Spice Up Your Family Devotions in 2003

Cover Stories:	In The Spotlight:
Hearing His Voice...	Peniel Friends Celebrate...	Creativity in Recognition Float
Reaching Our World...	Worship CD with Stan Hinshaw	Lynn Shreve Remembered
	"Power Team..."	Van Wert Youth to Mexico
	Damascus 9/11 Remembrance	Hunter Hills Completes...
	Alliance to Reach Inner City	Disaster Service Banquet
	Women's Retreat	Hanover Friends Listen...
	Spice Up Your Family Devotions

Here are 26 ideas to help you spice up your family devotion time:

Anonymously share prayer requests by writing them down and putting them in a basket before devotions; have one person read them out loud and then use them in your prayer time.

Build your Bible knowledge by playing a Bible trivia game together.

Capitalize on every day events, such as a test at school or having to clean out the garage, by drawing analogies to these events and our life in God.

Decide who will be responsible for which part of devotions (reading scripture, choosing a praise song, starting the prayer); let each family member take a role.

Escape from the routine by holding devotions in a new place - try the back porch, the game room or even taking turns in each others' bedrooms.

Find short scripture verses that everyone can memorize and share with each other.

Give of yourselves by choosing a mission to support; ask each family member to contribute a few cents toward a collection.

Hide clues around the house (such as scripture references or scrambled words) for family members to solve; solve them to try to figure out the topic of that day's devotions.

Invite some friends to come join you for devotions once a month.

Jump for Jesus...everytime Jesus' name is said during devotions one night, have everyone jump up and shout "Hallelujah!" (The kids will listen closely.)

Keep the lights off and use candles to create a calming environment for devotions.

List goals for your family devotions...make sure everyone has a chance to contribute his or her thoughts.

Make a special snack that your family only eats during or following family devotion time.

Nestle together on the couch or in Mom and Dad's bed while reading a meaningful story.

Offer a helping hand to one another by putting each person's name in a basket... whoever's name you draw, do three nice things for that person--without letting them know---before the next devotional time.

Place the family Bible in a special spot in the house and have the children take turns retrieving it for devotion time.

Quiet your minds at the beginning of devotions by closing your eyes and singing a quiet song together, such as "God is so Good."

Read aloud from the Bible or other story; let everyone take turns reading if they want to.

Send a note of thanks from your family to your pastor or other church workers letting them know how much you appreciate things they do.

Trade devotion materials with other families in order to affordably try new things.

Unearth old family photos and show them to the children, telling them about the special people in their genealogy; give thanks to God for these people.

Venture outdoors for a "God walk," looking for special things that God has given you and ways he is working in your neighborhood.

Work together creating a special gift for someone who lives far away.

eXamine the day's scripture verse using several different translations of the Bible, and discuss which one each person prefers.

Yell, jump, laugh, clap, whistle and otherwise use joyful noises to praise God during your devotions.

Zoom into action by first playing a silly game that will help expend some of the younger kids' energy before they need to sit and listen.

Taken with permission from Minute Messenger, the Morningside Friends Church Newsletter, (Pt. Saint Lucie, Florida)