Faithful Families Resources February 16 2014

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Family Closeness

Game:

Tower of Flour

Fill a desert bowl with flour. Place a plate on top of it and then carefully turn them over together. Lift the bowl up and you should have pile of flower the shape of the bowl. Put a jelly baby or other lolly on top of the flour. Family members take turns to cut a slice from the mound with a butter knife, without disturbing the jelly baby. The one who makes the flour collapse has to pick up the sweet from the plate in their mouth.

Sharing:

Questions for stimulating discussion in your family:

If you could create a perfect room for yourself, what kind of room would it be? (Bedroom, Dining Room, Bathroom, Study, Play room) What would it look like inside? What things would you have inside it? Describe what you would like to do in this room? Encourage your family to use their imagination to describe it in as much detail as possible.(Icebreakers and Heartwarmers. Steve Sheely)

Story

With your family read: Matthew 5.38-48

 Questions for Discussion:

• Is what Jesus asking for in this passage easy or hard?
• What makes it hard?
• Why do you think he taught these things?
• What might it mean to love your enemies?

Prayer and Celebration

This week learn a new prayer off by heart, together. Write or find a prayer that you can use with your family every night at mealtimes and family sharing times. The prayer does not have to be complicated, but simple enough for everyone to remember. It might include some lines of thanks or praise or asking. Here is on prayer you might learn together.

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for all the benefits you have won for us, for all the pains and insults you have borne for us.  Most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. 

St Richard of Chichester [1197-1253]

Family Time

Show and Tell Night

Get each of your family members to share something. It could be a picture they like, a hobby or interest, something they have learned, ma joke or story, something they have made or made up, a game, something they found in the back yard. 

(This material is based on and draws from earlier Faithful Families emails by Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning: An Unless Ideas Production.) Unless otherwise noted all material on this blog is copyright Stephen Harrison and Richard Browning