Family Faith Talk October 11-16

Below are faith discussions for you to grow together as a family.… one for each day of the week.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their child.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions! Have fun on your journey as a disciple of Jesus.

Monday October 3rd: Read Genesis 2:15-20.  What do these verses say about how people are to feel about work and taking care of the planet and God’s creation? Work and taking care of God’s creation is God’s plan and purpose for you and your family as well.  Where do you think you can improve your work ethic or your care for God’s creation? Close in prayer together.

Tuesday October 4th: Take a walk outside and have everyone look around and listen and pick one or two things from all of God’s creation that you think are very cool.  Share with each other what you saw and appreciate about God’s creation.  Read Psalm 104:24.  How do you feel now that you know God made everything and all creatures? How do you feel knowing that you are the most special piece of His creation? Close in prayer thanking God for making you and all things and caring for all of it.

Wednesday October 5th:  Divide into partners and have one person shut their eyes and then their partner will guide them on a short walk outside and find a tree.  Have the blindfolded person go up to the tree and feel it and listen under it and learn all they can about the tree without looking at it.   Open your eyes and share what you learned about the tree.  Read Genesis 1:11-13.  Why do you think God created trees and everything else? Why did he put so much detail into all of His creation? Close by thanking God for the many different things in our world and that we don’t take His creation around us for granted.

Thursday October 6th: Read Matthew 25:34.  What did God have in mind even when He was creating the whole world? God had you in mind and spending eternity with you in heaven has always been and will always be His greatest desire? How does that make you feel? What is one thing you can do this week to make your family more of an Eternity Matters Most family? Close in prayer.

Friday October 7th: Go for a walk and take a small bag and pick up as much garbage as you can as you go.  When you return have everyone sit together outside.  Have one person read Genesis 2:15 while another person dumps the garbage you collected out piece by piece all around the group.  How do you feel as you see this garbage dumped out all around you as you hear this verse?  What do you think is a Christian’s responsibility in regards to taking care of this world and God’s creation? Close in prayer.

Family Faith Time September 27-October 2nd

This week we continue to look at the Ten Commandments and we will focus on  the Fourth and Sixth  Commandments and how we please God by treating our families right.

Below are follow-up questions for you to discuss with your students…one for each day of the week.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their child.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions!

Monday September 27th:  Read Exodus 20:12 and 14.  How are these 2 commandments related? similar? different?  Have you ever thought before that both these commandments deal with honoring our families; parents and spouses?  What does it mean to honor one’s parents?  What does it mean to honor one’s spouse?  Everyone come up with one way that they will do more of or do different starting tomorrow to try to honor your parents or spouse more. Share and pray together asking for God’s help.

Tuesday September 28th:  Read Ephesians 6:1.  We please God by obeying our parents and honoring our parents and spouses. What can your family do more of to treat each other right as the verse said. Do you think doing these things would give glory to God? How? Why or why not? What might other people think if they always see your family treating each other right?  Close by praying together.

Wednesday September 29th: Read Mark 7:9-13.  In what ways Have you seen our culture encourage dishonoring parents?  Share these stories and what you think about them. Talk about a couple ofthings you want to work on as a family to make sure you keep honoring each other the way God has made you to.  Pray together God helps you honor each other and for help in the specific areas you all are working on.

Thursday September 30th:  Read John 15:12-13.    How does Jesus love you? Name all the things He has done and still does for you.  What does this Bible verse say about loving each other?  What can you do this week to love your family members as God loves you?  Close by praying together every day.

Friday October 1st:  If you could ask for one thing to bless your family with, what would you ask for?  Read Psalm 119:1-3.  What does these verses say will bless your family?  Can you be a perfect person or a perfect family? What do we do when we are not perfect to our families?  None of us can be perfect.  That is why we always need to come to one another and ask for forgiveness. What do you need to ask forgiveness for right now? And what do you want to do to start walking in the way of the Lord more in  your family?

Family Faith Time September 20-26

Our Tweeners DTX lesson on Sunday June 20th finished up a month of looking at The Ten Commandments. This week we really look at how the commandments are tied to our thoughts and  how we please God with our thoughts. 

Below are follow-up questions for you to discuss with your family…one for each day of the week.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their children.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions!

Monday June 21st: Have one person draw a simple picture of your house or family but don’t let anyone else see it.  Then give everyone else pieces of paper and have everyone face away from each other.  The person who drew the picture will try to describe what they drew line by line as the other people try to recreate the exact picture.  The goal is to see who can recreate the picture the best without ever seeing it.  Have fun and compare drawings when finished.  Your drawings were created just by your thoughts.  Describe and explain if you think your thoughts are a big part of your life and who you are? How?  Read 2 Corinthains 10:5.  What are we supposed to do with our thoughts? What does take captive mean?  Everyone share how you want to try to take captive your thoughts this week in order to be more of what Jesus made you to be.  Close in prayer.

Tuesday June 22nd: What do you think hurts the most? Getting hit by someone and hurting physically or being made fun of by someone and your heart and feelings get hurt? Read Matthew 5:21-22. What does God think hurts more – killing someone or being angry with them?  Of course on the earth there are greater punishments and consequences when you kill someone, but in God”s eyes and heart it all hurts Him the same.  Each person t ake some time to confess to each other where you have “killed” someone in your family this week by your thoughts, words or actions and ask for forgiveness. Then forgive each other and pray for God to help us from killing each other in any way.

Wednesday June 23rd:  What are some things your friends own that you think would be fun to have for yourself too? Parents share too! Do you know what coveting is? Discuss. (look it up on line or in a catechism). Read Phillipians 4:11-13. How was Paul able to be content no matter what situation he was in? Do you think you are content with what you have or covet what you don’t have? Discuss and then pray for God to show you all the great things in your life and to be thankful for these many awesome gifts.

Thursday June 24: Think of a time you wanted something, a possession, and you did not get it. Share.  Can you think of any way that you might be better off because you did not get it? Read Psalm 119:36-37. Everyone name some way that they want to try to be less selfish.  How can you put more of God’s Word in your life? Do you think more of God’s Word helps us be more content and less selfish? Why?  Close by praying together.

Friday June 25: We please God with our thoughts – with our good thoughts that is.  What are some great family memories you can think of that make you smile and you can think of when you need some God pleasing thoughts? Read Phillipians 4:8.  What specific things can each of you do to encourage each other to think on pure, lovely, excellent and worthy things? Close in prayer.

Family Faith Talk September 13th-18th

This week’s Family Faith Talk challenges us to encourage others to know Jesus and follow Him. Take some time and see what that means for your family this week.

Below are follow-up questions for you to discuss with your family…one for each day of the week.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their children.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions!

September 13th: Describe a time when someone really encouraged you and built you up and how did that effect your day and week? Read 2 Timothy 4:1-2. In what ways is God calling you to encourage your family? your friends? Pray together that we can encourage each other the way God wants us to.

September 14th: Describe a time when someone has led you to follow Jesus and know Him more.  Describe a time when someone has led you away from what God wants.  Read 1 John 3:7-8.  How can you tell the difference between someone who is leading you to God and someone who is leading you away from God? Close in prayer asking that God helps you see clearly who is leading you to and away from Him.

September 15th:  Read Romans 1:12. What does God want you to do for your family members? What does God want your family members to do for you. How can your family encourage each other to follow Jesus? What can your family do to ebcourage others to follow Jesus? Close in prayer asking Christ to help you encourage others to know Him more.

September 16th: Read Acts 3:1-10, Acts 18:24-28 and Acts 16:13-15.  How did these people lead so many others to God and what can you learn and apply in your life that can help you lead others to God as well? Close in prayer together.

September 18th: Who are some examples and role models that you follow and look up to? Why do you look  up to and follow them? Do you think it is good or bad to have people follow you? Why?  Read 1 Corinthians 11:1.  What is the biggest reason we would want people to follow us?  Are you leading people towards Jesus or away from Him in the specific ways you talk and act?  pray that God helps you be a leader that leads people towards Jesus and His will for our lives.

Family Faith Talk September 6th-11th

Our Tweeners DTX lesson on Sunday taught the students that they are unique and special individuals created in God’s image.  These faith discussions, one for each day of the week, will help your family explore this topic even more.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their child.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions!

Monday September 6th: Look on line for some pictures of Jesus and discuss the differences.  You can probably find depictions of Jesus that have many different ethnic and racial elements to him.  Why do you think this is?  Many artists probably create in amage of Jesus using parts of their own image and culture.  The cool thing today is that we are created in God’s image.  Read Genesis 1:26-31.  What do you think it means that you are created in God’ image?  What did God say when He looked at His work, His creation? Describe how you feel knowing that when God looks at you He says “you are very good?” Close in prayer asking God to help you see yourself the way Jesus sees you.

Tuesday September 7th: Have everyone draw a family portrait and then discuss the drawings and how the pictures describe how you see one another.  Read Genesis 9:6 (focus on the last half) and ask how does God see all people?  What does He see in everyone?  Do you think that makes all people special.  Do you see all people the same way?  What can you do to see people more the way God sees them? Close in prayer asking God to help you see people as He does.

Wednesday September 8th: What does it mean to be set apart? Name times when you have felt set apart and how did that make you feel? Many times in our life being set apart is not a good thing because it is more of being excluded and outcast but in the Bible set apart means that you are lifted up and are set apart as something special with great value and an important purpose.  Read Jeremiah 1:5. How does it make you feel that God has known you forever and that you are set apart by God?  What do you think you are set apart for?  Close in prayer thanking God for how special uou are and asking Him to help us to love being set apart to live for Him and make a difference in people’s lives. 

Thursday September 9th:  Do you think God loves all people the same? Why or why not? How about the people who do really bad things? or the people who do lots of really good things? Does He love them all the same?  Yes, Jesus does love everyone the same perfect way.  Does it make you feel loved any less knowing that God loves all people like He loves you?  Read 1 John 4:10. What does this verse say about how much Jesus loves you and what He has done for you? Do you feel loved by Jesus and special to Him now? Close in prayer thanking Jesus for loving you so much.

Friday September 10th: Have everyone say what they hope to accomplish this weekend.  Read Ephesians 2:10.  Were any of the things you hoped to accomplish part of what you think God might have had planned for you to accomplish?  Make a list of some specific good works you think God has created you family for.  Close in prayer thanking God for creating you and your family as something incredible special with an important purpose.

Family Faith Talk August 30th-September 4th

This week our Tweener DTX class talked about bragging and having healthy pride as well as appreciating other’s talents and wanting to use our own talents for Jesus.  Enjoy these faith fueling discussions as you allow God’s Word to be what gives your family strength and joy.

Monday August 30th: Describe what you think a leader looks like today a leader of a team, business, country).  How do they act? treat people? talk about themselves? what do they wear? drive?  Read Matthew 21:1-9.  Was Jesus a leader? What did he look like? Ask the questions above again about Jesus.  Many times today you hear that leaders and popular people need to demonstarte power and aggressiveness and show everyone how great they are all the time.  Jesus literally had it all and yet he chose to ride a small donkey as a sign of His humility and servant attitude. How can you be a leader that is also humble and a servant of others?

Tuesday August 31st: Start by having a talent show. Have everyone do their best animal imitation – then make the funniest face you can – then try to stick your tongue to your nose.  Clap and cheer loudly for everyone. What was strange about this talent show? How did you feel about doing these silly things? How was this like a real talent show? How was it different? What kind of things do you like to do in front of other people? How do you feel when people clap for you and say good job? Is it ok to feel good about your accomplishments and talents? Read Phillipians 2:3-4 and discuss what this says about how we feel about our accomplishments. God wantsyou to be hugely proud of who He made you to be and all the talents He gave you.  How can you do that and still make other’s better and look out for their interests as well.  Close in prayer.

Wednesday September 1st: Everyone sit or stand in a circle.  Put whoever has a birthday closes to Christmas in the middle and have everyone to name all the talents and abilities and good things that they recognize and see in the person in the middle. Take turns until everyone has a chance to be in the middle. How did it feel to be told the good things people see in you? How did it feel to tell others what you admire and think is good about them? Where do we struggle with this in our family?  Read 1 Thessalonians 5:11.  How can we do this more? Close in prayer.

Thursday September 2nd: We have talked and shared about all of our talents this week.  Go around the the group and share how you see everyone else using their talents to serve the Lord. Read Ephesians 6:7. Now have each person share how they specifically plan to use their talents to serve the Lord this week? this year? Close in prayer.

Friday September 3rd: Share some of the things that each person in your family does that makes you feel great an special and appreciated? Describe what they do or say and why it makes you feel that way?  Now try to share something a little more difficult.  Share some things that people in your family do that make you feel bad or unimportant or not good enough and why it makes you feel that way. Read 1 Corinthians 13:1 and discuss what this says about how we are designed to speak to and treat each other in our family.  How can we do better at living in this kind of love? Close in prayer.

Family Faith Talk August 23-28

Our Tweeners DTX lesson on Sunday was based on God speaking to us and we will look at how listening to God’s voice can make our families the best it can be.

Below are follow-up questions for you to discuss with your students…one for each day of the week.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their child.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions!

Monday August 23rd: Set aside a dessert or small treat (icing and graham crackers would work). Send one person into another room as the rest of the family hides the dessert.  Bring the other person back to the group and have them try to find the dessert listening to one person saying only “hot” or “cold” as clues as they get closer or further away.  When they find the dessert have everyone share it and ask “How did it feel when Johnny (insert name of seeker) ignored and did not listen to your clues?  What is so bas about not listening to what you were saying? How did you feel as you got closer to the dessert? How about when you found it? How id that like being tuned into what God has to say to us? Read Isaiah 28:23 and ask how your family can do better at paying attention to God’s voice.  Close in prayer.

Tuesday August 24th: Do you think God speaks to us today?  He speaks in many ways and the most clear is through His Word.  Do you think God speaks to children and adults? Why?  Read 1 Samuel 3:2-10. What happened in this story?  Did you see that God bypassed a priest and went right to giving an important message to a child?  Discuss how we can hear God’s messages more and more no matter what age we are.  Close in prayer.

Wednesday August 25th: Read Psalm 119:97-104.  Go back and look at each verse of this Psalm.  What does each verse really say? Where does true wisdom come from?  Who does this Psalm say that God’s wisdom is greater than?  Is this easy for you to believe? Why?  Close in prayer asking God to help you know and believe His wisdom aboce anyone elses.

Thursday August 26th: Find a dark place, like a close or your garage (or just have everyone close their eyes) and try to walk 10 feet without bumping into anything.  Now try it again with the lights on or eyes open.  Which one was easier or harder and why?  Read Psalm 119:105. How is God’s Word like a lamp to our feet and how does His Word effect how we can walk through life?  Close in prayer asking God to keep opening up His Word to you and being the light that guides your family’s path.

Friday August 27th:  How many commercials do you see each week?  What is one of your favorite? What are commercials for? What are they trying to accomplish?  Read Luke 24:8 and ask what is the point of God speaking to us?  Have your family create a commercial that tells of the good things that come from reading the Bible and listening to God’s voice.  Act out your commercial and close in prayer.

Family Faith Talk August 16th-21st

Our Tweeners DTX lesson on Sunday was based on God’s gift of forgiveness and we will look this week at how that may be the best gift our families ever could have.

Below are follow-up questions for you to discuss with your students…one for each day of the week.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their child.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions!

Monday August 16th:  Take 2 minutes and everyone either write out or draw the perfect imaginary bedroom for yourself.  After 2 minutes is up, take turns sharing what is in your bedroom and why.  Do you think if you had a bedroom like this it would make you truly happy?  Today we are going to read a story about a kid who had just about everything and still wasn’t happy.  Read Luke 15:11-32.  Describe what you think made the 2 sons and the Father happy….  What can you learn from this story? Pick something you learned that you want to do more of in your family.  Close in prayer.

Tuesday August 17th: Divide into partners and play 3 games of tic tac toe.  Have some nickels ready and tell everyone to keep track of wins and losses and that they will get a nickel for every game they won.  When everyone is done ask how many wins each person had and give a nickel accordingly.  Then ask how many losses each person had and give a nickel to each person for each loss as well. (everyone should end up with the same amount of nickels)  How did it feel that everyone ended up with the same prize? Explain. Read Luke 15:11-32 again (from yesterday) and then talk about the brothers in the story.  How would you feel if you were the brother that never left but the other brother had the party thrown for him? Explain. Do you think it is a good thing that God gives all of His children love and forgiveness and good gifts regardless of how much they earn it or deserve it?  What is hard for you about that? What is good? How can you be more happy for your family members this week when they receive a gift or good thing that you didn’t get at that moment? Close in prayer.

Wednesday August 18th: Describe a time when someone forgave you for something you did.  How did that make you feel? Read Matthew 6:14-15.  What do you think this means?  Is there anything you could do that Jesus will not forgive you?  No. Jesus wants to love and forgive you no matter who you are or what you do.  Discuss again what you now think these verses mean.  Jesus wants us to be people who understand how awesome and undeserved His forgiveness is,  He also wants us to be people who then treat and forgive others in the same way that He forgives us.  What is the easiest/hardest parts of that for you?  Close in prayer asking for help in forgiving each other the way Jesus forgives us.

Thursday August 19th: Take turns sharing a time or situation in your life where someone hurt you and it was really hard to forgive them. Have you been able to forgive this person?  Will you ever be able to totally forget about this? Read Hebrews 8:12.  What does this say about Jesus’ ability to forgive? What does this say about Jesus’ ability to forget? How does that make you feel.  Close in prayer thanking Jesus for being the only place in the world where you can find a perfect forgive and forget forgiveness.

Friday August 20th:  Find some ribbon or string and some wrapping paper.  Find something to wrap up and make a present for someone. (The idea here is to wrap up something that you will never need again.  You will never open up the package.  The point is the present itself)  After everyone has made their present, read Ephesians 4:29-32. What does this verse say about forgiveness and how God wants us to live?  Close by everyone giving someone else their present saying “This little gift is to remind you that forgiveness is a gift from God and it is a gift that He wants you to pass on others.”

Family Faith Talk August 9-14

This week’s Family Faith Time is based on the concept that Jesus is our shepherd.  Below are follow-up questions for you to discuss with your students…one for each day of the week.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their child.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions!

Monday August 9th:  Design an area that has a small entrance/exit (about 3 feet wide). You could use a room or your backyard and just use 2 chairs as the designated entrance.  Then pick one person to be the shepherd and either blindfold everyone else or have them close their eyes.  Have the shepherd move everyone to different places in the room/area all the while spinning them around to disorient them.  Then the shepherd wil say go and the “sheep” will try to find their way through that entrance/exit, which is how they get to the sheep pen and safety.  If people take too long have the shepherd use their voice to guide them to the entrance.  Once everyone made it to the “sheep pen”, ask “How did it feel trying to find your way back here?  How is this like what happens in real life when you feel lost and don’t know what to do or where to go?  How did it feel when the shepherd came along to help you?  How is Jesus like a shepherd to us?  Read John 10:7-9.  What does this say about Jesus as our shepherd? Discuss and close in prayer thanking Jesus for watching over us and loving us and being the gate to heaven.

Tuesday August 10th:  Pick one person to be the shepherd and pick one person to be the sheep.  Everyone else is a false shepherd.  Blindfold the sheep or have them close their eyes and spin them around a few times.  The shepherd will stand about 20-30 feet from the sheep and will stay in one spot the whole time.  All the fake shepherds can move around anywhere they want.  The shepherd will start whispering anything they want to say to help guide the sheep to them while the fake shepherds are whispering to the sheep and trying to lead them astray. The goal is for the sheep to find the real shepherd by hearing his voice.  After this game is over ask “What was easy and hard about this?  How did you determine which voice was the true sheperd’s?  How is this game like our lives in which we have to determine which voice is Jesus the real shephed and which voices are just voices in the world? Discuss this and give examples. Read John 10:2-5.  What does this passage say about the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd?  How can you help each other know and follow the voice of Jesus, our true shepherd? Close in prayer.

Wednesday August 11th: Read John 10:14-15.  What does this verse say the shepherd will do for the sheep?  Do you think you would be able to lay your life down for anything in this world?  Why or why not?  How does it make you feel that Jesus already has laid his life down for you?  Close by thanking Jesus for laying his life down and continually loving you and guiding you day by day.

 Thursday August 12th:  Read Psalm 23 one verse at a time and discuss each verse as you read it and ask “What does this say the shepherd does for his sheep?” What was your favorite thing that the shepherd does for you and why? Close by everyone thanking the shepherd for something he does for them.

Friday August 13th: Read Psalm 23 again and see if anyone has any new thoughts on this Psalm and what Jesus does for us?  Then have everyone write their own Psalm (song of praise). Finish these sentences: Because the Lord is…..   I will never…..  Lord you are…..  Thank you Jesus for….. I will always……    Now share your Psalms with each other and discuss and share the great points of each other’s Psalms and close in prayer.

Family Faith Fuel August 2nd-6th

Our Tweeners DTX lesson on Sunday was based on the story of Joseph when his brothers come to visit him in Egypt in Genesis 42-45.  The truth we will look at all week is that God can heal broken relationships.

Below are follow-up questions for you to discuss with your students…one for each day of the week.  Parents are encouraged to guide the depth of discussion based on the age of their child.  Please make it a priority to engage in these Faith-Fueling family discussions!

Monday August 2nd:  Describe a time when you needed forgiveness.  How do you feel when you have to ask someone for forgiveness?  Read Matthew 6:14-15  Are there people in your life who need your forgiveness?  Pray together thanking God for His forgiveness and asking Him to help you show forgiveness to the specific people in your life.

Tuesday August 3rd:  What are some things that you find harder to forgive?  Have you ever wanted to hurt someone back when they hurt you?  Read 1 John 4:19.  What does this verse say about why we love people? Do we love people only when they deserve it and treat us well?

Wednesday August 4th:  What are some things that you have done that you think might be hard for God to forgive?  Read John 8:1-11.  Who in this story had the biggest sin?  Read Romans 3:23 and ask that last question again.  What did Jesus do for the woman in John 8?  How do you feel now that you know that Jesus is looking at you right in the face saying to you that He loves you and forgives you no matter what you have ever done? Pray and thank God for His love and forgiveness.

Thursday August 5th: Do you think it is possible to love and forgive someone but not like some of the actions that they do in their life?  Explain.  Read 1 John 4:20-21.  What does this say about Christians who refuse to forgive someone else?  Discuss if you think that loving and forgiving someone  means that you have to be best friends and spend a lot of time with them….  Pray together.

Friday August 6th:  Read Ephesians 4:32.  What does it mean to be kind? Tenderhearted? Forgiving? Who is the one that truly shows us how to love and forgive?  Pick something from this verse that you want to work on being better at. Share why you picked that and what will you try to do different?