Lighting a Spiritual Flame
Taking care of the mind, body and spirit is important for a person's overall well-being. Too often we overlook the spiritual side of our health.
Daily devotions are a way to keep the spirit healthy. We have daily devotions before bedtime with our children. It is a great way to get everyone calmed down, develop spirituality in our children and prepare for the night and the next day ahead.
Preschool and Elementary
We have enjoyed many great devotional books. We've read through countless children's Bibles. They provide oral reading experience for our children as well as understandable Bible truths for the kids (and adults). The illustrations bring the Biblical stories to life and are wonderful for pre-school and early elementary aged children.
Elementary and Middle School
We've also enjoyed the Questions Kids Ask series by David R. Veerman which are readily available on Amazon.com. They list common questions and Biblical answers plus tips for parents on how to lead discussions on topics. They are better for elementary and middle school children.
Middle and High School
Sometimes reading a book gets tiresome. To liven up our nightly devotions, we've found a wonderful video series that we've all enjoyed. It is very contemporary and speaks to issues that high school and adult audiences will appreciate. The videos run about 10-15 min. each and cost $10. They are from Nooma and feature Rob Bell. Even our younger children have appreciated the videos.
We've had a few devotional books along the way that we didn't like. They were either too involved or took too long to complete before bedtime. When you hit one of these, just admit that it was a bad choice for your family and move on. We've struggled too long through some bad selections and it can ruin this special time.
Most days fly by too fast. Stopping for a moment for a little study, prayer and family time is a great lesson to teach your children.
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