Bible Time

Josh here.

In the evenings just before bedtime, we do our family 'Bible time.' We've been going straight through the Bible for many years, and we're now up to 2 Kings. After reading, I ask the younger kids to say in their own words what it was we just read. For the older ones, I ask theological questions or practical application questions, and we discuss the verses.
Other times I read from a Bible trivia book, and the kids try and guess the answers. That's a little more enjoyable, if not more 'filling.'
Sometimes I'll read from a couple of other books: an anthology of children's songs, stories, and rhymes, and a book called "Treasure of the Familiar" edited by Ralph Woods. It's a wonderful book full of poems, scripture, verse, plays, speeches, songs, quotes, and other prose throughout all of history.

The big question is WHY do we do this?
The Great Commission is that we should 'go make disciples of all nations...and teach them everything I have commanded you...." (Matt.28:19-20)
So many of us who claim to be Christians fail to disciple our own children, to say nothing of discipling those outside our home. Proverbs tells us to 'train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.' (Prov. 22:6). As 90% of Christian kids leave the faith by the time they are 20, my goal is to be the 10% that retain it, but it doesn't happen by accident. A couple hours of church each week is no match for 40 hours of government schooling, numerous hours of anti-Christian filth on the TV, and the bad influence of unbelieving friends.
On the contrary, we home-educate, have no TV, monitor our kids friendships, and we disciple our children, training them up in the way of the Lord. With such guidance, how can we lose?
True, it's still possible for a child to reject the faith when they're older, but at least they've got a far greater chance. 95% of home-educated Christian kids retain their faith. What a glorious statistic!
But there's more to it than education. I would say that the 5% of failures in that group are those who only educated, and didn't disciple. We've heard many testimonies of homeschool parents who wished they would have spent more time on character training.
What good is knowledge without wisdom and character?
Anyway, back to the WHY. Reading the Bible and discussing it has countless advantages, which I don't need to go into here. But what about the poetry and speeches? Those teach us verbage - the use of words to maximum effect. Reading the statesmen of old is like taking a walk through a verbal treasure garden. When one develops a desire to be able to communicate clearly and effectively, one is naturally drawn to those who have mastered the concept, so I read this stuff not only to introduce my children to it, but to also make up for lost time for myself! I'll never match even the least of the old statesmen or poets, but at least I can send my kids farther along the path than myself, in the hopes that they will send their kids even farther along.

Fathers, I exhort you, if you call yourself a Christian, to get into the Word with your kids. If you fail to do this, you will (9 times out of 10) send them to Hell, rejecting the very beliefs that you claim to hold dear. If you don't have the time, then MAKE or TAKE the time. Job keeping you too busy? Get another job and trust in the Lord to provide. Your family is your top priority. Live the Christian life for all it's worth, for there "you will have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)