5 Days of Blessings

How to Create a Scripture Blessing

By Susan Gaddis

Day 4

Copyright by Susan Gaddis 2016 www.susangaddis.net

Drum Roll Please 1

Goodness In the Details 2

The Activity 3

Today's Challenge 7

Tada! 8

Closing Words & This 8

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Drum Roll Please My sister, Joan, has eight kids. Yes, you heard me right. She beat me out by two. So I highly regard her mothering skills. A homeschooling family, Joan taught all of her children the importance of Scripture. Those kids learned to recite Bible verses from memory at an early age. And it was always celebrated. If a child learned a new memory verse, the whole family stopped what they were doing, listened to him or her recite it, and applauded. It didn't matter where they were or what they were doing, the Word of God was honored. And, as you can imagine, they were an active family. The noise level when they were all together could get really loud. One day as they were all crammed into their van heading somewhere fun, the clamor had reached an all time high. Little Emily had to go pee. She told her mother, but Mom kept driving.

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So Emily told her siblings, but they were talking and laughing and didn't give the little girl any notice. But Emily STILL had to go pee. Desperate, she finally yelled, "John 5:38: I have to go to the bathroom REALLY, REALLY badly." The car suddenly got quite...and Emily made it to the bathroom. Like Emily's impromptu verse, Scripture has a way of getting our attention. That's why a Scripture Blessing sticks with people deep in their spirits. Jesus said that since His words are spirit, they give us life at our deepest level—our spirit (see John 6:63). A Scripture Blessing can do the same thing. Today you're going to craft your own Scripture Blessing...based on a real Scripture, not an impromptu one like Emily's pee verse. Let's get crackin'! (Before you need to use the bathroom.)

Goodness In the Details You probably have quite a few Scriptures you treasure. Some of them calm you when your life is stressed, like the 23rd Psalm.

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Others are instructional, like how to endure when you want to quit (Philippians 3:12-14). Then there are Scriptures like Ephesians 1:16-17 that encourage and uplift your soul. Having favorite verses makes creating a Scripture Blessing easy. They pop into your mind when needed. Or you have them highlighted in your Bible to refer to. Use one of YOUR favorite verses when you craft your Scripture Blessing today.

The Activity Step 1: Choose a recipient for your blessing & decide how to present it Who will you share this blessing with? How will you share it? In a special occasion card? Tucked into an email or letter? Spoken at a special event, celebration, or memorial service? How about as a song, postcard, or a singing telegram you deliver yourself?

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Whatever you decide, write it down. Today I want to bless _____________________________ with a Scripture Blessing communicated via a __________________________. Step 2: Choose a blessing phrase Choose one of the suggested phrases below to use as the beginning of your Scripture blessing:

• May the Lord... • The Lord... • I wish you... • May your day be blessed with... • I hope for you... • May your future be blessed with... • May the Lord bless you with... • May you be blessed as I have been with... • May you always... • May God bless you/your... • May your...

The blessing phrase I will use to introduce my Scripture Blessing is: _____________________________________________________________ (You can always come back and change it later.)

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Step 3: Choose a Scripture Think about the recipient of your blessing. What are they celebrating or going through? Choose a Scripture verse or passage that relates to what the person is celebrating or dealing with. For example, I have a friend who is ill and under a lot of stress. So I'll choose Psalm 5:11-12 as the Scripture I want to send her.

Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever.

Spread your protection over them, that all who love your

name may be filled with joy.

For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.

Psalm 5:11-12 (TLB)

Now it's your turn. Write your Scripture choice below: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

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Step 4: Reflect on the Scripture Take a few minutes to reflect on your chosen Scripture—one sentence at a time. Think about whom you are writing this for...how would the Scripture relate to him or her as a blessing? What do you see in your mind's eye as you read each sentence? What picture forms in your imagination? Write it down on a piece of paper. For example, I might see the friend I want to bless as someone who needs protection and healing, both physically and emotionally. So in the first sentence of Psalm 5:11-12, I picture her seeking refuge in the Lord by sitting in His lap and singing joyful songs with Him. So I'll make a note of that and come back to it later. Now you do that for each sentence of the Scripture you've chosen. Step 5: Write your Scripture Blessing Write your Scripture Blessing out one sentence at a time. Put your blessing phrase first and then add on a phrase that represents what you pictured, or thought about, as you reflected on the Scripture sentence.

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For example, the first sentence of my Scripture Blessing might read, "May the Lord bless you today with songs of joy as He wraps His arms around you and holds you tight." Do this for each sentence of your Scripture verse or passage. Hopefully you'll end up with at least three or four sentences. Begin each sentence on a new line, so there is space between the sentences. These sentences make up the first part of your Scripture Blessing. To complete this blessing, write out the Scripture you chose. Then put your completed sentences under it. This allows the recipient to read the Scripture first and then the blessing. It provides a clear scriptural foundation for your Scripture Blessing.

Today's Challenge Boom-shaka-laka! Let's finish this! Your challenge for today is: 1. Send your completed Scripture Blessing masterpiece to the person you chose in Step 1.

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2. Post that masterpiece in our private Facebook group so we can all celebrate your work! (Doing so enters you in the competition for prizes at the end of the week. Which is cool.)

Ta-da! Wow! I can't believe that TOMORROW is our LAST day creating blessings! This week has flown by, and I'm so impress with how you are embracing others through blessings. Girl, you're totally rocking it! I've saved a special blessing creation for tomorrow to end the week. Kinda like a cherry resting on the whipped cream piled on top of strawberry shortcake.... You get to design a luscious Blessing Prayer. But for now...

Closing Words & This I love this blessing drawn straight from the pages of my Bible:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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This is my hope for you—that you will be full of joy today. Sort of like THIS. (Be sure you have your sound turned on.) Have a wonderful day. I'll see you first thing in the morning in your inbox,

I'm a spiritual legacy coach + passionate for Jesus.

I give women the down home soul utensils + "recipes" to create

an amazing legacy of faith.

• from the inside out • whether their life is sparkly or gray • communicated to their world through grace and joy • leaving lasting results in the people they love

Thanks for joining me!

www.susangaddis.net