Family Worship
I am excited about this weekend as we are having Parent/Child Dedication at our church and Molly is going to be dedicated. It will also be my first opportunity as Associate Pastor to be involved in this special event. I am enjoying meeting with families to talk about the significance of their role in the faith development of their children.
Let me share a little about what I am learning about family worship. I had heard about this concept before, but only used in a negative sense and most often associated with the word, "boring." I also realized that as a father I am to be actively involved in the spiritual training and instruction of my children. I cannot delegate this important responsibility to the church alone. But I have also come to understand that the "how to's" are lacking. It seems the church has challenged the family in this area, but resources are not readily available.
However, I discovered several resources that are helpful. First, I send a weekly email called "Splinks" to the families in my church. This is published by Randall House as part of the D6 Family. It includes about 3 ideas of how to teach a Biblical truth to your kids. Another resource requires a small fee. It is called Family Time Training and is available online at www.famtime.com. I am also learning a lot from Visionary Parenting by Rob Rienow. This is a 7 session study and in session 6 talks specifically about family worship. Finally, the last resource is a book that I referred to before called Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham and it includes ideas as well.
I know personally that this requires intentional effort on my part. If I don't schedule and plan it, it doesn't happen. We have tried to make great use of car rides (praying for the kids as they go to school & talking about spiritual things on the way), bedtimes (great time for prayer, Bible stories, God sightings), and meal times. We try after every meal to talk about Scripture through Bible memory for the kids and parents, to sing a worship song as a family, and then share prayer requests and to pray. I am still learning, but look forward to growing in this area.
As I think back, one of my favorite family worship times was when we taught on the Fruits of the Spirit. Bethany made a tree and nine different types of fruit. Then we saw the kids exhibit that fruit of the Spirit they put a fruit on the tree. We also used some creativity to talk about what each fruit meant by drawing pictures, singing songs, etc. Another successful family worship was teaching on the 10 Commandments. This tied in with a song by Go Fish called "10 Commandment Boogie". These are just a few ideas that worked well for us.
If you say, I don't know where to start. My advice is this: start small and do something. It is not too late to begin even if your kids are teenagers. I am not where I would like to be in this area, but I am seeking to learn more each and every day. I would love to hear stories about what has worked in family worship in your family.
Let me share a little about what I am learning about family worship. I had heard about this concept before, but only used in a negative sense and most often associated with the word, "boring." I also realized that as a father I am to be actively involved in the spiritual training and instruction of my children. I cannot delegate this important responsibility to the church alone. But I have also come to understand that the "how to's" are lacking. It seems the church has challenged the family in this area, but resources are not readily available.
However, I discovered several resources that are helpful. First, I send a weekly email called "Splinks" to the families in my church. This is published by Randall House as part of the D6 Family. It includes about 3 ideas of how to teach a Biblical truth to your kids. Another resource requires a small fee. It is called Family Time Training and is available online at www.famtime.com. I am also learning a lot from Visionary Parenting by Rob Rienow. This is a 7 session study and in session 6 talks specifically about family worship. Finally, the last resource is a book that I referred to before called Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham and it includes ideas as well.
I know personally that this requires intentional effort on my part. If I don't schedule and plan it, it doesn't happen. We have tried to make great use of car rides (praying for the kids as they go to school & talking about spiritual things on the way), bedtimes (great time for prayer, Bible stories, God sightings), and meal times. We try after every meal to talk about Scripture through Bible memory for the kids and parents, to sing a worship song as a family, and then share prayer requests and to pray. I am still learning, but look forward to growing in this area.
As I think back, one of my favorite family worship times was when we taught on the Fruits of the Spirit. Bethany made a tree and nine different types of fruit. Then we saw the kids exhibit that fruit of the Spirit they put a fruit on the tree. We also used some creativity to talk about what each fruit meant by drawing pictures, singing songs, etc. Another successful family worship was teaching on the 10 Commandments. This tied in with a song by Go Fish called "10 Commandment Boogie". These are just a few ideas that worked well for us.
If you say, I don't know where to start. My advice is this: start small and do something. It is not too late to begin even if your kids are teenagers. I am not where I would like to be in this area, but I am seeking to learn more each and every day. I would love to hear stories about what has worked in family worship in your family.
Hi JL--I would be interested to hear about your mental/spiritual journey from growing up in a church that (I'm assuming) baptized children, to now, being in a body of believers that dedicates children. This interests me obviously, since we've been on both sides of the spectrum too. If you have the time, of course. Thanks! :)
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