The group was asked the simple question, “Do you have any stories to tell about where you have seen God working in your life and in the lives of others in the past year?”

For more than an hour sisters and brothers in Christ told stories about the wonderful acts of our Father. What happened was delightful and amazing. In the beginning, some wondered if they had any stories to tell, but as a few began to relate the activity of God, the Holy Spirit started bringing things to mind.

There were all kinds of stories. Some told stories of hope and restoration. Others told stories of deliverance and victories. There were stories about families, neighborhoods, and virtual discovery communities.

As we listened to the stories of God’s activity in our lives and in the lives of others, we were transported beyond ourselves to see the hand and movement of God. Through tears and laughter, our bond as the family of God was strengthened. We were encouraged, challenged, and reminded that God never stops working.

We finally had to stop to move on to looking forward. With the hope of soon being able to meet face to face with our discovery communities, we discussed ways to reestablish and reaffirm the rhythms of linking, loving, listening, looking, and leaving.

Refreshing Others with Stories

The gathering outside beside the lake was not all that refreshed us. It was great, but the stories, oh the stories!

It only stood to reason that one of our takeaways was the need to have a story night when we are finally able to gather with our fellow discoverers. If what we had just experienced had moved, refreshed, and strengthened us so, we needed to give others the same opportunity.

What About Your Stories

Have you been wondering what God has been up to during the past year?

• Stop and tell yourself some stories of God’s activity in your life and in the lives of others.
• Plan a gathering with a group of fellow Christ-followers and start telling your stories to one another.
• Prepare to be amazed as well as encouraged and challenged to move forward.

Grace and peace to you on your missional journey

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Since the death of Jesus was terrible in so many ways, why do Christians call the day he died “Good Friday?” The simple answer is because out of the dreadful bad came what was the ultimate good.

• Jesus is no longer on the cross. The cross is empty.
• Jesus is no longer in the tomb. The tomb is empty.

The Friday of the Easter season is when we remember what Jesus did for us. We recall the day Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross. In the crucifixion, Jesus has taken on the sins of the world and defeated the power of death, and His resurrection proves Him victorious.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Good Friday Meditation

Here is an exercise to help you remember the cross of Christ on Good Friday.

1. Darken your room and light a candle, and read Luke 23:44-49 three times.
2. When you have finished, blow out the candle and sit for a while in the dark meditating on the cross.
3. Watch the Good Friday Meditation: Thank God It’s Friday, from the Family of Freeman Heights written by pastor, Larry Venable.

Share with your friends!

• Do nothing – (this would be inconsistent with our mission)
• Try to share in our own strength – (this is a recipe for failure)
• Ask God to do in and through us what we cannot do in our own power – (this is the only way get the job done) 

Sometimes we hesitate to pray for ourselves. Maybe we feel guilty asking for things. Perhaps we fall into the trap of doing things on our own rather than in the power of God’s Spirit. 

Peter Wagner, in On the Crest of the Wave, writes,

“…all the carefully planned mission strategy in the world will be of no avail unless it is activated by divine power. According to our records, the very last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before He left this earth were: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Nine Missional Prayers for the Journey

While the list of things we could pray for this year is almost endless, here are nine short prayers that will help keep you focused on your missional journey. 

1. Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and the power He gives to be a witness to those in my circle of influence. (see Acts 1:8)
2. Lord of the harvest, open my eyes that I might see the ripe fields around me. (see John 4:35)
3. Transforming Christ, let others see that my old life is gone and I am new in You as a sign that You can reconcile and transform anyone. (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
4. Master, break my heart for those in my circle of influence who do not know You as Lord and Savior. (see Romans 9:1-3)
5. Father, fill my mouth with Your words that I might boldly share the mystery of the Good News. (see Ephesians 6:19-20)
6. Jesus, thank You for choosing me and sending me out to bear fruit that will last. Give me a bountiful harvest. (see John 15:16)
7. Lord, may I shine like a lighted city on a hill so others see You in my life and are drawn to You. (see Matthew 5:14-16)
8. Father, open doors of opportunity for me to share Your message, and may I share it clearly. (see Colossians 4:2-4)
9. Jesus, it is my desire to join You on Your mission of seeking and saving those who are lost. (see Luke 19:10)

Missional Challenge

• Download the printable, 9 Missional Prayers for the Journey, and place it where you will see it throughout your day.
• Use it as a bookmark for your daily Bible readings.
• Share a copy with a friend.
• Copy them to your prayer journal.
• Pray these prayers for yourself.
• Find a partner and pray them for each other.
• Move out and join the Father on His mission.

Download

What’s on your prayer list?

Even though there is a dispute as to when the “first thanksgiving” was celebrated by European emigrants on American soil, Thanksgiving is generally modeled after that of the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts in 1621.

Two years later, in 1623, the colonists would again proclaim a day of thanksgiving to celebrate the end of a long drought. In the years to come, special days of thanksgiving would be observed in the American colonies from time to time.

In the turmoil of the War of Independence, a Thanksgiving proclamation was made by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. President George Washington proclaimed a designated national day of thanksgiving in 1789. Future Presidents would individually declare national days of thanksgiving, as would individual states. In 1863 while embroiled in the divisive and destructive Civil War, Abraham Lincoln called for Thanksgiving to be an annual national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

Living in Difficult Days

The days of 2020 continue to be very difficult, but, as previously noted, we are not the first to be called to observe Thanksgiving in hard, challenging, and testing times. 

Regardless of its origin, Thanksgiving remains an important time for us as we reflect upon all the things we are thankful for. It is a time to look forward in hope. The story of those whom we now call Pilgrims and their model of giving thanks can help us.

The Thanksgiving of 1621

In 1620 a group of religious separatists sold their possessions to help pay for a trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Joined by another party of travelers, a total of 102 men, women, and children sailed on the Mayflower for 66 days.

They encountered problem after problem. Blown off course by storms, they missed their desired port, and on November 11, 1620, they landed in Massachusetts rather than Virginia. By the time they found a place to erect homes, winter had set in. Because of brutal storms, inadequate shelter, and little food, half of the men perished. Fourteen of eighteen wives died, leaving orphans and widowers.

Spring eventually brought hope and relief. The nearby Native Americans greatly aided in their survival. Receiving help from English-speaking Tisquantum (Squanto) and the people of the Wampanoag tribe, they learned to grow corn, hunt deer, and catch fish.

In the fall of 1621, they gathered their first successful harvest. Governor Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to God. The details are few, but we know that for three days, possibly in mid-September, they celebrated with 90 Native Americans from the Wampanoag tribe and offered thanksgiving to God.

What can we learn from the Pilgrims’ story?

Things have changed since 53 European emigrants and 90 Native Americans celebrated thanks for a harvest. But the story of these troubled settlers and their thanksgiving offers insights and lessons that can guide us on our journey.

1. Giving thanks brings God glory.

God is still receiving glory from the story of the Pilgrim’s thanksgiving.

Both the Old and New Testaments call God’s people to thankfulness. God does not need for us to give Him anything, but He does call for us to give thanks to Him, which results in His glory.

I don’t need the bulls you sacrifice; I don’t need the blood of goats. What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High. Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
Psalm 50:13-15 (NLT)

2. Giving thanks in difficult times is possible.

Our holiday of Thanksgiving originated in and has been cultivated through times of difficulty and struggle. Thanksgiving turns our gaze from ourselves and our troubles and we see the hand of God. It changes our outlook and keeps us moving forward with hope for tomorrow. We are reminded that we are pilgrims and that the Christian life is a journey of faith.

3. We are reminded that our troubles are momentary.

Our reward is massively disproportionate to our difficulties, therefore be thankful. Our troubles now are transforming us into the image of Christ. They are momentary and passing relatively quickly, compared to eternity.

4. Thanksgiving plants our feet on the solid ground.

In a world of shifting sand, we choose to trust Him with our circumstances instead of sinking in our own strength.

5. Thanksgiving draws others into God’s grace.

Because God’s grace sustains us in times of peril and trouble, and we can live thankful lives.

Thanksgiving is missional because this grace is not only for us. It is to be shared with others so that they too may know Christ. When the pilgrims paused for thanksgiving, it opened the door for them to involve their Native American neighbors. Paul writes,

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Then Paul points us away from ourselves and to our mission in verse 15, All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15 NIV)

Genuine thanksgiving does not refuse to acknowledge trouble, or death, or suffering or loss. It is an intentional choice to turn our eyes to our great God. It is an opportunity to point others to the grace of Christ.

Let’s go forward in thanksgiving, filled with hope, that more and more people will know Christ, and God will be glorified.

Just because Thanksgiving will look different this year does not mean that we should surrender this important tradition. Thanksgiving and gratitude is something that we need now more than ever.

Gratitude addresses the problems we are facing

Hundreds of studies about gratitude have documented its physical, emotional, social, mental, and spiritual benefits. Here are some of the blessings of being thankful.

• Reduces anxiety and depression
• Decreases fear
• Boosts physical health
• Enriches relationships
• Improves sleep
• Stimulates forgiveness and empathy
• Provides the ability to move on after highly stressful situations
• Increases selflessness and compassion
• Brings happiness and makes life more satisfying
• Lessens feelings of envy, frustration, and aggression
• Turns our attention from self to God and to others

Could Thanksgiving change the world?

You are not alone in suffering the effects of social isolation due to this pandemic, the loss of valued traditions, and the stress of political division. The people in the places where you live, work, learn, and play are struggling with the same issues as you.

Doesn’t it sound like thankfulness and gratitude address the myriad of issues our world is facing? If the people of God were to lead out in calling others to thanksgiving, how might they change the world?

The Missional Question

The season of Thanksgiving provides the opportunity to bless our neighbors by helping them develop the practice of thankfulness and therefore reap the benefits. The missional question becomes more than, “How can I show gratitude to others?”

If living grateful lives brings the blessings mentioned earlier, we should be moved to ask, “How can I help others harvest the blessings of thankfulness?”

As you practice being thankful yourself and reap its benefits, look beyond yourself because gratitude is a life skill that everyone needs to practice.

• Start with counting your blessings and offer praise and thankfulness to God.
• Stop grumbling.
• Lead the way.
• Tell others what being thankful has done for you.
• Look for ways to help your neighbor express gratitude.
• Be patient.

Missional Challenge

The missional challenge is for you to move beyond merely giving verbal thanks to promoting gratitude with a Neighborhood Thankful Tree and bless your neighbors.

A Neighborhood Thankful Tree offers the gift of thankfulness to those who live around you. It is a visual way to practice gratitude as people write down items they are thankful for and add them to the tree.

Establish a Neighborhood Thankful Tree

Put up a gratitude tree in your yard or outside your apartment door and invite others to stop and practice thanksgiving. The process will be briefly outlined below, but you may download the free guide, Promote Gratitude with a Neighborhood Thankful Tree.

Step 1: Choose a “Tree.”

You may have a tree in your yard with low branches that can be easily reached. If you do not, you are going to have to be creative and fabricate one (see the guide for additional ideas).

Step 2: Gather the “leaves.”

“Leaves” are simply tags or paper strips large enough to write notes of thanksgiving, which can be attached to your tree. They can be purchased or made.

Step 3: Prepare signage with instructions and provide writing materials.

You will want to make sure that your neighbors understand the process and have what they need to express thanksgiving.

Step 4: Set the tree up in your yard or outside your apartment door.

Make sure that your Neighborhood Thankful Tree is accessible.

Step 5: Invite your neighbors.

Get your neighborhood involved in thanksgiving and let them know how to participate.

Go door to door and invite your neighbors. Use a simple card of invitation and instruction and give them a tag or “leaf” to fill out and bring by later and add to the tree. Let them know that more tags or “leaves” will be available at the tree. A reproducible invitation is included in the guide.

Step 6: Celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a communal holiday. Choose a time that best fits your neighborhood and invite others to gather for a time of thanksgiving. 

Practice social distancing and safety guidelines. 

Keep it simple. When everyone is gathered, pause in a moment of silence and introspection to be thankful, allow participants to verbally share things for which they are thankful, then lead in a prayer of thanksgiving. 

You might even want to provide refreshments and enjoy the fellowship of neighbors.

When the undertaking is finished:

• There will be a visual, tangible representation of the blessings that abound in your neighborhood.
• The need for connection and community will be strengthened.
• Neighbors, friends, and family will reap the benefits of practicing thankfulness.

Will you take the missional challenge and be a catalyst in bringing your neighborhood together to give thanks? Download the free guide, Promote Gratitude with a Neighborhood Thankful Tree.

P.S. I would love to hear from you about your Neighborhood Thankful Tree in the comments below. Bookmark this post and come back in December and let your fellow travelers know about the blessings received. If you have pictures you would like to share, go to the Contact Page and email them.

Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

Below is a payer outline using Jesus model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 to help join our voices as we pray a kingdom prayer for our world.

“This, then, is how you should pray:’Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.'”

Our Father in heaven,

Lord, Father, You sit majestically in the Heavens. You are a good, good Father and you love your children around the world. Help us to know you as a tender Father in the midst of a pandemic.

See Romans 8:15 and John 1:12

Hallowed be your name,

Your name is I Am. You are the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, and You are our God. Your name is everlasting, and it is a strong tower, a place of protection and safety for us. The Coronavirus is global in scope but it has not diminished Your rule and Your name.

See Exodus 3:14-16 and Proverbs 18:10

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Lord, You alone are God over all the kingdoms and nations of the earth. The kingdoms of the world tremble and quake in the face of Covid-19, but Your kingdom stands forever. We pray for Your will to be done in our lives and throughout the earth. May Your rule expand and grow. We long to see Your will established across the earth, and that people everywhere, along with world and national leaders, will submit to Your rule.

See 2 Kings 19:15 and 2 Chronicles 20:5-6

Give us today our daily bread.

Father, thank You for everything You provide for us. Everything we have comes from You. We trust You to provide our food, our clothing, and our shelter. Many are without work because of the Coronavirus and need Your help. Feed the hungry, as You feed us. Have mercy and protect the health and welfare of family, friends, and neighbors near and far away. Pour out hope and peace in the midst of fear and anxiety.

See Matthew 6:25-26 and Psalm 124:8

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

We confess our sin to You and rejoice in Your forgiveness. Just as You have forgiven, we yield to forgive others. Let us walk in fellowship with our neighbors Give us the strength to let go of our offenses. We release to You those who have hurt us, and we trust You to handle those situations. Bring reconciliation where there are hatred and hostility between your children. Teach us how to ask for forgiveness of our own sin and how to forgive one another.

See 1 John 1:7-9 and Psalm 32:5

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

The world is in the dark grip of our enemy Satan, but You have delivered your children from his kingdom and brought us into the kingdom of Your Son. Our struggles are not against the people or the circumstances around us but against our enemy. Protect us from the work of the Devil who seeks to destroy us and Your works. Give us unity as he strives to divide. Reveal his lies. Strengthen us to stand against him without fear. Deliver those far from You from the dominion of darkness. Our trust is in You.

See Colossians 1:13 and Ephesians 6:12

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Lord of the universe, the kingdom belongs to You. Nothing is too hard for You. All power, might, and authority is Yours. You are my God, and You are worthy of all praise. 

I pray all this in the name of Jesus, amen.

See 1 Chronicles 29:10-13

Paul writes,

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Along with the new life Christ gives us, we are also given a new identity and purpose. We participate with the Father in His mission of redemption, but we are defined by what God says about us, not by what we do. 

Let’s examine one of the identifying marks of God’s people.

We are God’s missionary family

We are a family of sons and daughters enjoying the blessings of the Father’s household and sent to pursue Christ’s mission in the world. We are a missionary family. 

When I was a boy, I started working for the “family business” when I was pretty young. I am the son of a farmer. That is part of who I am, and because of that identity it defined what I did.

At first, my dad would take me with him and show me how to do things. Then when I was 12 years old, he took me to a certain field, put me on a tractor, drove off to work on another farm, and I worked until he came back to get me. 

As I grew older and could drive the pick-up, Dad would send me to work in the fields. He would say, “We’re getting ready to plant cotton. Go to the farm and lay off the rows while I stay here and get the planter ready. I have been out there already and the tractor is ready to go.” 

Later, he might send me to cultivate the cotton. Or if a sandstorm was blowing, I would be sent to “fight the sand” to keep it from destroying the young cotton. At other times he might say, “We’re harvesting wheat today. Your brother is on his way with the combine. Go, take the grain truck, and help him with the harvest.”

The Church is the family of God

As followers of Christ, we are not a group of people who are like family, we are family. We read in 1 Timothy 3:15,

…if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Some translate the word oikō in this verse as “house,” but it is better translated “household.” It is not used to refer to a physical building; it is used to refer to the family of God.

There are several truths about our identity as the family of God we need to consider.

1. God is our Father

Those who are members of the family of God have the privilege of calling God “Father.” We have been adopted into God’s family. We eat at the same table. The way we do life together reveals to the world what it looks like to have God as our Father. 

The Fatherhood of God is not simply a metaphor. Christ has revealed that God is an eternal and perfect Father. Next to our Heavenly Father, even the best earthly father pales in comparison.

2. Christ-followers are brothers and sisters

Family is one of the primary ways the early church identified itself. God is our Father, Jesus is our elder brother, and we are brothers and sisters in Christ. 

The word disciple, which we find so often in the early part of the New Testament, disappears after the book of Acts, and other words like brother and sister replace it throughout the Epistles. 

Pastor, Dhati Lewis, writes,

Paul consistently threads together the Fatherhood of God and believer’s relationships with one another. He cannot think of God outside of His “Fatherness,” and can’t think of believers outside of their “brotherhood.

3. We are a family sent on the Father’s business

Our father is always at work, and as His family, we have been sent to work together in His business. 

As important as it is for us to gather together, the church is neither a meeting nor a meeting place. We are the people of God who give our lives to each other and embrace our purpose of living on mission. The church exists to give a preview of the coming Kingdom of God. Our love for each other and our life together shows the world what a restored relationship with the eternal Father and with one another looks like.

We are a missionary family, sent into the Father’s fields to join Him in His work, and He expects us to be obedient. People in our broken world long for someone to lovingly support and encourage them, but many have never experienced this. To be missional is to show them our loving heavenly Father who makes us into His family… and invite them into this relationship.

Missional Challenge

What are you doing in this season of social distancing to live into your identity as the family of God?

In the late 90s, I was the interim pastor at a church that was struggling. It had once been a thriving, vibrant congregation, but had been in decline for 20 years, and recently experienced another setback. Due to internal and leadership problems, 60 to 70 percent of the congregation left and was no longer attending. I was in what they called a “town hall meeting,” and observed as one by one, members rose to tell about what they were feeling. As I listened, it came to me that what they were describing was grief.

When they asked me to give input as to what was being said, I shared my feelings about their grieving. What was interesting is that they had never considered that they were in the process of grief. Just giving words to their situation began to move them forward. I also noticed that the individual members were in different stages of grief. Some were moving on quicker than others. Some were stuck, some were coping, some could see the future, and others could not.

As I consider what is happening due to COVID-19, I am convinced that the church is grieving. Pastors and staff, along with members are grieving. We are grieving individually, and we are grieving collectively.

The Coronavirus has brought about massive changes in our lives. The way we do school is changing, and parents, teachers, and administrators are facing difficult choices. High school seniors are missing opportunities they have looked forward to for years. Birthdays are celebrated in front yards with drive-bys rather than parties. The way we shop has changed. Beth and I did not get to physically say goodby to our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren as they moved half-way around the world to Guam.

Change is stressful regardless of its source. Things are changing in our churches. We cannot gather and worship in ways we have become accustomed to. The virus has affected even the smallest of groups. And the list can go on…

Change is loss

Any change involves some sort of loss. Linsky and Heifetz write,

“…people don’t resist change…they resist loss.”

We have experienced the loss of many things as a result of COVID-19, and it has moved us into the unknown and reminds us that we are not in control.

Loss requires grief

Grief is a natural, messy response to loss. We usually associate grief with death and the loss of a loved one, but it comes about as a result of any change or end of patterns and relationships we are accustomed to. Grief takes us down the path of a number of powerful emotions such as sorrow, issues with temper, anger, guilt, etc. and leads us to physical reactions and actions.

Understanding Grief

Each person experiences and deals with grief in different ways. The five non-linear stages of grief outlined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross are applicable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Denial: Along with issues like losing a loved one, losing a job, or prolonged illness, COVID-19 has shocked us. We express our disbelief. “How can something like this happen?” We struggle with confusion and uncertainty. We make statements of disbelief or challenges to given facts.

• A COVID Response? This isn’t as bad as they say.

Anger: The initial shock and dismay usually pulses outward into powerful emotions. We struggle with frustration, powerlessness, and anger. Often our anger is directed toward God, but it may manifest itself in anger towards self and others, including pastors, leaders, family, and friends.

• A COVID Response: You’re not going to make me wear a mask.

Bargaining: As people begin to gain some perspective regarding the implications of the changes they are facing, they often look for ways to postpone the effects of the change, minimize the pain, or seek to find some way to negotiate its outcome.

• A COVID Response: If I practice social distancing for two weeks, everything will be better, right?

Depression: At this stage, people will struggle with feelings of fear, guilt, regret, sorrow, and other negative emotions. There may be a tendency to give up and turn inward. We struggle with mood shifts and low energy. Our sleep, thoughts, and appetite may be affected.

• A COVID Response: What’s the use? Everything has changed. Things will never be the same.

Acceptance: An essential part of dealing with change and loss is to move to the stage of acceptance. At this stage, we may still experience sorrow, but we begin to move forward. We embrace change and shift from what is lost to what is gained. We find new patterns and rhythms for living and expressing our faith.

• A COVID Response: These changes are real, and I will figure out how to proceed.

How can we move on?

• Name the change and the loss
• Feel the sorrow and the pain
• Be aware that those with whom you interact may not be at the same stage as you
• Accept the change
• Adjust life patterns and rhythms and recover

How can we help others?

Although it is difficult to listen to someone with emotional pain, experts say one of the best ways to help a grieving person is to give them a chance to talk. Most people dealing with grief need to feel connected to someone who will listen. Listening is more important than having the right words to say. Here are a few points to keep in mind:

• Understand where you are in your own grieving process
• Don’t expect others to be at the same point of recovery as you
• Give people space and time to work through their grief
• Be accessible but don’t push yourself on others

Have faith. As we preserver, the Lord will take us through this season of change, loss, and grief.

I believe with all my heart that the ones primarily responsible for the spiritual growth and nurture of children are their parents. I know that many children do not have parents who care if they find a relationship with God, and I have worked with countless Christ-followers who have heard God’s call and have filled this gap through children’s ministries, Sunday schools, etc. But for Christian parents, these ministries should supplement, not replace the role God has given them.

The Barna Research Group reported,

“Parents believe that they are primarily responsible for the spiritual development of their children, but few parents spend time during a typical week interacting with their children on spiritual matters”

When my children were young, I tried to have a weekly family worship night. All I knew to do was to follow the model of Bible study I was familiar with, and I did a lot of lecturing. I’ll have to admit that those nights were pretty rough. I kept thinking, “There must be a simple way for us to spend time with our children each week and lead them to worship, hear God’s voice, and develop obedience-based discipleship?”

I wish that I knew then what I have finally learned about discovery Bible studies.

Family Bible Discovery Time

There is a simple way to set aside a time to interact intentionally with your children around God’s Word. Let me share an option with you that moves in four directions, which involves asking discovery questions. According to Garry Poole in his book The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion,

“There is something powerful about questions that force you to think, look within yourself, examine your heart, and search for answers. And it’s in the process of responding to those questions that you often make discoveries about yourself — things you never even realized before.”

Discovery questions allow us to find wonderful treasures about one another and about God from His Word. Parents, please don’t do all the talking. Ask questions, and take the time to listen. Don’t be afraid of silence or long pauses. Teach your family to listen and discover what God has to say through the Bible and through one another.

Four Directions of a Family Bible Discovery Time

Choose a time that is appropriate for your family. (By the way, this plan can be used by couples without children)

1. Link together as a family.

The direction of this segment focuses on Me to You.

• Consider starting with a meal at the table.
• Conduct your Family Discovery Time at the table or move to the family room.
• Begin with a fun question that everyone can answer.
  • This question will pull everyone’s attention to a focal point.
  • Use a question that will reveal something about you to your children and also will reveal something about your children to you.
  • Ask questions like, “If you had to live on a deserted island and only eat one kind of pizza for the rest of your life, what would it be. (see 49 Family Conversation Questions)

2. Love the Lord your God

This is a time of worship, and the direction is Us to God.

• Involve your children in choosing the medium.
• Select an online music video that would be meaningful. (always watch it before using to ensure that any images are appropriate for your family)
• Listen to and sing with recorded music.
• If someone in your family plays an instrument, find ways to use it in worship.
• Be creative and find ways to worship without music. You might read a Psalm or other scripture passage and pray.
• Here are two great questions that focus on the Lord’s provision and can be followed with prayer.
  • What are you thankful for today?
  • What is stressing you out today?
• Pray and acknowledge the Lord’s presence.

3. Listen to what Spirit says through reading the Bible

It is time to change directions and focus on God to Us.

• Choose a short passage of scripture and facilitate a listening time.
• Read the passage slowly three times and pause to reflect and think between each reading. A parent can read it first, followed by other family members.
• After the third reading ask discovery questions.
  • What stands out to you in this passage?
  • What are some treasures that you discovered?
  • Is there anything you did not understand that you need to research further?
  • What does this passage tell us about God?
  • What does this passage tell us about people?
• Trust the Holy Spirit to be your teacher and direct the conversation. If you simply read God’s Word together and ask questions, God’s Spirit will speak to you in your heart and through what He says to other family members.

4. Look to see where the Father is working

The direction here is still God to Us, but now it’s getting personal.

• Ask questions that led to obedience and transformation.
  • What do you need to do to be obedient to what you discovered in this passage?

5. Leave to be on mission with Christ

The fourth direction moves us outward and is God through Us.

• Ask leaving questions.
  • Who do you know who needs to hear what you discovered in this passage?
  • How can you tell them about the Good News you discovered?
  • Is there anyone who has any needs that you are concerned about?
  • Is there something specific we do to show God’s love for them?
• Pray for any people and needs discovered and pray for obedience that you might look more like Jesus.
• Go practice the five Ls – Look, Link, Listen, Love, and Leave.

Note for when you meet next

When you meet next week, ask some accountability questions during the linking time.

• Do you have any stories to tell about how you were obedient to what you discovered last week or someone you were able to share with about the Good News you discovered?

Missional Challenge

1. Choose a time to begin your family discovery time.
2. Start simple and keep it simple.
3. Listen!

Grace and peace to you on your missional journey

On this journey, you will explore values that that missional Christ-followers must embrace if missional practices and rhythms are to be formed.

…Remain Centered on Christ – 1 Corinthians 2:2

The identity and life habits of a missional Christ-follower must be firmly centered on the leader, Jesus Christ. Paul set the example when He declared, “For me to live is Christ.”

…Celebrate Christ in Community – Acts 2:42-47

Missional life is best lived in the context of community with fellow travelers. You are not called to follow Christ alone. Christian community is the best argument for the Christian faith.

…Pursue the Mission of Christ – Luke 4:17-19

Those who follow Christ are called to bless others and carry out God’s mission of reconciliation and redemption in the world. This mission is pursued in the everyday rhythms of life in the places where you live, work, learn, and play.

…Grow in the Likeness of Christ – 2 Corinthians 3:18

Focusing on Christ leads to being transformed more and more into His likeness. Your Christlikeness influences your relationship with your fellow travelers and with those you encounter in the world.

…Make Disciples of Christ – Matthew 28:19-20

Missional Christ-followers take seriously the commission of Jesus to make disciples who make disciples and reach pockets of people with the gospel.

Missional Challenges

From time to time, you will be called to action to move you from theory to practice.

Your Next Steps

1. Register to receive the latest posts with email delivered straight to your inbox.
2. Join others by commenting on the content you read here.
3. Spread the word by sharing on social media.
4. Invite others to join you on this journey

Grace and peace to you on your missional journey