Do you ever answer the phone and know who it is without the caller saying? Do you have loved ones whose phrases you can anticipate based on a given situation? It’s because we come to know voices of people we spend time with. We know what they sound like. We know what they will...
“Great Grandpa and Great Grandma are working on the Apostles’ Creed,” my three-year-old son said this morning. We have been working on memorizing the Apostles’ Creed with our five-year-old and three-year-old and of course his comment meant he thought his great...
Who is my neighbor? We hear this question asked of Jesus in Luke 10:29. And Jesus responds by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan where Jesus leads to an understanding that we should do what the Samaritan did. But today, I want to consider the question from a slightly different...
Teaching the Lord's Prayer to children or those new to the faith is a valuable use of time because it is the way that Jesus taught to pray. [Matthew 6:9-13] Here are a few ideas to teach it: Pray this prayer daily in your home--morning, mealtime, devotional time, or...
We have a little Baptism "birthday" tradition in our family. We dig out the candle and light it, we sing a Baptism song with the person’s name inserted, sometimes we incorporate shell and water play, and we always talk about what God does in Baptism—forgives our sins, makes us part...
As God’s people, we are welcomed to gather together in order to worship God in two groups: With those we share a household with (most often our family) God has designed our homes to be a gathering spot for faith formation. God has called each of us to lead our families in discipleship at...
Do you ever wonder what to pray about? Pray without ceasing is nice and all, but sometimes it seems unattainable at best, and totally impossible at worst. Certainly, we should pray to God in adoration for who He is and what He’s done for us. Absolutely, we should confess our sins regularly...
Nurturing Faith in the Next Generation We all have a calling to nurture faith in the next generation. Even those of us who don’t have kids or grandkids biologically have a responsibility in this mission. Here are four simple (but not always easy) ways to nurture faith in your kids...
Do you ever feel like when you ask your granddaughter or grandson a question you get a “yep” or “nope” and nothing else? Do you ever wish they would engage a little more so you could really learn about what they like and what’s going on with them? Ask questions so...
What’s your earliest memory with your family? I remember a fall sometime before my third birthday which required stitches and the subsequent ride to the hospital on my mom’s lap (she was not driving) and getting pulled over on the way for speeding only to be offered a police escort...
