Tag: Family Devotions (Page 2 of 11)

Focus: Advent or New Year

Before You Begin:

The beginning of a new year is a good time to evaluate where you’ve been and what your goals for the coming year are. This adventure could be used at any time, but we suggest using it to kick off a new calendar year. It could also be used at the beginning of Advent, the start of a new church year.

The Prayer Time!

As you come together for creative prayer time, explain that we can communicate to God by writing our thoughts to him. Give each person paper and pen and say, “Let’s begin the new year by writing letters of prayer to God!”

Ask family members to write areas where they need help from God, things they’d like to thank God for, and so on. Children who cannot write may draw a picture expressing their thoughts to God, or have an older family member help them.

When each person has completed his or her letter, give everyone the opportunity to read the letters aloud in prayer. If family members are uncomfortable with this, have everyone read their letters silently in quiet prayer.

Then have each person seal his or her letter in an envelope, writing names and the dates on the outside. Gather the envelopes and place them in a file, drawer, or other place for safe-keeping. Make a notation on your calendar, one year from today’s date, to get the letters out and give them to each family member. (If you’re a bit forgetful, you might want to also note where you’ve stored the letters!)

When the year has passed, gather family members together again and distribute each letter of prayer to its owner.

Let family members open the letters and read their prayers from a year ago. Then take time to share how prayers have been answered, how situations have changed, and how God is still working in the areas mentioned in each letter. Take time to thank God for what he’s done in each life, and pray for continued support with ongoing concerns.

You might even want to write new letters to God to save for the next new year!

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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

Focus: Remembering family members in prayer

Before You Begin:

Plan to use this creative prayer time when a family member will be away from home for several days. It could be used when a parent is away on a business trip, when a child spends a week at camp, during those first nervous days of school, or any other time when family members will be separated for a length of time.

The Prayer Time!

Bring your family together and remind everyone of the upcoming separation. Then read the following passages together:

• “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” (2 Timothy 1:3)
• “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.” (Philemon 1:4-5)
• “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:16)

Then ask your family these questions:

• Why do you think it’s important to pray for each other when we’re apart?
• How do you feel when you know someone far away is praying for you?
• As our family experiences time apart from each other, what are things we should remember to pray about? (For example, safety during travel, freedom from fear while at camp, or whatever the needs are in your specific situation.)

Together determine one or more specific times during the day for everyone to remember to pray. Choose a time when family members can be reminded to pray by an alarm or bell of some kind.

For example, your family might choose to pray at 10:15 a.m. One child will be reminded to pray because a school bell rings at this time. Mom can set the alarm on her computer at work, Dad has an alarm on his digital watch, and another child will be reminded by the chiming of the clock at home. Use any alarms or time signals you can think of. Set needed alarms now so everyone will be reminded. Then have everyone commit to pray for the needs you’ve discussed when the bells start ringing the next day.

If your time of separation is only one day, you may want to be reminded to pray several times through the day. If the time apart will be lengthy, have only one or two prayer reminders each day.

When the family is reunited, talk about how everyone felt knowing that others were praying at the same time during the day. How did you see your specific prayers answered?

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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

Focus: Peace

Before You Begin:

No prep is required for this one!

The Prayer Time!

Read the following prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi aloud to your family:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon,

Where there is doubt, faith,

Where there is despair, hope,

Where there is darkness, light,

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to    console,

not so much to be understood as to understand,

not so much to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

it is in dying, that we awake to eternal life.

After reading the prayer, discuss what it might mean to different family members. Then ask:

• The person praying this prayer asks God to make him or her an instrument of God’s peace. What kind of “instrument” do you think the writer means?
• How can you be an instrument like that?

Have each person think of a tool or instrument that could be used to show peace, or that might represent peace. For example, a hammer could be an instrument of peace if it represents building up others. A wind chime could represent sounds of harmony. A rope might bind people together in unity.

Let each person think of one item that represents the instrument of peace he or she would like to be. If possible, have family members actually go and get the item they are thinking of. Then let each person explain how his or her instrument represents peace.

Take turns praying. Ask each person to pray that God would make him or her an instrument like the one they have chosen. For example, “Lord, help me to be like these ear plugs. They make things quiet, and I want to be quiet when I think about you.”

When everyone has prayed, again read the prayer of St. Francis aloud as your closing prayer and request.

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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

Focus: Toddler prayers

Before You Begin:

No prep is required for this one!

The Prayer Time!

Small children will love this finger play that guides them through a time of prayer sing their own “praying hands.” Try it with your whole family, letting the younger children lead!

• My thumb is smallest it’s plain to see. It’s a reminder to pray for me!
• My pointing finger shows me where to go. I’ll pray for those who guide me as I grow.
• My middle finger stands so tall, I’ll thank God because he watches over all.
• Finger number four is weaker than the rest. Please God, care for those who need your rest.
• My very last finger is tiny like a child. I’ll pray for other kids across the whole world wide.

As your family recites each line of “Praying Hands” together, and refers to the indicated finger, stop for a moment to pray as directed by the rhyme.

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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

Focus: Experiencing different kinds of prayer

Before You Begin:

Before your family gathers for a time of prayer, determine four separate areas of a room or of your home that can be used as “prayer stations.” This could be the four corners of a room, or four separate rooms. At each prayer station place a sheet of paper with one of the following words written on it:

• Praise
• Thanks
• Request
• Confession

The Prayer Time!

When your family comes together for creative prayer, explain that you’ll be taking time individually to pray at the different prayer stations in your home. Show family members where these are and tell what to do at each station, following this guide:

• At the Praise station, tell God why you think he’s wonderful! Say a prayer or sing a song of praise.
• At the Thanks station, thank God for what he’s done.
• At the Request station, tell God your needs and the needs of others.
• At the Confession station, tell God you’re sorry for things you’ve done wrong and ask him to forgive you.

Have each family member go to a different station. (If your family has more than four members, two people can be at the same station, but ask them to pray individually.) Explain that everyone will stay at that station and pray as directed there for two to three minutes. (You can make this time shorter if you have younger children, or longer if you have older children.)

Begin your time of prayer. After two minutes (or whatever amount of time you have decided upon) has passed, have everyone change to a new station. Again, pray at the stations for the allotted time, then repeat the process until each person has had a chance to pray at each station.

Note: If one or more of your children are under age four, this adventure can be done with the entire family together at each station, or an adult can visit each station with the child to guide him or her in prayer.

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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