Final Suggestion May 18, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
Thanks for finding and linking to that great article yesterday. It covered the recommendation aspect of things quite well. It also gave some great reasons for catechizing. It is sadly a neglected practice today. Somehow we have come to embrace the notion that rote memory does no good in the work of the mind and heart. This is surely way off course–just like a lot of other popular notions today! For the things we memorize seem to sink in deeper to our thoughts and feelings–even if we don’t realize what is going on. This most definitely has a transforming work. We might not be able to get our hands on it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t very powerful and real!
Anyhow, I wanted to end this section (and maybe this series) with a simple word of exhortation: Just do it! Sure, Nike used that slogan for a long time. Sure, those words could be taken out of context to promote some sort of self-sufficient religion. All that is true enough. But in the end, I want to exhort parents (and especially Fathers), to do what you have to do to lead your family in daily worship of the Lord. What is standing in your way? How many things are more vital? What will you continue to place over and waiting upon and worshiping the Lord daily as a family?
Think of the various things that we will so easily give our time to? How hard is it to clear our schedule for some dinner with friends, or some sort of ministry activity, or work, or play? Why then is it so difficult to clear the 15 minutes we need for family worship? The enemy is real, but He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. The temptations are real, but they are also paper thin. Nothing should stand in our way or doing what we know we should do.
So let’s set aside the time to make a plan. Draw it up. Put it on paper. No matter how old your kids are, take leadership, take ownership and start small. You don’t need to preach a sermon and get the microphones out for worship. Just open up the Word and read it. Open up the hymnal and sing it. Open up your heart and pray. Not much else is needed (though it is suggested!). Sure, it will be uncomfortable at first, but every significant change in our lives usually us. It might be unchartered territory, but isn’t that a great place to be? Maybe you have never experienced it before. Well then, cut off that bad habit at the next generation. Let your children experience that which you did not. If done with the right heart, they will remember such times with gladness!
Much more could be said. And maybe I will say more sometime soon, but that is enough for now. May the Lord grant us mercy, men, to lead our homes with diligence for the honor and fame of His great name.
Seeking Him with you,
Joe
Recommendations- Catechisms May 17, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
So we are nearing the end of our family worship series. In some ways it feels like we just started and hard to believe a month has gone by so quickly!
Today i was planning on discussing recommendations for catechisms. But in finding this article from someone from Bethlehem Baptist (the church John Piper is the preaching pastor at), I probably could not say anything better than what was said here. It gives you 10 reasons for why your children should be taught a catechism and then reviews 4 different catechism books.
We personally use Susan Hunt’s “Big Truths for Little Kids.” Although Abby does not quite get the application part of the stories yet, she enjoys the stories and most importantly is able to memorize the questions.
Again, I would emphasize not to think your children are too young to be memorizing the catechism. Great fruit can come from what is stored in the heart at a young age. God will cause the growth, but we must plant and water!
Planting and watering through the catechism with you,
Erin
Recommendations- Prayer Guide May 15, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
You are right that this topic is not the easiest to write on, but we will learn for next time to just put the recommendations with each corresponding component.
I know this is stepping out of our plan because it was not on there, but I wanted to take the opportunity to commend to people the great help of a prayer plan for family worship time. This is something that we just recently started using and I think has added much more depth to our family worship time.
Now this is not a resource you can go out and buy or find online, but one you get to sit down and work on together with your spouse. For us, we used to spend our prayer times often having the two of us pray for the same things. not that that is bad, but we rarely got to cover all the areas we wanted to cover. So we decided to come up with a prayer plan so that certain things were guaranteed to be prayed for every day and others once or twice a week.
Once you have kids that are old enough to start praying with you on these topics you can add them as well, but right now we have a little one who is just learning to pray on her own. And so Abby’s prayer usually last a minute or two. But Joe and I then divide up the remaining topics that are to be prayed for that day.
So here is an example of how we work ours. Every day we pray for specific requests for the four of us (Joe, Erin, Abby and Elijah) and about 12 unsaved people we know. Then in addition the following categories are prayed for on specific days once or twice a week:
1. Our “inner” circle (8 close friends)
2. Our other family members
3. Our “second” circle
4. Our local church
5. Our ministry and its specific requests
6. Missionaries we support and mission work in general
7. Government leaders
8. Abortion
I may be missing a few topics here, but you get the point. This way we don’t go for two weeks having never petitioned the Lord for abortion. It also shows our children that there is a lot more to pray for than just the simple prayers of blessings on each of our days. It extends their minds beyond our four walls when we pray for specific missionaries and countries.
So I hope this aids in the prayer aspect of family worship by being able to cover more areas of prayer and having a better system in approaching prayer.
Praying for the glory of the Lord to cover the earth,
Erin
Hymnal Suggestions May 14, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
I have to confess that although I absolutely love resources, this isn’t my favorite part of our little series. Not sure exactly why, but just reality. I’m sure that gets everyone excited about reading this post! But either way, I just had to make that confession up front.
So hymnals. It is our conviction that every single family should have one. And not only should you have one, but you should use it on an almost daily basis. As Erin covered in her post about singing hymns, there are manifold benefits to the practice. The heart is stirred. The head is informed. The family is together singing praises to God. Truly the Lord is pleased.
My first recommendation would be to use Cyber Hymnal. www.cyberhymnal.com As the title suggests, this is an online hymnal of sorts. Although Erin and I don’t use it nearly enough, it is a wonderful resource. Not only are there thousands of hymns, but each hymn is accompanied by its tune. The music might be a little old school, but that doesn’t really matter when all you want to know is how to sing the song! So check it out. Especially if you aren’t sure about the team (or if husband and wife are arguing about how it goes–now who would do that?!), it’s a wonderful resource.
The hymnal we use is called The Trinity Hymnal. Nothing fancy here, but it has served us well.
Another hymnal that might be worth checking out is called the Family Worship Hymnal. How about that? Should serve the family worship times well!
Two other suggestions would be The Baptist Hymnal and The Celebration Hymnal.
But in the end, if you have a hymnal, it is probably quite good. The only real concern would be the theological tradition the hymnal comes from, because everyone changes a few words around to fit their theological system. For some this is a very good thing, but for others, not so good! Particularly if you love the sovereignty of God (in salvation and everywhere else), be diligent to pick a hymnal that treasures that same glorious reality well! Because it is surely worth singing about!
There are more, but I hope these suggestions help. In the end, let us raise our children with songs–daily songs to the King. May it be natural for them to walk around the house singing His praises (even before they know what they are doing). I know that hearing Abigail sing hymns brings joy to my heart. So let us labor to fill their young hearts with wonderful songs of praise!
Singing His praises with you,
Joe
Recommendations- Family Worship Guide May 9, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
I realized that I cut you off on the catechism. You said you had wanted to go more into it and I just plunged on ahead. Please forgive me for not looking back at your post. Feel free to jump back and say anything more about that. Maybe you could include more when we do a catechism recommendation.
Today I am going to recommend a few family worship guides. I know there are many people out there who are just plain intimidated by the thought of leading family worship. These guides are a great blessing to help lead and guide you in your family worship time.
First I just wanted to recommend one book and sermon on family worship. The book is by Don Whitney and is called Family Worship and comes highly recommended by many well-respected theologians and writers. And the sermon is one by George Whitefield called The Great Duty of Family Religion on the text of Joshua 24:15.
And then as far as family worship guides go, I have not seen many out there, but the ones from Children’s Desiring God look wonderful. We ordered the two family devotional guides that they offer in their Intergenerational Curricula. The first is called The Righteous Shall Live by Faith and is a study for the family on the ten commandments. The second is called Lord, Teach Us to Pray and is a family devotional study on Jesus’ teaching on prayer. Both have 13 lessons are are recommended from ages 1st grade to adult. So we haven’t started using them yet, but Abby is nearing the age.
Hopefully these resources will be a help in giving you a place to start or a sample to follow. And Joe, you, may even have some more to add!
Rejoicing together with you,
Erin
Primary Components - Seasons of Life May 8, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
Good work yesterday, even though there isn’t a whole lot you can say about reading a Children’s Bible, particularly without recommending one. We’ll get to that in a few days. I will say that there seems to be something special about a child having his/her own Bible. Maybe it is because we were created to be ‘owners’ of some sort. I’m not sure, but I know that Abigail definitely likes the fact that she has her own Bible to refer to. She can be just like Dad and Mom. She can begin to understand the importance of investing into that book. So, each child having his/her own Bible seems like a good thing.
I want to wrap up this section with a few words regarding the various seasons of life different families might be in. I know we were going to say a few words about a family guide to worship times, but I figured we could wait on that until the recommendations section. Anyhow, seasons of life. For us, things change quite consistently. New schedules have to be adjusted to. Children grow up and are able to handle different readings, etc. One minute Elijah is sitting on your lap (and having a hard time doing so), and the next minute he is memorizing Bible verses! It is amazing how quickly things change!
That being said, we need to exercise wisdom. We need to pray and discuss the best time to come together daily as a family. We then need to discern what would be best to do right now. Every family is different. Different ages. Different schedules. Different everything. Therefore, no one’s time together as a family will look like ours (or anyone else’s). And your time together as a family will probably look different now than it will in say, 1 or 2 years. Don’t get stuck in a rut! Allow things to be switched up a little. Shake it up. Discern which season of life you are in and make the proper adjustments.
Coming together daily as a family is indeed, a wonderful practice. I do think it is impossible to underestimate the various impacts of this daily coming together as one before the Lord. Surely, it pleases Him. So let us be wise in our decisions on what to do and when to do it. And let us be diligent to gather before the Lord daily for the glory of His great name and the good of our own souls!
Seeking Him with you,
Joe
Primary Components - Children’s Bible Reading May 7, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
We are nearing the end of the components section, but I wanted to mention another area that is very helpful for those families with young children. And that area is the reading of the children’s Bible.
We believe that no matter how young the children, the reading of the adult Bible is still applicable. But in addition, the children’s Bible really helps young ones by using pictures and language that can bring God’s Word to life for children. There are different set-ups for different “levels” of children’s Bibles as well. Some of the ones intended for younger readers are set up in chapters that cover large sections of the Bible at time. While others, like the ESV children’s Bible, correspond more with the adult Bible.
We do not make our adult Bible reading and our children’s Bible reading match. Since we still have young ones, we are reading a children’s Bible that covers large areas of Scripture in one chapter. So we simply read a chapter a day and continue on until we reach the end and then start over. Now when special seasons come around, like Christmas or Easter, we will skip around to read specific chapters.
When we get to the recommendations we will offer up a number of different children’s Bibles.
Reading God’s Word in as many ways as possible,
Erin
Primary Components - Catechism May 4, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
Good work on the memorization front yesterday. I have especially been amazed by Abigail’s ability to memorize longer passages. I mean, I knew that children are able to soak things up easier, but the memorization aspect of things has especially stood out.
In that vein, I figured I would forward today by discussing the use of a Cathechism. Here is what I found when I looked it up on Wikipedia.
“A catechism (κατηχιsmός in Greek) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present.[1] Catechisms are doctrinal manuals often in the form of questions followed by answers to be memorized, a format that has been used in non-religious or secular contexts as well (see FAQ).
Catechesis is an elementary form of religious instruction, typically oral, and traditionally under the guidance of a parent, pastor or priest, religious teacher, or other individuals in church roles (including a deacon, religious brother or sister, or nun) who poses set questions and prompts students (or disciples) toward understanding the answers given. Catechetics is the practice of this kind of instruction, or the study of it, including training in such instruction.”
That sums things up quite well I believe. A catechism is a summary of Christian doctrine, often using a question and answer format that lends itself to rote memorization. Catechesis is simply instructing someone in that catechismal format.
First, I would say that this is format of instruction is sadly, in much neglect today. Many of our “Bible-believing” churches today have moved away from instructing their members in a catechism. And by members, I, of course, mean adults. For a catechism is a simple and effective way of training people in the basics of Christian doctrine. It is also a comprehensive way to do so. That is, a good catechism (of which there are many we will later recommend), summarizes Christian doctrine as a whole. It doesn’t ‘water it down’, but it does summarize it so that it can be memorized or at least readily understood by anyone reading.
That being said, I think it is important to note that the memorizational element of catechismal instruction is a much underestimated tool in the raising of children and also, the leadership and teaching of Christians. I say underestimated, because I think that rote memorization has somehow come to be looked down upon by modern-folks like us. For whatever reason, we just don’t think it is an effective tool to learning. Well, I (and you) strongly disagree. For memorization is a very powerful learning tool (in every sphere) in that it enables specific facts and anything else to sink down deep into our thinking. And the way our minds work, I would even argue that memorization serves to renew our minds at the deepest levels of our being. I can’t explain exactly how it works, but it does work. And when it comes to the memorization of a complete body of Christian doctrine (along with Scripture, not substituting for it!), the effects of such memorization are incalculable.
Again, we end up at the reality that the things which come hardest to us are usually most beneficial. Memorization is not easy at all. But as we might expect, it pays great dividends! As it relates to family worship time, we are wise to start slow and remain slow. Memorization seems to be easiest and most effective when we do it little by little. For catechismal instruction, we usually ask and answer a question out loud until Abigail can give the answer by herself with little effort (she is 3 years old). And after she learns a new question, we review every other question. It only takes a few minutes a day (I’ll spare you the math today!), but it is a amazing how much you can learn by giving this practice just a few minutes a day!
I could say more, and maybe more needs to be said. Let’s take a look at making a catechism Part 2. Until then,
Seeking to be a faithful catechist with you,
Joe
Primary Components - Bible Memorization May 3, 2007
Posted by Erin in : Family Worship Series , add a commentJoe,
Thanks for the great exhortation to pray. I am sure that others reading it were stirred in their private prayer life as well as in praying together as a family as I was.
I am going to talk about a fourth primary component of family worship times, being that of Bible memorization. This is an area that we did not employ until a few months ago, but I think has already reaped some rewards and will bear much fruit in the future.
Bible memorization has been a great tool to store God’s Word into our heart as a family. As we memorize Scripture, we are then able to use that Scripture in the every day training and teaching of our children.
But not only are we able to use this Scripture right now, but we are giving our children a great start in the battle against sin. So many times in my walk with Christ have I wanted to have a Scripture that speaks to me right on the tip of my tongue. And although I have memorized a relatively good amount of God’s Word in my 6 1/2 years as a Christian, I would always love to have more. Imagine the gift you can give your child if they start memorizing Scripture at an early age.
I will try and pull out some of Joe’s math here to illustrate this. If you average over the years of their lives from ages 3-18 about 1 verse every two weeks (and I think these numbers are easily attainable when looking at averages over these years), they are memorizing about 26 verses a year for 15 years. After those 15 years they will have stored up 390 Bible verses! I know for sure I don’t have that many memorized right now!
This is a wonderful practice to teach your children to employ in their lives. Many people are so intimidated by Scripture memory, but when taught at an early age to start, it does not seem intimidating. And the earlier they start the easier time they will have with fighting the flesh to make it a part of their every day battle for joy in God.
We will give some helps for memorizing Scripture if you want to do it a verse at a time. But what we are doing right now is taking larger portions of Scripture and memorizing them. We are working our way through the Sermon on the Mount right now and take a section at a time to be memorized. All we do is continually read it over and over again and slowly it is memorized. I believe we started this about 3 months ago and we already have 26 verses memorized. That is well beyond by verse every two week average!
So I encourage every family to take some time to add Scripture memory to their daily family time. It will reap great rewards both now and in the future!
Storing God’s Word in my heart with you,
Erin
Primary Components - Prayer May 2, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , add a commentErin,
Good words yesterday on the importance of singing hymns and the various benefits that accompany the practice. I always enjoy reading your posts!
Well, today’s topic is on the place of prayer within our family times of worship. What shall I say? Or where shall I start? How shall I lay a case for prayer?! Well, to begin with, we can say that prayer is central to the Christian life. It is a foundational discipline that is sadly ignored. Of course, most Christians do not ignore it because it is not important, but because it is hard! True prayer is very hard. To learn to wait upon the Lord in prayer is definitely not easy. And really, it is isn’t easy because it is so humbling. To bring our every need before God (every single day and moment!) is a humbling thing. And it is probably for this reason that so many Christians struggle with prayer. At root, I know that that was the main reason why I struggled with it.
Yet we are wise to remember that prayer is a central discipline not simply b/c it is difficult, but because it is a chief means through which God aims to bring Himself glory and manifest Himself to us. And those really are beautiful realities that cannot be fully unpacked here. But suffice it to say that when we pray to God (asking Him for whatever) and He grants our request, He receives the glory and we receive the joy. We are delighted to receive what we desire and God is delighted to receive what He deserves. It is a wonderful arrangement indeed!
Also, though, we have to mention the fact that our highest joy is not simply getting what we asked for–or at least it should not be. Our highest joy is beholding the glory of the One who answered! That is, when the Lord hears and answers our petitions in the name of His Son, He reveals His bounty, His goodness, His mercy, His grace, His freedom, His sovereignty, His power and more! He manifests Himself. He makes Himself known to us in a very personal way. And this manifestation serves to do a thousand things in our lives. It strengthens our faith in Him. It humbles us when a clear vision of His glory. It helps us grow in holiness (b/c we behold the Holy One). On and on we could go. The Lord sanctifies us through prayer not only in the very act, but in the answers, b/c He reveals the glory of the Answerer!
Therefore, it is vital for us to teach our child how to pray. It is vital for us to guide them and model for them what it means to cry out to God. They are desperate to pray, b/c they are so desperate! And how else will they learn, but from us. Indeed, we could say that they will learn from us whether we guide them or not. If prayer is not a priority in our homes, our children will know it. They will sense it. No amount of dinner table prayers will change their minds. They will not be fooled.
That being said, a life of continual and spontaneous prayer is the natural result of consistent times of planned prayer. Yes, that is right. And that is a lesson that the church today (and families) desperately needs to learn. We need to set aside the time to pray. We need to plan to pray. For only then will prayer begin to gain the central place that it should have in our lives!
So, let us labor to lead our children in prayer. And let us do so everyday. No need to whip out the statistics here. Five minutes a day adds up–big time. May the Lord grant us the grace to be diligent so that the next generation might be a generation that faithfully and forcefully prays!
Praying to the Father with you,
Joe