Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory
banks of our children.
~ Chuck Swindoll
Family
Closeness
Game:
Table
Olympics – Part 1
Spoon
Balancing
I am always amazed when I watch the gymnasts
balancing on the beam or catapulting across the mat. In this Olympic event get
your family members to balance tea spoons on their fingers or nose. See who can
balance a spoon for the longest or while moving their hand around in
complicated patterns. See if your family can come up with any gymnastic like
hand and spoon tricks.
Sharing:
Questions for stimulating discussion in your family.
In this week’s family sharing time try to come up
with a motto for your family. Your motto
can act like a family mission statement helping you to stay focussed on what is
important. It could be something that your family aspires to be like or do, “We help one another” , or it could be a
description of your most important values, “Honesty, Love, Service” or some
aspect of what you as a family need to work on for example: “Love More”. Don’t rush you motto, spend some nights
talking it out over the family dinner table. When you have come up with
something you all love and agree on print it up on some nice paper and have it
framed so it is in a place you can all see and be reminded of.
Story
With
your family read Mark 10.46-52
(for
a way of explaining/talking about this reading with children look at http://www.sermons4kids.com/i_want_to_see_jesus.htm
Questions
for Discussion:
- Why do you think people told blind Bartimaeus to be quiet?
- Why do you think he ignored the people?
- What did Jesus do for him?
- How would you describe Bartimeaus?
Prayer
and Celebration
Balloon Prayer
There
are two ways you might use this idea to pray. Both involve writing words in
permanent marker on a balloon. The first way involves your family writing one
or two words naming the things or people they wish to pray for at different
places over the balloon. When you have finished doing this toss the balloon
around the dinner table. The words that your hands touch or a near to when you
catch the balloon are the things that person must pray about. The second way
uses the same method but instead of things to pray for write down different
types of prayer like: praise, thanksgiving, asking, confession, waiting.
Whatever your hands land on that is the type of prayer your family must do –
this probably works best if everyone takes turns at each individual type of
prayer.
Service
One really interesting way to get your family
involved in service is to go on a volunteering holiday. By doing this your
family can go somewhere different, meet new people and get involved in making a
difference in the world. Organisations such as http://www.volunteerholiday.com.au arrange and
oversee the trips and provide guides and other necessary information.
Family
Time
Music
Night
Have a music evening together where you take turns
at picking songs and listening to them. Family members share with one another,
what they like about a particular song and how it makes them feel. To take it a
step further get everyone up an dancing to the different songs. Remind you
family that although they may not like all the music it is good to learn to
appreciate other family members tastes.
(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
