Chasing Blue Skies

encouragement for every season of life

  • Home
  • Kristen
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Back Roads to Belonging
    • Girl Meets Change
    • Serving You (for military wives)
  • Subscribe
  • Instagram
  • Archives
  • Free
    • for everyone
    • for military spouses
  • Contact

Family Devotional Night{Mare} :: Carrie Cooper

in Encouragement· Guest Post· Parenting· Tweens



Carrie’s life was transformed when she was diagnosed with a crippling autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. Fear, hopelessness, and depression grabbed hold of her heart as she faced a lifetime of diability. Despite horrible pain and severe physical limitations, Carrie found hope in Jesus Christ. Now in remission, she can walk and participate fully in life again. With this newfound physical freedom Carrie responded to God’s call on her life. In 2009, she founded Comfort & Compassion Ministry to share Christ’s hope to hurting women. One year later God miraculously opened doors for Carrie to host U2HaveHope, a national radio program which shares compelling stories of hardship and faith. An award winning author, Carrie is devoted to reaching women with the good news of Christ.

 

You definitely don’t want to do what I did.

I thought I was fully prepared for our family devotional night: Bible and lesson plan-check; television off – check; kids – check. However, in hind sight, I can see now the whole thing was doomed.

Rookie Mistake #1: I put all three children, ages eleven, nine, and six, in the same room. But wait, isn’t that the family part of family devotional night? I thought so too, but I quickly learned my error.

Rookie Mistake #2: Not only was there typical sibling discord about seating arrangements and whose foot was touching whose body, but there was also a vast disparity in reading abilities and comprehension. The older children, bored after quickly writing the Bible verse in their notebook, fidgeted and fussed while I helped the youngest with spelling. It only got worse.

Rookie Mistake #3: I thought my daughters would appreciate the wisdom and insight of their big brother. I’ve never been more wrong. Whenever I asked a question, he smugly blurted out the answer. No one else had a chance to respond. The night ended with the girls in tears, my son chastised, and a personal vow never to repeat that drama.

Now, after much trial and error, I’ve devised a plan that works for my family. In coordinating your own devotional night, maybe I can save you a lot of frustration. Here are a few suggestions:

Family Bible Study Tips

1. Keep it Age Appropriate: My six year old enjoys reading a comic book style Bible. She practices reading and sees God’s Word picture format. For my nine year old daughter, I found a topical Bible study on friendships. It comes complete with magazine-style quizzes, sample prayers, an Bible verses revealing Jesus as her True Friend.

2. Keep it Interesting: Use computers to your advantage. I challenge my eleven year old son to study Scripture on reputable websites. After we read the verse, he writes it in his notebook and then we discuss. It’s simple, but appealing to a pre-teen. These sites have been a great hit with our family: bible.org and blueletterbible.org.

3. Keep it Personal: Family Bible study doesn’t necessarily mean group time. From now on, my motto is One Parent, One Child. Each morning before school, my son and I read Scripture and pray together. But, that technique doesn’t work for my daughters. They enjoy time alone with me at bedtime, when we read a Bible verse, pray, and talk about their day.

I’ve learned a lot since that aspirin-inducing event – my kids have, too. It’s not just reading the Bible that counts, but discovering how God created each child to learn, know, and love Him. Kids aren’t interested in busy work, but they jump at the chance to spend quality time with Mom or Dad.

What devo time style works best for your family? Do your tweens or older/younger children have a favorite study?

Although we have yet to meet face-to-face, I feel I’ve known Carrie forever. Right off the bat, I found her Biblical insights and encouraging spirit through adversity to be authentic and fresh. And since Carrie is an award winning author and a radio host, I’m clearly not the only one who respects her smarts! Through it all, she parents with love and grace by living these qualities, not just talking about them. Thank you, Carrie, for walking the walk and joining our tween parenting series!

photo credit

Sharing is caring!

0shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Related

Share
Tweet
Pin
0 Shares

Filed Under: Encouragement, Guest Post, Parenting, Tweens

« When You Want Kids Who Really Respect You :: Robin Dance
Your Piece of the Earth »

Trackbacks

  1. Your Piece of the Earth says:
    June 27, 2011 at 11:58 am

    […] cookies inside it or cut up the slice and bake kind. You can read some devotionals as a family or one-on-one. Neither choice is wrong as long as it’s right for your […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

On Instagram

This week brought to you by family heart-to-hearts This week brought to you by family heart-to-hearts around the fireplace, tulips on the table, and my first trip of the year to the garden store. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Never underestimate the ministry of flowers for you and your family. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
"Home is never simply a threshold you cross. It is a place you make and a place that might make—or unmake—you. In this halfway space, we would begin to learn the costs of stepping into the role God first gave in a garden: to be, like Adam and Eve, the makers and caretakers of a particular place." ⁠⁠
~Christie Purifoy (@christiepurifoy), in her stellar book Placemaker ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
#backroadstobelonging
Holler if you're a fellow expert at coming up with Holler if you're a fellow expert at coming up with worst-case scenarios and making plans to divert them. ⁠⁠ 📣
⁠⁠
In this particular case, I thought I had foreseen every possible problem. I took measures to ensure the best possible outcome. I’m not talking about anything outlandish or expensive. Rather, I used good ol’ hard work and productivity to take care of things responsibly.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
And then came the turn of events only God saw coming, and all my forethought and “responsible planning” didn’t amount to a hill of beans. I didn't asked for or want this outcome, but it was what I had.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Yeah, it's easier for me to daily assess the risk of doing something than to lean into trust.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
I write more about this at my second online writing home, @incourage. Visit the link in my profile to read more. 💛
I belong where it will snow in April (and May!), b I belong where it will snow in April (and May!), but where spring always comes, eventually. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Where do you belong today?⁠⁠
⁠⁠
#whereIbelongWednesday
Remember my post from a few weeks ago about our fr Remember my post from a few weeks ago about our friend Ryan, a USAF vet, who lost all all feeling and control from mid chest down due to a sudden spinal stroke?⁠⁠
⁠⁠
This is his wife, Rebecca, and she is one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Sometimes when a change comes that turns our world upside down, God works through others to turn it right side up again.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
This gal has surely been a turn-the-world-right-side-up gal in my life, and now I'd love it if *we* could help do the same for her.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
As Ryan undergoes physical therapy and rehab in the spinal cord unit of the VA hospital in Denver, we would like to help Ryan and Rebecca defray the many costs not covered by insurance following this spinal stroke, such as:⁠⁠
⁠⁠
▫️Outfitting Ryan and Rebecca’s home for needs regarding Ryan’s limited mobility.⁠⁠
▫️An outfitted vehicle that’s wheelchair accessible.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
These needs and several more are on Ryan and Rebecca's own dime, and they cost a shockingly WHOLE LOTTA DIMES. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
If you're interested in helping with these needs and/or sharing about it with your people, please check out the link to our fundraiser in my profile.⁠⁠☑️
⁠⁠
Swipe to see a pic of Ryan and Rebecca and a pic of the GoFundMe page.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
And on behalf of Ryan and Rebecca, thank you for your continued prayers!⁠⁠❤️
⁠
Follow on Instagram
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 Kristen Strong · Site by Design by Insight · Chasing Blue Skies Logo by Aliza Latta