Devotions for Active Families

Let me share some thoughts from Carolyn Williford's book "Devotions for Families that Can't Sit Still" from Victor Books that may offer some solutions:

Our basic building block is integration.  To integrate Christianity means essentially to allow it to touch, enter, and affect every aspect of life.

1. Plan Ahead
   One lesson we definitely learned: quality family nights do not just happen.  If we have not purposefully planned and evening, it seems to just drift away.
2. Set Realistic Goals
   The key is to decide on a realistic number of nights a week to have devos.  Planning on too much sets us up for failure, guilt, and eventual loss of any devotional family time at all.
3. Be Flexible
   If I can be flexible, expecting plans to fall through and other great ideas to go sour, I can survive and continue.  Flexibility is the key!
4. Allow for "Just Plain Fun"
   We believe that and element of fun is important, and the benefit of this has been that our kids truly enjoy and look forward to our family nights.  However, please note that this does not mean our devotions have no substance.  Content and substance can be communicated in a fun way, and most of our devotions fall into this category.
5. Don't Let Guilt Get in the Way!
   When we miss a family devotion time, we decide not to allow guilt to hinder or diminish our commitment.  We just plan on trying again next week.  And if next week gets lost in the shuffle too, I just begin again, and again, and again.
6. Build on Prayer
   The foundation guide, and bonding point of our family devotions is prayer. I like to think of it as a saturation process.  I ask for wisdom beforehand to know what God would have us do; we ask that He would use the devotional to meet our family's needs; and finally we pray for each other and those for whom we feel concern.  There is a special bonding that takes place when a family prays together.

Get more info on family devotions here ...

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