Sunday, January 29, 2012

Faithful Families Resources January 29 2012



Weekly Inspiration
“The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”
John Wooden

Family Closeness
Game:
I went to the shop....
This game involves creating and remembering gestures. The person says "I went to the shop and bought a …” here instead of saying something they make up a gesture with head, face or hand (eg. head shake, nose rub, hand shake, nod of the head, frown)" Then it is the next persons turn who says: I went to the shop and bought a ...(copy the first gesture) and a (creates own gesture). The game carries on with all players repeating all of the previous players gestures and then their own.

Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.
(In the next few weeks we are going to have a focus on parents answering some questions. No doubt when the weekly question is answered, children will have more questions. The question is asked of the child but the parent might need to answer.)
  • Do you know what makes your mother and father happiest?
  • Do you know what your parents first job was?
  • Do you know what lessons your parents learnt from their parents?

 Story
With your family read: Mark 1.29-39
Questions for Discussion:
  • How did Jesus helped  Peter’s mother in law?
  • What did Jesus do early in the morning? Why do you think he did it at this time?
  • What did Jesus say he came to do?

 Journey through the Bible
Journey through the Bible will provide five readings each week you can use in order to get a good overview of the full sweep of the story of God and His people. There are a variety of ways you might use these readings. As a parent you might read them to get a better understanding of how the divine drama unfolds. You could read them to your children and discuss them. Some are longer than others and might need to be broken up. It is important that you read them first as some readings you may feel need to be read in a children’s version of the Bible.

1 Samuel 8                              Israel demands a king
1 Samuel 9                              Saul chosen to be king
1 Samuel 10                            Saul anointed king
1 Samuel 16                            David anointed king
1 Samuel 17                            David and Goliath

Prayer and Celebration
12 Types of Prayer
In his book ‘The hour that changes the world’, Dick Eastman outlines twelve different types of prayer . In this miniseries explore the many different types of prayer with your children.
Song
Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Singing is a wonderful way to pray and allows us to give true heart to our thoughts and feelings about God. Sing a worship song from church or find a CD with wonderful worship music to play and sing to. I have found the songs from the Iona Community in Scotland to be particularly good for songs as prayer. They are easy for children to learn and can be sung around the dinner table without musical accompaniment. Christian stores sell many CD’s of children’s music and often these have wonderful songs that children will enjoy learning and singing.

Family Time
Games Night
Have a night entirely dedicated to games. Games books can be found in any book store or make up your own. You can also find a bunch of games that are easy to play in this blog. Alternatively pull out some board games to play- our favourite is Pictionary.

 (This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison & Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Faithful Families Resources January 22 2012


Weekly Inspiration
You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you. As you are to them.
~ Desmond Tutu

Family Closeness
Game:
Pick ‘n’ Choose
This game goes around the table clockwise. Whoever is to start says two similar items for example “pizza and ice cream” (both foods). The next person has to say the thing they like better out of the two within three seconds or less. Then they get to say two things to the next person and so on around the table. The thing named could be anything – including animals, toys, tv shows, songs etc.

Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.
(In the next few weeks we are going to have a focus on parents answering some questions. No doubt when the weekly question is answered, children will have more questions. The question is asked of the child but the parent might need to answer.)
  • Do you know what your mother and father do for work?
  • Do you know how your family came to live in this country?
  • Do you know what your parents happiest memories of childhood are?

 Story:
With your family read: Mark 1.21-28
Questions for Discussion:
(Some questions are best answered by parents – but older children may understand)
  • What amazed people about Jesus teaching in the synagogue?
  • What does it mean to teach with authority?
  • Who did the unclean spirit say Jesus was?
  • How did Jesus show he had authority over unclean spirits?

 Journey through the Bible
Journey through the Bible will provide five readings each week you can use in order to get a good overview of the full sweep of the story of God and His people. There are a variety of ways you might use these readings. As a parent you might read them to get a better understanding of how the divine drama unfolds. You could read them to your children and discuss them. Some are longer than others and might need to be broken up. It is important that you read them first as some readings you may feel need to be read in a children’s version of the Bible.

Ruth 1                                     Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi
Ruth 2                                     Ruth meets Boaz        
Ruth 3                                     Ruth and Boaz
Ruth 4                                     Boaz redeems Ruth
1 Samuel 1                              The Birth of Samuel

Prayer and Celebration
12 Types of Prayer
In his book ‘The hour that changes the world’, Dick Eastman outlines twelve different types of prayer . In this miniseries explore the many different types of prayer with your children.
Thanksgiving
1 Thessalonians 5.18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Giving thanks to God is one of the most important types of prayer that we can engage children. Everything we have comes from God, from our life and breath, to our food and water. There are many ways that you might pray thanksgiving prayers with your family. At simplest go around the table saying all the things you wish to give thanks for. Try to see how many times you can go around. Remember to thank God for spiritual, material, physical and social gifts he has given us. This should include all the things that Jesus has done for us. Another more permanent way might be to write or draw the things you want to thank God for on post-it notes and stick them on a board or wall somewhere. This can be a great source of encouragement when things are down, remembering all that god has done for us.

Family Time
Family Fun Night
Having a family night is a fantastic and fun way to focus on your family growing together. What is a family night? It is simply putting aside one evening a week or a month or whatever regular interval suits you to do something together that everyone will enjoy. Make sure the dates you pick are in your diaries and give them the first priority – try to plan well ahead. Give each member a turn to plan the program for the evening. Make it a rule that there is to be no complaining or fidgeting and that everyone is to cooperate and participate. This is especially important for the younger children whose self esteem may be damaged by older children's comments. Don't forget to talk about the purpose of the family night. Two key purposes could be 1. To have fun together. (Family night should be the most anticipated night of the week) 2. To worship the Lord together. This is an opportunity for parents to model Christian devotion to their children. (The Big Book of Family Fun. Gwen Ellis.)

 (This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison & Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Faithful Families Resources January 15 2012


Weekly Inspiration
Fathers (parents) do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6.4

It is easy to become overly authoritarian with children telling them to do what we say without explaining why. This can be a source of exasperation, frustration or anger for them, even if they don’t express it. As parents we must remember that our role is to equip our children to be able to discipline themselves. This means we must train and instruct them in how to live so that they will have the understanding to make the right choices. Part of this involves explaining why we make certain decisions about what they can and can’t do.

Family Closeness
Game:
Actionometer
 One person is chosen to be "it" and asked to leave the room so they can't hear or see what is going on in the room. Family members make up an action for "it" to do when he/she returns.  To begin with it shouldn’t be too complicated (flapping like a bird, running on the spot) but as people get good at the game more difficult actions might be introduced.

Tell "it" to return to the room, he/she has to guess what he/she is supposed to do by performing random actions. The group will clap louder and faster the closer "it" gets to doing the right actions.
  
Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.
(In the next few weeks we are going to have a focus on parents answering some questions. No doubt when the weekly question is answered, children will have more questions. The question is asked of the child but the parent might need to answer.)
  • Do you know the story of how your mother and father met?
  • Do you know some of the lessons your parents learnt from good and bad experiences they had during their childhood?

 Story:
With your family read: Mark 1.14-20
Questions for Discussion:
  • What are the four things Jesus was saying as he preached?
  • What do you think Jesus meant by: “I will make you fish for people” or “I will make you fishers of men”?
  • What did the disciples have to leave behind to follow Jesus?
  • What might people today need to leave behind to follow Jesus?

 Journey through the Bible
Journey through the Bible will provide five readings each week you can use in order to get a good overview of the full sweep of the story of God and His people. There are a variety of ways you might use these readings. As a parent you might read them to get a better understanding of how the divine drama unfolds. You could read them to your children and discuss them. Some are longer than others and might need to be broken up. It is important that you read them first as some readings you may feel need to be read in a children’s version of the Bible.

Judges 6.1-27                          Call of Gideon
Judges 6.36-7.25                     Gideon defeats Midian          
Judges 13.1-24                        Birth of Samson
Judges 14.1-20                        Samson’s Marriage
Judges 15.1-20                        Samson defeats the Philistines

Prayer and Celebration
12 Types of Prayer
In his book ‘The hour that changes the world’, Dick Eastman outlines twelve different types of prayer . In this miniseries explore the many different types of prayer with your children.
Petition
Matthew 6.11 Give us today our daily bread.
While intercession is asking for others, petition is asking for ourselves. Everything we have comes from God, so it makes sense that we ask God for all the things we need. It might be helpful to discuss with children the difference between the things we want and the things we need. While it is okay to ask God for things we want and don’t need it is wise to remember that God knows what is best for each of us. Remind children that it is not only physical things we might pray for but also the needs we have inside ourselves or help with the problems we are having in daily life.

Service
Sometime it can be hard to know what service activities your families might do in your community. A good place to start asking is those organisations in your area that are already helping those in need. This should include your church but shouldn’t stop there. Many churches have unfortunately become disconnected from the needy in their neighbourhood. Asking people in local service agencies what you might do can be very helpful. In particular you might find something that needs to be done that no one else is doing.

Family Time
An Amazing Food Night
Have a special food night where you either cook all the food that your family members love or try some exotic foods that your family may never have tried before.


(This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison & Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Faithful Families Resources January 8 2012


Weekly Inspiration
A man should never neglect his family for business.
~Walt Disney

Family Closeness
Game:
No Yes or No
This is a simple but fun game that can be played around the dinner table. One person is up and must answer questions from the rest of the family without saying the words “yes” or “no”. It is the task of everyone else to get them to say these words. Questions can be asked by anyone in random order or a particular family member may be given the chance to try and trick the one who is up.

Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.
  • Who are your three best friends?
  • How did you first meet them?
  • Did it take long for you to become friends?
  • Why do you like about them?
  • What does it mean to be a friend? What does it mean to be a good friend?

 Story:
With your family read: John 1.43-51
Questions for Discussion:
  • Why did Philip want to find Nathanael?
  • What was Nathanael’s reaction to Philip’s news?
  • Does Nathanael come to believe when he meets Jesus?
  • How can we introduce our friends to Jesus?

 Journey through the Bible
Journey through the Bible will provide five readings each week you can use in order to get a good overview of the full sweep of the story of God and His people. There are a variety of ways you might use these readings. As a parent you might read them to get a better understanding of how the divine drama unfolds. You could read them to your children and discuss them. Some are longer than others and might need to be broken up. It is important that you read them first as some readings you may feel need to be read in a children’s version of the Bible.

Joshua 1.1-18                          Joshua succeeds Moses
Joshua 3                                  Israel crosses the Jordan        
Joshua 4                                  Twelve memorial stones
Joshua 5.13-6.20                     The fall of Jericho
Judges 2.6-3.6                         Israel’s disobedience.

Prayer and Celebration
12 Types of Prayer
In his book ‘The hour that changes the world’, Dick Eastman outlines twelve different types of prayer . In this miniseries explore the many different types of prayer with your children.
Intercession
1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.
The natural result of watching, and asking God what he desires us to pray for is intercession.
This is a very simple type of prayer to teach children. It is basically asking God for the needs of others. This might be done is a variety of ways in the home. The various things your family has identified as needing prayer could be written on slips of paper and placed in a bowl. Family members then take a slip out of the bowl and pray for the thing written on the paper. Alternatively a prayer board – either a cork board or white board – might be created to pin up or write down the things that need prayer as they come up during the week. This can then be used as a reference for when the family prays.

Service
Clean up a park or your neighbourhood

One simple way of serving your local community is to spend some time picking up rubbish in a local park or in your neighbourhood. This is a wonderful way to teach children about Christian stewardship of the earth. Have a conversation about how as followers of Jesus we  are to live as Jesus kingdom has come and this means being part of the restoration of the earth. You might also like to talk about how we should do good even when it cannot be seen by others.

 (In some places it may not be safe for children or adults to collect rubbish because of needles or other dangerous items. An assessment of this needs to be made in your area and appropriate safety precautions (gloves etc) employed or the decision to do something else.

Family Time
An Amazing Food Night
Have a special food night where you either cook all the food that your family members love or try some exotic foods that your family may never have tried before. 


(This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison & Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Faithful Families Resources January 1 2012



Welcome back to another year with Faithful Families Resources. I hope that you have had a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Year with your family and the ones you love. My prayer for you is that 2012 may be a year of Spirit filled enthusiasm for being faithful with your family.

The purpose of  this blog is to provide families with the weekly resources, ideas and encouragement to be faithful with their family. Usually these resources will include ideas and activities to encourage:1.Family closeness 2. Exploration of the Biblical and faith story. 3.Patterns of prayer and celebration 4. Service.

These resources aren’t complicated and the activities are quite simple, but to have any affect they need to be one. Remember  it is often the small daily and weekly rituals that have the greatest impact on people’s lives. Imagine the impact of a little bit of the Bible read every night at the dinner table across a year. Imagine the difference simple but faithful prayers might make in the mind of a child.
I wonder how you might be faithful with your family this year.

Weekly Inspiration

One day an expert was speaking to a group of students and on time management and he used this illustration. Firstly he took out a wide mouthed jar, then he produced about a dozen large rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."Then he said, "Really?" 

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel.  Then he dumped some gravel in and shook  the jar  causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him.  "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!"  he replied

And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand.  He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.  Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?""No!"  the class shouted.  Once again he said, "Good!"  

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim.  Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!""No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point.  The truth this illustration teaches is this: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

I wonder…what are the big rocks you wish to fit into your family life this year?

Family Closeness
Game:
Teeth
 Everyone sits around the dinner table and chooses a fruit or vegetable. Person 1 starts by chanting their  fruit/veggie (eg. Strawberry, Strawberry).  Person 2 must then chant person 1’s fruit/veggie followed by theirs (eg. Strawberry, Strawberry, Broccoli, Broccoli). The next person would then chant Person 2’s fruit/veggie followed by theirs (eg. Broccoli, Broccoli, Banana, Banana) and so on. As you go around the table each person must choose a different fruit/veggie each time and one that hasn’t been named already.

What makes this game weird and fun is that you can't show your teeth  at any point (which you do by pulling your lips over your teeth). If anyone does happen to show their teeth raise the alarm by screaming "teeth teeth" and flapping your arms at the player like wings (making sure you don't show your teeth in the process!).
(Idea taken from http://youthgroupgames.com.au)

Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.
  • What is something you hope to do more of this year?
  • What is something you hope doesn’t happen this year?
  • What is something new you want to try this year?
  • What could your family do together this year that would help you to grow closer?

 Story

With your family read: Mark 1.4-11
Questions for Discussion:
It was not the practice in Judaism for members to be baptised, only gentiles (non Jews) needed to be baptised when they joined the faith. What John was calling Jewish people to do was very unusual. The word repentance often used in this passage means to turn away from. John was calling people to turn away from their sin.
  • What was the purpose of John’s baptism?
  • How is John the Baptist described in this passage? What words might you use to describe him?
  • What do you think it means to be baptised with the Holy Spirit?
  • Why do you think Jesus got baptised if he had no sin?
  • How do you think Jesus felt hearing the words: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

 Journey through the Bible
Journey through the Bible will provide five readings each week you can use in order to get a good overview of the full sweep of the story of God and His people. There are a variety of ways you might use these readings. As a parent you might read them to get a better understanding of how the divine drama unfolds. You could read them to your children and discuss them. Some are longer than others and might need to be broken up. It is important that you read them first as some readings you may feel need to be read in a children’s version of the Bible.

Exodus 12.29-32                     The Tenth Plague
Exodus 13.17-22                     Pillar of Cloud and Fire                     
Exodus 14.1-31                       Crossing the Red Sea
Exodus 20.1-21                       The Ten Commandments
Exodus 32.1-20                       The Golden Calf

Prayer and Celebration

12 Types of Prayer
In his book ‘The hour that changes the world’, Dick Eastman outlines twelve different types of prayer . In this miniseries explore the many different types of prayer with your children.
Watching
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
For children this type of prayer is about developing a sense of what things need to be prayed for. Approaching pray from this angle might include a time of silence when we ask God to show us what things in our world need our prayer. It could include looking at the news to see what is happening locally, nationally or internationally and asking the questions: What should we pray for? How might we pray for it? What does God want for this situation or person? In this approach to pray the focus is not so much on praying for these things but in being alert to what is going on and discerning needs. Take your time doing this, don’t rush and have a good conversation with your children. This is about broadening their prayer world.

Service
Growing a just, inclusive, sustainable and diverse world.
This is a great time of year to make some plans for how you might serve God by serving those in need. You might begin with prayer asking God to guide your family in how you might live out the command to love neighbour. Here are some areas you might think about getting involved in the kingdom of God by helping to grow a just, inclusive, sustainable and diverse world.

Justice speaks of a free people with a home to live in, food to eat, clean water to drink and access to the things needed for life.  The dignity and rights of others are respected and wrongs sought to be corrected. Where can you help create a more just world?
Inclusiveness ensures that the gifts and needs of forgotten peoples are remembered and honoured.  Such people are those for example who live with disability, are unemployed or are elderly. How can you help to make a more inclusive world?
Diverse communities celebrate the wonderful differences in people as a strength to be shared and a richness to be enjoyed. How can you help to nurture and support refugees or those who are different in your community?
Sustainable communities are the only ones that will survive, where deep respect for life and our deep interconnectedness leads to fair and life giving stewardship of the world in which we live. In what ways might your family live in more sustainable ways?

Family Extra
Collage of Dreams
Use photos, words and pictures from old magazines, glue, sparkles etc to make a collage of the things your family would like to do with their life. This might begin by each member making a list of 10 or 100 things that they would like to do in their life…like skydive
or write a book or learn to ride a bike. Alternatively the collage might be about things your family might like to do this year together. Put the collage up somewhere visible to remind you of your dreams and plans

 (This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison & Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning