Faithful Families Resources June 24 2012

Weekly Inspiration

Ohana means family - no one gets left behind, and no one is ever forgotten. 

~Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, Lilo & Stitch

Family Closeness

Game:

It Could be Worse

The first family members says something like: "I almost overslept."

The next family members then says something like, "It could've been worse. You could've been late." Then member says something worse, such as, "It could've been even worse than that. You could've been in your underwear."

And then the next person tries to find something worse than that.

And the game continues until everyone has a chance to contribute (or it gets to be too much).

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

Finish these sentences:

• One of the most beautiful sound is . . .  When I hear it I think . . .
• The most peaceful place I know is . . . because
• The best thing about my family is . . .

Story

With your family read Mark 5.21-43

(for a way of explaining/talking about this reading with children look at http://www.sermons4kids.com/power_in_a_touch.htm

Questions for Discussion:

• What do you find surprising about this story?
• How would you describe Jairus and the woman’s faith in Jesus?
• What do we learn about Jesus from this story?

Prayer and Celebration

Praying in the car

Driving children to schools can be stressful but it could also be an opportunity to stop and pray and bring a moment of peace before a hectic day. Encourage your  children to name some of the things they will do or confront in the day and pray for them.

Service

Throughout any year there are many days that are dedicated to different charities or issues in society. There are websites like the following http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/calendar/  that list these days  that are occurring in your state, region or country. This can be used as a tool to broaden the horizon of your children about the many needs in the world and the ways people seek to address them.

•  Look up what is happening in any particular week.
• Explore the organisation that is sponsoring it or the issue behind it.
• Pray as a family for the needs highlighted by the day or week, being celebrated and for the organisations working in the area.
• Consider attending events or running your own to support a particular need.
• Think about ways you might contribute or donate to make a difference.

Family Time

Bonus Family Activity

Family Walk

Going for a walk with your family is not only a great way to get exercise but provides an ideal opportunity to talk and enjoy one another’s company.

(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 June 17 2012

Weekly Inspiration

The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family.  

~Lee Iacocca

Family Closeness

Game:

Food, Friends and Fireworks

This game has three motions which are:

Food - rub your belly and say "mmmmm"

Friends - hold out both arms wide and say "heeeeyyyy"

Fireworks- clap both hands over your head and then say "shhhhhhhh" as you slowly lower your arms to your sides.

                                                

Family members close their eyes. On the count of three they must open their eyes and try to match one of the three motions with everyone else at the table. There is to be no talking or planning and everyone at the table must do the same thing.

Count to three and say "Go!"

If everyone matches yell out "Yes!" and pump your fist in the air.

If you do not match say "D'Oh" and lightly bump yourself on the head.

See how many turns it takes to get it right.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

Finish these sentences:

• I am grateful to my parents for . .  .
• My mum/dad is/are proud of me when . . .
• One way to try to help at home is. . .

Story

With your family read Mark 4.35-41

(for a way of explaining/talking about this reading with children look at http://www.sermons4kids.com/peace-be-still.html

Questions for Discussion:

• Why were the disciples scared?
• What does this reading teach us about Jesus?
• What do you think the disciples thought about Jesus after this event?
• How can we trust Jesus in the storms that surround us?

Prayer and Celebration

Stillness

At the moment I am playing with teaching my daughters about stillness. I am doing this in a pretty simple way by getting the family to stop, close their eyes and count twenty breaths before we eat dinner. Being still in the presence of God can be powerful for people who are used to twenty four seven connectivity. Often we forget to connect with God. Instead of counting breathes you could just time a minute but the act of counting breaths can provide children with something to focus on while they are learning to be still.

Service

Start a mini project with your family to discover the local charities or service organisations in your neighbourhood or local area. Find out what they do, who they help and how people can contribute to them in terms of service or goods.

Encourage your family to go without a particular treat for a week or a month. Save the money you would have spent and donate it to a charity that you have discovered.

With your family donate some things you no longer need to a local charity such as LifeLine or Salvation Army. Encourage your children to think about what toys or clothes they no longer use that they might give away. Talk to them about how some children have no toys.

Family Time

Bonus Family Activity

Captured Sounds

Use a recording device (iphone or other) to capture sounds from around the house. Play them back for your family to hear and see how many of the sounds your family can guess correctly. 

(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 June 10 2012

Weekly Inspiration

In time of test, family is best. 

 ~Burmese Proverb

Family Closeness

Game:

What’s the object?

One family member writes the name of an object on a piece of paper and gives it to another family member. The person with the card then has to describe the object to the rest of the family without actually saying its name. Other members of the family then have to guess what the object is. Other words that might be helpful in describing the object could also be written on the card to make it harder to describe. Pictionary cards could also be used for this game if your family is made up of two people.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

Finish these sentences:

• The best way to enjoy each new day is . . .
• One way to stop bullying and mocking is . . .
• Some thing which puzzles me is . . .

Story

With your family read Mark 4.26-34

(for a way of explaining/talking about this reading with children look at http://www.sermons4kids.com/planting_seeds.htm

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think Jesus told stories (parables) to explain God’s kingdom?
• What do you think these two stories say about God’s kingdom?
• Why is a seed a good picture for the kingdom of God? 

Prayer and Celebration

Praying on the Spot

Sometimes we forget that prayer is a good response to the daily hassles of life. When your children come to you with a problem use it as an opportunity to pray for them and with them. There are many situations where inviting God in is a reminder for us to put our trust in our creator and redeemer. These might include a bad day at school, difficulty with someone at school or even boredom. There are so many opportunities throughout the day to pray.

Service

Referring again to the Go Volunteer website http://www.govolunteer.com.au/volunteer/default.htm

Here is what they say families can get out of volunteering: 

• Parents act as role models and can demonstrate helping others in need
• An increased sense of worth and accomplishment from making a difference
• A stronger sense of community and decrease in social isolation
• Respect for different people and conditions
• Relative or family members could benefit from the activity
• Learn new skills or using existing skills
• Volunteering is fun and something families can do together

 On the site it says that projects for families can be searched for using the word “team”

Bonus Family Activity

Camping at Home

Put up a small tent indoors or build one out of sheets and chairs and whatever else you have at hand. Cook your food on a BBQ and have hot chocolate and marshmallows. Tell stories and play board or card games just like you would if you were going camping

(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 June 3 2012

Weekly Inspiration

Having a place to go  is a home.  Having someone to love is a family.  Having both  is a blessing.  

~Donna Hedges

Family Closeness

Game:

Investigator

One family member leaves the room. Everyone else decides on a certain rule to follow when answering the investigators questions. Rules could include: tell the truth when legs uncrossed, tell a lie when legs are crossed; answer all questions with yes, no or I can’t answer that; begin all sentences with a vowel; answer using only five words. When a rule is decided upon, the investigator returns to the room and starts asking questions to family members. The questions can be about anything at all including things they know the answer to. They continue asking questions until they recognize the pattern. They have three guesses to try and figure out the rule. When the investigator guesses correctly or guesses three times incorrectly, the round is over, and someone else gets to be the investigator.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

Finish these sentences:

• I feel scared when . . .
• It’s good to think twice before saying something hurtful because . . .

Story

With your family read Mark 3.20-27, 31-35

(for a way of explaining/talking about this reading with children look at http://www.sermons4kids.com/we_are_family.htm

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think people were saying bad things about Jesus?
• What do you think Jesus family wanted when they turned up to see him?
• Are there times when people need to do what God wants even though their family does not like it?

Prayer and Celebration

Thank You Board

It is easy for children and adults to get into a rut of praying for the same things every night or week. One way of avoiding this is to create a thank you board. This could be a small white board or piece of cardboard. Each time you pray together encourage your children to think of three things they are grateful or want to thank God for. Write them on post it notes and stick them to the board. The next time you come to pray tell your family to give thanks for three things that are not on the board. In this way the imagination is expanded and we come to realise there is a whole world of things to give thanks for.

Service

Came across this website during the week for people looking for service opportunities for their families:  http://www.govolunteer.com.au/volunteer/default.htm

“GoVolunteer is an initiative of Volunteering Australia and is Australia's first volunteer recruitment website. It is a not-for-profit site that provides free Internet advertising for not-for-profit community organisations looking for volunteers. GoVolunteer provides you with all you need to find out about volunteer opportunities, and helps you make the best match possible between your personal requirements and choice of volunteer work.” (Govolunteer.com.au)

They have a section talking about family volunteering – in it they say: “Family volunteering allows parents, children and other family members to spend time together while contributing to the community and causes they care about. It can be a fun activity that can improve communication within the family resulting in stronger family relationships.”

“A growing trend overseas is for families to volunteer together. Family volunteering can involve siblings, parents, spouse and children. Families can volunteer to help a cause close to their heart.” 

Bonus Family Activity

Build a Family Scrapbook

This is a great activity to get the whole family involved in, including Dad. Create a scrapbook that tells the story of your family from beginning up to the present. There is a wonderful opportunity in doing this to tell some of the important stories of your family, including how mum and dad met, preparing for babies, moving to new home, growing up stories and milestone moments. Use print outs of photos and write key words or ideas around them. This could be a well planned and elaborate project or it could be a slap dash evolving one done of the spur of the moment.

(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