A Bible Reading Plan for Little Ones {The Attributes of God}

The links below are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through your local library. Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!

All right folks- I've got to be honest. Three months into sharing free printable Bible reading plans for family worship, and my family hasn't completed an entire one yet. We are really faithful with it for a week or two, then fall off the wagon for another week or two. Kids get sick, parents get sick, and in many other ways, life happens.

But we are persevering in our efforts, and I'm hoping to read this month's entire plan with my kids!

Of course I read and select all the passages personally before posting them, but I want to be more consistent in reading them daily to my kids {ages 4, 2, and 5 months} as the month progresses.

Maybe you can be encouraged to know you're not alone if you haven't quite "arrived" at consistency in the Word as a family?

I find it difficult to select appropriate passages. I want to challenge and stretch our kids in their listening abilities, and I know they hear more than we think they do while they are wiggling and fidgeting... but I also want to make them bite-size and doable. I don't want us as parents to be completely discouraged because we are reading this loooonnnng passage and no one is hearing it over the bouncing and whispering and giggling.

If you use the plan, please email me {thepurposefulwife@gmail.com} with your feedback! It would be invaluable.

This month our topic is The Attributes of God. I tried to keep each week day reading down to just a few key verses. For the parents, be careful to define each attribute to your kids, and give them an age-appropriate understanding of context and application. I highly recommend A.W. Pink's little book, The Attributes of God as a complimentary resource for mom and dad's personal devotions.

It's a four week plan, one passage every Monday-Friday. I've chosen 10 attributes of God and picked two passages for each attribute, one Old Testament and one New. The goal is to begin introducing who God is and what He is like to your toddlers and preschoolers- from the actual Word of God.

I hope that it blesses both you and your little ones as you grow in understanding of who our great God is. Such contemplation's should definitely push us to more fervent worship!

Get your free printable copy here.

If you like this plan, I think you would like my new ebook! It's called Read the Bible to Your Kids: A Year of Simple Plans to get into the Word Together. 

I've created 13 topical, month long plans with passages from both the Old and New Testament. The passages are short {for short attention spans!}, and the PDF file can easily be printed off for you to check off boxes as you read.

It's a great, simple solution for families who want to build Word-centered homes. You can find out what people are saying about it, the topics the plans cover, and download your copy for only $4.99 right here.

Observing the Christian Sabbath {Part 2: My Story}

The links below are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through your library. Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!

Awhile back I shared a few reasons why Christian's should still observe a weekly Sabbath. As promised, today I'm sharing my own story of how my husband and I came to this understanding.

I grew up in a Christian home... pastor's kid, in fact. So you better believe we were in church every Sunday, every service. My parents are committed believers and really instilled in us commitment to a local body of believers. 

However we weren't reformed, and Sunday afternoons were pretty much free game for eating out or shopping or watching movies. My mom did ask us to have our homework finished by Saturday night, to free up the Lord's Day from that kind of work, and my parents always napped on Sunday afternoons. But that was the extent of "Sabbath" in our home.

Shortly after Niall and I were married we started attending our current church. It's Reformed Baptist and holds to the London Baptist Confession of 1689. For a church history point of reference, think Charles Spurgeon. 

We loved the Biblically sound, exegetical preaching. Every Sunday morning our Pastor works through a New Testament book, and Sunday evening an Old Testament book- wonderful for getting the whole scope of Scripture. We got to know people and became very connected to the body, and we knew we wanted to become members.

Only one problem. We had heard weird little rumors about something called "Sabbatarianism." It seemed like the prevailing ideas on how one should spend a Sunday were a bit Old Testament and outdated. We knew that this was something we were going to have to study and come to an understanding on before we could proceed in the membership process.

Niall talked with Pastor, and {as our Pastor has been fondly known to do} was handed a huge stack of books :). I mentioned the titles in the last post, but in case you missed them:  Celebrating the Sabbath by Bruce A. Ray, The Lord's Day by Joseph Pipa, and Call the Sabbath a Delight by Walter Chantry. So he began reading, discussing the concepts with me as he went.

I knew I would have to read these books too... but I was very reluctant. I didn't really want to make a change that would make us the odd ones out with most of our Christian friends. I wanted to be able to do what I wanted when I wanted. 

Eventually I read them. The arguments in favor of a remaining Christian Sabbath were, to my surprise {and chagrin?!}, pretty convincing. 

My only reason for not wanting to believe was because I wanted to spend the day my way. I wanted to choose how I was going to spend my time. I was afraid that committing to worship, fellowship and rest would mean long and dreary, boring Sundays. How would we even fill the time?? 

These weren't Biblical reasons for rejecting the 4th commandment. They were actually pretty selfish and sinful. Please be mindful that I am not pointing fingers here! If through your personal study of Scripture and the case for observing the Lord's Day you find that there isn't convincing enough evidence, that is entirely between you and the Lord. Specifically in my case, I found the Biblical reasons to be solid, and my only objections to be shallow and insufficient. 

Niall and I discussed and debated, I hemmed and hawed, but in the end I landed in the Sabbatarian camp with him, and we haven't looked back since.

At the time we had no children and were both working full time outside of the home. Weekends were completely jam packed- grocery shopping, cleaning, church, and as much social acitivity as we could possibly cram in. We lived in our college town and had tons of friends to hang out with. We were also tired all. the. time.

When we started reserving our Sundays for strictly rest and worship, we both experienced a major life shift. All of a sudden we were no longer exhausted! Each new week began with a day of spiritual and physical refreshment, and we felt energized and encouraged by it. 

This change in our theology bore crazy, life-changing fruit in our lives, in the best way possible. Which is why I don't feel burdened or restricted by it- it's a blessing and gift from the Lord to me, far more freeing than I could have ever imagined. Contrary to my initial fears, I have yet to be "bored" on a Sunday.

Stay tuned- when possible, I'll be sharing how we observe the day, practically speaking, and how you to can begin to make this blessed, gentle change. All grace friends <3. 

The Changing Stages and Phases of Motherhood {or, why I haven't been blogging}

Life is never static- especially when you are a mom! As soon as I've found a decent rhythm for our daily doings, something changes- the baby is teething, the toddler stops napping, the preschooler needs me to devise more stimulating activities... etc.

Last week I started a series on the Christian Sabbath, fully intending to finish it before the week was out. And now a full second week has come and nearly gone, and I've neglected to post again, period. All this to say that our home is currently in a transitional phase, and I haven't figured out how this hobby blog fits into the routine.

I fully intend to pick up where I left off, just not sure when and how that will happen. So be patient with me and stay tuned :).

Meanwhile, exciting news. I am now officially married to a U.S. citizen! Niall was sworn in last Friday. His dual citizenship status means our life is way simpler. No more renewing green cards, hoarding copious amounts of paper records, or worrying about strange complications with his status. Now if we register the kids for Irish passports, I'll be the only non-dual citizen among us.

This seems to be the winter of never ending sickness. We've been bouncing mild colds around between family members for at least a month now. I completely lost my voice for a stretch this week, and that made mothering a coop of small children interesting, to say in the least. Ah, the things we take for granted.

Hope all is well with you friends <3. And don't give up on me yet- I will do my utmost to finish writing the train of thought begun last week. Thanks for hanging tight with me.

Observing the Christian Sabbath {Part 1: Why}

The links below are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through your library. Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!

Several weeks ago I shared this article on my facebook page. It's all about honoring the Christian Sabbath as a command- setting aside each Sunday as a day for rest and worship. It generated a bit of buzz, and since several of you asked for more details I thought I'd write a few posts on the topic of the Lord's Day.

I've hesitated to write about being Sabbatarian for several years. Until 8 years ago it was an entirely foreign concept to me. Having convictions in this area has at times meant awkwardness with other believers- godly believers who just happen to have different convictions. I don't care to be the divisive person in a group... so I just haven't talked about it.

But after seeing several articles lately on the topic, and getting a few questions from readers, now seems as good a time as any to just go for it. Please know that I am no expert! This is just my understanding of the Scriptures; what I believe, and how that belief informs my life.

Today I'm covering the why behind observing the Christian Sabbath, and later this week I'll share posts including my testimony of switching to Sabbath observance, and a few suggestions for how you could start to observe the Day yourself.

So why should Christians observe a weekly Sabbath?

1. The Sabbath didn't begin with the Law of Moses. Most people associate the Sabbath with the book of Exodus, but you might be interested to know that long before there was Mosaic Law, there was Sabbath. Sabbath starts at Creation (Genesis 2:2-3).

When Sabbath is commanded later in the Pentateuch, it isn't new. Every time Moses covers it, he says "remember the Sabbath Day"- remember, because it has been around since creation. Remember what you already know is right.

2. Sabbath keeping sets the people of God apart. God's people are called to be light to unbelievers. One of the ways we can be different is by setting apart one day each week exclusively for worship. We show that the Lord is important to us by prioritizing time in His house with His people.

3. It's one of the Ten Commandments. As a reformed Christian, this is my position on Law: while the ceremonial and sacrificial laws of Israel have been done away with in the New Covenant, the moral law {otherwise known as the 10 commandments} is a reflection of the moral character of God and still applies to Christians today.

Even if you aren't reformed, chances are you would take seriously every single other one of the 10 commandments. No true Christian is fine with adultery, murder, stealing, lying, or idolatry. We all reference Moses' words when we tell our children to honor their parents. So why is the 4th command the only one we ignore?

4. Jesus didn't negate Sabbath observance. When Jesus condemns pharisees about the Sabbath, its important to note that He isn't condemning the Sabbath itself. Rather He condemns their abuse of it- not allowing for healing or meeting basic necessities. Instead of abandoning the observance of the Sabbath, Jesus faithfully keeps it and instructs us on the proper use of it.

5. God ordained it and observes it. Sabbath is God's idea. If He rested after the work of Creation as an example to us, how important is it for us to follow His example?!

6. God takes it extremely seriously. I encourage you to read the Old Testament passages on the Sabbath, and then ask yourself- if God was so serious about this commandment when the Scriptures were written, would He really just do away with it all together after the cross?

Granted, the consequences and the specific restrictions are not today what they were then. But Jesus came to fulfill the Law on our behalf, and paid the penalty for our Law breaking on the cross. Isn't failure to obey the 4th commandment one of the sins that Jesus had to die for?

7. It is a blessing and a gift, not a burden. How glorious is it to have one day free of worldly cares and work, set apart to enjoy God, fellowship with other believers, and rest?!? This is a precious gift from God to us. I'll be speaking more on this in the posts to come!

8. Our souls need worship and our bodies need rest. Humans have limitations and humans have needs. One of our greatest spiritual needs is worship, and one of our greatest physical needs is rest. God has provided for both of those needs by giving us the Sabbath.

9. Church history sets a strong precedent. Until very recently, Christians everywhere were strongly committed to not working on Sundays. Restaurants, shops, and most other business establishments were closed on Sundays- even the secular culture respected the Day!

Of course historical examples aren't strong enough reason on their own- everyone is fallible, after all. But if keeping the Christian Sabbath was the habit of Christians from the days of the early church through the next 1,900 years... do we really think that we are superior to be free of it? It's at least worth considering.

Why do Christians observe Sunday as "The Lord's Day," or, the Christian Sabbath?

Basically, because Jesus rose again on the first day of the week. Christians in the first century started meeting on Sundays to remember His resurrection. In Revelation 1:10, John says he was "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day." That's why we call Sunday the Lord's Day, and its what most Christians use as their Biblical basis for worshiping on that day.

This is just a brief explanation. For more detailed works on the topic, I highly recommend the following books: Celebrating the Sabbath by Bruce A. Ray, The Lord's Day by Joseph Pipa, and Call the Sabbath a Delight by Walter Chantry.

Homemaking: the Job for which All Others Exist

"Homemaking is surely in reality the most important work in the world. What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government, etc. exist for except that people may be fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes? ...the homemaker's job is one for which all others exist." C.S. Lewis

When you think of your work as a homemaker, do you envision it as the noble and lofty calling that it is?

I don't care whether you are at home full time, or working outside the home and doing your best to establish a safe and welcoming place for loved ones on nights and weekends- all the home doings- the laundry, the dishes, the scrubbing, the tidying- it's all noble, God-glorifying work.

Assessing the Spiritual Condition of Our Children

The links below are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through your library. Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!

One of my greatest frustrations with Christian parenting books is the tricky business of how they address {or don't address} our children's souls.

It seems that a lot of books assume that your children are already born-again believers, or inevitably will be if you follow their prescriptive plan. So there is an underlying assumption in all of their advice for discipline and instruction that our kids are going to respond a certain way, that they will have genuine repentance, that the Holy Spirit is definitely working in them.

Don't get me wrong- I so hope and pray that that is eventually the case for my children. I love them deeply, and thus am deeply concerned that they turn to Christ in repentance and faith before it's too late.

I just struggle with knowing how to discipline and instruct them, knowing that an unregenerate person is utterly opposed to God and His ways, and knowing that to some extent the only thing I can really exert some control over is their behavior {although let's be honest- we have a lot less control over that then we'd like!}.

Of course I'm trying to reach their hearts. I'm trying to call sin what it is, to point them to the Scriptures, and to address underlying attitudes and not just actions. I just have this strong sense that "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain" {Psalm 127}- unless God is working to draw my children to Himself, they aren't going to know Him and at the end of the day there is nothing I can do about that.

I recently read Martha Peace and Stuart Scott's book, The Faithful Parent, and was truly struck by it.

This is the first Christian parenting book I've read that actually says my children probably aren't saved at their current ages {of course we know age is irrelevant, and the Lord isn't limited by numbers...still}. It's one of the only Christian parenting books I've read that acknowledged the condition of my children's souls, gave solid Biblical counsel on how to address unregenerate children in day-to-day discipline and instruction, and equipped me to evangelize them appropriately.

Think: less pressure, less sermonizing; more simple Gospel instruction in a Deuteronomy 11:19 way- as you sit in your house, walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.

As Peace and Scott so wisely inform, our goal in parenting isn't perfection- that's impossible! Our goal is not a proven product- if you do A, B, C, and D, your children will turn out this way- also impossible!

Rather, our goal is to be faithful- striving to know the Lord, to obey the Lord, and to point our children to the Lord, as we grow in sanctification and grace. It's a faith process. There will be lots of bumps along the road, plenty of failings and pain inflicted on both our part and our children's. But by God's grace and with His help, we can be faithful, growing more so each day.

One of the last sections of the book is a 30 day devotional series for parents whose children are in outright rebellion. This portion alone is worth the price of the book. The counsel given is so wise, gentle, Christ-exalting, and faith building. I pray that I'm never in that situation, but if in God's providence a rebellious child is in my future, I intend to remember this section and just plant myself in it.

My prayer is that the Lord would help us to be faithful in our calling as mothers. That we would realize that the weight of our children's souls is in the Lord's hands, not ours. That we'd let go of all the pressure and stress and fretting, and instead pour all of our hearts into loving God greatly, and mothering the best we can, utterly dependent upon His help and working.

I hope this book encourages you as it did me.

Great Chapter Books to Read to Your Little Girl

The links below are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through your local library. Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!

One of the sweetest and easiest ways to tighten the mother/child bond is the simple act of reading together. When we read to our children, we can cuddle up close and enjoy much needed human touch. It's the perfect way to begin or end a day. Reading together builds memories, provides endless fodder for conversation, and creates a beautiful family culture.

Personally I'm a huge fan.

Until recently, reading chapter books together was a special treat that I shared with just my daughter, S (currently 4 years old). We all love reading picture books together, but little brother's attention span didn't allow for much more. Lately he's been sitting for longer and longer though, and gets offended if we pick up a chapter book without him. So I'm trying to branch out and satisfy everyone's tastes....

But these are some wonderful chapter books to be enjoyed especially with little girls!

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Truly ingenious tales of the woman who knows how to cure every misbehavior in children. Instructive and entertaining for mothers and daughters alike {though I'm sure boys will enjoy these books too!}.

"B" is for Betsy. This charming book is both sweet and simple. It's nothing adventurous or wild, but in following Betsy through her first year of kindergarten, it harks back to more uncomplicated days.

Betsy-Tacy. We've read the first two in this series by Maud Hart Lovelace, and both S and I adore the growing up tales of two best friends, Midwest in the early 1900's. Even W laughed out loud at some of their escapades- the first chapter book I noticed he was starting to pay attention to.

Charlotte's Web. It had been a million years since I read this book, and I was surprised at some of the hard-hitting, life-and-death, coming-of-age topics that E.B. White grapples with in this classic story. S and I had a few deep conversations as a result of reading this that I don't think we would have had otherwise.

Alice in Wonderland. This is our current read aloud. S's interest in Alice was sparked bright by a visit to Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum- they have a huge Alice in Wonderland maze in the basement, complete with the Mad Hatter's tea party, Cheshire cat, and Alice costumes for kids to wear. So we pulled the original book off the shelf, and she's been pretending to fall down the rabbit hole ever since.

Little House in the Big Woods. Reading The Little House on the Prairie series is a rite of passage for every American girl. What bookish little girl in the country didn't grow up reading them?!? I started this with S shortly after she turned four, and I think at the time she was still just a little too young. So we shelved it, but I can't wait to try again this Fall for kindergarten at home.

Of course I just can't wait to introduce my girls to Anne of Green Gables, the original American Girl's books {I was a total Felicity girl}, Little Women, and A Little Princess. All in good time.

What chapter books would you recommend for reading aloud to little girls? We are always hunting for our next title...