Thanks to all of you who chimed in and gave ideas on how I can read to my wiggly son who has a hard time sitting in my lap anymore while I read to him.

It seemed like the main consensus among all of you was to continue reading to him, even if he’s playing while I read, because he’s listening and picking up more than I think he is!

It’s funny that you all said this, because only a few days after you all pitched in with your advice, I was reading Amy Carmichael’s biography "A Chance to Die" (by Elizabeth Elliot), and came across this while reading.

The children in Amy’s family were called to daily prayers each day by a bell. During that time, her father would also read the Scripture to them. Here is the quote that hit me:

"Amy remembered the sound of her father’s voice reading the Scripture, a "solemn sound, like the rise an fall of the waves on the shore." Her ear was trained in this way, from those earliest years when a child’s powers of memorization by hearing are nearly miraculous. For the rest of her life the majestic cadences of the Authorized Version of the Bible shaped her thinking and every phrase she wrote.

A child, even when apparently distracted, learns far more than adults dream he can learn. Amy did not by any means always attend perfectly to the reading. Once she found a mouse drowning in a pail of water just at the moment when the prayer bell rang. She fished it out, hid it in her pinafore, took her place at prayers, and hoped it would not squeak. It did."

How’s that to wrap up thoughts on the subject!?

Thanks everyone for your input!

My husband and I have been talking about self-discipline a lot recently as this is something that we both desire to greatly improve in. He’s been reading a book called “The Disciplined Life” and came to me last night with tons of thoughts about it.

One thing we talked about is the fact that when you are disciplined with yourself, you are able to more freely serve others. In other words:

The more you say “NO” to yourself, the more you are able to say “YES” to others.

For example:

FINANCES: When you discipline yourself in your spending and saving, you will have more resources to bless others with.

• Giving toward missions
• Helping a friend in financial crisis
• Buying a meal for a homeless person

TIME: When you discipline yourself in your use of time, you will have more time to do things for and with others.

• Going on visitation with your church
• Listening to your teenager as she pours her heart out
  
• Cleaning the home of one of your church’s shut-in’s
  

WALK WITH GOD: When you discipline yourself in your walk with God, you will be able to better minister to others from an overflowing heart.

• Hosting a Bible Study in your home
• Counseling a friend
• Sharing what you are learning in your Bible reading with your children

I’m sure you can think of more examples, but I hope you see the point. Self-discipline is not about getting on track or getting ahead…it’s ultimately about serving the Lord by serving others.

We received a number of comments suggesting even more ideas on how to fill your home with Scripture. Thank you! It sure was a blessing to read through them, and I came away with new inspiration that I can’t wait to put to use! Here are a few highlights:

From Joanne:

We like to ‘write’ verses onto our own digital photos that we have enlarged and then frame them. One that we have on top of a bookcase is a picture of a mountain that could be seen from my parents back porch. We used Psalm 121:1 - 2. It has become a reminder not only of where our help comes from, but of the lovely vacation we spent with my family four and a half years ago. And yes, I know those verses by heart and it wasn’t painful trying to learn them!

From Infinity Goods:

We have bibles and art books with psalms in every room. Some rooms have several! Joanne’s comment is great too. For samples of what she is talking about, you can visit Amydeanne’s “Word Filled Wednesdays” at http://the160acrewoods.wordpress.com/word-filled-wednesdays/. I’ve just joined them too and I’ll be printing some of my favorites on photo paper, adding mats and framing them.

From Cindy:

In a recent newsletter from Nancy Campbell (Above Rubies) she talked about all the ways she spent time with the Lord, even in the midst of many little ones. She used a book holder (a stand-up one, like you would use for a recipe book) and put her Bible in it, up over her kitchen sink (since she spent lots of time there doing dishes). Personally, I have little girls who do most of the dishes, so I was thinking of finding a little book stand and just putting my Bible out on the kitchen counter!

Wonderful ideas! If you are at a loss for Scripture verses to use, here are a few that we’ve put around our home:

Isaiah 40:29 - “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.”

John 7:38 – “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Psalm 42:8 – “The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.”

Psalm 36:9 – “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Matthew 7:24 - “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

In the midst of our busy daily lives managing our homes, we need small oases of God’s Word in each room where we can take “sips” of living water throughout the day.

God’s Word admonishes us to meditate on His Word day and night (Psalm 1:2), so here are a few ideas for filling your home with Scripture:

• Stock up on a few inexpensive frames (you can usually find them from $0.25 to $1.00), print out some verses and scatter the frames throughout your home (I printed the verses on velum paper and used decorative scrapbook paper as the backdrop).

• Buy a handful of tiny pocket Bibles and place them throughout your home - in the bathrooms, on nightstands, next to your nursing chair, etc. - so that whenever you get a chance to sit down, you can refresh yourself with the Word. I read this idea in Passionate Housewives Desperate for God (a book review is coming tomorrow!).

• Put verse memory cards next to your kitchen sink or where you fold laundry so that you can work on Scripture memory while tackling these other tasks

• Look for sales at Christian books stores or online, stocking up on Scripture calendars, framed scripture, scripture bookmarks, scripture decorations (like doormats, wall hangings, etc.). My grandma actually found this one (below) at a yard sale.

• Here is a fun decoration idea that we haven’t done, but that I saw the other day: vinyl wall lettering using Scripture (simple to put on and peels of easily with no messes or damage).

So, fill your home with Scripture. Let every room glow with God’s Word so that wherever you turn, you are reminded of His promises and His statutes.

Before the throne of God above

Written by Charitie Bancroft in 1863.

Here’s a good challenge about memorizing Scripture (click on the Bible to hear):