Years ago I was introduced to the concept of doing Bible study time with your family during breakfast when we stayed overnight with some friends and found ourselves in the middle of their tradition. However, I didn’t think it would work for our family because I was rather undisciplined and my husband never eats breakfast with us. So, I put the thought aside and tried haphazardly to fit Bible time in elsewhere. {Remember, I said I was undisciplined, thus the “haphazard” part of this equation.}
Well, not too long ago as I was praying for wisdom concerning ordering my day (which also involved another one of those husband/wife conversations), I felt very strongly that the day needed to start with Bible and that God’s Word had to be the beginning focus of our day. So, I asked the Lord to show me a way to overcome my undisciplined “style” and get the children into His Word first thing in the morning.
I purchased a cheap alarm clock, gathered up our resources, and committed my efforts to the Lord.
It’s been such a blessing to begin our day this way! Yes, we do have days when we are terribly off track, but those are the exceptions now, rather than the rule. So, here’s a little taste (pun intended) of our time with Breakfast and the Bible…
My alarm goes off and I putter around the house doing chores and such. Eventually, I make sure breakfast is ready (we’re trying something new here that I’m not quite ready to share, but the breakfast menu used to be a random thing guided by my wakefulness level.)
I then get everyone up and get them moving on their morning chores while I finish up what I have left to do for morning chores as well. Often by this time, baby is in his high chair wanting a “solid” breakfast.
After morning chores have been completed, I ring the dinner bell (or in this case, the breakfast bell) and they come running…or rather, sleepily walking since no one here is a morning person.
We all sit and eat and talk and then I start reading from our current devotional, which right now happens to be:
From there, we move into our Bible Memory using:
{note: I decided to start everyone at the beginning of this booklet and move through at an individual pace.}
We also added something new this week at Daddy’s request: A Hymn of the Week
This week is Daddy’s favorite: The Old Rugged Cross.
{By the way, the discussion of favorite hymns on the Raising Arrows’ facebook page was so wonderful! Thanks to everyone who contributed! You can see the discussion HERE.}
After we’ve sung through and discussed our hymn, we break off for table chores and individual Bible study time. I know I need to add in prayer time here, but it hasn’t quite happened yet…baby steps. 😉
Individual Bible study consists of my oldest two children heading to their rooms to read their Bibles and supplement with
The Victor Journey Through the Bible
and
A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
I also want to note that for many years we have done Family Worship in the evenings when my husband is available to lead; however, we haven’t been particularly consistent {does anyone see a common thread here?}. Recently our focus in this area was renewed after watching the new video from Franklin Springs, Gather the Family. This video is wonderful for families interested in creating an atmosphere of joyous family worship. Even single parent households are brought into the discussion! And through July 24th, you can receive $5 off this video (and other individual titles) using the coupon code: FIVE-OFF-INDIVIDUAL-TITLES
Do any of you do family worship time? Is it part of a meal? What are your struggles when it comes to devotions as a family?
Rachel says
I’m working on getting into the habit of reading a chapter at breakfast too. I read aloud one chapter from the Prophets or the Writings every morning, working through in order. We’re in II Chronicles right now. (We have a breakfast menu that rotates through the week to help me stay on track, too).
My main problem is that I’m shy. I get embarrassed about the reading when my husband joins us for breakfast. But he has assured me that he loves this time, so I’m working on getting better about that.
Anna says
We have moved so often and had many changes in our lives as a family that produce a great need for flexibility. However, at times I can see that I use this as an excuse and neglect important things. We are working on time management and building solid routines to make sure we don’t neglect what is most important. Currently, I read aloud to our two boys (3 and 18 months) at breakfast from the Bible and Bible story books, among other things. At night after all of the toys are picked up we get to have dessert together while daddy reads from the Bible, and then we are sing songs and hymns together. Tying these elements to eating has helped out routine, as we like to eat.
Celee says
Similar struggles here. My husband is a pastor, so many busy and late nights and he is NOT a morning person. So we do our morning devotions without him. And in the evenings we’ve been very hit or miss. Our oldest son does a men’s discilpleship group with his dad.
Don’t you love the TAG books? My two oldest are moving into the blue books. I’m so excited that we’ll be memorizing the Westminster shorter!
Oh- and I used to read Proverbs to the kids at breakfast each morning. Now we do our Bible time before breakfast. And showers are a must before Bible time- or else I have to prod and poke kids at random to see if they’re really awake!
Keep up the new schedule! It sounds like it’s working.
Celee
Heather says
we do this too! well, sort of…
I have found that my little family 3yrs, 2yrs and 8mos will sit still, not talk/yell/sing too much and may actually listen if they have food in their mouths 🙂
So, since no one is super sleepy and fussy at breakfast, I read them a psalm and a chapter straight from the bible.
I am thinking it is time to begin a children’s bible story book with them, and they do have children’s bibles.
My question: do you read the actual bible to your children? I so strongly believe in the living word of God that it’s hard for me to abandon the bible all together for a more child digestible book, but I also see that the big words and complexity is hard to follow for them… Since you have older kids, do they respond well to the children’s version of the bible? Meaning – does it impact them like the bible does with adults?
Amy says
Daddy reads from the Bible at night, usually a chapter from whatever book he is studying at the time. 🙂
Jennifer says
Thanks for your post. God has been poking and prodding me to do something like this. It was such great timing to read this. I was thinking that I have a hard time getting my husband out the door in the morning, even harder doing it ON TIME and I usually make oatmeal to send with him since he can’t get up early enough for breakfast. That being said, more time in the Bible is what my kids need. I think it needs to be in the morning as our bedtime routine is already long and drawn out and includes a family prayer time.
Heather says
I love doing Bible at breakfast time, and have been hoping to add Hymns to ours, but haven’t got there yet. I am also rather undisciplined and it only works if I get up before everyone else so that I am done eating before I serve breakfast. I have found it very difficult to read aloud and eat at the same time…
Amy says
LOL! I agree!
SHANNON WALLACE says
I am so thankful that you wrote this article! God has been putting this (family devotions) on my heart for quite some time. :o)
Krista says
It’s so neat to see how God leads when you’re looking to Him to lead your family and how He does the similar things in families when they are looking to Him.
I started this morning Bible journey about a year ago and it was HARD. Over time, I have gotten to where I am more awake in the morning, as I’ve adjusted to the schedule. I realize, looking back, that it takes time and you have to keep going even if you’ve been haphazard for a while.
My children are two and four and while there is some talking/loud noises at the table, they get better with each day. We read straight from the Proverbs out of the International Children’s Bible. It is a translation that is easier for them to understand, but still the Bible, not just a story. Then, we work on memory verses for that week (we do AWANA). When we’re all done, the kids have to ask to be excused, put their dishes in the sink, then my oldest is supposed to help me empty the dishwasher and put the dirty dishes in, but this usually ends up being a team effort, as my youngest likes to help, too.
Keep up the good work and I encourage any other ladies with little ones to do this. It may be difficult, but I also believe it will pay dividends in the future.
Mama Mirage says
That’s wonderful Amy! Babysteps repeated are the way to form habits! I am trying to form the habit of reading my kids a Bible story before bed. I have succeeded in finally forming the habit of morning Bible and prayer time for myself daily and now I am moving on to adding the kids’ Bible and prayer in the evening. When I forget I keep reminding myself that if I am dilligent in this it will soon become habit and that will make it a bit easier. The longer it’s a habit the easier it is to remain that way, maybe because of all the little people who remind us when we skip something important in our usual schedule. 🙂
Amy says
We just started listening to the Word of Promise dramatized Audio Bible at Breakfast. We then do a few catechism questions. By listening to the Bible I am able to feed the baby, etc.
Later during our school time we do our Bible verses and hymns. Then some nights do Bible time as a family. This is what we are trying to work on. Dad is already gone in the morning.
Michelle says
I do a breakfast time reading and prayer to start our day. And I admit…it is HARD with an almost 4 year old and 2 year old…and sometimes baby. I’m big on routine so we almost ALWAYS eat breakfast at 8AM. I find if I don’t read at breakfast it gets lost in the day and doesn’t get done.
We sporadically do family worship. My husband is an on-the-go type person so when he comes home from work we often “Go-go-go” elsewhere. That is our main hindrance to family worship. We don’t sing yet. Although it intrigues me…when we talk about us singing we both laugh because we are totally musically illiterate and although I’m sure God appreciates sincere hearts in musical worship, we haven’t got there yet.
Honey says
When my children were all home, we read from the Bible at dinner time. I read, while the others ate, then I would eat afterwards. It was important to me, and not so much to everyone else. That is why I read while they ate. My husband is not a Christian, and I wanted this opportunity to share God’s word with him, as well as my children. Also, my grandmother lived with us a while before she passed on, and she liked to listen. Sometimes we would also use a famly devo book.
When the girls were teens, occasionally one or another would ask me to get up early and read a biblical book with them in the mornings. This was usually because they wanted to study a subject or passage more. We did that quite often. Now, two of the girls and I are reading the Bible in 90 Days with Moms Toolbox. I am a mentor in that program.
I wish we had done more of this earlier.
valerie says
hahaha once again you sound a LOT like me 😉
I struggled with the same feelings, the same haphazard mornings, and the same desire to have a bible time with the kids that was routine and stable. Finally I just started doing it. It has been over a year now and it is one of my favorite times of the day. We read a book in the bible (selected randomly,and currently we are in Nehemiah), and then do our character training book. It is wayyyy too young for my kiddo’s who are 7 and 9 but I cannot really afford the ones I want so I just keep doing these ones. Hoping to add more in-depth study soon.
Erin says
We do a morning devotional right after breakfast and before morning chores. Daddy is usually at work so it’s just me and the 4 boys. During our morning time we read the Proverb of the day and pray. We do a family worship in the evening after supper. We’ll usually read a chapter or two out of a book of the Bible. Sometimes we switch it up by listening to a book of the Bible (we have a dramatized version on audiobook). We will discuss the chapter and then pray as a family. After our prayer we’ll sing a hymn or two. We stick with the same 2 hymns for a week (changing on Sunday night). One thing we do let the kids do occasionally is act out one of their favorite scenes from our Bible time that week. We usually reserve it for Sunday night and they practice during the littles nap time.
Mandy Gehman says
We do something really similar. We read a Proverb, pray, and sing as the kids are finishing up breakfast. Then I read a chapter to them from a book about a “hero of the faith”, currently that is Brother Andrew, a Bible smuggler. In the past we have read about Hudson Taylor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and others. I would really like to read a Psalm at lunch, but not very consistent with that. And then my husband does whatever he wants to lead after dinner, sometimes straight from the Bible, sometimes a devotional. We struggle most with weekends!
Ginger says
We do this too! I eat before the kids come to breakfast (or if I’m running late- while they’re doing table chores after breakfast), and while they’r eating I read a Psalm, a chapter of the Child’s Story Bible (this is actually for school – bible history), and then we review our memory verse. We’ve been working on James 1, so I’ll go over the verse for that week and then I have everyone close their eyes and mouth along to the ESV Audio Bible* for James 1, stopping just after the verse we just learned. I’ve realized memorizing passages of scripture is easier for us than trying to memorize random different verses each week. This way, we are always reviewing.
Before we finish Bible time, the baby (18 mos) will have finished her breakfast, and then sits in one of the big kids’ laps for the remainder. When we’ve done everything, I’ll pray a quick prayer (because by then baby is antsy) and we all say Amen. That’s baby’s cue that she can get down now. This has been a huge help in training her to sit still in church.
*The ESV Audio Bible is free at FaithComesByHearing.com. They have the whole Bible! Awesome resource.
Amy says
Thank you for the great resource, Ginger!