And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9
On Saturday our family spent the day over at Jonathan's house helping him work on the next step in the long process...which was installing top plates.
Since it's been awhile since I showed pictures of the progress, I thought Saturday would be a good day to take my camera with me and take some photos. Here are Tom and Jonathan getting all set up for work: 
Jonathan and Hannah took a moment out for a smile for the camera before getting started. It was quite chilly, and we were all bundled up for the long hours we'd be there: 
The girls have both been helping whenever and wherever needed. They have become quite adept at house-building and helping their brother! 
I helped by putting as much pressure as I could on the board Tom was chiseling so it wouldn't slide. Doesn't it look like I'm doing a great job? Ha!
But that wasn't the main reason I was there on this particular Saturday. Jonathan had put me in charge of writing scriptures on the studs and framework all through the house before the drywall goes up...so his house would be completely bathed in scriptures in every room...like this one in the kitchen:
"Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them." ~ Jeremiah 29:5
I had my trusty clipboard ready along with 19 pages of scriptures I had selected and designated for various rooms of his future home: 
One verse I selected was II Chronicles 7:16, which is a scripture my sister calligraphed for our wall many years ago and one which I like a lot:
"For now have I chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."
Here I'm writing this verse above the front door: 
I ran out of room to write the complete verse like I wanted, but here's what it looked like when I finished:
Hannah took a turn and wrote over one of the dining room windows using scripture from Psalm 128:
"Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord."
Here she's all finished writing her selection, and you can also see verses I've already written on both the left and right of the windows: 
Since Sarah is our bookworm, she wanted to pick a verse designated for the library and selected 2 Timothy 2:15..."Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 
And this verse in Joshua greets folks coming in the back door:
I forgot to take a photo in the laundry room, but there's the perfect verse for that area:
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." ~ Psalm 51:7
The rest of the gang continued working while I kept going from room to room writing verses in the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, library, dining room, and living room. I was having a great time!
Since I haven't posted a picture of the front of the house, here's one we took before leaving for the day showing the front porch with the windows and door installed. The design is a country farmhouse look:
And another view of the side of the house that shows the front porch again. And, yes, that's pure mud! all around the house. It's quite a balancing job for me to keep upright on those boards leading around to the back door: 
Next post, Part 2: I'll climb the ladder (no steps yet) and head upstairs to show you the verses written in the nursery, master bedroom and bath, guest room, and kids' room. Stay tuned later this week!
"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." ~ Psalm 127:1
~Deb
What a truly wonderful idea. Jonathan and his fiance are blessed. I was wondering about the laundry room, though. The first quote that came to mind was "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" - but I immediately realized that those words are from a *hymn* -- not from Scripture. But there's probably something close in Scripture. :-)
Posted by: Carol Blair | Monday, January 19, 2015 at 08:08 AM
Carol, I just updated the post with Psalm 51:7, similar to the lines you quoted. :) Thanks!
Posted by: Deb | Monday, January 19, 2015 at 08:22 AM
That is so fun!! What a wonderful idea to put bible verses in all the different rooms.
Thank you for sharing the pictures. The house is looking GREAT!!
Posted by: Katelyn Wahlquist | Monday, January 19, 2015 at 09:44 AM
How beautiful!!
Posted by: The Ehlingers | Monday, January 19, 2015 at 10:11 AM
What a great idea! I love the choices you made for what to write in each room. The house is really shaping up. Can't wait to see the finished product.
Blessings,
Victoria
Posted by: victoria | Monday, January 19, 2015 at 01:28 PM
Oh that is so neat Deb. I can't imagine how many visible verses they will have in the house after getting married.
Any verses near the where the trash cans will be!
Posted by: Tammy C | Monday, January 19, 2015 at 05:29 PM
What a wonderful idea. That is one blessed house! It makes me want to get my cross stitch out and start working on my own house. The house is absolutely beautiful! Will you take a picture of the view from the front porch. I'm sure it's beautiful. I am so happy for Jonathan. I hope the weather cooperates.
Blessings,
Bobbi
Posted by: Bobbi | Monday, January 19, 2015 at 07:55 PM
It's a beautiful house and a beautiful tradition of writing scriptures on the studs of the walls! I love the symbolism. God bless Jonathan and his bride!
Posted by: Susan | Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 01:23 AM
This is such a wonderful idea, I love it! What an exciting time for your family. The house is coming along beautifully.
Blessings,
Sharon
Posted by: Sharon | Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 04:22 PM
Wow, Deb, this is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing it. I apologize for my absence. Your posts don't show up in my reader, but this one popped out at me. I'm glad I saw it. God bless you all in your endeavors and your walk with Him. ~Joyce
Posted by: Joyce | Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 06:35 PM
I love this idea! The scriptures are just perfect!!! I know God will bless Jonathan and his family in this wonderful, God-blessed house with all these scriptures!! I am so anxiously waiting to see the finished work!! It is going to be beautiful!!
Posted by: Carolyn | Monday, January 26, 2015 at 12:08 PM
I haven't had a moment to check out your blog in a very long while with everything that's been going on here with Mom, but so enjoyed these two posts tonight as I babysit Berea and Victoria while Caleb and Jordan enjoy an evening out. Absolutely love the verses!
Posted by: Deborah Yuck | Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 06:27 PM