Tag: Amy Nappa (Page 10 of 11)

Creative Prayer: Playground Prayers

/ Amy Nappa

Focus: Praying for children

Before You Begin:

Pick out a popular park or playground in your community that you and your children can visit.

The Prayer Time!

Visit a nearby playground or park where children gather to play. If your children want, allow them to join in the activities of the playground. Then sit in an inconspicuous spot and simply observe the kids for awhile as they run and tumble and laugh and cry.

When you’re ready, encourage family members to begin praying for a specific child on the playground. Use what you see in that child as a tool to focus your prayer.

For example, if you notice a child is particularly adventuresome and prone to take risks, pray that God would channel that adventuresome spirit into ways that would lead to the child discovering more about God. (You might also pray for that child’s safety and protection!)

Or, if you notice a child who often plays alone and seems disconnected from the other kids, you might pray that God would surround that child with people who can become deep, meaningful friends.

If you spot a child who is unkind, you could pray that God will change the heart of that person to be one that seeks Jesus and takes an interest in others.

If your children are playing as well, pray specifically for each one. If your children are sitting with you, have them join you in praying for those playing, being sure they have a chance to talk to God about the children they see.

As you pray, ask God to direct your prayers for each child. Finish your time with a prayer for all the children you see to experience God’s love in a tangible way throughout the rest of their lives. Pray for as many children as time allows.

Looking for More?

Find Amy Nappa on Amazon.com

Check out a few of Amy’s YouTube videos

Discover more about Amy’s memoir, Hard Way Home

Creative Prayer: M&M Prayers

/ Amy Nappa

Focus: Praying for others (with M&M prompts)

Before You Begin:

You’re going to use M&M’s to help focus your family’s prayers of intercession for others, so you’ll need a big bowl of M&M candies for this prayer. (Feel free to sample the “supplies” ahead of time!)

The Prayer Time!

Pass around a bag or bowl of M&M’s the next time your family is gathered for prayer. Let each person take a handful, but don’t let anyone eat the candies yet. Explain that the color of the candies will indicate the direction of the families’ prayers. Lead your family in prayer using this guide and stopping for prayer after explaining each color.

Say:

“For every green M&M you chose, pray for your spouse (present or future) or some other significant person in your life.” (This is a great way to get kids thinking about what qualities they want to find in a future mate. Encourage them to pray for this person’s safety, spiritual and physical growth, and so on.)
“For every red M&M you chose, pray for a member of your family by name (a parent, son, daughter, brother, sister, grandchild, niece, nephew, cousin, aunt, uncle, and so on).”
“For every orange M&M you chose, pray for a teacher in your life (a co-worker, a professor, a pastor, a Bible study leader, a child’s school teacher, a mentor, or another teacher).”
“For every yellow M&M you chose, pray for one of your neighbors (a neighbor near your home, an office-mate, a person whose desk is near yours at school, or a neighbor close to your church).”
“For every dark brown M&M you chose, pray for a leader in your life (a politician, a local businessperson, a celebrity, a member of your church’s staff, the President, or another leader).”
“For every light brown M&M you chose, pray for Christians in other countries.”

This might be best used as an after dinner prayer time. Repeat this process as often as you family’s calorie intake allows!

Looking for More?

Find Amy Nappa on Amazon.com

Check out a few of Amy’s YouTube videos

Discover more about Amy’s memoir, Hard Way Home

Creative Prayer: Praying to Change Lives

/ Amy Nappa

Focus: Praying as the Bible guides

Before You Begin:

FYI: This prayer adventure is great for families with older kids in junior or senior high!

The Prayer Time!

During the next week, read a different passage from the following list each day. Discuss the questions together, then pray as you are directed in the Bible.

Day One: Psalm 122 (The peace of Jerusalem)

What is the significance of Jerusalem in this passage?
Why does the psalmist command the reader to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”?
What meaning does this command have for us today?
Pray according to what you have learned.

Day Two: Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-36 (Persecutors)

What prayer is commanded in these passages?
Why is it important to pray for our enemies?
Discuss and answer the questions in both passages.
How can you bless an enemy?
Pray as you are instructed.

Day Three: Mark 13:32-37 (Watch and pray)

What is this passage discussing?
Why is it necessary to be alert and praying?
How should you be acting and praying according to this passage?
Let your prayers be guided by what you have discovered today.

Day Four: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 and Hebrews 13:18 (Prayer for missionaries)

Who is requesting prayer in these passages and why?
Who do you know in similar positions to the writers of these passages?
How can your prayers help these people?
Pray for these people as directed here.

Day Five: Matthew 9:36-38 (Harvest)

What kind of harvest is Jesus referring to?
Who are the workers Jesus wants us to pray God will send?
Are you a worker? Explain.
Use this passage as a guide to prayer.

Day Six: Matthew 6:5-8 (Pray in secret)

What different kinds of people are described here?
Which are you most like and why?
Today, pray individually, as this verse instructs.

Day Seven: Luke 18:1-8 (Persistence in prayer)

What is the main point of this story?
Why did Jesus tell it?
In what areas do you need to be more persistent in prayer?
Determine how to be consistent and persistent in your prayers, beginning today.

After the week of studying and obeying the Bible’s instructions on prayer, what have you learned? Describe it.

If you like, continue this project by having family members find other references to prayer. (You may want to use a concordance or other reference books.) As you learn more about God’s instructions for prayer, you may find your understanding of prayer and your actual prayers changing!

For More:

We enthusiastically recommend Praying to Change Lives by Jody Brolsma for all members of your family ages 12 and older. Why not read it aloud as a family devotion once a week or so? Your whole family will be changed by this unique perspective on intercessory prayer (promise!).

Looking for More?

Find Amy Nappa on Amazon.com

Check out a few of Amy’s YouTube videos

Discover more about Amy’s memoir, Hard Way Home

Creative Prayer: Coins in a Fountain

/ Amy Nappa

Focus: Forgiveness

Before You Begin:

Collect a handful of coins (such as pennies, nickels, dimes, or quarters) and place them in a small cup or other container. Take this cup and go with your family to a fountain for a time of prayer. (Check a local mall, library, or city building to find a fountain.)

The Prayer Time!

As you stand or sit together in front of the fountain, pass the container of coins and have each person select one. Say, “This is a time for each of us to tell God we’re sorry for things we’ve done wrong.”

Then begin by praying, “Lord, in this past week I know I’ve disappointed you in this way…” and finish by confessing to God one way you’ve fallen short in your spiritual life. Then toss your coin into the water of the fountain. Encourage each family member to pray in the same manner, ending the prayer by tossing his or her coin into the fountain. If anyone is too embarrassed to share a confession aloud, allow him or her to pray silently before tossing a coin.

Repeat this confessing and coin-tossing process as many times as you like. When everyone is done, ask family members to dip their hands in the fountain’s water for a quick washing.

Then close your family prayer by saying, “Thank you, God, for the promise of your forgiveness that buries our sins as this fountain has ‘buried’ our coins, and that washes our hearts as this water has washed our hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Looking for More?

Find Amy Nappa on Amazon.com

Check out a few of Amy’s YouTube videos

Discover more about Amy’s memoir, Hard Way Home

Creative Prayer: Thanks For The Memories

/ Amy Nappa

Focus: Thanking God for responding to prayers

Before You Begin:

Find a box in which you will collect mementos to remind you and your family of God’s active presence in your lives. You’ll also need decorative supplies (such as wrapping paper, construction paper, stickers, and markers).

The Prayer Time!

Begin by taking a box or other similar container and having family members decorate the outside of the box. (Use your decorative supplies, and encourage creative expression!)

Then tell your family, “Each time we notice God working in response to one of our prayers, we’ll find something that will remind us to give thanks for what God has done and put it in this box.”

Give your family examples of what you mean, such as these:

if a friend recovers from an illness, you might put a get-well card in the box;
if God provides for you financially, you could drop a check stub or a coin in the box;
if you pray for guidance and God leads you in a certain direction, you may want to add a compass or road map to the box;
if you pray for help on a test and do well, you might want to put a page of your class notes into the box (after the test!).

After a week of collecting items in your memories box, gather together to look through the box. Use it to remind everyone of reasons for expressing thanks to God. Include in your prayer a time of thanksgiving when you open the box and take out the mementos one by one. As you examine each thing, have the family member who chose the item thank God for what it represents and for the way God has worked in his or her life in the past week.

At this point the box can be emptied and your family can start over, or you may wish to leave these mementos in the box to serve as long-term reminders of God’s work. Continue to add to the box as often as you like, using it whenever you all need a reminder to give thanks for the many ways God has answered the prayers of your family.