Sign up for our free newsletter:

Key Bible Verse: We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation… (Psalm 78:4). Bonus Reading: Psalm 78:1—8

To launch devotional times, Cathy and I corralled our young girls and I read a brief Scripture and a story I'd written. Halfway through, two began arguing, and Heidi fell asleep. I gave up!

"What you read is great for teens," Cathy observed, "but not interactive enough for our girls. They're just bored."

"So what would you do?"

"Well, I'll try,'" Cathy replied. Then she announced, "Tonight, you pick out a Bible story, rehearse it, and act it out." The girls' eyes lit up.

Christy opened her Bible storybook at the front. "Let's do this one. I want to be Eve." So did the others. No one wanted to be Adam.

"You're oldest," I told Christy, "so you're Adam. Rebecca, you be Eve. Heidi, you're Evette, Eve's little sister." I was the snake. The girls rehearsed in our bedroom then paraded back—Christy wearing my Hawaiian shirt, a baseball cap, and painted mustache; Heidi wearing a hula outfit; six-year-old Rebecca, as Eve, wearing—nothing! The play was a success.

Now that our girls are teens, we don't do plays; but our devotionals are still interactive. Kids learn best when they talk. They support what they help create.

—Jim Burns in The 10 Building Blocks for a Happy Family

My Response: To spare our family devotionals from becoming a drudgery …

Thought to Apply: It shouldn't disturb you that your children pray for the bicycle, the dog. They need to pray at the level of their understanding. —HOWARD HENDRICKS

Adapted from The 10 Building Blocks for a Happy Family (Regal, 2003) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me make my home a spiritual equipping center for each family member.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help