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The Thin Place

3 Ways to Intentionally Feed Your Child’s Faith This Summer 

Summer break is finally here and with it are several extra hours in the day to be intentional about building up their faith. 

Whether your child is involved in a phenomenal children’s ministry programs, attends public school, is homeschooled, or attends a Christian school, you need to be diligent about ensuring that you fulfill your primary calling as their parent – to train them up in the ways of the Lord. While this is your task 24/7, summer break provides additional time and flexibility for you to focus on that priority. 

Whether your child is involved in a phenomenal children’s ministry programs, attends public school, is homeschooled, or attends a Christian school, you need to be diligent about ensuring that you fulfill your primary calling. Click To Tweet

Note: This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commisison (at no additional cost to you) for purchase made through links. See my sidebar for more information. 

Find a way to serve as a family

Take time to enjoy summer freedom, but don’t waste it. Use your additional time to serve regularly with your kids. But don’t just cart them along to whatever your doing, be intentional about finding ways they can serve and explaining to them why it is important for the Christian faith. 

Visit a nursing home. Let your children talk with the elderly residents and bring along some games to play.  Have them paint or color pictures to bring along to brighten up their rooms. But always explain the why. Remind your children of the Christian call to visit the sick and tell them that this is one way they can live that out. 

Go to a local park or beach to clean-up trash. Again, remind your children of the why and the task God has given us to care for Creation. Then, enjoy some time in the water or swing set. 

Make-up ziplock bags, filled with basic hygiene essentials and some non-perishable food, to keep in your car and give to those you see in need. This is a great way to teach your children about providing for the poor. If they’re older and able, it would wonderful to have them copy down Bible verses or little notes to include in the bags as well. 

Begin the habit of family devotionals

If the school year makes it hard to begin your day as a family with time in the Word together, take advantage of leisurely summer mornings and encourage your children to spend time, daily, reading their Bible by embracing setting the example of family devotionals. Spending time in the Bible will feed your child’s faith. 

If the school year makes it hard to begin your day as a family with time in the Word together, take advantage of leisurely summer mornings and encourage your children to spend time, daily, reading their Bible by embracing setting… Click To Tweet

If you’re unsure of where to begin, the book of Proverbs has 31 chapters, one for each day of the month, that you can read aloud together. Growing up, my dad would always read the “Proverbs of the day” aloud and then would read a chapter from another book of the Bible. If you have children who are reading, encourage them to participate by reading a few verses or an entire chapter out loud. 

Do not be discouraged if it’s hard to keep everyone sitting still, listening. It may be hard at first but, your diligence will reap a harvest if you do not give up! If you need to start small and work up to full chapters, that’s okay. 

Introduce a Bible writing plan

Bible writing plans have been quite popular on social media in the last few years. Having your children develop their handwriting skills over the summer by copying Bible verses is a great way to help engrain the Word of God deeply in their minds. 

3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids
3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids
3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids
3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids
3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids
3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids
3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids
3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids

3 New Ways to Feed Your Child's Faith This Summer #summer #summeractivities #christian #christianity #christianfamily #Christiankids

Not only will it feed your child’s faith and develop their handwriting skills, but copying something down is a great memory aid. Picking a passage as a family to memorize, and having your child copy it regularly, is a great way to help your child hide the Word of God deep within their heart, where they will hold it for years to come. 

Cultivate What Matters has developed a wonderful book for kids called “Write the Word” which has 175+ pages of Scripture memory activities for kids. What I love about this book is that is not only has a page for them to copy the verse of the day, but it has an area for them to color a picture response which teaches them to process and share what the verse means. These verses are chosen to imprint in young minds verse about God’s love, power, and mercy. 

Cultivate What Matters Summer Launch

Find what works for your family and develop habits that consistently point your children back to their Maker and Redeemer. Don’t let this summer fly by without intentionally feeding their faith. Focus on your primary task as their parent, training them up in the ways of the Lord, and feed your child’s faith during these months where the rhythms and demands of the school year are absent.  

You only get 18 summers with your kids, make them count. 

You might also enjoy: 

6 Important Principles For Fostering Family Devotions

Teaching Kids To Pray: A Catholic Perspective

Stop Praying About It Because, Yes, You’re Called to Serve

Let the Little Children Come

3 Christian Books I’m Reading This Summer

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The Comments

  • ordinarilyextraordinarymom
    July 2, 2018

    Love these! I pinned them and I will be sure to incorporate them in my day to day life with my children. Much needed list!!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      ordinarilyextraordinarymom
      July 3, 2018

      Thank you! I hope this helps you and your family have a Gospel-centered summer.

      Reply
  • Marlena Rice
    July 2, 2018

    Bailey, this was a good read. I especially like the idea of a bible writing plan for the kiddos.During these past few weeks, I have honestly felt just a tad bit defeated because my summer plans with my family haven’t really gone as planned. BUT….reading this post was a great reminder that time is precious, and while things haven’t necessarily matched up with my planner and the way I’d like to incorporate more bible time with my family, there are always new ideas to try, and why not reboot myself and start today?! If you don’t mind, I’d like to give you a shout out in one of my posts this week related to a similar topic.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Marlena Rice
      July 3, 2018

      Marlena, It’s never too late to begin again <3
      I would be honored if you shared about this in a post. Be sure to email me at bailey@thethinplace.net and let me know if you do!

      Reply
  • Lindsey | Loving the Wounded Child
    July 2, 2018

    Yes! This is so important! Love the suggestions…these things have been on my heart as well!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Lindsey | Loving the Wounded Child
      July 3, 2018

      Lindsey, I hope these suggestions help you live out the Gospel with your children this summer.

      Reply
  • Amy @ Orison Orchards
    July 2, 2018

    Thanks for these great suggestions! We try to always start our mornings in the scriptures, but I love the idea for using bible verses as copywork and we definitely need to look for more ways to serve!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Amy @ Orison Orchards
      July 3, 2018

      I really loved the idea when I came across it. Writing the Word is such a great way to engrain it in our minds.

      Reply
  • HomeAfterThree
    July 2, 2018

    I am intrigued by the Write the Word book idea. I’ve been looking for ways for my daughter to practice her writing skills and we will get to spend more time learning scripture. I’ll be checking it out. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Bailey
      HomeAfterThree
      July 3, 2018

      They are really neat! They also make them for adults!

      Reply
  • Laura Ketchie
    July 4, 2018

    Great tips for being intentional with your kids! They won’t forget these times, and it starts planting seeds!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Laura Ketchie
      July 6, 2018

      It starts small! Like you said, we plant seeds and then trust God to bear the fruit. He who begins the work is faithful.

      Reply
  • Rachel
    July 4, 2018

    WHAt great tips and helpful resources you offer here! I love the idea of serving together especially! 18 summers don’t really sound like much, when you put it that way… better make them count!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Rachel
      July 6, 2018

      I’m so glad it encouraged you. Serving together as a family is so powerful!

      Reply
  • Bethany
    July 5, 2018

    These are lovely ideas!! We make sandwiches for local homeless shelters.. I love the idea of visiting nursing homes. The elderly just love that!

    Reply
    • Bailey
      Bethany
      July 6, 2018

      That is so lovely! Definitely something kids can get on board with.

      Reply
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June 28, 2021
Hello, I’m Bailey
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Hello, I’m Bailey

The Thin Place was born out of a season of struggle. A season where I felt stretched thin and desperately longed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. The goodness of God showed up in unexpected ways. During that season, the spiritual disciplines laid out in Scripture, the traditions of the Church, and the reminders of His faithfulness seen in liturgial living and the feasts and seasons of the Church calendar all opened my eyes to the hope we have in Christ.

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Chances are, the Books of Maccabees are probably the deuterocanonical books you are most familiar with!  It is in these books that we find the origins of Hanukkah.
To be honest, they are a rough read. A really rough read. They detail the suffering the people of God endured while their enemies attempted to control their land and wipe out their religion. 
It is a set of books filled with great suffering as many of the faithful are killed but it is also a book of great bravery and trust in the Lord in the midst of trials.
In Maccabees, two of the theological principles used today are clearly seen. The first, that God created the world out of nothing. 2 Maccabees 7:28 details how God did not make the world out of things already created, but out of nothing. 
The second principle is that of praying for the dead. While there are references throughout Scripture and it is a clear practice of the Early Church, it is most clearly referenced in 2 Maccabees 12. 
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime
thethinplace
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Chances are, the Books of Maccabees are probably the deuterocanonical books you are most familiar with! It is in these books that we find the origins of Hanukkah. To be honest, they are a rough read. A really rough read. They detail the suffering the people of God endured while their enemies attempted to control their land and wipe out their religion. It is a set of books filled with great suffering as many of the faithful are killed but it is also a book of great bravery and trust in the Lord in the midst of trials. In Maccabees, two of the theological principles used today are clearly seen. The first, that God created the world out of nothing. 2 Maccabees 7:28 details how God did not make the world out of things already created, but out of nothing. The second principle is that of praying for the dead. While there are references throughout Scripture and it is a clear practice of the Early Church, it is most clearly referenced in 2 Maccabees 12. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime
1 day ago
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Judith is another archetypal story of the battle being won at the hand of a woman, seen also in Judges and Esther. 
During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an army is sent to destroy the mountain town that Judith lives in. The people are greatly distressed and death seems to be the only option. Judith, a wealthy widow, trusts in the Lord and ultimately, kills the opposing military leader and brings peace to the people.
It is a story of God’s provision for His people in their exile through an unlikely source, a widow. In Judith, we see an archetype pointing to Mary and to the Church, waiting for her true Bridegroom. 
But it is also a story that points to the Lord’s desire to draw all nations to Himself! One of my favorite parts of the book of Judith is that it tells us of the conversion of a man who initially sets out to fight the Jewish people coming to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. 
“And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel.” - Judith 14:10
It beautiful reminder that God’s deliverance is for all mankind. 
#proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword  #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
thethinplace
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Judith is another archetypal story of the battle being won at the hand of a woman, seen also in Judges and Esther. During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, an army is sent to destroy the mountain town that Judith lives in. The people are greatly distressed and death seems to be the only option. Judith, a wealthy widow, trusts in the Lord and ultimately, kills the opposing military leader and brings peace to the people. It is a story of God’s provision for His people in their exile through an unlikely source, a widow. In Judith, we see an archetype pointing to Mary and to the Church, waiting for her true Bridegroom. But it is also a story that points to the Lord’s desire to draw all nations to Himself! One of my favorite parts of the book of Judith is that it tells us of the conversion of a man who initially sets out to fight the Jewish people coming to believe in the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. “And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel.” - Judith 14:10 It beautiful reminder that God’s deliverance is for all mankind. #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #blessedandhighlyfavored #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #daughterofaking #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #wordbeforworld #encouragingquotes #christianlife #christianencouragement
2 days ago
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If there was any Old Testament book I would love to see made into a movie - it would be Tobit! It has everything! Despair! True love! Home remedies! Battles against demons! A quest to find the family treasure! It is truly a dramatic book. Like the book of Esther, it demonstrates God care for His people during their exile. 
Tobit is a narrative book. Like Job, it begins with a man who served the Lord but was met with misfortune so great that he begs the Lord to let Him die. At the same time, a young widow across the country is making the same request. God answers both of their prayers through the intervention of the angel Raphael who, in disguise as a man, helps Tobit’s son on a journey. It is a short, compelling story and, for that reason, it is a really great place to start if you want to read through the Deuterocanonical books.
There is also a beautiful contrast to Adam and Eve seen in the love story of Tobias and Sarah. Where one couple listened to devil and succumbed to temptation, we see the other stand firm in reliance on the Lord. This points us to the future coming of Christ and His defense of His bride, the Church.
#christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy  #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime #miblogger #michiganblogger
thethinplace
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If there was any Old Testament book I would love to see made into a movie - it would be Tobit! It has everything! Despair! True love! Home remedies! Battles against demons! A quest to find the family treasure! It is truly a dramatic book. Like the book of Esther, it demonstrates God care for His people during their exile. Tobit is a narrative book. Like Job, it begins with a man who served the Lord but was met with misfortune so great that he begs the Lord to let Him die. At the same time, a young widow across the country is making the same request. God answers both of their prayers through the intervention of the angel Raphael who, in disguise as a man, helps Tobit’s son on a journey. It is a short, compelling story and, for that reason, it is a really great place to start if you want to read through the Deuterocanonical books. There is also a beautiful contrast to Adam and Eve seen in the love story of Tobias and Sarah. Where one couple listened to devil and succumbed to temptation, we see the other stand firm in reliance on the Lord. This points us to the future coming of Christ and His defense of His bride, the Church. #christianwoman #graceupongrace #jesusgirl #inspiredfaith #womenlivingwell #jesuscalling #faithfilledcaptions #catholicblogger #Catholicconvert #CatholicWoman #chasingsacred #christianwomenleaders #bibleverse #biblestudy #christianblogger #faithinhim #proverbs31woman #faithful #Godisgood #encouragementgallery #godslove #christianposts #christianquote #prayer #prayertime #miblogger #michiganblogger
3 days ago
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3/5
The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors.
While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. 
It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. 
For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” 
There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. 
Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask. 
#bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture #catholicbible
thethinplace
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The Book of Wisdom full of poetic principles and outlines how to live life well. Written around the time of the Maccabean revolt, it is written in the style of Solomon (and is sometimes referred to as “The Wisdom of Solomon”) but was written by later authors. While this book was not accepted in the Jewish cannon, it is in every copy of the Greek Septuagint but it was quote by St Augustine over 800 times and, most importantly, was declared Scripture at the Councils of Hippo and Carthage. It focuses on Wisdom guiding the lives of the faithful, the follies of the wicked, and focuses heavily on our future home with God and the life to come. For those of you familiar with the Nicene Creed, the Book of Wisdom is one of the sources of inspiration of our description of Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ being “Light from Light” is taken from Wisdom 7:26 which refers to Wisdom as being a “reflection of eternal light.” There are also several passages in Wisdom which foretell the death of Christ. One of my favorite passages is Wisdom 14:7, “Blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes,” which reminds me how truly blessed is the cross which held the Savior of the world, our perfect Sacrifice. Wisdom is very similar to the book of Proverbs in length and style. It points constantly to the Lord who, as James tells us, is ready to give wisdom to those who ask. #bibletime #biblereading #readyourbible #proverbs31woman #proverbs31 #womenintheword #savedbygrace #virtuouswoman #godlywoman #godsgirl #christianliving #butgod #givemejesus #trustgod #daughteroftheking #walkbyfaith #beautyfromashes #graceupongrace #dailydevotional #faithjourney #jesuslover #faithblogger #godisgood #graceoverperfection #michiganblogger #biblescripture #catholicbible
4 days ago
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Until I read the entire Bible last year for the Bible in Lent challenge, I had never read most of the Deuterocanonical / Apocryphal books of the Bible. When I did this, I realized that, aside from a vague notion of Maccabees from Hanukkah books, I had absolutely no idea what the rest of the books contained.
For the next few days, we're going to do a little overview of each of these books in the Bible.
But first, why aren't these books in the Protestant Bible?
Like most of the divides in the Catholic and Protestant conversation, there is a lot of nuances. Luther’s own translation of the Bible included these books although he moved them to a separate section. They were also included in the King James Bible of 1611 and the Geneva Bible even though they were viewed as apocryphal or “outside of Scripture.” It was not standard even in Protestantism to exclude these books from the Bible printing until 1825. 
Essentially, there is a lot of historical evidence that the church throughout history considered these books a part of the Bible. But earlier in the Church, we see evidence of Church leaders such as St. Polycarp, St. Clement of Rome, Origen, St. Athanasius, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine,  affirming some or all of these books as Scripture.
It's clear that historically, believers have seen these books as beneficial so I hope you'll join me in looking at them this week!
#godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
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Until I read the entire Bible last year for the Bible in Lent challenge, I had never read most of the Deuterocanonical / Apocryphal books of the Bible. When I did this, I realized that, aside from a vague notion of Maccabees from Hanukkah books, I had absolutely no idea what the rest of the books contained. For the next few days, we're going to do a little overview of each of these books in the Bible. But first, why aren't these books in the Protestant Bible? Like most of the divides in the Catholic and Protestant conversation, there is a lot of nuances. Luther’s own translation of the Bible included these books although he moved them to a separate section. They were also included in the King James Bible of 1611 and the Geneva Bible even though they were viewed as apocryphal or “outside of Scripture.” It was not standard even in Protestantism to exclude these books from the Bible printing until 1825. Essentially, there is a lot of historical evidence that the church throughout history considered these books a part of the Bible. But earlier in the Church, we see evidence of Church leaders such as St. Polycarp, St. Clement of Rome, Origen, St. Athanasius, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine, affirming some or all of these books as Scripture. It's clear that historically, believers have seen these books as beneficial so I hope you'll join me in looking at them this week! #godsword #jesusislife #dailydevotion #shedelights #graceupongrace #godisfaithful #lordjesus #blessedisshe #biblestudy #trustinhim #catholicism #bible #jesuslove #christianposts #readyourbible #bibledaily #intheword #wordbeforeworld #bibleversedaily #gracemakers #christianwomenleaders #bibletruth #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #godlovesyou #prayerchangesthings #dailybibleverse #seekhim
5 days ago
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5/5
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