Clothed with PJs or Power?

How many PJ Days have you had recently? In Luke 24:49 Jesus says to his friend: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” This is a familiar verse about Pentecost, when, as Jesus promised, his disciples … Read more

Making your own GodVenture Hope Boxes

Lots of Family and Childrens’ workers have asked if they can make their own GodVenture Hope Boxes, and so I’ve put together a Basic Kit which you can use! The kit includes: a mini-mag with faith at home activities, including Bubbles Blessings, Card Prayers and Seed Prayers, plus Flame Prayers on the back and an … Read more

Grieving with children

Last week a tragedy happened in a town near us when two young boys were killed in a hit-and-run. One mother whose daughter knew the boys contacted me asking if I knew of any resources to help them. As it happens, we’ve had a family bereavement this week, as my Grandad died at the age … Read more

Faith at home every day

For me, for faith at home to work, it has to be part of my every day life. We have special things we do at certain points in each week and each year, but the reality of our faith really starts to change our lives when it’s part of what we do each day. I’m … Read more

Faith at home using household items

It’s sometimes easy to feel that to do faith at home we need lots of resources and materials. I’m very into having specific items to do faith at-home activities. I love my Godly Play sets for sharing Bible stories and playing with them as we explore where we are in the stories. However, I believe … Read more

Developing faith at home through open-ended activities

I love open-end activities. They provide choice and freedom which lead to deep exploration and creativity. They are easy to set up, are suitable for any age or size of group, and you can use the same materials each time. They provide a safe space to explore spiritual things including Bible stories and how they … Read more

Review: On That Easter Morning

Title: On That Easter Morning Author: Elena Pasquali Illustrator: Alison Jay Price: £9.99 Published by: Lion Children’s Available here Good for: children age 3-8 years old Best bit: stunning artwork and gentle, Biblically accurate storytelling, and the wonderful two-page spread picture of the last supper aka Passover Worst bit: doesn’t mention Pentecost, which I hoped … Read more

Review: Deborah and Jael

Title: Deborah and Jael Author: Lucy Rycroft Illustrator: Beth Aulton Price: £6.99 Published by and available from: The Hope-filled Family Good for: anyone with children age 3-10 years old Best bit: lovely rhyming story-portrait of two Bible women, lovely pictures too Worst bit: occasionally the rhyme feels a little forced, but my children didn’t notice, … Read more

A simple Sabbath ritual

Would you like a way to mark you Sabbath, to make it different from the other days of the week? In our home, we mark it with a weekly Shabbat meal, a simple ritual we do together as we begin our Friday evening meal (which is always roast chicken!!). You can find out more about … Read more

10 Great Things about Shabbat

We’ve been celebrating Shabbat as a family each Friday for over a decade now. We love it, and couldn’t imagine our week without it. We’ve shared it with lots of different people, and we’ve adapted it as we’ve gone along to keep it accessible and relevant to everyone present. I’ve made a version of our … Read more

Celebrating Shabbat

We’ve been celebrating Shabbat each Friday for 12 years now. We love it, and couldn’t imagine our week without it. If you’ve not come across Shabbat, it’s a traditionally Jewish ritual Friday night meal with prayers and blessings. Our two children, ages 4 and 5 join in with the songs, the actions, and some of … Read more

Handwashing Prayers

I love to make sorry prayers into an activity. The idea for this one is that cleaning our hands is a metaphor for the forgiveness Jesus gives us. Gather: All you need is a bowl of water and a towel. What does the Bible say: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive … Read more