This year, I’ve been wondering about The Star. I love decorating my house with story-themed decorations and this year is going to be stars, so I wanted to spend some time reading and exploring this part of the Christmas story in Matthew 2:1-15. So I started with this question: What do you notice in this story? … Read more
Why not read the whole Christmas story? Could you do it even in one sitting? This is a fun idea which could work as part of your family devotions or personal Bible reading / Quiet time / Time with God or whatever you call it! The Christmas story is written about in both Matthew and … Read more
Psalms Links to find out more about the Hallel: Psalms 113 – 118: When the hallel is used Listen to the Hallel being chanted in Hebrew here This YouTube playlist includes the psalms bring read and sung, plus songs using words from these psalms. There’s a whole range of styles, so hopefully you’ll find some … Read more
This week was week 3 of our experiment. Our group: 2 adults, 5 children age 8-12 years old This week I managed to get the tech set up on time, and slightly re-arranged our lounge to give us enough seats to comfortably sit and all be able to see and be seen. This really helped … Read more
Do you listen to the Bible? I’ve noticed that listening to the Bible is seen as a second-rate option to reading it. And much as I love reading the Bible and exploring it in detail, I would like to explore the merits and benefits of listening to it, and especially how this can add to … Read more
“People who learn to ‘sit still and be quiet’ in church during the early years of their life are more likely to continue to ‘sit still and be quiet in church as adults.” Sharon had me with this quote… let me give a few headlines and then you can read what else I discovered: Title: … Read more
Title: Advent Journal for All ages Author: Nick and Becky Drake from Worship for Everyone Illustrator: Connie Buck Published by: Worship for everyone and Gas Street Church Price: £7.99 each, two for £15, or 3 for £20 Good for: Anyone wanting a quick but real way to connect with God during Advent, especially those who would like four themed songs … Read more
Have fun choosing and preparing fruit. If possible, arrange to visit a pick your own farm to pick it first! Look for suitable moments during the preparation to help everyone reflect on what fruit they like and why, and to tell god about this, thanking him for his brilliant creations. Open ended questions are good … Read more
A simple activity for Advent is to do some colouring meditation. Download this beautiful nativity colouring poster and print it at whatever size suits you. Spend time together colouring and listening to Christmas carols or worship music or the Christmas story from an audio Bible. Chat and think and chew over the wonder of the … Read more
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Search online for nativity art, and look at how the same stories have been depicted differently by different artists. You might like to look for pictures of the angel visiting Mary, the angels and the shepherds, the shepherds visiting Jesus and the wise men arriving. Which picture do you like best? How does it speak … Read more
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