Family Devotional Resources
Finding a family devotional to study with our kids has long been a priority. By no means can I say we read them every day, but we try to sit down and take in God’s word together a few times a week. My husband has led us in fun devotionals he’s found online, and we have purchased several great devotional books for kids over the years.
While reading The Lifegiving Home, by Sally and Sarah Clarkson, I noticed the mother and daughter reference their “Family Ways” more than once. They referenced the published family devotional based upon their system of family devotions, Our 24 Family Ways, written by Clay Clarkson. I was instantly attracted to the practicality and essential teachings put forth in their Family Ways and decided to order this devotional for our family to dive into together. Boy, am I glad I did!
Clarkson split the Family Ways down into six categories: Authorities, Relationships, Possessions, Work, Attitudes, and Choices. Believe it or not, I have yet to come across a situation in which I couldn’t point to a Family Way that addressed that particular issue. As opposed to a list of rules, the Family Ways aim to reach the heart of the child and shape Christian character through biblical values on real-world issues.
Here are some of the Family Ways found in the book:
Family Way # 3: We honor and obey our parents in the Lord with a respectful attitude.
Family Way # 7: We encourage one another, using only words that build up and bless others.
Family Way # 11: We are generous with what we have, sharing freely with others.
Family Way # 14: We take initiative to do all of our own work without needing to be told.
Family Way # 18: We choose to be peacemakers, even when we feel like arguing.
Family Way # 24: We always tell the truth and do not practice deceitfulness of any kind.
Our two older boys wrote out the 24 Family Ways, and we have them posted on our laundry room door for easy reference.
These “we” statements emphasize that values and character are caught, not taught, and by stating that “we” do things a certain way in our family, they will truly become a way of life for every family member.
Each devotional (there are five days of devotions for each of the 24 Family Ways, so 120 total) asks a question to answer as a family, gives a verse or set of verses to read from the Bible, asks discussion questions about the text, and leads the family into prayer time over what was just studied. There are even additional extension activities and color pages to copy if you’d like! I can’t express how simple these are to accomplish. They don’t take more than 10 minutes, are easy to understand without being too childish (even my husband and I benefit from them!), and are very relevant to building strong Christian character and a love of God’s word.
Our 24 Family Ways has been a huge blessing to our family. I would love to hear from you if you’re familiar with this book or if there’s another wonderful family devotional you and your family adore!
P.S. Here’s another favorite. This one is specifically for boys, is super quick and easy, and is always relevant to their lives. The boys and I often read this one when the hubs isn’t home, so we aren’t doing the Family Ways without him. They have even read this one on their own at times! It’s only $1.99 at Barnes and Noble! What the what??