During a Sunday school class for parents, a dad mustered the courage to ask a question about an issue that deeply bothered him.

"What can I do to stop my daughter's eyes from rolling every time I pray before meals?" he said. "We've prayed for years, and now she acts like this."

The answer hit him like an unexpected backhand slap: "Stop praying for your family."

What? Sorry if you felt it too.

I can still remember the sting that came my way, courtesy of a good friend's daughter.

Several years ago, our family and a family in our neighborhood formed a weekly small group. The other dad and I, sharing a burden to personally teach our children about faith, periodically met for breakfast to develop short Bible lessons.

One Sunday night, several months into our group meetings, he and I learned a valuable lesson. Not from one another, but from his daughter. The materials for that night, which we believed were both clever and compelling, focused on prayer. We creatively shared a Bible story, then spent ...