Family Worship

  Strong family relationships do not just happen. They take time, commitment, prayer, and very hard work.

"True education begins in the home, the place where missionary work should begin. Every family should rear its altar of prayer, realizing that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If any person in the world needs the strength and encouragement that religion gives, it is those who are responsible for the education and training of children. They cannot do their work in a manner acceptable to God while their daily example teaches those who look to them for guidance that they can live without God. If they educate their children to live for this life only, they will make no preparation for eternity. They will die as they have lived, without God, and parents will be called to account for the loss of their souls. Fathers, mothers, you need to seek God morning and evening at the family altar, that you may learn how to teach your children wisely, tenderly, lovingly.(The Review and Herald, June 27, 1899)
If ever there was a time when every house should be a house of prayer, it is now. Infidelity and skepticism prevail. Iniquity abounds. Corruption flows in the vital currents of the soul, and rebellion against God breaks out in the life. Enslaved by sin, the moral powers are under the tyranny of Satan. The soul is made the sport of his temptations; and unless some mighty arm is stretched out to rescue him, man goes where the arch rebel leads the way. And yet, in this time of fearful peril, some who profess to be Christians have no family worship. They do not honor God in the home; they do not teach their children to love and fear Him. " As we rise up in the morning our thoughts should be upon Christ. Morning worship need not be as long as evening unless if time permits. Though it is important for each member to spend a few minutes on devotion or quite time with God before the day starts. Make it a point to begin your day as a family in prayer before you separate as a family then each carry on with your day’s duties. As we retire to bed it is also important to close the day in prayer. Before beginning your worship make sure there are no distractions (phones, radio, television etc. should be switched off) Have all the resources you are going to need ready. Pick a place either kitchen table, dining table, sitting/lounge area etc. It is very important to talk through any problems and ask for forgiveness from any family member that we might have wronged, also to ask God to forgive us from our sins. Consistency and order is the key. Family worship should not be just done, but well prepared or at least follow a format adding variety here and there to make it interesting especially if you have little ones involve them as well. Be careful not to do the same thing every day as this can make the worship dry. "From time to time let the service be varied. Questions may be asked on the portion of scripture reading, and a few earnest, timely remarks may be made.” For beginners to family worship, reading a passage from the bible ,bible story etc. praying then singing (Read, Pray, Sing format) can be followed adding variety as you get used to gathering together for worship as time goes on. Also make it straight to the point and allocate time for each, keep it short and sweet. It works best either following a theme for the week or topic for the day or whatever suits you best. Allocate time preferably an early hour of the evening, when every member of the family is still alert before bedtime. It is essential to have fixed times for worship. The time chosen should not be neglected even when they are guests around. “Family worship should not be governed by circumstance in our efforts for the comfort and happiness of guests, let us not overlook our obligations to God. The hour of prayer should not be neglected for any consideration.” Prayer, pg. 189. Family worship should not be limited to evening and mornings only. If time allows especially with the little ones, time can be spent outdoors in nature learning from Gods creation, go for walks look at beautiful plants, animals etc. let the children pick objects and learn what the bible says about your finds, or even take them home and make up some objective lessons as a family from them. There are so many different ways to worship as a family below is a non-exhaustive list of some ideas to add : *Make slide pictures of each family member then each take turns to recount family blessings *Choose a family ministry together and decide how you are going to use it to bless others e.g. hospital visitations, going to help others in the community on nominated dates/days etc. (should be something you will do together as a family) *Have a question and answer day when all members of the family can help each other on any issue they need help in etc. A family that pray together stays together. Be blessed This article was written by: Joyce Dube Mufudza

Joyce Dube Mufudza, Novice writer. Passionate about Christ and preparing for his second coming. Happily Married to Casper Mufudza & A mum of one little boy (aged 5).Currently working as a mental health and behavioral professional and based in the U.K.

I am a part time homeschooler praying to be full time in the future God willing.
In my spare time i love doing a bit of D.I.Y,reading,cooking,baking and travelling.
Hope you will stop by at unceasingprayergiant@gmail.com

Our Homeschooling Supplies

     Each year I get excited to go out and buy our new school supplies.  I love finding great deals on all the fun items we will need for our homeschooling year.  Usually at the end of July or beginning of August, the stores start their back to school sales.  I enjoy taking the kids and letting them pick out all the goodies they will be using.  

      I wanted to share a list of our homeschooling supplies with you.  Some are not on a typical school list, but we find them important to The Daley Academy.

          1.  Spiral Notebooks - We usually grab about 50 for the year.

          2.  Crayons - 5 boxes of 24 are a good number for us.

          3.  Pencils/Pens - We buy about 100 since we have 4 kids using them. 

          4.  Composition Notebooks - These are great for writing and spelling.

          5.  Glue Sticks - These work great for art projects and lapbooks, so we buy about 20. 

          6.  Lamination Pouches -  I use these to laminate special posters, workbook pages, and Bible verses. 

          7.  Bibles - We go through Bibles quickly since we use them a few times a day. 

          8.  Construction paper 

          9.  Copy paper

          10. Ink for our printer.  We always keep extra cartridges on hand since it used everyday.

          11. Colored Pencils

          12. Markers

          13. Erasers

          14. Book markers

          15. 3 Ring Binders - 2 for each student

          16. Pocket Folders - we buy about 25 for the year

          17. Report Covers- we try to re use these as much as possible 

          18. Compasses

          19. Protractors

          20. Rulers

     What do you buy for your homeschool each new year?  

     

Does God come first in your life?

As busy moms, we tend to make excuses for not having time to spend in the Word of God.  We say the kids get up to early, or they go to bed too late, or we have this event or that thing to do.  We must stop and ask ourselves one question:  Who is first in our lives?  As Christians, we need to spend time with the Lord on a daily basis.  We need to put him first in all we do and say.  God is not just there when we feel like going to him for things, he is there to have a real relationship with you.  How would you feel if your best friend only came to you when they needed something from you?  That person wouldn't have a very good relationship with you for long would they?

Our God is a jealous God and he deserves and demands that we put him above everything else.  He says we are not to have any other gods before him.  Those gods he is talking about is the idols in our lives.  Anything you put higher on your list of priorities (even good things like your family) are considered idols.

Let's put our Lord first, then we will see everything else fall into place!

Friday's Fun with Food: Desserts for the End of Summer

I thought it would be fun to share a few dessert recipes today. I hope you enjoy them and have fun making them with your family!

Peanut Butter Eclair Cake

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/08/peanut-butter-eclair-cake.html

Blueberry Crumble Coffee Cake

http://sweetannas.com/2010/07/blueberry-crumble-coffee-cake.html

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

http://www.isavea2z.com/icecreamsandwichcakerecipe/

Banana Boats

http://lickmyspoon.com/recipes/banana-boats/

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom: A Mom's Job

Being a mom is the most rewarding job.  I call it a job because it is hard work.  We have no time off, no sick days, and we lose a lot of sleep, but when you look into the eyes of your child, everything else fades away.  Their smiles, hugs, and kisses make it all worth it.

We are responsible to teach our children from the time they are born until they day the Lord calls us home.  Even as adults they will need our loving advice and our gentle guidance.  As children they need us to teach them character, academics, and life skills.  We need to lead them by our example.

Our children are like little sponges.  They soak up everything they see and hear.  We must be very careful to not allow them to purposely see or hear things that may lead them into wrongful thoughts or actions.  We are to keep them and protect them until they are old enough to step onto the battlefield and face the evil forces that battle for their souls.

We must get our children ready for battle by teaching them the Word of God.  We need to teach them to put on the full armor of God so they will be ready for every fiery dart that the devil throws their way. 

Games to Teach By

     I wanted to give you a list of games you can play with your children and teach them while doing it.  They won't even realize they are learning because they will be having so much fun!

This wonderful game can be used to teach phonics, reading, 

vocabulary and spelling. 

Leap Frog Letter Factory Board Game is great 

for teaching letters and phonic sounds. 

The Game of States can teach interesting facts about the states.

You can also teach the capitals of each one as you go.

  

The games above will help teach strategy 

and critical thinking.  

The Counting Cookies game is great 

to help teach numbers.

Our Prayer

Please feel free to download this prayer to print for your homes.

Friday's Fun with Food

I am excited to share some amazing recipes with you this week. I hope you enjoy trying each of them!

 Easy Smothered Chicken

http://southernbite.com/2011/03/01/smothered-chicken/

Pizza Stuffed Chicken Breast

http://www.organizeyourselfskinny.com/2014/05/18/pizza-stuffed-chicken-breasts/

Chicken Fried Rice

http://www.nobiggie.net/chicken-fried-rice/

Tortilla Rollups!  Great for Appetizers for Guests 

http://www.nobiggie.net/tortilla-rollups-recipe/

The Power of Prayer

     I never realized how powerful prayer could be in a marriage until one evening my husband and I knelt beside our bed and prayed as a couple.  It was such a humbling and amazing experience.  I have never felt so close to my husband than I did in that moment.

      I had always heard the verse in Ecclesiastes about the cord of 3 strands, but hadn't really thought about it in terms of my marriage until we attended a marriage class at church.  When we put Christ at the center of our marriage, it strengthens our union.  Christ brings life to a marriage.  He gives it a firm foundation to build upon.

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three 

strands is not quickly broken.  ~ Ecclesiastes 4:12  

      During the last 6 months my husband and I have been very faithful to do devotions together.  We have seen it transform our marriage in many ways.  We are more patient and understanding of one another.  We are more open and our communication has improved drastically.  Our love has blossomed more than I ever thought imaginable.  Worshiping, praying and reading God's Word as a couple will allow you to see your spouse in a new light.  

       I challenge you to get into God's Word with your spouse.  Find time everyday to pray with each  other.  Even if it is just a few minutes, it will be worth it!!!

      If you do not have a spouse who is a believer, know that I am praying for you.  Keep being a good example of God's love and pray daily for your husband or wife.  

A Household Mission Statement

     A few years ago, our family sat down and put together some ideas for our household mission statement.  Each one of us contributed statements that we wanted others to know about our family.  We wanted to represent Christ in all we do and say.  

     I took our mission statement, printed it out and laminated it.  I made a few copies so we could place it in different areas of our home.  When I see our children not displaying the correct attitude or doing things that are displeasing to the Lord, I refer them to our mission statement.  I remind them that we are suppose to be examples of Christ.  They quickly agree, we pray, and on we go about our day.  

     I think it is important for every family to have a mission statement.  I encourage you to sit down soon, pull your thoughts together, and create your own.  Feel free to use some of our ideas :) 

     

Being the best mom you can be

As a mom  of 6 children, I would be lying if I said I felt like a good mom all the time.  I use to beat myself up when I yelled or had a short temper with my kids, but God has been working in me.  He has shown me that I am not perfect, so I will fail even as a mom.  It is okay to be human as long as I acknowledge what I did or said was not right and I ask for forgiveness.  I need to ask my Lord for his forgiveness, then I need to go to the child or children that I wronged and ask for their forgiveness.  Letting your children see you fail then repent is a lesson they will never forget.  They are smart, they know we fail on a daily basis, but it is how we handle those failures that will leave an impression on their hearts and minds.

I must stop here and say this:  If you have an issue with harming your children physically, please seek counseling immediately.  It is not okay to harm a child and then just say "Oh I am just human".   We can not use excuses to harm our children in any way.  Our response is our responsibility and if you are unable to control yourself, you need to get help.

Our children will learn by our example.  That is why it is so important to lead them by setting the right example even when our ugly sinful nature comes out.  They need to see that we need God's grace and mercy just as they do.  We must show them that even when we fail, God loves us.  We need to show them that even when they fail God loves them and so do we.  They must know our love is not based on their behavior.  It is unconditional!