3 Way's we're weaving scripture and Discipleship in to our summer routine

I am so passionate about exposing my kids to the good and beautiful things of this world...classic art, beautiful stories and literature, gripping history, maps and geography, fun and playful poetry, powerful music, etc etc etc! I get excited showing my kids a Van Gogh painting, or putting on Bethoven's 5th symphony for them to enjoy. 

But nothing is more beautiful to me than Jesus. So as I was praying in to the rhythms I wanted our family to have this summer, I knew I wanted to have some weekly habits around scripture memory and intentional times of discipleship. 

Here are 3 ways we're trying to do this....(keyword "trying"! We are NOT parenting experts, these are only just ideas that we've found useful so far this summer!!) 

1) Picking a LIFE VERSE for each of our children 

Kevin and I actually spent a weekend praying through the verses we wanted our kids to know by heart as their life verse. Each verse stemmed from something we saw in their life that needed encouragement. One of our sons has been particularly fearful lately, so we chose 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did NOT give you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and self discipline".

The other verses we picked for our kids this summer were: 

Proverbs 3:5-6-  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. 

Joshua 1:9 -  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go

Matthew 22:37- Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind"

 After picking the specific verse for each child, I wrote them out on a notecard. I then planned a special s'more night where we roasted marshmallows around the fire pit in our back yard. We made a little celebration out of handing them each their cards, and challenged them to memorize their verse and hide it in their heart so that they would have it when they needed it most! 

They all memorized it immediately, which was amazing. Hearing them say their verses each morning has been the highlight of my summer so far! We actually all decided to pick a verse a week now with how fast they learned them. 

2) ABC Memory Verse Song

If you're a product of Christian culture from the '80's and '90's, then you probably grew up singing from Psalty the Psalmbook cassette tapes haha! At least I did. My mom has been buying Psalty CD's for my kids now, and they LOVE THEM. On one of the CD's, there is a song that goes through the entire alphabet with a verse for each letter. My kids loved singing it, so I decided to write each verse on a posterboard and put it up in our dining room. We practice daily at mealtimes. It's been a fun and catchy way for them to hide more scripture memory in their heart:) JUST FYI: I took out some of the "thou's" and "thee's" and replaced them with a contemporary word! 

Here are the verses below:

“A!” “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23
“B!” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31
“C!” Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Eph 6:1
“D!” “Depart form evil and do good.” Psalm 34:14
“E!” “Even a child is known by his doings” Prov. 20:11
“F!” Fear not, for I am with thee.” Isaiah 43:5
“G!” “God is love.” 1John 4:8
“H!” “Honor thy father and mother.” Exodus 20:12
“I!” “I am the vine, you are the branches.” John 15:5

“J!” “Jesus wept.” John 11:35
“K!” Keep thy tongue from evil.” Psalm 34:13
“L!” “Look unto me and be ye saved.” Isaiah 45:22
“M!” “Marvel not, ye must be born again.” John 3:7
“N!” No man can serve two masters.” Matt. 6:24
“O!” Oh, give thanks unto to the Lord, for He is good.” Psalm 118:1
“P!” “Praise ye the Lord.” Psalm 147:1
“Q!” “Quench not the spirit.” 1 Thes. 5:19
“R!” “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8
PSALTY: You’re more than half way there!

“S!” Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Matt 6:33
Time for “T!” “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.” Prov. 3:5
“U!” Unto us a child is born.” Isaiah 9:6
“V!” “’Vengeance is mine,’ saith the Lord.” Romans 12:19
“W!” “Wait on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14
“X!” “Exceeding great and precious promises are given to us.” 2Peter 1:4
“Y!” “You are the light of the world.” Matt. 5:14
“Z!” “Zion heard and was glad.” Psalm 97:8

3) Intentional Dates with our Kiddos

These are not rigid, sit-down-and-have-long-conversation type dates. These are, let's go connect in a way that's fun for you, and then naturally chat about the important stuff. For instance, Everett's FAVORITE thing to do is play soccer, so last week Kev took him to the field right by our home to pass the ball back and forth. On the drive to and from the park, Kevin talked about one aspect of being a "good man" which was "being honest"...."a good man always tells the truth".  We essentially plan to just go over different virtues and character traits we want our kids to grow in to. Things like being kind, having integrity, being honest, being a hard worker etc etc etc. Our kids are still so young, but we know that we want to be faithful to expose them to beautiful and Biblical concepts. 

Any ideas you'd add that have worked for your family?? 

Ortesei...The Best Home Base in the Dolomites with kids

The Dolomites are unreal. Truly, getting to hike and bike in the Alpine meadows is a dream come true. When my parents gifted all of us kids and grandkids a special trip to the Dolomites, we spent a lot of time researching the best place to stay with 14 people! After much research, we landed on the incredibly charming town of Ortesei...and let me tell you, it has now become one of our favorite places in all of Italy...here's why:

1) Oretesi is conveniently located at the base of multiple cable cars. This means that we did not have to use our rental cars for the entire week! We woke up in the morning and literally walked the 5 minutes straight to either cable car! We couldn't believe how convenient this was! Having 3 small children and being pregnant with my 4th, the last thing I wanted to do was load kids into a car or bus and have to drive somewhere every day! 

2) Oretsei is gorgeous. You will feel like you stepped in to an Alpine dream. The bright colored buildings, the charming architecture, the cobbled streets, and the Tyrolean vibe will transport you to another time.