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Spiritual Scrapbooks

Scrapbooks.
I bet you’ve got them.
I know I do.
I’m not the greatest at scrapbooking,
but I do have a book for each of my boys that documents growth and firsts.
You know – those “baby books.”
My boys love looking at theirs. I know I still enjoy looking at mine!

As I thought about how important it was to document the boys’ physical lives, I began to think, “What am I doing to “document” their spiritual growth?” What visual reminders are we as a family creating that will help us remember and celebrate what God has done?

A Spiritual Scrapbook is called a memorial. A memorial serves two purposes.

First, a memorial is something that helps us remember. In the Old Testament God established the Passover holiday for the Israelites to remember God’s deliverance of them from slavery in Egypt. When He parted the Jordan River, God told Joshua to take 12 stones out to create an altar just so they could tell their kids about what happened when they asked.

Secondly, a memorial serves as a talking point. The stones from the Jordan River weren’t only to help the Israelites remember what God did; they were to create curiosity in the next generation. Children would ask questions about those stones. I’m sure as parents told the story, there was a bit of celebrating, too! Memorials help us fulfill Deuteronomy 6:6-7

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon 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.

Now, if the Israelites needed to make a reminder of a major miracle like crossing the Jordan (like who’s going to forget that one?!), I certainly think it’s important for us to make reminders, too! So how can you and I create Spiritual Scrapbooks for our families and for our kids? Here are a few ideas.

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1. In our home we have a Blessing Bucket, where we put records of God’s blessings, big or small. This could also be a notebook or bulletin board. We put our blessings in the bucket and periodically review them together, especially at Thanksgiving.

2. One project I want to start is a shadow box of our God-memories. It will have items that remind us of God’s faithfulness in our immediate and extended families. For example, we will put rings in the shadow box to remind us of Grandma’s wedding ring found after a fire destroyed their house in Zimbabwe, and of BB’s wedding ring found at the bottom of Smith Mountain Lake. The shadow box will be something that can create opportunities to share about Christ with others – whether we’re encouraging fellow believers or witnessing to unbelievers by sharing the stories of God’s working in our lives.

3. I want my boys to begin their own Spiritual Scrapbooks in the form of a journal, pictures, or their own shadow boxes.

4. A blog can be a Spiritual Scrapbook. I have a monthly entry called 1000 gifts, inspired by Ann Voskamp’s book, where I keep a running list of blessings during the month. I also decided that some of my posts would be spiritual scrapbooks for the boys. It’s important to document those times my boys show growth and maturity, since training their hearts isn’t as easy as checking off a list of things we’ve done in school. (And since I tend to focus on where we lack!) But our kids do show growth when they

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  •      *take responsibility for their actions
  •      *admit when they’re wrong
  •      * show initiative and more independence in school work
  •       *serve others
  •      * recognize God’s blessings in their lives
  •      * learn who they are and how they learn
  •       *recognize the blessing and responsibility of influencing others for God
  •       *push through tough circumstances in school and on field trips – and the list could go on and on.

Creating something tangible for our kids to look at also encourages their spiritual growth. When we create spiritual scrapbooks, we create faith in our kids that God does work in their lives, no matter what age they are. We help them begin to have an eternal perspective, focusing on the spiritual instead of their temporary earthly life. We also encourage them to concentrate on the things that are excellent, and to rejoice always, like God admonishes us to do in Philippians 4:8 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
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I hope you’re encouraged to begin (or maybe continue!) to record God’s faithfulness in your lives
and help your kids build a solid foundation of trust they can use when they grow older.
What does your Spiritual Scrapbook look like?

HHMPic4BioPhoto I love Jesus, family, friends, football, and helping people know the joy of studying God’s Word. Twenty years ago I married my best friend and we have 3 boys. We live in Wellington, FL, where it’s summer 360 days out of the year. (Don’t be too jealous! :-)) We love our church, Christ Fellowship, and enjoy serving there together as Journey leaders, and we host a middle school boys’ life group. We are still sane and the house is still standing as of this moment! 🙂 I also teach a middle school life study, and Tim operates cameras during weekend services.

I have a BS in Bible and in elementary education from Philadelphia Biblical University and a MEd in special education from Arcadia University. I’ve taught 3rd and 4th grades and special education in both public and Christian schools. For the past nine years I’ve home-schooled my three boys.

My passion is to disciple others by helping them study God’s Word. I’m a living example of the stability and joy that brings to life! My husband and I have been working on journals for middle school kids to use to help them study God’s Word on their own. Tim’s the one that makes them look nice! You can find the journals at http://www.leadinggodsgeneration.com

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4 Comments

  1. I love traditional paper scrapbooks, now my wheels are turning! I could write down our testimonies and decorate ’em as usual, or take pictures of my kids that represent their spiritual milestones… can’t wait to begin!

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