Family Worship That Actually Works: What to Do With Those 15 Minutes

Family Worship That Actually Works | What to Actually Do Last week we talked about why family worship matters and why it’s so hard. You came away convinced. Then Monday morning arrives, everybody’s on the couch, and the question hits: what do we actually do for the next fifteen minutes? Hal and Melanie Young — parents of ten — walk through exactly that. Not a theory of family devotions, but the pieces you can pick from, and permission to leave most of them out on any given day. The building blocks: Bible reading. Pick one book and read straight through it — the Youngs alternate Old and New Testament. Read a complete thought (a paragraph, sometimes a whole chapter), then talk about it. “You don’t have to preach a sermon.” Prayer. Ask the kids what they want to pray about; you’ll hear their hearts. Let them hear your requests too — work, church, money, energy — so they see you depending on the Lord. Worship in song. The Youngs’ “hymn of the week”: sing every verse daily, explaining one new verse each day. By Friday your children know the whole hymn and understand what they’re singing. Memory work. Passages often stick better than isolated verses, because a paragraph carries one thought. Build a list of the anchor texts every Christian should carry — Genesis 1:1, John 3:16, Psalm 23. Catechism. A question-and-answer framework that teaches children to think about Scripture in an orderly way. They used A Catechism for Boys and Girls (“Who made you? God made me.”). And the freedom underneath all of it: you don’t have to do every element every time. Little ones need it short and moving; older kids can handle more. Match it to the family you actually have this year. Hal closes on Deuteronomy 6 — teach them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise. Family worship isn’t fifteen minutes in the morning; it’s the whole day, and the fifteen minutes is just where it gets named out loud. The last word belongs to Melanie: “You can’t save your kids. Only God can do that. But you can make sure you have a good relationship with your kids, and you can make sure you’re teaching them the Word of God.” Scriptures mentioned: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 · Colossians 3:16 · Genesis 1:1 · John 3:16 · Psalm 23 Resources mentioned: Hymnary.org (online hymnal — tunes, texts, accompaniment) · A Catechism for Boys and Girls · the Youngs’ Christ-Centered Advent (two volumes) and other family devotionals at RaisingRealMen.com/shop Missed part one? Start with Family Worship Without the Guilt — the obstacles, and why they’re not the end of the story. Making Biblical Family Life Practical is hosted by Hal and Melanie Young and is part of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network. Find more from Hal and Melanie at HalandMelanie.com. This episode is sponsored by CTCMath.com The post Family Worship That Actually Works: What to Do With Those 15 Minutes appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network. Click the icon below to listen.