Becky Crenshaw

As a mom of little ones I found myself frustrated and exhausted. It seemed liked I was constantly correcting, refereeing fights, and trying to keep the peace. It didn’t take long to realize the need for God’s wisdom in this area. I found myself trying to control my children’s behavior with reprimands and punishments, sometimes even quoting Scripture.

The problem was, I wasn’t even sure I was getting the verses right myself. Not only that, my kids had never even heard some of these verses I would refer to, and there I was trying to use them for correction. I attended church regularly, did a few Bible studies, and read devotionals, but I spent very little time memorizing scripture. I recognized it was time to intentionally equip both my kids and myself with God’s Word.

One of my goals in 2012 was to do weekly scripture memory with my kids.  The big idea: pick a Bible verse, practice it everyday with my kids in the car on the way to school, quiz them on the weekend, and reward their successes. On a good week, I would stumble across a verse in my devotional time on a Monday morning and we’d be set. However, if hadn’t chosen something by Tuesday, there would be no memory verse for the week.

I had a great idea, but I didn’t have a plan. Despite being disappointed, I put the same goal on the following year’s resolution list but this time I actually planned ahead and followed though. My husband and I talked, and agreed there were areas that we wanted our kids to grow in. By intentionally sharing with then what the Bible says, for example, about loosing their temper, sharing, or being thankful, we’d hope they would be able to make better choices.

Once we came up with our list of topics I created a list of corresponding Bible verses. Then I made a set of 3×5 cards. On the front of the card it says “Read It”. That’s where the memory verse is printed. On the back of the card it say “Pray It”. There I turned the verse into a prayer.

Each month covered a different topic, with a new scripture every week. I learned there was far more to parenting than getting my children to act right. I slowly saw my kids make better decisions, they were more gracious with one another, and more patient. They were also less resistant to discipline because the words I was choosing to use in moments of correction were God’s words and not mine. These cards not only planted God’s Word in my children’s heart and mine but also gave us an intentional and powerful prayer life. Whenever there was a situation we faced we could quickly recall a scripture we learned, insert our name or the specific details of our situation into that verse and pray it.

I am excited to let you know that theses cards are free to download on my blog. However, if you prefer the convenience of receiving these cards professionally printed, trimmed, and delivered to your mailbox, you can purchase them in my Etsy shop. Choose from a variety of topics or purchase the Starter Set that includes all 48 cards shared on my site.

In my shop you will also find NEW scripture cards available in 3 month, 6 month, and 1 Year subscriptions. They are available in the form of a digital download or printed product. The first set ships in August. My prayer is that these cards bless your family and much as they have mine.

Beginning today, you can win a 3 month printed monthly subscription of Read It, Pray It scripture cards!  Simply share this giveaway from The Word of God and a Cup of Joe on social media to be entered to win!  Once you’ve shared, come back here and post below, “I shared on Facebook!” or whatever social media you chose! It is that simple!  The winner will be chosen Wednesday morning!  Check back here or on Becky’s Facebook page to view the winner!  Good Luck!

Kimberly Amici is a writer, designer, and community builder whose desire is for hearts to be healed, minds to be renewed, and women to be connected in fellowship just as God intended. She is known for her creativity, strong faith, and commitment to living life with purpose and passion. She is the co-founder and managing editor at Circles of Faith and a writer at Faith Gateway. She also blogs at Living in the Sweet Spot. Kimberly lives with her husband Carl and their three children in the NYC suburbs.