Faithful Families Resources August 28 2016

This, remember, is the first step in religion which a child is able to take. Long before he can read, you can teach him to kneel by his mother's side, and repeat the simple words of prayer and praise which she puts in his mouth.

~J. C. Ryle

Family Closeness

Game:

Apple Ahead

Family members must play this game in pairs. Each pair has to hold an apple between their foreheads. Other family members then give instructions like: walk to the lounge room, or jump three times or get an orange from the fridge. The pair must drop the apple as they carry out each task.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

Sharing questions serve many purposes but basically they are about stimulating discussion so that you can listen to what is happening in your family’s life. It is also about getting to know your family better, connecting with them, discovering and exploring them. How often is it that we think we know our wife or husband or children or brother or sister…yet there is so much to still discover? Listening and being listened to is a profound experience for people of any age.

Sharing may be as long as you like but should not be an interrogation. You may not need any questions to have a great listening conversation with your family but do encourage everyone to participate, especially the youngest. Here are some ideas to get you going:

If you could choose one day in your life to live over again what day would it be? Was it a good day or a bad day? Would you do anything differently? What is the best day you have ever had? Why did you like it so much? What activity do you like doing most in your week?

What is the best gift you have ever received? Who gave it to you? What was it for? Why did you like it so much?

Can you remember a time when you were impatient while waiting for something? What was it? Why was waiting so hard? What do you hate waiting for? What is something you can do that makes waiting not so bad?

Story

With your family read:  Luke 14.25-33

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

Questions for Discussion:

• Do you think Jesus is saying we should hate out family?
• What should people do if their family doesn't like them following Jesus?
• What do you think Jesus means by taking up your cross?
• What things can get in the way of us fully following Jesus?

Prayer and Celebration

Counting your blessings

Take your family outside on clear night or even better take them out into the country to look up the stars. Spend some time thinking of all the good things God has given you in your life. Nothing is really too small to give thanks for. Just like the stars at first you might only see a few but as you get accustomed to it you will see more and more things that you want to thank God for.

Family Activity

Go star watching

Linking with this weeks prayer activity why not by a star chart and take your family outside on a nice clear night to look at the stars and watch how the night sky changes over and hour or so. You could do this lying on a blanket in your backyard or take everyone for a drive to a place where there is less light pollution so you can really see the stars. If you live in Australia teach your children how to find south using the Southern Cross. You can learn how to do this here.  

(This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning

Faithful Families Resources August 21 2016

You cannot make your children love the Bible, I allow. None but the Holy Ghost can give us a heart to delight in the Word. But you can make your children acquainted with the Bible; and be sure they cannot be acquainted with that blessed book too soon, or too well.

~J. C. Ryle

Family Closeness

Game:

The Cereal Box Game

You will need a large empty cereal box for this game. Each family member takes a turn to pick up the box with their teeth without let anything but their feet touch the ground. After each round a few centimetres are cut off the top of the box and everyone has another go. Keep going until the last person can’t pick up the cereal box. Make sure you do it on a carpeted surface and older family members may need to do some warming up and stretching before trying this.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.

This is an appropriate one for Australian’s right now in the midst of a short but tedious election campaign.

• If you were running for Prime Minister/President what things would you want to change about the country?
• What issues do you think should be most important?
• Why do you think politicians don’t always do what they say they will do?

Story

With your family read:  Luke 14.1,7-14

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

at http://www.sermons4kids.com/all_puffed_up.htm

  

Questions for Discussion:

• Why do you think Jesus told this parable?
• Why do you think humility was important to Jesus?
• Why did Jesus tell the Pharisees to invite the poor to their home?

Prayer and Celebration

Psalm Prayers

The Psalms can be great models of prayer, especially for 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.

Family Activity

Family Time Line

To help your family think about good things God has  given you, work together to make a family time line. Draw a line in the centre of a long sheet of paper. Choose a starting date to write at the left end of the line. Your time line may cover a week, a one  month period, or the school holidays, or a year. To help family members think of time line events, ask questions such as: "What was something we did that we really enjoyed? How did someone help us in a special way? Who are some new friends our family made?" Display the time line on a wall or door. Allow younger children to enjoy drawing pictures to illustrate the time line. (Adventures for Growing Families. Wes & Sheryl Haystead.)

(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 August 14 2016

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

~ C. S. Lewis

Family Closeness

Game:

Alliteration

Pick a letter at random. Go around your family taking turns to say a different word beginning with that letter. Go around as many times as you can. Stop only when a word is repeated or you can’t think of any more. (New Games for Community. C Gapes)

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating conversation at the dinner table.

Do you find it hard to sit and do nothing? Why?

What is your favourite place to do nothing?

Story

With your family read:  Luke 13.10-17

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

Questions for Discussion:

• Why was the synagogue leader upset by what Jesus did?
• Have you ever not helped someone because you were supposed to be doing something else.

Prayer and Celebration

Prayer Beads

Prayer Beads can be a helpful way to be still and pray while doing 'nothing' at the same time. Sometimes it is hard to sit and pray and we might need help stilling ourselves. Prayer beads can be used with all different kinds of prayers as prayer itself or to settles oneself to pray.

See this Society of St Francis page for a way of using them. Children could use prayer beads with simpler prayers.

(This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning

Faithful Families Resources August 7 2016

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. 

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Family Closeness

Game

The Listening Game

Grab some different items from around the house. Show your family members the items, you might even let them touch them. Tell your family to close their eyes. Pick up an item and make a sound with it. Your family have to guess which item made the sound. For example tapping a glass, running your fingers along a comb or shaking a sauce bottle.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion around the table.

•  What is your favourite place to spend alone time?
• What do you like about it?
• If you could spend the day with one person, who would it be? What would you do?

Story

With your family read:  Luke 12.51-53

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

Questions for Discussion

• What do you disagree with your friends about?
• Do you think there would be anything that would stop you being friends?
• Why do you think following Jesus might cause some people to be against you?

Prayer and Celebration

Bubble Wrap Prayers

We often have many cares and worries we wish to pray for. Sometimes it is good to have a small action of release as we pray to show we hand these things over to God. A great way to do this is to pop a bubble wrap bubble as you say the prayer.

Service

Some ideas for showing you care in your community:

• Drop off a small donation at a local food bank.
• Send thank-you notes to local police officers.
• Make a small gift of appreciation for your child's teacher.

(This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning