Pitfalls Part 2–Lacking a Plan April 20, 2007
Posted by Joe in : Family Worship Series , trackbackErin,
That was a good hiatus yesterday. Very practical. I hope it was a help to some. Either way though, it is a help to actually put those thoughts down in writing isn’t it? It just helps to reinforce our convictions. For that I am thankful. I’m also thankful that ‘the dude’ (as we like to call him) keeps his hat on now!
Anyhow, I switched the order up on this section a bit, so our pitfall for family worship part 2 is now the lack of a distinct plan.
Now, I do find it interesting that I am writing this piece, particularly because I am the one who often decides last minute on the day’s hymn! I’m a work in progress as you know full well. That being said, we still have a very distinct order to our times together as a family. And order is most definitely a good thing. Indeed, I believe it is a godly thing. For the Lord Himself is a God of order, perfect-order! So we are wise to imitate Him.
As it relates to family time, the first thing I would say is that there is a great deal of freedom as to what ‘family worship’ can consist of. Of course, there are the mainstays–which we will discuss more later–of Bible reading, prayer and song. Those are a given I believe, but what kind of order an individual family takes depends on their situation. You could use a reading plan like McCheyne’s or a devotional book that guides you through particular readings (again, we will suggest more at a later date). For prayer, you could have everyone pray (which we do) or just have the father prayer (which we do at times). For the singing of hymns, you could vary it up each day or sing one for a solid week or so in order to memorize it (which we like to do). Then there are catechisms, Bible memory, etc. etc.
That being said, such freedom requires responsible and orderly decisions. Whatever you want to do, go for it. Today’s emphasis is simply: Have a plan for how you will go for it! What comes first? What comes second? On and on. In short: What is the plan?!
The reason this is so vital to mention is because without a distinct plan, time is bound to be wasted. And if you only have 10-20 minutes set aside, time cannot be wasted! It is our conviction that family worship often fades out because of a lack of clear order. So a plan is needed. A plan is necessary. Whatever it is, make sure you have a clear plan!
Fathers, I would exhort you, in particular, to ‘get on the ball’ here. This is your responsibility. Don’t shrug it off to Mom. Lead the home. Make the call. Take the 5 minutes to plan out how your family will worship the Lord. Take into consideration the season of life you are in. Right now we, for example, are in a nice grove, but that is bound to change at some point. I will have to regroup and make some changes to the schedule (which our ordered Abigail is sure to be distraught over!). But in the end, whatever you do, just have a plan! You, and your family (and the host of Heaven for that matter) will be thankful you did!
Seeking Him with you,
Joe
Comments»
no comments yet - be the first?