Family Worship

The Resurgence posted an article by Tim Smith (Worship Pastor at Mars Hill) about family worship.  In this article he suggests 7 practical tips on how to lead your family in worship.

I would fully recommend everything he says in this article - whether you have children or not.  Set aside time every day to worship with your spouse and anyone else who may be in your house.

In this article he mentions The Jesus Story Book Bible.  I would also highly recommend owning this book.  If you don't have it and you want it for FREE - join us on a Sunday and I will give it to you.  

Below is the article in full.  Be sure to check theresurgence.com often for articles like these.

1. Keep it short

I would recommend 15-30 minutes, as a general rule. If things are going well, you can always keep the conversation going, but the goal should be brevity. If you make a discussion too long, it will become tedious and can actually turn your kids away from God. This time should be an overflow of all the Scripture, prayer, and discussion going on in the rest of your lives—not the only place where it happens.

2. Read

Most importantly, family worship is a time for Scripture. Make sure to read small chunks, maybe only a verse or two, at a time and then unpack it together. You can go through a book of the Bible, pick a verse that applies to the day’s events, or choose something topical. The important thing here is connecting Scripture to life in a way that your kids can understand. For younger kids, the The Jesus Storybook Bible is pretty hard to beat.

3. Pray

Everyone should pray together. Thank God for what he has done and how he has provided. Take requests. Pray for each other. Pray for your city and specific lost people in your lives. Remember that you are building a rhythm, which is just as important as any specific prayer.

4. Sing

It doesn’t matter if you can play an instrument or your voice curdles milk—we should all sing songs to God. Scripture is full of song, and our families should be as well. Truth be told, you are probably more of the problem with this than your kids. Young kids naturally sing all the time without any self-consciousness. Get over your hang-ups and desire for perfection and just sing together. My girls and I are making family songbooks as a creative project, and they’re stoked.

5. Keep it regular

The sum is greater than the parts. You will have off days. You will miss days. You may even question your call to ministry. Whatever happens, just keep at it and God will make you equal to the task.

6. Older kids set the example

If your oldest kid is not engaged, your younger ones will follow. Challenge your oldest children to set the example for their siblings. Give them a bit of ownership and a role in how you structure these times, and it will be a huge help.

7. Limit TV

I’m not saying kill your television completely, but there is no doubt in my mind that excessive TV rots the attention span. If your kids, or you for that matter, can’t pay attention to anything for more than two minutes, then think about what other entertainment might be captivating your senses.

Bookshelves

I finished constructing the bookshelves for my office this morning. They are floor to ceiling shelves. I loaded them this evening.
Now...if I only knew how to read.

Books

At one time I had a blog called Partially Read Books. The intent of the blog was to write brief reviews of books I had been reading and to hold me accountable to actually finishing books I had started reading. It didn't work so I deleted the blog. Below is a list of popular books I have read (actually cover to cover) over the last few months. I won't write about any of the books but if you have questions about any of them please ask in the comments. I may answer. I will tell you this - all of the books below are books I would recommend - some more than others.

Bibles

*UPDATE* - I do have a friend.

A friend of mine asked me what bible(s) we use for the discipleship of our boys. I have posted this information in the past but I will post it again for your reference. I would highly recommend both of these books. Unlike many children's bibles which simply point out the moral lessons of Scripture, each of these books gets to the heart of Scripture. One reveals how the bible is tied together from the sin of the garden to the Revelation of John. The other shows the common thread of Jesus running throughout the Old and New Testaments. On a side note - the illustrations in each are pretty spectacular!

We have used both for about two years now and recommend them to everyone who has children or will have children or once was a child.

Spurgeon on long-winded prayers

I've been reading some Spurgeon recently and the quote below is something every public prayer should read. Spurgeon's insight and honesty is refreshing!

Long prayers either consist of repetitions, or else of unnecessary explanations which God does not require; or else they degenerate into downright preachings, so that there is no difference between the praying and the preaching, except that in the one the minister has his eyes shut, and in the other he keeps them open. It is not necessary in prayer to rehearse the Westminster Assembly's Catechism. It is not necessary in prayer to relate the experience of all the people who are present, or even your own. It is not necessary in prayer to string a selection of texts of Scripture together, and quote David, and Daniel, and Job, and Paul and Peter, and ever other body, under the title of 'thy servant of old.' It is necessary in prayer to draw near unto God, but it is not required of you to prolong your speech till everyone is longing to hear the word 'Amen.'

On a practical note...long prayers make Obed angry and you don't want to make Obed angry!

The Black Morning Routine

Every morning after breakfast we read from two books - The Jesus Storybook Bible and My First Book of Questions and Answers.

The Jesus Storybook Bible is the best bible for children. Each story connects the truths of Scripture to Jesus, "the Rescuer." The illustrations in this book are fantastic. We cannot keep this book stocked on our book table at our church. As soon as we get a few they are sold.
Ben Patterson recently reviewed the book on Christianity Today. You are able to read the review here. You may purchase the book by clicking on the link below.

My 1st Book of Questions and Answers is the second book we read every morning after breakfast. This book is the 100+ questions of the catechism. Our eldest boys are at a prime age to remember such questions and answers and it is building in them a foundation of proper theology. They know the answers to such questions as Who made you? What else did God make? Why did God make all things? Who wrote the Bible? ...and so on.

If you have children under the age of 13 I would highly recommend these books. I am drawn to worship Jesus every morning as we read through The Jesus Storybook Bible and I am reminded of the truths of God as I hear my sons answer the questions to My 1st Book of Questions and Answers. Purchase both books at Amazon by clicking on the links below.

Another Challies Giveaway

I posted information about this last month and if I did not believe in the sovereignty of God I would say I was lucky because - I won! Well, it's a new month and that means a new giveaway.


So here are the prizes...

First prize: One copy of The ESV Listener's Bible on CD (as read by Max McLean) and one copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection. The retail value of this prize is over $150.
Second prize: One copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection.
Third Prize: One copy of Classics of the Christian Faith CD collection.

Those are great prizes! Would you like to win? Simply CLICK HERE! When you enter please submit the referral number listed below

30163

Please enter the draw. Help me out. My kids need to eat tonight and they need new shoes and I ran out of gas and I...you get the point.

The winnngs

When we returned from our mt. vacation a large box was waiting for me in my office. I opened the box and was pleasantly surprised to see the loot from the Challies give-away. I handed out several at church yesterday and plan to give out many more. I believe I will keep the Phillips book. After I read it I may loan it out. I have many books to give away and I am checking the list to see who has been naughty and who has been nice.

Many thanks to Tim Challies for having the draw and for Ligonier Ministries for supplying the books.

October Giveaway Winner

I am amazed! I have never won anything in my life and now I win 41 books from the Great October Giveaway. I am amazed and thankful! I will enjoy giving away book after book of R.C. Sproul's The Truth of the Cross. What a privilege! Sorry, but I am keeping the copy of Jesus the Evangelist. I have been wanting to read that book for a while but have not gotten around to purchasing it.

Many thanks to Tim Challies.

***Edited 10.20.07***
I have received many inquiries about sharing my books. I would really like to share all of my books with people who are asking for a copy. Please remember that I live in Nearly, Canada and shipping to anywhere is expensive. Also remember that the grand prize was a case of books only. Not a case of books plus a $400 gift card to the United States Postal Service. Thank you for all of your congratulations and inquiries about gifts. To those who are interested I will send you one free e-voucher for an e-photo of the case of books when they arrive.