How We Homeschool-Bible Memory

Been 22 days since I blogged, told ya I'm only an occasional blogger! ;)

I am back today to share another snippet of our homeschool with you. If you missed our first post about how we even came to homeschool in the first place you can read that here.

I feel led to dedicate this post to my favorite area of our school, our Bible memory. Why is it my favorite? Well because although all of the other things that my children will learn are important, I know that nothing, nothing will impact them more than the Word of God. If they take only this one aspect of our schooling with them into their adulthood I will be happy. Happy because above all else, more than all of the grammar, math, reading, spelling and activities that we will absorb, only the Word of God is that which can transform them into the young ladies and young man that God wants them to be. That is what my husband and I want. Children that grow into adults that God desires.

So, how do we hide His Word in our hearts? Well about 3 years ago or so I came across the Simply Charlotte Mason blog. (Lots of great stuff there!) Somehow, I happened upon the post about their method of Bible Memory and became intrigued. An organized, purposeful way to memorize God's Word? We needed that. So, I read, learned and put the method into action. Can I tell you that this method works? It is systematic yet simple and effective. Our family has never memorized Scripture so effortlessly! And you don't just memorize and forget, you retain because...well, I'm babbling, let me just dive into it and you will see for yourself.

First you need to gather your supplies:

• Large index box (I guess you could use a smaller one until you outgrew it I have just always used a large one.)
• 41 tabbed divider cards (if they have numbers or letters on them that's okay, just buy some stickers to label your own. See my pic). OR get a free printable of these divider cards here.
• small labels for your dividers *optional
• blank or lined index cards

Next you will need to label your tabbed dividers (or stickers if you are using them) as follows:

• divider 1 - Daily
• divider 2 - Odd
• divider 3 - Even
• 7 dividers - Days of the week (Mon, Tues, etc.)
• 31 dividers - Numbers 1-31

Now you will need to put those dividers into your little box and get ready to fill 'er up! Decide which passage of Scripture or which verse you want to begin with. We started with Genesis 1:1-5 and are currently working on Philippians 2:1-8. We currently have 31 verses memorized...never counted until today. Wow.

You can choose any verse or passage that suits the needs of your family/studies. For example, we are memorizing the verses in Philippians because we have been studying humility as a family. We are doing this study. However, when we first began this system I also printed out this list of suggestions from Simply Charlotte Mason and keep it in my brain homeschool notebook for reference/ideas/inspiration. Alternatively, you can go here and download a 12 file pdf of the verses from their site. This is the first I've seen of that so yes, I downloaded it.

Next, you will write one verse on each card. Our current passage has 8 verses so we have eight cards. Put your first card behind the Daily tab and the rest in the front of that tab to be studied later.

Each day you will do the cards behind the Daily, Odd or Even, Day of the Week and Date of the Month tabs. Of course when you first begin you will only have the Daily card but you will acquire more and more as you go along.

For example, if today were Monday, the 7th, you would do the following dividers:

• Daily, 
• Odd (because 7 is odd),
• Monday 
• and 7. 

(If don't you have that many verses don't worry, just do what you have and your little box will grow.) 

The next day you would do 

• Daily, 
• Even (cause it would be the 8th), 
• Tuesday
•  and 8.

Is that clear as mud? I hope it's clearer.

Okay, final step. As you learn the verse behind the Daily divider, you will move it to either the Odd or Even depending on which divider is first for you. The card that was behind say, Even, will be moved to Odd and the card that was behind Odd would move to Monday and Monday's card goes behind Tuesday. You will just keep moving those cards back one divider as each new verse is memorized.

***This is where I do mine differently than what I learned on the Charlotte Mason site. If we are memorizing a passage of Scripture, I don't move those cards separately, I like to keep them all together. So yes, it takes longer for the cards to be moved around but doing it this way makes more sense to me. I like that we are always reciting entire passages together instead of splitting them up. Once we have them mastered, we will move all of the cards from the passage back one divider. I usually allot a week per verse unless they are short. If I have two short verses I will combine those onto one card.***

The genius in this system is that you are constantly reviewing the Word of God so you don't have time to forget any of it. I have changed a lot of things about our homeschool over the years but not this area. This has been the one constant in our lives. I am in love with this system of Bible memory! 

Okay, well, that's it. I hope you have enjoyed reading about this and I really hope that sharing how we do Bible memory in our home has inspired you to look for ways to integrate Bible memory into yours as well.

If you already have a system in place feel free to share your ideas in the comment section below. By the way, one random statement, I am just loving this cooler fall weather. Hope it's cooler where you are too!

In my next post I hope to show you how our large family of 7 schools in a 1400 sq. ft double wide. Nothing spectacular but it works for us!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Deuteronomy Chpt. 9

¹ Hear, O Israel: Thou [art] to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven,

² A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and [of whom] thou hast heard [say], Who can stand before the children of Anak!

³ Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God [is] he which goeth over before thee; [as] a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.

⁴ Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

⁵ Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

⁶ Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou [art] a stiffnecked people.

⁷ Remember, [and] forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD.

⁸ Also in Horeb ye provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry with you to have destroyed you.

How often do we think in our own lives that we receive blessings simply because of our own righteousness? How often do we inwardly think that we are blessed over others simply because of the "good" that we have done.


Moses was telling the Israelites here that God doesn't bless on the account of our righteousness. He warned them against becoming puffed up and self-righteous. He also reminds them that in actuality they are not really any better than the people that have turned their backs on the Lord. He reminds them of their past sins so that they would see the mercy of God on them in spite of what they had done.


The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8,9 and 11,12 that it is only by God's grace and mercy that He saves us from a much deserved fate. It has nothing to do with the good that we do but everything to do with the greatness that is in Him.


My questions to you today are:

• Have you been cleansed by the blood of Christ? Has He been made your Saviour today? It's only through Him that we will ever see the glorious Kingdom that so many await.
• Have you become a little self-righteous today? Do you tend to think more of the things that you do than you should?
• Have you pondered on what the Lord has saved you from? Do you look at your past, see where you are in the present and rejoice that Christ is your future?
• When was the last time you bowed your head and thanked the Lord for changing you and bringing you to where you are today?

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 8

These are verses that have probably spoken to my heart the most while reading the book of Deuteronomy.

¹ All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.

² And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

³ And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every [word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

⁴ Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.

⁵ Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, [so] the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.

⁶ Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.

God desires our faithfulness. He lays that out in verse 1. He wants us to simply do that which He tells us. (Isn't that what we want from our own children as well?) The Israelites went through some tough times, some discouraging times but God gives the reason in verse 2. He allowed difficulties to humble His children-we can do nothing effectively for Him if we are proud and lifted up. He allowed difficulties to test them; their faith in Him and their obedience to His commandments. He wanted what was in their hearts to come out. He wanted to know the level of their faith and obedience to Him.

How often in our own lives do difficulties come our way that He has allowed so that we can be tested, so that our faith can be proven? I know that I'm going through some trials right now and I'm telling you my faith is really being put to the test! But look at verses 3 and 4.

Even though God's people were out wandering for years, they lacked nothing. Not food, clothing, shelter, nothing. Nothing ever ran out or got worn out. Why? Because it's by the Words of our God that we live. God may not have provided them with what they desired but He provided them with what they needed. They never lacked.

And neither will we. Oh it may seem at times like things are really dreary and we are being left to suffer on our own but as God's children, He will care for us. He will provide us with what we need exactly when we need it. Isn't God good?!

So what do we do? We simply be obedient. Verse 6 says it all. Simply trust and obey. He will take care of the rest.

My questions to you today are:

• Are you going through a trial today? Maybe it's one that God is allowing to purge you from self so that He can prepare you for something wonderful on the other side of your dark valley.
• Are you putting all of your trust in Him or are you trying to take matters into your own hands?
• Have you thanked Him for the good He has provided in your life thus far? Maybe you don't have what you want but surely He has provided you with what is right for today.
• Are you obeying His words, walking with Him daily and fearing Him today?

We have no idea the scope of blessings that the Lord has in store for us...but we can be sure that if we honor Him He will honor us.

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 7

In this chapter we find how strongly God stresses to His children to not take up the lifestyles of those around them. He stresses to not go after the gods that they were serving, to not desire their silver and gold, to not allow their children to marry with the children of the people that were living around them.

God desired and still does, for His children to live within this world but with a life that is set apart, separate and clean from the filth that is around those who call Him Father.

God promises in this chapter to be faithful to the promises that He gave to the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob if only the Israelites would stay faithful to Him.
⁶ For thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that [are] upon the face of the earth.

⁷ The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye [were] the fewest of all people:

⁸ But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

⁹ Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

As I read this I can't help but reflect on my life and the life of our children and wonder if there is anything that we have allowed to creep in that God never intended. I pray that the Lord would give me and McPop discerning hearts and wise minds so that we are always aware of what comes in and out of our home. Whether it be the shows we allow our children to watch, the friends we allow them to keep or the things that we use during our homeschool day. My desire is that all of these things work together to continue to help us be a family that honors and pleases the Lord in all that we do.

¹¹ Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.

¹² Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:

¹³ And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee:

What about you today? 

• Is your life pleasing to Him or are there things that you need to purge?
• Are you living a life that is wholly honoring to God or are you allowing more and more of this world to penetrate your home and the hearts of those that dwell there?
• Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and discernment. He is faithful to give all that we ask for, if we but ask.

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 6

Wow, this is a full chapter!!! Some very well known and awesome verses are found in Deut. 6. I'll quote my favorites:

⁵ And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

⁶ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

⁸ And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

⁹ And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

There's a lot there isn't there? I found it neat that so many times throughout this book God has Moses tell the Israelites the same thing over and over, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." I believe that maybe God knows that if we can remember and do that then the things that He asks us to do will be done because of the immense love that we have for Him. Also though, this shows that God wants ALL of our attention. He wants us to love Him with ALL that we have within us. That means that there would be no room for the things of this world, that HE would be our focus.

¹⁰ And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

¹¹ And houses full of all good [things], which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

¹² [Then] beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

¹³ Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

¹⁴ Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which [are] round about you;

¹⁵ (For the LORD thy God [is] a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

In these verses God is giving Israel a glimpse of the "good life" to come in the Promised Land. Everything will be there for them, already done. They won't have the back breaking work of preparing anything, He will have it there for them. But God, knowing His creation tells Moses to warn them to not get too comfortable in the "good life" and forget Who is was that gave them all of that. He knows our nature so well doesn't He? When things are easy and good we don't go to Him, depend on Him or cling to Him like we do when things are just a bit shaky in our lives.

But I see from verse 14 that God wasn't going to completely remove all temptations from the Israelites. He tells them to not go after the other gods that are around them. God could have, had He wanted to, erected a wall around His children so impenetrable that no temptation would ever infiltrate their land but He didn't. He left some temptations close by. Why? My guess is so that the faithfulness of the Israelites, who had seen miracles and wonders that you and I never have, could be put to the test. Remember, when it's too easy, we fail to depend on Him like we should.

So, my questions to you today are these:

• Do you love the Lord with all that is within you? Is He your focus day in and day out? Or is there something that has taken His treasured first place in your life?
• Have the blessings that He's so lovingly bestowed upon you today been the exact things that have caused your faith and dependency on Him to wane? 
• What temptations do you face today are those that He has allowed? Not all are from God, many are from our own wrong choices, but which were allowed by Him to grow you?
• Are you leaning on Him today?

Well, those are my thoughts on this awesome chapter. I really have fallen in love with the book of Deuteronomy. Thanks for reading.

Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 5

³² Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

³³ Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be] well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the land which ye shall possess.

Oh that we would just keep going. Not looking to the left and wondering "what if I do this instead?" or to the right saying, "well, why can't it be this way?" Just keep going. Straight. Eyes right on. Not doubting. Not inwardly complaining.

Just.

keep.

going.


Lovin' Learnin'

Deuteronomy Chpt. 2

A verse that spoke to me from this chapter:
 "For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God [hath been] with thee; thou hast lacked nothing." vs. 7


So often we exert so much energy trying to attain that which we believe is needful, what we believe is necessary. Yet we question when that need isn't filled, often forgetting that God doesn't give us what we think we need but He gives us what He knows need...and only just enough to keep us from lacking but not so much that it keeps us from leaning on Him.

 "If we keep from what God forbids, we shall not lose by our obedience."

Lovin' Learnin'

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

Deuteronomy 4:9

      In reading these first few chapters of Deuteronomy it's easy to understand why God told this, through Moses, to the Isrealite children. They often seemed to forget the awesome acts that God had done for them and instead focused on the obstacles that they found in their way. It's been frustrating to me to simply read about their lack of faith in Him...mainly because I see so much of myself in them. When things get tough, I too tend to forget. I too tend to focus on the obstacles instead of the Lord and what I know He has done and is capable of doing for me.

      What about you? Do you tend to focus too much on the troubles? I'm telling you-and myself-if we would just keep our eyes on Christ and remember the great acts that He has done our faith and trust will grow.

      How can we share the wonderful miracles in our own lives with our children if we are too caught up in the difficult? When the spies returned from sizing up the promised land, the Isrealites paid more attention to the report of giants than of the great things that were there...and the fact that God said He'd give it to them. They focused on the "impossibles" instead of the One Who can do all. It was a mistake which they later realized and tried to fix but paid for with their lives. I wonder though what impression that left on the children. There they were, getting ready to see the God of their fathers work a miracle, an "impossible" and instead their parents lost faith and the children missed out on seeing their God work.

      It's like that in our lives too. When we loose faith and think that "this" or "that" can't be done our children miss out on seeing God work. How sad that is.

      I feel challenge personally to have more faith in my God. To keep my eyes on Him and not on my circumstances, so that I can be reminded of what an awesome God I serve and can in turn tell it to my children.

      What about you? Do you need to take a step back and evaluate how your faith has been lately? Are you trusting in the Lord, knowing that He can do the impossible, or are you letting fear reign in your hearts?

      God's waiting to do miracles in our lives, to use us to show His mighty power. Let's not be like the children of Israel and miss out because we were too busy seeing the giants of this world to see the greatness of God.

Lovin' Learnin'

It’s In His Hands

This Weekly Word has to do with trusting all your fears to the Lord and leaving them in the hands of our Lord.

1 Peter 4:19

“Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

Child of My Love

Child of My Love, lean hard,

And let Me feel the pressure of thy care;

I know thy burden, child. I shaped it;

Poised it in Mine own hand; made no proportion

In its weight to thine unaided strength.

For even as I laid it on, I said

“I shall be near, and while she leans on Me,

This burden shall be Mine, not hers;

So shall I keep My child within the circling arms

Of Mine own love.: Here lay it down, nor fear

To impose it on a shoulder which upholds

The government of worlds. Yet closer come;

Thou art not near enough. I would embrace thy care;

So I might feel My child reposing on my breast,

Thou lovedest Me! I knew it. Doubt not then;

But loving Me, lean hard.

- Anonymous

Whatever you are facing this week determine that with God’s strength working in you those fears, worries and concerns will be placed back into the hands of the One Who allowed the trial to enter your life.

Lovin' Learnin'