Weekly
Inspiration
What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did
it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our
position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the
position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience
and the work flow.
~Martin
Luther
Family
Closeness
Game:
Pass the Orange
This simple game can’t be played sitting
down. Everyone will need to stand up in a line. The first person takes an
orange (any other reasonably sized piece of fruit could be used) and holds it
between their chin and chest. This piece of fruit then needs to be passed down
the line of family members from neck to neck. No hands are allowed.
Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.
- What activity brings you the greatest joy?
- What activity gives you a sense of purpose and excitement?
Story
With your family
read: Luke 5.1-11
Questions for Discussion:
- Why didn’t Simon want to put the nets down as Jesus instructed?
- What was Simon’s response to Jesus when the nets filled with fish?
- What do you think we learn about Jesus from this passage?
- What do you think it means to catch people?
Prayer
and Celebration
Drawn Prayers
Give
each family member a piece of paper and some pens or pencils for drawing.
Either in silence or with some quiet music on, invite your family to draw on
the paper, the people and things they want to pray for. This could include
drawing the outcome that you might desire for particular situations. As your
family draws encourage them to do so in silence so they may listen to what God
has to say to them. At the end of the allocated time encourage everyone to
share what they have drawn and what they are praying for.
Service
Family
volunteering allows parents, children and other family members to spend time together
while contributing to the community and causes they care about. It’s a great
way for
families to enjoy quality time with each other and introduce family members to
the benefits
of volunteering. Family volunteering can be a practical way to express
values to children and young people.
Volunteering
provides parents and other family members the opportunity to be a positive role
model by demonstrating how to be involved with the community, and how to make a difference
and enjoy it. People who volunteer when they are young are more likely to continue
to volunteer throughout their adult life.
Volunteering
in your family group can also improve communication among family members,
strengthen family bonds and be a lot of fun.
(excerpt
from Family Volunteering: Information for Families)
Family
Time
In
Steve Biddulph’s just released book Raising Girls he cites the work of Peter
Benson who “discovered that children and young teenagers almost always have
something inside them – an interest, enthusiasm, talent or concern – which if
it is supported gives them incredible joy, motivation and direction.” He calls
this thing their spark. This week ask your children the question in the sharing
section above and explore with them what their spark might be. How might you as
a parent support your child in engaging in that activity? Benson claims that
there are three things a child needs for their spark to burn brightly. Firstly
an adult in the family must support them, secondly someone in wider community
must encourage and help them and third their needs to be the opportunity to
encourage and engage the spark.
(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
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