Many people participate in a series of advent studies and celebration that point us towards the true meaning of Christmas.  After that?  Crickets!  Many of us spend large amounts of time making ornaments and various other crafts and gifts to really drive the point of Jesus home.  Then December 26th rolls around and we are willing to just let everything go.  Why spend time developing a habit only to see it fall by the wayside?  The time is now….time to get intentional about family worship!

Many participate in advent studies that point us towards the true meaning of Christmas. After that? Crickets! Click To Tweet

Just Imagine…

Imagine what our family’s worship time and spiritual lives could be like if we put that same kind of devotion into teaching our kids about Jesus year round. You may not have the time or energy to make crafts 365 or 366 days of the year, but what if you could just spend a few minutes daily reading the word and pondering the things of God? Possibly throw in a song or two, definitely some prayer, and you have family worship that will shape your child’s eternity!  If you want to influence your child to truly love and follow God, the time is now, while they are young and impressionable.  

You may not have the time or energy to make crafts 365 days of the year, but what if you could just spend a few minutes daily with God? Click To Tweet

How to Create a Custom Family Worship Time

It sounds like a scary and difficult thing to do.  Design family worship for an entire year?  You don’t have to go crazy.  Here are some easy, basic steps that you can take:

• There are many simple books out there that can help guide you.  All you have to do is pick one up and read the page for each day.  
• Make sure there is scripture included!  If there isn’t some scripture straight from the Bible, look up some verses to include.  It’s great to get insight into how God is speaking to someone else.  There is nothing, however, like hearing directly from God Himself.
• Give your children room to talk and ask questions.  Parents tend to want to be the leaders, but this is not a church setting where the preacher has the pulpit.  Use this opportunity to really get to know the hearts of your children.  You may be amazed at the insight of a small child.  You will be able to answer their spiritual questions or guide them to find answers.  If you are like me, you will even be challenged by the pure hearts and big dreams the children have for serving God.  
• If you feel inspired, search a worship song that comes to mind, or even just search the theme that you studied.
• Lead your children in a prayer about what God has laid on your heart and the hearts of your family. 
• To really make it count, form a plan of action.  This could be a service project, or as simple as discussing how they can apply what they have learned to their every-day life.  When you are really convicted about a change you make, you can use this opportunity to teach children about accountability.  

Need a Suggestion?  Try 365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids: An If I Could Ask God Anything Devotional

Organization

This is a great book if you are just starting your young ones out with family devotions.  There is a devotion for each day of the year, laid out by date. I especially love how 365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids: An If I Could Ask God Anything Devotional gives Biblical information specific to the holidays your family may be celebrating at that time of year.  Even if you don’t celebrate the holidays, children may know someone who does or see the dates on the calendar and ask questions.   

If you prefer to go out of order, there is a topical index in the back as well.  You could use it to specifically answer any questions your own children may have.  It’s good to make sure you are answering the spiritual questions of your own children and not always letting something else dictate what you study!  

Questions

It gets to the heart of some of the big questions that kids have about God and the Bible. The questions can get deep too!  Even then, the text is easy to understand.  There are questions like, “How do I know the Bible is true?” and “How can God be three persons at the same time?”  There are questions about holidays, as I mentioned before.  There are even questions about famous Christians, which might teach the adults a little something too!  A full year of these kinds of questions will ground your children in a deeper understand and encourage young hearts.  

It’s Easy!

365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids: An If I Could Ask God Anything Devotional builds in scripture and prayer, which is great for  those of you who may be intimidated in coming up with your own (or on those days we all  just need to push the easy button!).   It can spark curiosity into deeper study, or simply give you the basics you need for family worship time.  How deep you will want to go will depend on your own family’s interest and spiritual needs.  

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Family Worship:  The Time is Now

Whether you choose to get an easy devotional book like 365 Bible Answers for Curious Kids: An If I Could Ask God Anything Devotional, or you choose to go all out and plan your own worship schedule, the time is now!  Make this coming year a year that your family grows spiritual and is on fire for the Lord.  Your children will mimic what they see.  Don’t you want them to see Jesus in you?  Start a lifetime habit of worshiping God.  No one ever regrets it!  

What do you do for family worship?