Faithful Families Resources October 6 2013

Weekly Inspiration

Instruction, and advice, and commands will profit little, unless they are backed up by the pattern of your own life. Your children will never believe you are in earnest, and really wish them to obey you, so long as your actions contradict your counsel.

 ~J. C. Ryle

Family Closeness

Game:

Feely Bag

Get two bags or two old socks. Place identical items in each of the two bags or socks. Some suggested items to use are: bottle caps, cotton balls, small sponge pieces, keys, large buttons, etc. Show your children the two bags and match each set of two items one to one. In this way, the child will see and understand that there are two identical items of each kind. Refill the two bags or socks and give one of the bags containing identical objects to the child. Take one of the objects out of the bag and show it to the child. Tell the child to feel in his bag for an object that is just like the one that you took out of your bag. Remind the child to "feel" not look.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

• When do you feel closest to your family?
• When do you feel God’s presence with you the most?
• What is your favourite place to be by yourself?

 Story

With your family read:  Luke 17.11-19

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

Questions for Discussion:

• What do you think made the one leper turn back to thank Jesus?
• Do you ever forget to be thankful?
• What would you like to thank God for?

 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.

Family Activity

Photograph Night

Get a new roll of film and take your family on an adventure. Make a list of photos they must take at particular places and go out and get them. Eg. photo with a policeman, a funny photo, a photo with at east two animals.

(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