Faithful Families Resources June 30 2013

Weekly Inspiration

Children Are Like Kites

You spend years trying to get them off the ground.

You run with them until you are both breathless. They crash ... they hit the roof ... you patch, comfort and assure them that someday they will fly.

Finally, they are airborne.

They need more string, and you keep letting it out.

They tug, and with each twist of the twine, there is sadness that goes with joy.

The kite becomes more distant, and you know it won't be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you together and will soar as meant to soar ... free and alone.

Only then do you know that you have done your job.

http://www.inspirationalstories.com/5/553.html

Family Closeness

Game:

Drop It

This game is played in pairs with two family members facing each other. One holds an object in each hand outstretched at shoulder level and the suddenly drops one of the objects. The other person has to catch it before it touches the ground.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

These questions are to stimulate a sense of openness, sharing and discovery about your family. The key is to listen!!

• What is the best thing and the worst thing that happened to you this week. 
• What is something that you might say thank you to God for this week? 

Ones for the adults particularly to share: 

• Where have you been aware of God’s presence in your life this week. 
• What “God moments” happened to you this week?

 Story

With your family read:  Luke 10:1-11

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

 Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think Jesus sent people out in pairs?
• What is the harvest Jesus is talking about?
• What are the two different responses Jesus told the disciples they might expect?
• What message did Jesus want them to tell both groups no matter how they were treated?
• How do you think you would feel going out to tell people about Jesus? 

Prayer and Celebration

Make and Memorise

This week learn a prayer off by heart, together. Write or find a prayer that you can use with your family every night at mealtimes and family sharing times. Make it an activity that you do together. The prayer does not have to be complicated, but simple enough for everyone to remember. It might include some lines of thanks or praise or asking. Supplied here are a few prayers that you could start from or use. If your family does not know the Lord’s Prayer it would be a fantastic time to learn it together. (On the right hand side of this blog is a weekly verse of scripture which you might also like to get your family to memorise together.)

Dear God,

Thank you for your love and care.

Thank you for the food we share.

Help us show your love today.

In all we do and think and say.

In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.         

For food in a world where many walk in hunger;

For faith in a world where many walk in fear;

For friends in a world where many walk alone;

We give you thanks, O Lord. Amen.

(Source: Huron Hunger Fund, Anglican Church of Canada)

Service

One of the most basic ways to get your family involved in serving in the world is to sponsor a child. There are a range of organisations that provide the means for sponsoring children including:

World Vision - http://www.worldvision.com.au

Compassion - http://www.compassion.com.au

This provides a great opportunity to children to think about how other children in the world live. This can provide a focal point for be thankful for all they have and for helping through giving and prayer. Children if they are given pocket money should be encouraged to give a portion of it back to parents as their contribution to sponsoring the child.

Family Activity

The Bag that’s me. Create a paper bag collage out of newspaper or magazine cuttings. Paste on the outside of the paper bag any cuttings that symbolise how you appear on the outside. Put inside the paper bag any symbols that reveal who you are on the inside. Spend ten minutes tearing out things from a magazine – words, photographs, slogans – anything the reminds you of yourself. Then take about five minutes pasting your cuttings on the outside or inside of your paper bag. Share with your family what is on the outside and inside of your bag. Children can just use pictures of things that they like. (Youth Ministry Encyclopaedia. JBCE)

(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 23 2013

Weekly Inspiration

There are few principles of human nature stronger than that of imitation. ~ Lord Palmerston

Family Closeness

Game: Card Flipping

For this game you will need a bucket or container and a pack of cards. Place the bucket about two meters away (or closer for young ones). Take turns to flip or throw cards into the bucket. See who can get the most cards in.

Sharing

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

Tell a story about your favourite holiday and what made it so great.

Story

With your family read:  Luke 9.51-62

(for a way of explaining/talking about this reading with children look at 

http://www.sermons4kids.com/making-excuses.html

 Questions for Discussion:

• What do you think about the disciple’s question of Jesus?
• What did Jesus do?
• What do you think it means to follow Jesus?
• What might you need to give up to follow Jesus? 

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 of 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.

 Family Activity

No electricity night

This is a great idea to help your family think about their dependence on electricity and also how they might be able to reduce their energy consumption to help the environment. It also might help you all to think about how many people live throughout the world.Have a night at home where you cannot use anything that requires electricity. This includes cooking the meal and lights and everything else. 

(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 16 2013

Weekly Inspiration

We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.

~  Henry Ward Beecher

Family Closeness

Game

What are they thinking?

Pick a person that you can see – it could be someone in public or it could be an image of someone in a magazine or newspaper. Family members have to guess what they are thinking and how they are feeling. You could also talk about where you think they work, what their hobbies are and if they are happy.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family. 

• What is the best thing that happened to you this week? What was the worst?
• What unexpected thing happened to you this week?
• What is something new you learnt today or this week?

 Story

With your family read:  Luke 8.26-39

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

 Questions for Discussion:

• What surprises you about this story?
• Why were the people who looked after the pigs angry?
• What did the healed many want to do?
• What did Jesus tell him to do?
• What did he do?

 Prayer and Celebration

Paper Plane Prayer

Ask each person to write a simple prayer on a sheet of paper. Form each sheet into an plane and shoot it across the room after each prayer is read.

Family Activity

Paper Plane Fun

Spend the afternoon or evening making paper planes with your family. See who can make the most stylish plane and whose can go the furthest. Finish this activity with the Prayer and Celebration idea above.

Here are some links to ways of making paper planes:

http://www.10paperairplanes.com

http://www.funpaperairplanes.com

(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 9 2013

Weekly Inspiration

This is all the inheritance I give to my dear family. The religion of Christ will give them one which will make them rich indeed.

~ Patrick Henry

Family Closeness

Game

Fortunately Unfortunately

This is a storytelling game that will get you thinking about how much worse and better things could possibly be. The first person comes up with an opening line. “Once upon a time I had a pet dog”. Person two adds another line with a turn for the worse plot twist: Unfortunately, my dog bit me. Person three takes the story on a turn for the better: “Fortunately, my dog had no teeth” Play with  the story and take it as far as you can. See how badly or happily it can end.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

Tell a story about something that happened at school today and another story that you made up about something that happened.  Family members have to guess which is which.

Story

With your family read:  Luke 7.36-8.3

(for a way of explaining/talking about this reading with children look at 

http://www.sermons4kids.com/uninvited_guest.htm

Questions for Discussion:

• What do you think about what the woman did for Jesus?
• Why was the Pharisee upset?
• Who treated Jesus with more love?
• Who do you think had more faith – the Pharisee or the woman?

Prayer and Celebration

Praying for the World

Using either a globe or a map or a list of countries, pick a place to pray for from around the world. You could use information gathered from the news or the internet to find out what to pray for. Another source of prayer information specifically designed for this is Operation World.  Operation World provides a brief profile of the country and lists some things that may be the focus of your prayer.

  

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.

  

(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