I remember when I started this blog. It was a secret at first because I just wanted it to be for me and my daughter. But maybe inside I knew I wanted it to be something more. I have a vivid memory of sitting there on wordpress.com trying URL after URL. I wanted something clever but that really gave the mission of the blog, too. And somehow, Impress Your Kids came to mind. It’s taken directly from Deuteronomy 6: 4-9

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

I just love this scripture because it’s really a mini-parenting manual. God tells us how to impress His Words and laws on our kids’ hearts. First of all, we should just talk about them all the time, everywhere we go. He also says we should write them on the door frames of your houses.

Many Jewish people take this literally and put up a mezuzah by their front door (actually, now that I think about it my parents have one by their front door!) and some may even go overboard as a legalistic thing-you-gotta-do. Regardless, I love the idea and have really made an effort to put God’s Word up all over our house!

The main way I do this is just by scripture banners or posters. If we are memorizing or talking about a scripture, we make a banner for it. Or if I’m not feeling crafty, we just write it on a big piece of paper and put it on the bulletin board. And my kids can’t even read. But I can. And I have to pass that banner 500 times a day, so I read it. And I say it and they copy me. They hear it and memorize it.

Here are some of my favorite banners and posters we’ve made:

1. Apple Print Banner 2. Fingerpaint & Stickers 3. Star Mini-Posters

I’m not a great interior designer, but as I do look at art and knick-knacks for my house, I tend to lean to things that have scripture on them. Not Christian platitudes or clever sayings, but God-breathed words. Here are some I’d love to have…

Proverbs 3:5-6 from Red Letter Words

Psalm 51: 10 from Naptime Diaries

2 Corinthians 5:7 by Grace for Grace

Of course, you could plaster your house with God’s Word and they could be easy to ignore, they might just blend into the scenery. But if you put them up with intention (and ask God to remind you), these banners, pictures, canvases and posters can be a gentle reminder as you walk around your house to talk to your children of the things of God.

Do you have scripture hanging somewhere in your house?

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

The other night as I was putting Lydia to bed she stopped me and said, “I…I…I am scared…” I said, “Scared? Scared of what?” We have been through fear with Lydia. First it was big tall men, then thunderstorms, then fireworks and talking to adults. But what could she be scared of in our own home?

She finally (after several minutes of coaxing) said she was afraid of someone coming into our house and ultimately into her room. I was shocked. “Who told you that? Did you see it on TV? In a book?” And she said no, it just popped in her head.

And since then it has been nighttime drama. She insists she “can’t” get rid of the thought. We’ve talked about thinking on things that are lovely (Philippians 4:8) and how God can give peace (Psalm 4:8) and about 12000 other verses that are appropriate and helpful. So, she’s been staying awake in her bed for hours and then getting up early. Which results in such BAD BAD behavior the next day. (Honestly, I think I’m going to write a post how no sleep=bad behavior.)

Scripture is really the only way I know to combat any of this stuff. Sleeping with all the lights on doesn’t solve the problem. You certainly can’t discipline her. But she is getting to the point of arguing and manipulating me with continuing to talk about how she “can’t” and “but it’s still in my  mind!”, etc. etc.

I’ve got the feeling that she needs something tangible. A few people suggested putting some “safety powder” or spray around the room (just any old spray or powder and call it magical!). And although I understand the thought behind it, I don’t want my daughter to trust in something so trivial and false. I need her to (on a 5 year old level) deal with this the best she can.

So, we made a Scripture verse reminder tool. It’s called, “My God Can”. I got the idea from Dennis Lee an amazing ventriloquist I met at Children’s Pastors Conference one year. The pun is that it is “my God can” but really it’s a can that holds all the things MY GOD CAN do!

We just wrapped a raisin container with paper and then decorated it. We memorized Job 42:2, “I know that you can do all things.” and then began to think of all the scriptures we knew about the great promises of God. For each scripture we picked an object to put in the can.

When Lydia begins to feel scared or out-of-control she can go to her God Can and look through the objects and remember each promise that goes with it.

We’re going to have to go on a search (even to the store) to find some of the objects we need. But right now we’ve got 3 items:

• a puffball to remind us of Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns anger away.” This is to help her be gentle with her brother.
• a candle to remind us of John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Perfect for dark nights in your room.
• a rock for Psalm 40:1-2 “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” She really recognizes that her fear is a slimy pit and she needs God to lift her out and help her stand firm.

Lydia listening to Psalm 40:1-2 on Seeds and playing with the objects in her God Can. See how the puffball is on top of the rock?

Along with this we turned on Seeds of Worship’s Seeds of Courage CD and have been listening to it nonstop. There are TONS of great scriptures on it that we need to memorize and are going to get objects for as we do. So, here are a few more scriptures and objects we’ll be adding:

Philippians 4:8 {a flower to remind us of the lovely things we should think about}

Philppians 4:6-7 {not sure, but this verse is about the peace of God guarding our hearts. Maybe a little knight? Or army man?}

Philippians 4:13 {this is the one she needs to help combat the “I can’t!”–maybe a little strong armed guy?}

Isaiah 41:10 {her favorite song from Seeds and we’re hoping to find a little hand!}

Psalm 4:8 {a little pillow to remind her of sleeping in peace}

Isaiah 26:3 {this is another one about keeping your mind fixed on God and having peace…not sure of an object}

I’m hoping this will be the tangible visual item she needs to help focus and relax her mind. The main problem is that she keeps thinking there is an “easy fix”. Every time I tell her to sing a song or think about something else she argues, “But I did! And that thought is still there. It’s like half my mind is good and half is bad.” I explained that just like medicine is taken in doses and food is eaten 3 times a day, God’s Word has to be continually feasted on. I pray these objects will remind her to continually focus on what God CAN and WILL do for her!

don’t forget to enter the Very Veggie Giveaway to win 10 Veggie Tales DVDs! Ends Friday!

linked to WFMW at We are THAT Family

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

I was terrified to have a boy. I mean, I’m NOT a boy. I know nothing about boys. I’ve never been in a boy’s locker room, a boy’s birthday party or to a boy spend the night party. (Do boys even have spend the night parties?!) The whole time I was pregnant with Asa, I worried. I mean, what do I do? Will I be able to parent him? Will I know what to do and how to say it?

We named him Asa after the king in the Bible who prayed this prayer before a battle, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.” 2 Chronicles 14:11

This verse became a mission-a prayer not just FROM King Asa but FOR our Asa. I pray this verse over him. I pray he recognizes he is powerless without God. I pray Asa relies on God in every situation. And that he is certain God will defeat temptation and problems in his life.

Praying scripture is really the only way I know how to pray for my son. It’s the only way I know I’m actually praying God’s will. It keeps me focused and specific. This one little scripture has helped me begin a journey of actually raising a man of God–even though I have no idea how to do so on my own.

Brooke McGlothlin {co-founder of the MOB Society} felt this same uncertainty I did and she did the same thing I did (only with more gusto!) and turned to God’s Word. Brooke has crafted an entire ebook called Warrior Prayers about praying scriptures over your son. And not just any scriptures–these are scriptures focused specifically at the things our boys need. With the intent of changing our sons’ hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, fully dependent on their Heavenly Father.

I read the book in one sitting. It’s divided into areas of prayer {fear, obedience, respect, honor, etc} and with each section is a page or more of scriptures like:

May __________ obey his leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over his soul, as those who will have to give an account. Let __________ do this with joy and not with groaning (Hebrews 13:17).

May __________ have a wise man’s heart inclining him to the right, and not a fool’s heart inclining to the left (Ecclesiastes 10:2)

May__________be blameless and innocent, a child of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation (Philippians 2:15)

Now, go back and insert your sons’ name in those blanks. Read them aloud. It’s breathtaking, isn’t it? And isn’t it what you want for your son?

I just love Brooke’s heart. She knows she doesn’t have it in her to lead her sons to be men of God. To be fathers and husbands that follow Him. But she knows the path—through prayer. And not just any prayer, but specific focused prayer based on God’s Word.

I highly recommend this book, you can read it quickly, then print it out to read and pray the scriptures over and over your sons {and hey–for your daughters, too!}. The book is only $5.97 and you can download it today! Once you’ve done this, you can join in 21 Days of Prayer for Sons–a challenge to pray 10 times a day for 21 days for our sons! WOW! Doesn’t that sound cool?

I know there are days I just look at Asa and have no idea what to do. I believe this 21 Days is going to open my heart to hear how God would have me lead and pray for my precious son.

Sound good? Brooke has generously offered to give one Warrior Prayers book away to one of you today!

Enter to Win Warrior Prayers (do one or all, leave a separate comment for each):

• Leave a comment. Who are the little boys in your life?
• Tweet it! Include @impressyourkids & link to this post http://bit.ly/warriorprayers
• Share on Facebook. It’s easy – just click the “Like” button at the bottom of this post!
• LIKE Impress Your Kids on facebook (see sidebar) or tell me that you already do.

Contest ends Friday March 11.

Disclosure: Brooke gave me this book for free. I asked to post about it.

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***