word to hang on to.

Yet I struggled to find  an easy way to do this.  That spiral notebook I kept on my nightstand only had a few, lone entries. So often I’d rather give in to my weariness and simply crawl into bed.

Quite unexpectedly, the Lord answered in a delightfully easy way. One June morning, I read about a family journaling practice. I knew it was the answer I had been seeking. What I hear the children say confirms it.

“The Psalms are wonderful.”

“Look, Mama, I drew a picture about what we did in drama club today!”

“Oh, that’s the verse I’m going to pick.”

“Can I read tonight?”

Family journaling is now our after-supper habit. Opening the Bible together has opened our hearts. Caused us to count blessings. Given us the opportunity to confess our oh-so-human failings. Continue reading »