I'm learning & growing to be the pastor of my family I've been called to be, and I'm enjoying leading them better in family worship and Bible reading. The recent Desiring God Pastor's Conference message by Joel Beeke on family worship was convicting and encouraging. You should check it out.
Right now we have five main resouces for family worship &/or Bible reading (singing resources aren't listed). For the most part our kids read Scripture in the morning and we use the other resouces at night. Let me know what resources you have found helpful in the comments below.
1. The Bible | Each of our kids has their own ESV Bible (compact Bible for my boys, my daughter has a prettier one). They are reading James every day in the mornings, sometimes on their own and sometimes with me and/or Molly.
2. ESV Study Bible | Same text with notes that help the family when we need a few interpretive helps on a passage. We have a copy permanently stationed in our living room for the kids to open if they need to check notes on their own. They don't do this much yet, but will get the hang of it.
3. The Story of God for Kids | Created by the good folks at Soma Communities in Tacoma, Washington. My family LOVES this. Well written and helpful notes for using it well, good questions to help it sink in. I have been reading it off my Kindle to them. Last night Elijah was peppering me with questions as he is piecing together the larger "Story of God" from the lessons blending together. Wonderful resource. Check out their other resources for adults and small groups.
4. Operation World: A Prayer Guide to the Nations | Eye-opening for our kids as they learn about the world and the needs of the world from a missionary perspective. They love to thumb through the pages and learn about a new country. We are putting little biographies of missionaries in their hands and they want to learn about those countries today. We want to teach them to pray BIG prayers to our BIG God for our BIG world. UPDATE: Commenter reminded me of Window on the World, an Operation World of sorts for younger kids. We have that and the kids like it a lot.
5. Four Holy Gospels | Just got this in the mail yesterday. It's the most beautiful Bible I've ever seen, with artwork by NYC artist Makoto Fujimura. Our family was able to meet Mako and attend the Crossway Books release event for the project. We now plan on using the Bible at least once a week (Sundays) to take turns reading aloud from a Gospel together before we leave the house to gather with our local church. It's nice to add a substantial piece like this into our family worship & Bible reading that will last through the years as a family treasure.
Thanks Steve for these resources. My family is about to move to China to serve there for 2 years and I have been looking for some resources for us to use both as a family during our Sunday worship time and also with some local Chinese that we will invite to join us. The SOMA resources looks like a great fit for both. We already have the ESV study bible and operation world, those are both great as well but the story form may be more accessible both to my small children and new or non-believers.
Posted by: Greg | 02/15/2011 at 10:50 AM
Thanks Steve for writing about family worship. I was not able to go to the conference, but I have been listening to them online. Family worship is something I am working on in our family. Your post will help.
Posted by: Jeff Thomas | 02/15/2011 at 02:34 PM
Since we started homeschooling this past year, I do a 15-minute music/Memory Verse time with my kids every morning before I go to work. They each have a special place they sit and we teach them a verse a week. They're able to learn one a week pretty easy, since we put them to song. We take turns praying for the day to conclude our time.
In the evening, I (of maybe Jennice) will read them a Bible story. We've read through a bunch of different children's Bibles, and then we'll all pray together. The book that really gave me the vision for Family Worship was Voddie Bauchum's Family Driven Faith.
Posted by: Jason Woolever | 02/15/2011 at 10:34 PM
We used the Operation World flip calendar last year, which is a very condensed version with something to pray about each day.. Unfortunately, we fell behind and didn't finish.. I believe its out of print right now... we wanted to order them for every family in the church but were unable to do so... i think because its a decade old. thanks for the resources...
Posted by: Jason Woolever | 02/16/2011 at 08:34 AM
For younger children, Windows on the World is a picture and story rich version of Operation World and I've heard it may be coming out in a new edition as well. Sinclair Ferguson's The Big Book of Questions and Answers has been a huge help and one we've gone through several times.
Posted by: michaeldebusk | 02/17/2011 at 07:17 AM
Michael, I actually meant to mention Windows. I'll put it in the post. We have that one too and it's sitting right next to Operation World. Kids really dig it. I just forgot to include it. Thanks for the reminder!
Posted by: Steve McCoy | 02/17/2011 at 10:13 AM
"Training Hearts, Teaching Minds" by Starr Meade. 6-nights a week going through a question a week from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. On Sundays we review the sermon from church and/or work through GI Williamson's study guide on the Westminster Confession.
Posted by: Fishingpipe | 02/17/2011 at 12:14 PM