Faithful Families Resources September 11 2016

Weekly Inspiration

Parents, I beseech you, for your children's sake, beware of over-indulgence. I call on you to remember, it is your first duty to consult their real interests, and not their fancies and likings; to train them, not to humour them to profit, not merely to please. ~J. C. Ryle

Family Closeness

Game:

Mirror. One person must be the leader and the other the mirror. The mirror must copy exactly all the hand and face movements of the leader.

  

Sharing:

Begin a habit of asking around your family what is one thing you learned today. (A story is told of one family who were using this pattern whose children would look through the encyclopaedia before meal time to have something to bring, another family had to bring a new word to the dinner table and so would flip through the dictionary. (The Big Book of Family Fun. Gwen Ellis)

Story

With your family read:  Luke 16.1-13

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

Questions for Discussion:

• What did the manager do to look after himself?
• Do you think this was an honest thing to do?
• Does it surprise you that his master praised him for this?
• What little things can you be faithful with?
• What different masters do people serve? 

Prayer and Celebration

 Prayer Habitd

As children grow there are many habits we want them to learn, that we hope might become automatic in their life, such as washing hands before meal or brushing teeth. Years and years of doing these activities hopefully ingrain the habit for life. In the teaching of these habits is an opportunity to remember God and to prayer. When washing a toddler or young child’s hand before a meal take the time to say a prayer out loud. This could be a memorised prayer or it could be a line of scripture like – Psalm 51.10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. You could also stick prayers in the places that children do these activities to remind them to pray.

Family Activity

Games Night

Have a night entirely dedicated to games. Games books can be found in any book store or make up your own. You can also find a bunch of games that are easy to play in this blog. Alternatively pull out some board games to play- our favourite is Pictionary. 

(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