What to Do For Family Worship/Devotions?
Kendra-
I have a question for you: Do you have any specific resources (books, plans, outlines, suggestions) for Family Worship? I know this is generally a "husband" area of expertise, but my dear (and very busy!) hubby is really wanting to lead family worship on a more regular basis (we do this on a fairly regular basis and have used the following books as guides: Jim Comarty's A Book for Family Worship, Our 24 Family Ways by Sally and Clay Clarkson, and The Family Worship Book + a few others) and has asked for my input. Where was the first place I thought to go (after the Lord, of course!)-YOU!
Though books are a GREAT tool and suggestion, the Word is Supreme! So, if there are any tips on format, structure, content/how to choose Scriptures to focus on, and of course, other books/guidelines, etc. (I'm just throwing spaghetti at the wall here to see if anything sticks!!LOL), I would be so grateful! I saw something recently in a Lifeway magazine that talked about Scripture Memory for the family and thought this could tie-in nicely too...
If others have already asked about this and I missed an archive blog somewhere on this subject-I'm sorry! Just point the way for me if you've already covered this?
Thanks again, and much love to you!
Happy Day~
Blessings,
Shannon
♥
Hey Shannon-
Great question! There are so many options, I'll just throw out what has worked for us in the past and see if anything is a fit for your family.
If you want to stay mainly in Scripture, how about choosing one book to go through a chapter per night? We studied Acts this way last year and everyone from the teenagers down to the preschooler really enjoyed it. Scripture memory could tie in nicely, too.
Each person illustrated the chapter. The older ones wrote descriptions of their pictures, and then we all shared what we had gleaned from the chapter. At the end of the study, we watched a fantastic film version of Acts that is purely Scripture and stars Dean Jones. It was a hit here.
Easy planning done for you would be to use a Bible reading plan like those recommended by Desiring God. Just open your Bibles to the day's reading and there you go. Everyone can have a chance to read aloud if you divvy up the chapters, too.
My husband will typically camp on a topic we feel we're all in need of studying together. We've gone through books on loving one another, on leadership qualities, and biographies. But he's not really into devotional books, so I use them in our Circle Time instead.
We want our kids to love the Word. I think if we make our family worship relaxed and enjoyable, they will look forward to the time together rather than dreading it. Opening your Bible, reading it together and then casually talking about what stands out to each person can be a great way to enjoy the Word as a family. Dad's and Mom's insight and wisdom can carry the conversation far, and pulling out reference books as needed is one of the ways our kids can learn to delve into Scripture themselves.
We're studying Job right now and my husband asks questions of the kids on their level: "Sounds like Job is scared here. Can you remember ever being scared?"
My husband says, "Keep it simple, and don't compare yourself to other families. If the Joneses are singing hymns in four-part harmony, by all means let them. But don't think that has to be the standard for your family". Phew. Good thing. That would stress me out!
Hope that helps-
Kendra