Loaves & Fishes 27

ful words, all the silly words, and
all the harsh words you speak
will go into their minds and bear
fruit. God is calling us parents to
sanctification. We as Christian
parents are not allowed to live
in ungodly behavior patterns
any more.
But what about the positive
side? We have the opportunity
to fill that “computer” with data
that will bless the children’s lives
for the rest of their days. At our
house, we have used the Bible
on cassette to fill the minds of
all our children. From the time
they were a year old, they went
to sleep listening to the Bible.
Sometimes they went off to
sleep, but other times, they just
lay there listening.
Many chapters of the Bible
can be hidden away in children’s
minds. Bible stories, holy books,
sermons, and theology discussions
on Sunday afternoon—all
these can be used to influence
the mind of a child. The family
table is an excellent place to
fill their minds with the holy
and the right. I approach each
mealtime with purpose and vision,
planning out things I want
to talk about. There are times
when the breakfast discussion
gets so good and extended that
we just sing a hymn and go to
prayer. I tell the family, “We
have been having devotions
already.”
The family table is an
excellent place to fill
children's minds with
what is holy and right.
The songwriter Fanny Crosby
is a beautiful illustration of
this point. Fanny Crosby got
converted when she was about
thirty-one years old. When
Fanny lost her eyesight as a little
girl, her grandmother said, “I am
going to be Fanny’s eyes.” She
told Fanny how beautiful the
sunsets and the sunrise were.
She sat next to this little girl and
went over Bible verses, again and
again. Fanny Crosby literally hid
scores of chapters of the Bible
away in her mind.
One day the Spirit of God
came to dwell inside Fanny
Crosby. When the Word of God
and the Spirit of God met each
Loaves & Fishes • Issue 27 | 37