Weekly Faith Practice

Weekly Faith Practice

October 9, 2016

CARING CONVERSATION

Set a consistent time – daily – for good conversation as a family or with a friend if you live alone. The dinner table is a good place for these conversations. For this week, ask each member of your family or share with a friend the highs and lows of your day.

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FAMILY DEVOTIONS AND PRAYER

Family devotions can be very simple. After sharing the highs and lows of your day, read a scripture and ask each person at your table (or just before bedtime) a simple question about the scripture (see below). Allow for creative thinking. The scriptures and questions provided here are meant to allow for creativity and insightful thinking. Each day, remember to ask God’s blessing on your meal. We will provide a table grace each week.

At the end of your meal, in the car on the way to soccer, or just before bedtime, pray for one another’s highs and lows, for your family, and for the world. When you have prayed, bless each other. This week’s blessing: The Lord is good, and God’s love lasts forever. (If you are comfortable, trace the sign of the cross on each other’s forehead or palm as a sensory reminder that you belong to God and each other.)

Parents: This week’s Practice is intended to help the children memorize Psalm 100 – or at least part of it. If your child is too small to remember the whole thing, allow him or her to choose their favorite verse. Each day, read the focus verse and say it at least 5 times together. Then see if the whole family can build the Psalm by repeating the verse(s) as they accumulate. Day 1 – verse 1; day 2 – verse 2 then verses 1 and 2 and so on.

Table Grace

Mmm delicious! Mmmmmm delicious-licious (repeat)

Thank you God for the ______(check words with Vivian!!!)

Day One: Read Psalm 100 (NIV)[1]

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Question: What is one thing about God that makes you want to shout for joy?

Day Two: Read Psalm 100:2 (above)

Question: What does it mean to you to worship God?

Day Three: Read Psalm 100:3 (above)

Question: Today’s verse says the God made us and we live in God’s pasture. Why

does that make you happy?

Day Four: Read Psalm 100:4 (above)

Question: What do you want to thank God for today?

Day Five: Read Psalm 100:2 (above)

Question: Last week we learned the word “steadfast.” Faithfulness is similar. How does God’s love make you feel, especially since we know it lasts forever?

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FAMILY RITUALS AND TRADITIONS

Rituals and traditions can take many forms. Getting ready for bed, having a special breakfast on a particular day of the week, and all kinds of family celebrations can have a ritual quality (think about that special dish without which it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving!).

New Faith Ritual/Tradition Possibility:

If you haven’t already, establish a family game night (or games with friends if you live alone).

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FAMILY SERVICE

Make a commitment to do at least one family service project each month. This month, Ashley Bogert is working on a project for her college program involving a collection of new underwear and sweat pants for elementary school children. She has to organize a group to do a project for children. The clothing will be taken to the schools that RUMC sponsors in our community: Glyndon and Cedarmere Elementary Schools.

Would you be part of Ashley’s project? Email her at to help her out!

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