Today is the 13th installment of 30 days of resources for your family to use to grow together. Each of our daily activities will have the following pieces:
- PLAY TOGETHER: An opportunity to have fun and do something together instead of watching Netflix.
- TALK TOGETHER: Around the dinner table or ju
- st two of you sitting on the back porch, take turns asking these questions to learn more about the other.
- ORIENT TOGETHER: In time of need we have an opportunity to renew our vision for Jesus, and pray for His work in our life and world.
We hope these resources are helpful to you as a family. Feel free to share with others as well!
Play two truths and a lie, where you write down 3 statements, with one being untrue. Then the other person has to guess which is false. Then share why you picked each of the three, and maybe the story behind each one. Even if it’s a shared experience, the way we remember those experiences are different and it’s fun/interesting to get the other viewpoint.
Questions:
- What’s your earliest memory as a young child?
- If a believer, share a time when you clearly saw God at work and it strengthened your faith.
My brother and I are so different, and yet so similar. We’re only a year apart in age, and we share almost all of the same interest (music, sports, humor, etc), but we lived very different lives as children. I was saved from my sins at 13 years old, after being deeply involved in some rough stuff at a very early age. I was responsible for introducing some of that roughness to my brother, and he was hooked early on too. Then when I got saved, he continued in darkness all throughout high school. His story is nuts. While I was thumping Bibles, he was in and out of trouble with the law, ultimately hitting rock bottom and deciding he didn’t want to go on anymore.
It’s a heavy story. But it has a happy ending (or middle, I guess). While in the hospital recovering from a suicidal attempt, he decided he needed to go to rehab for the 4th time, except this time he put himself into a faith-based rehab program, where 4 weeks in God saved him. Today, Jody is a director for a ministry organization in Oklahoma, where his focus is on evangelism and discipleship, leading dozens to Christ yearly and connecting them with Bible-focused churches. I’m so proud of him.
His faith strengthens my faith. His story spurs me on. And it’s supposed to be this way.
In Hebrews 11, we find the great hall of faith. It’s a recap of story after story from the Old Testament of men and women who showed incredible faith in an incredible God, and God came through (because that’s what He does)! But right after that chapter we get this verse: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us cast aside the sin that entangles us, and run with perseverance this race that’s marked out before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”
You know what this says? It says that there’s something about knowing other peoples’ stories of faith that helps me run my race. There’s something about hearing how God has worked in others that reminds me that he’s working in me. When I hear these things, I can throw off sin…I SIN LESS! I sin less when you share your story with me. That’s crazy, right? I am more faithful to Jesus when you tell me how you are faithful to Jesus.
This is too easy.
So, I don’t know, maybe we should do that? Maybe you should share your story with me? Maybe I should share mine with you? No, not maybe, we definitely should…
How about right now. Parents, share with your kids how you came to faith. Leave out no detail. Students, share with your parents how you love Jesus.
Because the Bible says that when we do so, we run toward Jesus easier. And all of Heaven is cheering us on.
So, like Nike, JUST DO IT.
Today’s Family Resource for Growing Together is written by Brooks Anderson, a youth pastor in Lexington, SC.
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