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Resources for Families

Speaking of Faith

Conversation Starters

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Contemporary Culture

Speaking of Faith: The Lord's Prayer

Read the Lord's Prayer together. Choose one part of the prayer and consider these questions. How many right answers can you think of? What do these answers say about God? Does this fit with what the Bible tells us about God?

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

• What would the world, our relationships, everything look like if this part of the prayer happened right now?
• What would be different if this part of the prayer happened right now?
• Is this happening right now? If so, where?
• How might you be or act differently if this part of the prayer happened right now?

Close by praying the Lord's Prayer together.

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Speaking of Faith: Seeing God

Sometimes it is easy to be aware of God’s presence.  Sometimes it is harder.  Sometimes you might even feel like you have been abandoned by God, and the only thing that tells you otherwise is the memory of a Bible lesson when you were three, or a Bible verse like, “Lo, I am with you always.” (Matt 28:20)

You might want to read Matthew chapter 28 to begin this conversation.

Talk about a time when you felt particularly aware of God’s presence.  How it happened.  How you felt.  Is there something about that experience you can hold onto as a reminder that God is always with you?

Talk about a time when you questioned how God could allow something to happen, or when God seemed indifferent to your prayers or pain.  Perhaps you even questioned whether or not God really existed. 

Looking back, can you find God?  What was different about these two times?  What was the same?  It may be easier for someone else to help you see the similarities and differences.  What other questions come to mind?When you are ready, close with the prayer of St Anselm.

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Faith Nuggets

Have you ever been confused about God? It can be hard during times of stress to really know where God fits in. There are persistent questions that challenge our faith, like:

How can God let bad things happen to good people?

Why did God take someone away when they were so young?

Why isn't God answering my prayers?

Think of the qualities of God that you personally can always trust, perhaps:

God is good, all the time.

God loves everyone.

Wherever you are, God is with you.

When you have chosen your own "Faith Nugget", talk about it with your family. Ask them what their Faith Nugget is. And use your Faith Nugget as a litmus test against the other questions and answers you have. And remember, it doesn't always have to make sense. We cannot know everything there is to know about God.

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A Question of Faith

Sharing your faith can be scary. You may feel uncertain about what you really believe. You may be afraid that someone else will challenge your ideas and you will look silly, or perhaps you are afraid you may loose your faith altogether if you look too closely at it. And what about sharing your faith with your children? Isn't that better left for people who are more qualified? It may not be an easy thing to have a conversation about faith with your children, no easier than talking about sex or drugs or how to find happiness. But what is the cost of not having these conversations?

You are not a Bible scholar. So what?! Each of us who thinks and wonders about God is a theologian. And besides, faith is not knowing the facts. Faith is believing what we cannot prove. Try this to begin a conversation about faith with your family:

Pick a time during the week when you can plan to be together for at least 30 minutes.

Together, choose one of the subjects in the Outline fo Faith from the Book of Common Prayer and read the questions and answers together. As you read them talk about where or how you may have experienced the questions or answers in your life, or admit where you have challenges understanding. Questioning and doubting all very important to growing your faith--just like exercising your muscles is necessary to getting stronger. It is important for our children to see that it is alright to question and doubt, and that does not mean you have to abandon your faith altogether.

Refer back to a Fatih Nugget to help guide you through your doubts and uncertainties.

Close with the Prayer of St Anselm.

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