Tomorrow I will know, Lord willing, what Bible to purchase for Baby #4. Typically, this is the first present that I buy my unborn child.  Why?  More on that later.

Will it be this one?

Or this one?

Yet, God may have other plans and I will need to pick up this one . . .

or a slightly different look, such as . . .

Currently, these are the bibles that I have purchased for our children.  The top book is my leather journal . . . in order to stay focused in my prayer time . . . I have to write.  Otherwise I end up daydreaming.

I know it might seem crazy to buy (and read) a grown-up bible for (and to) my children when they initially can’t read, let alone pick up the bible at one day old. 

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
       It will not return to me empty,
       but will accomplish what I desire
       and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11

But I have a little tradition.

You see, my Mother-In-Law gave me Stormie Omartian’s book, The Power of a Praying Parent.  Mama Kathy tells me stories of how she used to walk around her neighborhood (which was also MY neighborhood) praying all sorts of things for her children . . . including prayers for their future spouses.  (I wonder if such a prayer was prayed as she walked in front of my homestead?)

Anyway, this made an impression on me. 

So . . . I went through Stormie’s book . . . and made note cards of all the verses that really stood out to me.  It was these verses that I wanted to pray for my children.  And I wanted them easily accessible.  So I hole punched some index cards and put them on an O-Ring.  (You can now actually buy such a contraption.)

And as I go through these note cards, I underline (very lightly in pencil) the verses that I have prayed for my children.  That way, when they are older . . . when their bible is officially theirs to use for personal study and youth group . . . they will know a little bit of why they are who they are and the heritage passed down to them. 

I have worked through Mr. Smackdown’s bible. 

And now, I am praying through Sir Honey’s.

Then, I’ll move on to Mr. Smiley’s . . .

and finally pray through Baby#4’s bible . . . .

Then, I shall start all over again.    

What’s fun is that when they see their bible out . . . they get all quiet and excited.  A big smile emerges on their faces.  “Shh . . . Mommy’s praying for us.  Let’s see if we can find something she underlined.”

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