Make Faith-Friendly Resolutions
The beginning of a new year offers the promise of a fresh start. Many people celebrate by resolving to make changes, often related to how they care for their bodies.

This year, take time to reflect on what you can do differently in your home to strengthen your family—and each member’s faith in God. Use these ideas to transform your family in 2011:

***Begin the day with music. Mornings are hectic in most houses. Play some soft Christian music to wake everyone up and to set the tone for a calm, God-directed day.

***Reclaim mealtime. Eat together as often as possible. Research points to all kinds of child-development benefits from this practice. But family meals also help you get to know one another better—and provide opportunities for faith growth. For example, ask specific, open-ended questions, such as “What’s the best thing that happened to you today? the worst?”

***Make devotions fun and active. Bible reading should be a social, bonding opportunity, not a dry discipline devoid of purpose. Use resources such as the “Family Night Tool Chest” series by Jim Weidmann and others (Chariot Victor), the “Not-So-Quiet Times” devotion series by Tracy Harrast (Standard), and 52 Fun Family Devotions by Mike and Amy Nappa (Augsburg Fortress).

***Develop a family mission statement. As a family, pinpoint your worthy purposes, worthy visions, and worthy values. A mission statement will unite you because everyone gives input into your family’s “big picture.” And God will be placed at the center of your home on purpose, not by chance.

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Start a Parenting Revolution
According to research by the Barna Group, fewer than 10 percent of parents who regularly attend church have consistent family time with God. George Barna’s book Revolutionary Parenting applies modern-day research to show that parents who faithfully apply God’s instructions for family life raise spiritual champions. Unfortunately, most people parent “by default” or use “trial-and-error parenting,” according to Barna.


Ask God:
1. To bless and guide your family during the year ahead.

2. To help you all embrace new habits so you grow closer to God and each other.

3. To grow each family member’s faith this year.

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Parenting Insights
Thom Schultz, president of Group Publishing, offers these tips for helping children’s faith take root:

1. See the sacred in the ordinary. Attach "God thoughts" to daily activities. Bathing a child can remind you of baptism, and talking with one another can remind you of the gift of prayer.

2. Be alert to teachable moments. Put up your “God antennae.” For example, use the media as a teaching tool that sparks discussions.

3. Just “be” with your kids. Simply be present without an agenda. When you stop trying so hard, it’s freeing—and you’ll actually relate better.

4. Realize your family doesn’t have to be perfect. Read the Bible together to see that God’s grace was—and still is— sufficient for imperfect people.




“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus offers us a fresh start not only on New Year’s but each and every day. By paying the price for our sins, Jesus made each of his children a new creation.

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Teachable Moments

1. Keep It Short—You can make a big impact even when you’re short on time. For example, read aloud one Bible verse at the breakfast table to start the day. At bedtime, tell a Bible story in your own words. Remember: “Short passages for short people.”

2. Take a Pause—Your family doesn’t always need to be on the go. This year, make it a priority to step away from some commitments and shorten your to-do list. Use the extra time to regroup, reconnect, and recharge.

3. Be Peacemakers—If one of your goals is less sibling conflict, help redirect tension by focusing on positive qualities. Whenever one family member is mean-spirited to another, have the offender say or write three things he or she appreciates about the other person. This will make your family more tenderhearted and thankful for one another.


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Begin a conversation with your children about the new year by asking them these questions:

1. What excites you the most about the new year, and why? What are you the most uncertain about, and why?

2. What are some things you want to do differently or change in the upcoming year?

3. What types of goals do you think our family should set, and how can we work together to meet them?

4. What are your suggestions for a family mission statement? What best describes who we are and what we want to do?

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Family Experience: A Fresh Start

Celebrate new beginnings with these Bible-based activities:
• Goal Tenders. Hold up an empty bowl and say, “This bowl reminds me of a new year, ready to be filled with new experiences and people.” Hand each family some buttons and say, “Let’s pretend these represent all those fun things. Your goal is to toss the buttons into the empty bowl from three feet away.”

After everyone has a turn, say, “A new year is a good time to set goals, but achieving them takes persistence. God gives us each a special goal to strive for every day, week, month, and year.” Read aloud Philippians 3:12-14 and discuss the goal of becoming what God wants us to be—and how we can pursue it. Close by having family members each toss one button into the bowl while thinking of a way to become what God wants them to be (for example, praying more often, being kind to others, etc.).

• Presto Chango!—Mix two parts glue with one part liquid starch. Stir well. Continue adding starch one spoonful at a time, using your fingers to work the mixture into a smooth putty. Press the putty onto a colored comic picture and then pull it off. Say, “This putty was plain, but it changed when it came into contact with the picture.” Read aloud 2 Corinthians 5:17. Say, “When we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in us and changes us. He helps us meet our goal of becoming more like Jesus.” Close in prayer, thanking God for the gift of a new year and for giving us new life in him.