It is important to celebrate the big moments in our children’s lives. But beyond recognizing milestones, simple routines can also have big significance in the life of a child or teen.
The little ways a family engages faith together have major impact. We can come up with a lot of great ideas from the examples in scripture. Listed below are some of those ideas. I’d like to encourage you to read these passages together as a family as a first step and then figure out how to implement the idea.
  • Share a consistent meal together. If not daily, perhaps there’s one dinner a week that can be set aside as a family time.
    (See Acts 2:42 for the importance of this in the early church)
  • During any times that you are together, ask questions. Simply asking about daily activities strengthens communication and relationships for other times when the conversation might plunge even deeper.
    (See how Jesus does this in Matthew 16:13-17)
  • Start conversations in the car. Many families have shared that the car offers the single best place for them to talk about faith together.
    (Jesus didn’t have a car but he was often talking with people as they traveled together. Check out Luke 24:13-27)
  • Talk about how faith is connected to a current event. You might say, “Have you heard about _____?” Your kid might say yes or no, depending on the event. Ask an open-ended question or two such as, “What do you think about that?” And then you can go together into scripture and see what God’s Word says.
    (Jesus often directed people to see what scripture said. See Matthew 21:42)
  • Prioritize worshiping together at church on the weekend and possibly attach a tradition that encourages fellowship. Maybe you get ice cream after a Saturday night service or eat at a certain restaurant for lunch on Sunday after church.
    (See Acts 2:46-47)
  • One family I heard about has a tradition called “Wow, Pow, Holy Cow.” Each person shares something good (a wow), something bad (a pow), and something that pointed you to God (a “holy cow” experience). Maybe you can start there and then share in a time of scripture together.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Small traditions like this can create regular margin in which your family can engage faith and scripture together. Does your family have any simple traditions? 
Grace & Peace,
Scott Elliott
Junior High / Senior High Campus Pastor