This collection of detailed instructions and event plans helps bring parents and children age 6 to 12 together for an evening of activities that center on their life as a family of God.
Play is a basic human instinct—right up there with shelter, food, and water. Here are games for every developmental stage, along with stories from families who know how to plan family nights, get a game going, and lure reluctant players. Family activity: personalize a table runner for family night and get started with a “survival kit” (playing cards, dice, and multi-use game pieces).
Get ready for kid-approved ideas that celebrate the great outdoors year round! Whether you're building forts or making fresh cider, there's something for every kid and every season. Each season is full of excitement waiting to be found and Rachel highlights the best of each one with sections for recipes, nature exploration and play, and natural history: In spring, make candied violets, spruce tip ice cream, or paper from wildflower seeds. Craft a kite, weave flower crowns, and make a DIY fairy garden! When summer comes, whip up herb-infused balms, rosewater, and zuchinni boats. Host a backyard camp-out, build a nature exploration pack, cast shadow drawings, sail a leaf-boat, and master giant bubbles. As the days cool for autumn, brew mulled cider, make spiced honey, and discover the deliciousness of homemade apple sauce. Plant bulbs for next year’s flowers, create an autumn rainbow, or craft a felted acorn necklace. Cozy up in winter with homemade maple candy, an herbal tea blend, and learn how to set out pine cone bird feeders. Build a snow fort or try some winter stargazing followed by making paper stars. (Or for those in warmer climates, make an ice lantern!) Unique celebrations throughout give the entire family a reason to gather, from winter bonfires and Solstice celebrations to maple tappings and beeswax candle dippings!
Effective churches understand the need for effective families. We know you're concerned with the state of family today. What if you could turn your church into a powerful family of families? Now you can! This comprehensive guide recognizes that each church and its families are unique. So it provides you a variety of clear and practical tips on . . . - Building strong family foundations - Enriching family ministries - Connecting families to other families Â- both inside and outside the church - Building a happier, healthier, and more effective church
Holly Allen and Christine Lawton offer a complete framework for intentional intergenerational Christian formation in the church. Providing theoretical foundations and case studies of intergenerational congregations, this book offers hope that worship, learning, community, and service can all be achieved intergenerationally.
Learn from 14,000 strong families how to have a fantastic family. With the help of this groundbreaking book, you can take the guesswork out of parenting and be assured that you are building not only a strong family -- but a fantastic family. Based on the largest study ever done on strong families -- 14,000 families studied over twenty-five years -- this book reveals six simple, yet profound, steps to building a fantastic family that will thrive for generations to come.
Looks at the powerful influence of games on Christian education. Playing games shows kids how to relate to each other and creatively learn Bible stories.
At 3:00 a.m. on March 1, 2008, Terry Caffey awoke to find his daughter’s boyfriend standing in his bedroom with a gun. An instant later the teen opened fire, killing Terry’s wife, his two sons, and wounding him 12 times, before setting the house ablaze. Terry fell into deep depression and planned to kill himself, but God intervened. Upon visiting his burned-out property, Terry noticed a scorched scrap of paper from one of his wife’s books leaning against a tree trunk. The page read: “[God,] I couldn’t understand why You would take my family and leave me behind to struggle along without them. And I guess I still don’t totally understand that part of it. But I do believe that You’re sovereign; You’re in control.” That page was like a direct message from God, and it turned Terry’s life around. Now, one year later, Terry is remarried, the adoptive father of two young sons, and working to rebuild his relationship with his 17-year-old daughter, who is currently serving two life sentences in a Texas state penitentiary for her involvement in the crimes. Terror by Night tells the compelling story of how Terry Caffey found peace after his wife and sons were brutally murdered and his teenage daughter implicated in the crime. Sharing never-before-told details about the night of the crime and subsequent murder trial, it explains how Terry was able to forgive the men who murdered his family, and how he even interceded with the prosecutors on their behalf. A powerful example of how the power of forgiveness can bring healing after tragedy and great loss, it shows how God can bring good out of even the darkest tragedies.