faithful families: 2011

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Faithful Families Resources December 25 2011

Weekly Inspiration

To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself.

Josh Billings

Family Closeness

Game:

Rip a Christmast Tree

Give each player a piece of green paper and ask them to rip it into the shape of a Christmas tree behind their back. Compare trees and declare a winner!

Sharing:

What if...

you sent a thank you note to everyone who ever taught you something?
You had to leant to walk and talk all over again?
You could be someone else for a day?

Story

With your family read: Luke 2.22-40

Questions for Discussion:

Who does Simeon and Anna think Jesus is?
How do you think Simeon and Anna knew the baby Jesus was the one promised by God?
What does this passage say about Jesus growing up?

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.

Judges 7.1-25 Gideon defeats the Midianites

Judges 13.1-25 Birth of Samson

Judges 14.1-20 Samson’s marriage

Judges 15.1-20 Samson defeats the Philistines

Judges 16.4-31 Samson’s death

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.

Praying Scripture

In this type of prayer, scripture can be used as a guide or springboard. One helpful way of doing this is to explore the promises God makes in the Bible. Here are some examples of how you might pray using scripture. The best way to teach children how to do this is to model it. This type of prayer may take a bit of practice for both child and adult but I encourage you to give it a go. It will help bits of the Bible stick in your mind and in your childrens.

John 10.10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

You might pray: God thank for your the abundant life you bring us. Please help us to live abundantly. Teach us that this doesn’t mean having lots of money but being abundant in the things of God. Help us to know that the riches of your grace and mercy overflow in our life. Help us to live life fully in the freedom you gained for us.

John 15.5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

You might pray: Lord Jesus thank you for the life that flows from you the vine. Help us to remain in you always so that we may bear much fruit in our life. Remind us that all that we do flows from you. Strengthen us in our connection with you in all aspects of our life.

Service
This blog has provided a whole range of ideas for service involving families over the last year but maybe you or your children are asking the question: Why should we serve? Why should we try to make a difference. Over the next few weeks I will provide some passages from scripture that will help us explore Jesus ideas in relation to these questions.

Read Matthew 25.31-46

This passage is very confronting but it highlights the idea that those who are blessed by God are those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked and visit those in prison. Not only that, but when we do these things for people we do it for Jesus, we personally serve him. How is your family doing these things? What opportunities are there in your community to serve Jesus?

Family Time

`A Visit to the Art Museum`

Most people don't think of taking young children to an art museum. Children like to be active, so how could they possibly enjoy standing around and looking at paintings? With a shift in thinking and some advance planning, parents can find lots of excitement for their kidswithin the walls of an art museum. Keep in mind that children learn through their senses and through interaction with their world. Then plan an interactive experience for them. Choose from any of the following activities, or create some of your own.

As you walk into a room in the museum, scan the paintings and sculptures. Then use a variation of the I Spy game: "I spy a boat." "I spy something red." Your children will look carefully at the art work while they try to find your item.

Encourage your youngsters to play "mirror" games, assuming the positions of people they see in the paintings. Have them assume the identity of a person in a painting and tell something about themselves.

For landscapes or seascapes, your child can imagine what it's like to
be in that setting and can describe the weather or tell what might happen there in five minutes.

For one museum visit, take along a small mirror for each person and simple clipboards made of cardboard and paper clips. Add some plain paper, pencils and erasers. Have your children look at a variety of portraits and discuss the shapes of the eyes, noses, and faces theysee. Then give each child a mirror, paper and pencil. Have the children study the shapes in their own faces and then draw self-portraits.

For a quick and easy activity, have each child identify a colour he is wearing. Now have the children find items of matching colours in the paintings in the room. Briefly talk about the paintings the children identify.

Extract from A visit to the art museum by Barbara F. Backer for Real Families, Real Fun

(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, December 18, 2011

Faithful Families Resources December 18 2011

Weekly Inspiration

Your children need your presence more than your presents.

Jesse Jackson

Family Closeness

Game:

Christmas Card Toss

Gather together a collection of old Christmas cards and cut off the backs. Set up a course by placing a large box or bin on the floor and marking a place to stand some feet away from it, depending on the age of the children. If you are playing with mixed ages, older children should stand further away than younger children. Each child takes turns tossing a stack of cards like a frisbee into the box. Count up and the child with the most cards in the box wins.\

Sharing:

What makes a home a home?
If you were invisible for one day, what would you do?
What is your favourite place in the house and why?

Story

With your family read: Luke 2.1-20

Questions for Discussion:

How do you think Mary felt about giving birth in what was probably an animals shelter?
Shepherds were lowly people in Jewish society. Why do you think God chose them to be first to hear about the birth of Jesus?
How did seeing Jesus effect the shepherds?

Journey through the Bible

Joshua 1.1-18 Joshua Succeeds Moses

Joshua 3.1-17 Crossing the Jordan

Joshua 5.13-6.27 The fall of Jericho

Judges 2.6 – 3.6 Israel’s disobedience

Judges 6.1-40 Call of Gideon

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.

Confession

Prayers of confession are a normal part of a Christian’s prayer life. All of us, including children do things we wish we hadn’t, or don’t do the things we should. Confession, saying sorry and asking God for forgiveness is something that parents should model to children. There are various ways we might engage our children in prayers of confession.

Burning Prayers

Your family might like to individually write down things they would like to say sorry for. These prayers might then be placed in a bowl and burnt as a symbol of God’s forgiveness.

The following words might be used to help children have a language for this type of prayer:

I got really angry today. I think I know why, and I wish I wouldn’t. I feel so out of control. I feel disappointed. Jesus, I am sorry for any hurt I have caused today. Help me to be gentle. Help me to love more and more. Help me to love.

Help me to put aside the things that hurt others, you, and me. I am sorry for . . . . Grant your grace to me, that I might grow more into who I am, and who you call me to be.

Words from scripture might be used to help children see that God takes away our sins from us and forgives us. These could include:

“If you sin, Jesus Christ always does the right thing, and he will speak to the Father for us. Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.” (1 John 2:1–2, CEV)

“How far has the LORD taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!” (Psalm 103:12, CEV)

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Read Luke 14.12-14

In this passage Jesus encourages us to do good to others who cannot repay us. God blesses us when we do this. How is your family seeking to show hospitality to those who cannot repay you? How are you caring for those who no one else cares about?

Family Time

Dress Up Night

Hold a night where all the members of your family must dress up according to a theme. Take photos of one another and play some games together. Possible theme ideas might include: super heroes, international dress, monsters. Another simple dress up idea is to make everyone dress up using garbage bags and newspaper. Have a fashion parade.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Faithful Families Resources December 11 2011

Weekly Inspiration

We cannot fashion our children after our desires, we must have them and love them as God has given them to us.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Family Closeness

Game:

Wooden Spoon Guess Who

After being blindfolded, one player has to guess the identity of another by touching that person with the spoons only. Meanwhile, the "touchee" tries not to crack up while being poked and prodded.

Sharing:

When is the first time you remember winning something and how did it make you feel?
I am most like my mom or dad in that I....
Do you like your name? If you could choose another name what would it be?

Story

With your family read: Luke 1.26-38

Questions for Discussion:

What did the angel call Mary to begin with? Why do you think he called her this? What do you think it means?
What do you think surprised Mary the most, seeing an angel or the news he gave her?
What things did Gabriel tell Mary about who her baby was?

Journey through the Bible

Exodus 12.29-42 The tenth plague

Exodus 13.1-10 The festival of unleavened bread

Exodus 14.1-31 Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 20.1-21 The Ten Commandments

Exodus 32.1-35 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 on prayer we will explore how you might engage your family with the whole range of approaches to prayer.

Waiting on the Lord

One important approach to prayer is to be still and silent before God. Tell your family that you are going to have a time of silence to become aware of God’s presence. Let them know that doing this is a type of prayer. In this time think of nothing but God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Tell them to not worry about the time but to relax in God’s presence and love for them. Remind them of the words of the psalmist: "Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:11.)

Don’t make this time of silence too long for little ones in order that they may succeed in keeping still. You may need to help them be still and quite. This could be done by working your way up the body with words such as: “My feet are still and quite, my legs are still and quite etc.” When they are still begin a time of silence. This time of still can often be used at the start of a mealtime in order to stop to remember God before other prayers may be said.

Read: Luke 4.16-21

Jesus said that the words he read from Isaiah were fulfilled as he read them out. In other words Jesus said he was the one the Jewish people had expected for a long time. Look at the things Jesus said were part of his mission: Good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, proclaim release for captives... If we want to be part of Jesus mission then these are the things we also must be doing. How are you and your family doing some of these things. How might you use your time, money and power to bring good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, proclaim release for captives?

Family Time

Scavenger Hunt Night

Make up a list of things for your family to find around the house. Alternatively make up a list of things that don't exist like a flippleflanger or a hooming haha and get your family to
"find" it by making it. Another alternative is to race to find something beginning with every letter of the alphabet or things in different shades of the one colour.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Faithful Families Resources December 4 2011

Weekly Inspiration

"A parent's love is whole no matter how many times divided." Robert Brault

Family Closeness

Game:

Mark One Minute

Everyone closes their eyes and must guess how long a minute is, by opening their eyes when they think a minute is up. Try playing this game using a piece of music. Did players guess a longer or shorter time for a minute? (Inspired by Christine Gapes. New Games for Community)

Sharing:

Sharing questions serve many purposes but basically they are about stimulating discussion so that you can listen to what is happening in your family’s life. It is also about getting to know your family better, connecting with them, discovering and exploring them. How often is it that we think we know our wife or husband or children or brother or sister…yet there is so much to still discover? Listening and being listened to is a profound experience for people of any age.

Sharing may be as long as you like but should not be an interrogation. You may not need any questions to have a great listening conversation with your family but do encourage everyone to participate, especially the youngest. Here are some ideas to get you going:

What do you think of when you hear the word “Christmas’?
Because God wanted us to know what He was like, He sent Jesus to be with us on earth. What was Jesus like when He lived on earth? How would you describe his actions? How did He help people learn about God? (Adventures for Growing Families. Wes & Sheryl Haystead)

Story:

Song Stories. A great way to explore the story of Christmas would be to listen to some Christmas Carols or hymns with your family. One option would be to listen and sing together and just enjoy the music and your family. Alternatively, listen very carefully to the words and to the feel of the song. Discuss what this particular carol is saying about the birth of Jesus. Are there any words or phrases that children don’t understand? Discuss what these might mean.

Pictures Stories. In this period as we move towards Christmas why not use art work to explore the story a Jesus birth. Apart from the many Christmas cards that you may receive the internet also provides a wealth of resources. If you go to http://www.textweek.com/art/nativity.htm you will find links to many depictions of the birth of Christ through the ages. Invite your family to choose their favourite picture and to describe what they like about it? Discuss the different pictures and what you find interesting in them. Get each member to draw their own nativity picture and explain it.

With your family read: Luke 1.39-56

Questions for Discussion:

Mary and Elizabeth were cousins. Mary was pregnant with Jesus and Mary with John the Baptist.

What did the unborn John the Baptist do when he heard Mary speak?
What happened to Elizabeth when this happened?

Mary is so overjoyed by Elizabeth’s response she almost breaks into poetry. This speech she gives we call “The Magnificat”

What are some of the things Mary’s says about God in this?
What do you know about John the Baptist and his role in Jesus life?

Journey through the Bible

Exodus 9.13-35 The Seventh Plague

Exodus 10.1-20 The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10.21-29 The Ninth Plague

Exodus 11.1-10 Warning of the Final Plague

Exodus 12.1-28 The Passover Instituted

Prayer and Celebration

Advent Prayer Pattern

This pattern may be used during Advent to begin meal times or to begin a family sharing time.It may begin by asking everyone to quieten down and to think about what it means to wait and to think of one word to describe that feeling. During the prayer the leader is going to say: “Waiting feels like…” and each person will be free to speak her word aloud. Parents might need to help little ones with a word that describes the feeling of waiting.

Music. Choose a piece of gentle music to listen to. Try some different pieces each time to try and find one that expresses a feeling of waiting.

Prayer. All of us wait. Each day brings its own dose of waiting. We wait in the dentist’s office, at sports practice, at school, for parents and children, for brothers and sisters. We wait for dinner to be ready, for the refund, for the letter from a friend. We wait to be big enough to ride the roller coaster, old enough to stay up late, secure enough to be on our own. Our waiting feels like…(give people a chance to voice their feeling) Advent calls us to celebrate waiting. Each time we wait, help us to remember how the world waited for a saviour. Help us to remember we are always waiting for your return. Help us find and recognise you in each other. As we wait. We are Advent people.

Lord, the N…family is waiting for you.

All: Come, Lord Jesus.

(Rituals and Icebreakers. Kathleen O’Connel Chesto.Ligouri)

Service
Here are a few quick ideas for serving your community during Advent.

Go through your cupboard and give some clothes to a charity.
Encourage your children to think of what toys they have that are still in good condition that they might give to a charity.
With your family choose a way to give a gift to a needy family. This may be best done through a registered charity or church. If you can make food donations take your children shopping to buy the food so they can actually see what it is they are giving. Some charities have schemes where people give gift-wrapped presents for children from needy families.

Family Time

Share the Joy. It is often difficult for parents to keep the focus of Christmas on the story of Jesus born into our world. Here are some ideas that might help you change the focus of Christmas and at the same time teach your children some valuable lessons in living the Christian life.

Each day choose a Christmas card you received. Put it in a central location such as your dining room table. Pray for the people who sent the card.
Make a special Christmas recipe to share with your neighbours. Include a card with pictures that tell about Jesus birth. (One easy recipe is for Rocky Road. Ingredients. 375g chocolate,100g mini marshmallows, 200g red & green glace cherries chopped. Slowly melt the choc. in the microwave on medium stirring every minute. Mix in mallows and cherries. Pour onto a paper lined baking tray. Refrigerate until firm.)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Faithful Families Resources November 27 2011

Weekly Inspiration

Mother Theresa reflects:

World peace begins in the home. Once in a while we should ask ourselves several questions in order to guide our actions. We should ask questions like: Do I know the poor? Do I know, in the first place, the poor in my family, in my home, those who are closest to me - people who are poor, but not because they lack bread?

There are other types of poverty just as painful and no less real.

Perhaps what my husband or wife lacks, what my children lack, what my parents lack, what my siblings or friends lack, is not clothes or food. Perhaps they lack love, because I do not give it to them!

Family Closeness

Game:

Family members have a conversation where each sentence begins with the next letter of the alphabet. This may seem difficult at first, but improves with practice. If you get stuck, you can also use sounds to start a sentence, for example 'Mmmm' or 'tut-tut'. Here is an example (of a paired conversation):

A: Anyone seen my cat?

B: Black one, with funny eyes?

A: Can't say I remember.

B: Don't tell me you've forgotten what it looks like?

A: Every cat looks the same to me.

B: Fortunately, I found one yesterday

A: Gee, that's great!.

http://youthgroupgames.com.au/games/440/alphabet-concentration/

Sharing:

If you could choose one day in your life to live over again what day would it be? Was it a good day or a bad day? Would you do anything differently? What is the best day you have ever had? Why did you like it so much? What activity do you like doing most in your week?
What is the best gift you have ever received? Who gave it to you? What was it for? Why did you like it so much?
Can you remember a time when you were impatient while waiting for something? What was it? Why was waiting so hard? What do you hate waiting for? What is something you can do that makes waiting not so bad?

Story:

This week we enter the first week in Advent, a time that is focussed on waiting with anticipation. We wait with anticipation for the return of Christ, we relive in our own lives the expectation of the birth of Christ and his birth in our own heart everyday. We wait with anticipation for the kingdom of God to be fulfilled on earth. You may wish to use an Advent wreath to help you celebrate this season. These can sometimes be bought or can be made by simply placing four candles in a circle with one in the middle. Surround the outer candles with green leaves (For Australia, Eucalyptus leaves would be wonderful, but keep them away from the flames). Light a candle for each of the four weeks of Advent, light the final candle on Christmas Day. Over the next few weeks we will provide readings to use with the lighting of each candle. Below in the prayer section are some prayers you might like to use to begin your scripture reading. Week 1 starts with Prophecy. It is important that children know that Christ’s birth was prophesied a long time before he came. His birth was planned by God. Here are some of the readings you might like to use: Isaiah 7.14, Isaiah 9.1-2, 6-7, Isaiah 52.13 – 53.12. These verses should be read with Matthew 1.18-24 which uses the same names that Jesus was to be called at his birth (The Contemporary English Version Bible (CEV)or the Good News Bible would be appropriate to use with children. Alternatively a children’s bible might be the best option as it may include pictures and is written in a form easier for children to understand.)

With your family read: Mark 1.1-8

Questions for Discussion:

Who is this book of Mark about? What does the first line say about him?
Where can the book of Isaiah be found in the Bible?
Why does Mark use the words of someone else to begin the story of Jesus?
What is John the Baptist like? How did people respond to him?
Who is the one coming who will be greater than John?

Journey through the Bible

Exodus 8.1-15 The Second Plague

Exodus 8.16-19 The Third Plague

Exodus 8.20-32 The Fourth Plague

Exodus 9.1-7 The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9.8-12 The Sixth Plague

Prayer and Celebration

Advent Prayer Pattern

This pattern may be used during Advent to begin meal times or to begin a family sharing time.

It may begin by asking everyone to quieten down and to think about what it means to wait and to think of one word to describe that feeling. During the prayer the leader is going to say: “Waiting feels like…” and each person will be free to speak her word aloud. Parents might need to help little ones with a word that describes the feeling of waiting.

1. Music. Choose a piece of gentle music to listen to. Try some different pieces each time to try and find one that expresses a feeling of waiting.

2. Prayer. All of us wait. Each day brings its own dose of waiting. We wait in the dentist’s office, at sports practice, at school, for parents and children, for brothers and sisters. We wait for dinner to be ready, for the refund, for the letter from a friend. We wait to be big enough to ride the roller coaster, old enough to stay up late, secure enough to be on our own. Our waiting feels like…(give people a chance to voice their feeling) Advent calls us to celebrate waiting. Each time we wait, help us to remember how the world waited for a saviour. Help us to remember we are always waiting for your return. Help us find and recognise you in each other. As we wait. We are Advent people.

3. Lord, the N…family is waiting for you.

All: Come, Lord Jesus.

(Rituals and Icebreakers. Kathleen O’Connel Chesto.Ligouri)

Service
Now is a great time of year, leading into Advent, to begin think about how you may serve those in need. Christmas can be a sad and lonely time of year for many people. How might your family serve Christ the King this Advent and Christmas, and make a different in people’s lives at the same time. Here are a few quick ideas.

Instead of or as well, buying gifts for each other buy an animal for a family overseas. http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au/?gclid=CK-Q7b-d1awCFYI0pAodtxWtpg
Serve in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
Get a group together to sing at a nursing home.

Family Time

Are trips in the car a nightmare? Why not turn them into a family adventure. Here are a few ideas.

Semi Search. All you need is a sheet of paper to keep score, one person to be scorekeeper and a writing utensil. Each player chooses a colour. Each player's name and chosen colour is then written down on the score card by the score keeper, who will announce when there is a winner. Each player announces each semitrailer on the road that is his chosen colour. One mark, or point, is given for each semi the person identifies as his colour. The game can be played until one person reaches a certain number of points. Most people play Semi Search until one person reaches 50 points, but a longer game can be played for older children.

Traveling Bingo Bingo.Traveling Bingo Bingo cards will need to be made prior to the trip, but only take a few minutes to make. Be sure to make several sets to allow for more then one game of Car Bingo to be played, especially if travelling a long distance. To make the Bingo cards, draw five columns of five boxes centered on the paper. You can use coloured or white paper, whichever is more convenient. Over the top of each column, one letter per column, print the letters B-I-N-G-O. Next, draw or place stickers of various items that may be encountered along the trip. Some popular suggestions are cows, tractors, umbrellas, dogs, horses, sheep, barns, lawn furniture, radio or television towers, different colours and types of cars (such as a red truck or blue station wagon), police cars, ambulances or fire trucks. You want the children, and/or adults, playing to have to search for the objects. Each player is given one card and a writing utensil to mark their boxes. When an object on the card is identified, an "X" is marked on the box for the object. When a person completes a row (up, down, across or diagonal), he wins. The game can be played until one person wins two games, or if fewer people are playing, the first to win three out of five.