Faithful Families Resources July 31 2011

Weekly Inspiration

All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your children. Isaiah 54.13

Family Closeness

Game:

Alphabet Scavenger Hunt

A race to see who can find an object inside  or outside the house beginning with every letter of the alphabet.

Sharing:

Would you rather…

(this one can be used to explore a variety of different options…would you rather…)

• eat a cockroach or a mouse,
• would you rather have the same meal everyday that you choose or have someone else pick your meals for you.
• would you rather be really really tall or shorter than average.
• If you could change your name what would you change it to…use your imagination it could be anything.

 Story:

With your family read Mathew 14.22-33

Questions for Discussion:

• What was Jesus doing up on the mountainside? When do you take time to listen and pray to God?
• When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water what did they think?
• Why do you think Peter thought he could walk on water? What made him start sinking?
• What did the disciples call Jesus when he hopped back in the boat?
• What does this story tell us about Jesus? What does it tell us about Peter?

Prayer and Celebration

Last week the practice of building prayer into the routines of life was discussed. Here is another idea along the same line but from a slightly different angle. As children grow there are many habits we want them to learn, that we hope might become automatic in their life, such as washing hands before meal or brushing teeth. Years and years of doing these activities hopefully ingrain the habit for life. In the teaching of these habits is an opportunity to remember God and to prayer. When washing a toddler or young childs hand before a meal take the time to say a prayer out loud. This could be a memorised prayer or it could be a line of scripture like – Psalm 51.10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Service

Service Project for Families with Teenagers and Young Adults 

• Coach a sports team for young children
• Speak out about social issues in your community
• Use more indepth skills to create items for people in need

Bonus Family Activity

Camp Out Night

If you own a tent, pitch it in the backyard one night and take the family out there to sleep. Do some fun things like story telling and board games. Do all the things you would do camping out.

Have a great week. May you help your family to step out and trust Jesus in all you do. God Bless - Stephen.

(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

Faithful Families Resources July 24 2011

Weekly Inspiration

"The family is, so to speak, the domestic Church. In it parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children.“

Vatican II: Constitution on the Church

Family Closeness

Game:

Balloon Bounce

This is a simple game that everyone can play. Simply blow up a balloon and see how long you can keep it up in the air. To make it more challenging make everyone stay on their knees or on their backsides, or make it that you have to hit the balloon into every room in the house.

Sharing:

Family Fill-Ins

With your family complete as many of these statements as you can:

We are a family who

likes…

learns…

cares for…

helps…

would never…

would rather…

loves to…

will someday…

 (Adventures for Growing Families. Wes & Sheryl Haystead)

Story:

With your family read Mathew 14.13-21

Questions for Discussion:

•  How many loaves and fishes did the disciples have?
• What did Jesus do before he broke the loaves of bread? How might you give thanks for what God gives you?
• What do you think this miraculous story tells us about Jesus? Why do you think Jesus performed this miracle?

Prayer and Celebration

Weaving Prayer into Daily Life

Prayer and worship are not just activities, they are a whole of life response and orientation to God. There are many ways that we might encourage our families to weave prayer, thankfulness and worship into our daily patterns. One of the easiest ways to do this is to connect it to the activities that we have to do everyday, such as brushing our teeth or hair, going to the fridge for food, feeding our pets or leaving the house for work or school. Think of one of your daily routines that you would like to connect prayer to such as brushing your teeth. Attach a sticky not or label to your toothbrush with a word that will remind you to prayer for a specific thing. The same thing can be done with out routines. Make sure it is something that will catch your attention. When you see it, don’t stop the activity but pray in the midst of it. Ask God for help or give thanks for what God has given you, pray for a family member or someone in the world in need.

Service

Service Project for Families with Elementary Age Children

• Have families cut out grocery coupons to give to a local foodbank
• Make gift baskets for a nearby nursing home or assisted facility for older adults
• Schedule a time for families to hold and rock babies in a hospital nursury
• Be welcoming attendants as a family at a shelter or drop in centre.
• Have families volunteer to stuff a church bulletin with a large mailing at your church.

Bonus Family Activity

Crazy shopping night

This is a strange idea but good for teaching your children about the use of money. Go to a shopping centre on a relatively quiet night and provide your children with a small amount of money,maybe four dollars. Their goal is to see how much they can buy using that amount of money.

May Jesus feed your hearts and minds as you grow closer as a family.God Bless - Stephen Harrison

(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

Faithful Families Resources July 17 2011

Weekly Inspiration

Australian research reveals that over 70% of Anglican & Protestant believers became Christians before age 20  (39% before age 10 and 34% between 10-19) 

NCLS Occasional Paper 5 - Social Influences on Faith Development

Family Closeness

Game:

Metal Detector

One person leaves the room. While they are away someone else chooses an object to hide and hides it somewhere in the room. When the person returns they must find the hidden thing without knowing what it is. The person who hid the object makes a "beep-beep" sound like a metal detector, slower when the person moves away from the object and faster as she moves closer. (Ideas Number 13-12. Group Specialities)

Sharing:

Self Description

Choose one word that starts with each letter of your name that describes you. For example if your name is Joe you might choose jolly, optimistic and exhausted. Parents might need to help younger ones with possible words.

Story:

With your family read Mathew 13.31-33

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think Jesus told stories like these to explain what the kingdom of God is like?
• People can plant seeds, but can we make them grow? Why not? Can we encourage them to grow?
• What might it mean for the kingdom of God to be planted like a seed in us?
• What happens to dough when yeast is mixed through it? How might the Kingdom of God be like yeast in us? 

Prayer and Celebration

Passing of the Cross

At the dinner table a holding cross is passed from member to member. Whoever holds the cross is the person who prays.  This prayer begins with one person who either says a prayer out loud or silently says or imagines a prayer. The cross is passed when the person who holds it is finished.  Each person takes their turn.  Prompts may be given by parents as the cross is passed.

Eg. See…a friend in need, a hurt that needs healing…etc.

Pray one sentence…prompt:  thank you God for

Service

Service Projects 

• Collect toys for young children who are either hospitalised in foster care or in a crisis nursury
• Ask families to make may baskets and fill the baskets with candy and small toys
• Invite families to sort through their childrn's outgrown shoes and clothes
• Have families with young children draw pictures and make greeting cards for people in your congregations who are sick 

Bonus Family Activity

Family Ties

If your children’s grandparents or uncles or aunties live some way away (or even if they don’t) get them to record a story about their childhood on a tape recorder or to write it down, and post it to you. Your family can then listen to the story during family sharing time. Your children might like to record one of their own stories to post back to their grandparents.

I pray that the Kingdom of God is growing in your family. Have a great week growing, sharing, serving and celebrating with your family. 

Stephen Harrison 

(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

Faithful Families Resources July 10 2011

Weekly Inspiration

We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. Psalm 78.4

Family Closeness

Game:

Mirror. One person must be the leader and the other the mirror. The mirror must copy exactly all the hand and face movements of the leader.

Sharing:

Begin a habit of asking around your family what is one thing you learned today. (A story is told of one family who were using this pattern whose children would look through the encyclopaedia before meal time to have something to bring, another family had to bring a new word to the dinner table and so would flip through the dictionary. (The Big Book of Family Fun. Gwen Ellis)

Story

With your family read Mathew 13.24-30

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think people do bad things to one another?
• Do you think that sometimes good people might appear bad and bad people might appear to be good? Can you think of an example?
• Why didn’t the farmer want the weeds pulled out? 

In this parable the weed being spoken about is probably bearded darnel that in its early stages looks exactly like wheat. It is almost impossible to tell them apart. When their heads form however it is easy to distinguish them but by this time the roots of the two are so intertwined that they cannot be torn out without destroying the wheat. At harvest they must be separated because the darnel tastes bitter and is poisonous, but it is a laborious and costly process.

This parable is a reflection on the presence of evil in the world. In essence in teaches us two things. Firstly that people are not to be the judge of others lest they root out and damage those who are good. Secondly that there will be a time of judgment at the end carried out by God.

Prayer and Celebration

Psalm Prayers

The Psalms are one of the best examples of praise and adoration. Choose a psalm that expresses this and pray it together with your family. Some good P & A psalms are: 8, 19, 23, 29, 33,47,48, 66, 84, 96 – 100, 104, 108, 111, 134, 135, 145 – 150. 

Service 

Service Project for Families with Teenagers and Young Adults

• Coach a sports team for young children.
• Speak out about social issues in your community.
• Use more indepth skills to create items for people in need. 

Bonus Family Activity

Story Time

Ask a child to find a favourite book or story. Read the book together, then ask, “In this book, what could (main character) have thanked God for? When might he or she have needed God’s help? If (character) had talked to God, what might he or she have said?

For younger children. Look at a picture book with your younger child. Talk with your child about the pictures using questions such as , “What do you see on this page that you are thankful to God for? What could the girl on this page tell God about?”

Remember it is not hard to be faithful with your family, it just takes intention and commitment. May the joy and love and peace of Christ fill your home. Stephen Harrison 


 (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

Faithful Families Resources July 3 2011

Weekly Inspiration

They do not love that do not show their love. William Shakespeare

Family Closeness

Game:

Unlimited Object

Take an ordinary every day object, like a spoon or a hat or a pot. Take turns at imagining what else that object could be and acting it out with your family. For example a spoon might become a hat on your head, or a bicycle that you ride around the living room or a pen that you write with. You are only limited by the unlimitedness of your imagination.

Sharing:

My Perfect Room

If you could create a perfect room for yourself, what kind of room would it be? (Bedroom, Dining Room, Bathroom, Study, Play room) What would it look like inside? What things would you have inside it? Describe what you would like to do in this room? Encourage your family to use their imagination to describe it in as much detail as possible.(Icebreakers and Heartwarmers. Steve Sheely)

Story

With your family read Mathew 13.1-9

Questions for Discussion:

• What were the four places the sower scattered seed?
• What happened to the seed that landed on each of the four places?
• Why do you think the sower seems to be so careless where he spreads the seed?
• Who do you think the sower might be? 

Continue reading: Matthew 13.8-23

Jesus says the seed is the message about God’s kingdom. It grows in peoples lives and bears good fruit. The fruit is the good things that come about from responding to God’s message. 

• What kind of fruit (good things) might grow in people’s lives when they follow God and live His way?

Prayer and Celebration

Imagination Prayers

There are manys ways that engage the imagination of your family while praying for the needs of the world. Use this simple pattern below to begin. You might like to create new sentence starters to help your family pray for different things. Silence is a gift of God that is often pushed out in the busy and clutter of the modern world. Encourage your family to stop, be still and listen.

• I wonder who God might want me to be a friend to or to care for?
• Silence
• I wonder what God might want me to do this week?
• Silence
• I wonder whether there is any limit to God’s love?
• Silence
• I wonder what kind of person God wants me to grow to be?
• Silence
• Thank you God for seeing the prayers we offer in our hearts and minds. 

Service

Service Project for Families with Primary School Aged Children 

• Offer a dog wash in your church parking lot on a summer weekend afternoon
• Have families offer home care services for members going on vacation or on a business trip.
• Invite families to volunteer during a preschool Sunday school class. 

Bonus Family Activity

Family History

Share some of your family history or interesting stories. Where did your family come from? Who were or are its members? What did they do? Do you know where your family name came from? How far back do you have information? If you have photos you could look at these as well.

Being a faithful family is not rocket science, it is about being consistent in the little things that will help to nurture and grow the faith of your children. When we plant a seed in the ground, we can't make it grow. But we can be faithful in doing the things that will help it, like watering and feeding. We can't make our children's faith grow, but we can do things that help it, like engaging in scripture reading, prayer, service and by being a close and loving family. Faith is a gift of God but God calls us to be faithful as parents.


May God bless you and your family this week as you seek to be faithful.
Stephen Harrison 


(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