For your devotion time this week, I want you to pray together as a family. Prayers that are only filled with thanksgiving can be found throughout the Bible, specifically in Psalms 145-150. Ask your student to list some of the things they are truly grateful God has blessed them with. You do so, also. Then talk about taking advantage of the things listed off instead of merely taking them for granted. Then, as a family, pray and thank first for who He is (because we should praise Him even without all the blessings He gives us) and thank Him for His provision.

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And this week in your purposeful attempt to leave a legacy of faith to your children (so that when they are old they won’t depart from it!) share with your student(s) what your favorite Bible verse is (or one of them). Share why it means so much to you. Ask them what theirs is and why. Maybe they can’t think of one, so what’s one of their favorite stories and why? This might not seem like a lot, but how many families know each other’s favorite stories and verses? This is laying the foundation for future talks you can have with your children as well as the idea of talking about God and the Bible becoming more commonplace. Have a great rest of the week!

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Without the kids around, open up your Bible to Deuteronomy 6 (it’s the fifth book of the Bible). Read the whole chapter. Normally verses 4 through 9 are focused on the most, but all 25 verses are great. What are some of the principles you can take from this chapter? What is it God wants passed down through the families? How is it to be passed down? Why? After you’ve considered this, all through this day and the next when you’re with your kids keep thinking in your mind D6. You’re riding in the car: D6. They just got in trouble: D6. Something catches your attention on TV: D6. D6 is your mission for this Family Devotion. Enjoy!

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Parents, we all know the end of school is coming quickly upon us. Sometimes it can be hard to stay focused on beautiful spring days (I’m thinking of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off “How can I possibly be expected to go to school on a day like this?”) Read with your student Romans 5:1-5 and talk about them gaining character through persevering through the end of school. Sure, it’s not the persecution of the Saints, but still, to be able to stick to something means you’re growing in character. That character building builds up the true hope. And this perseverance of doing their best in school even when it’s so beautiful outside and when they could only give half their effort and still pass is just preparing them to have a positive future and helps them be the disciple today that God has called them to be!

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We’ll keep it simple this week again in case any of you are anxious about starting these conversations about God and letting it be normal in your home. Leave your student a note, text, email, Facebook update, or some form of communication that lets them know that you are praying for them. By the way, make sure you pray for them!

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I hope you all enjoyed sharing memories of yester-Easters last week. This week I want to keep it simple but add just one element. This week, watch a movie together. Any movie you think the whole family would enjoy (or tolerate!) should work wonderfully. Afterwards, (and you can blame this part on me, if you like) go around and have each person share one part of the movie that illustrated something about God or a story from the Bible. It could be anything from a character forgiving someone, an act of sacrifice, or even some short character reminding you of Zaccheus. Have fun with it and let me know what movie you saw!

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I have no idea if anyone has attempted the family devotions I’ve sent out, so I’m going to assume that you haven’t. Let’s try something different. It’s Easter so there are plenty of opportunities to start a discussion of spiritual things. Try this: On your way to church or any other Eastery activity ask your student what some of their favorite Easter memories are. Be sure to share some of yours. That’s it. In this family devotion I just want you to share memories of Easter. It might not seem like a lot, but here’s what’s really happening: 1. You’re having an open conversation with your student. 2. This is a positive conversation. 3. For those of you that are hesitant to talk about spiritual matters with your child, you’ve opened that door ever so slightly. 4. More than likely the memories shared will have something to do with family, which will reinforce in the student’s mind that family is important (and in some minds, that good things can still happen in families). 5.If you want, you can ask some questions and have a follow-up discussion (Why is it called Easter, what do bunnies have to do with Jesus rising from the dead, what would you have done if you saw Jesus walking around after His death…). Some questions might require some research, but I bet you’ll find it’s worth it!