esearch and personal experience suggest that the most effective family worships are those that deliberately involve all the members of the family by giving them an opportunity to lead out in the daily exercise. Having clear goals in mind, such as what devotional material will be used, how long worship will last, where and when worship will convene, and what components will be included in the daily ritual, are important considerations.
My family has daily family worship in our (the parents') bedroom from Monday through Friday at 6:00 in the morning. We choose age-specific interactive devotional books from which we read each morning. Our family observes a schedule for leading out in the daily devotional activities as well as the daily prayers that will be offered. After the appointed person has led out in the reading or activity, the person leading out in prayer will ask if anyone has prayer requests (spoken or unspoken) or prayer praises (answers to prayers or specific blessings experienced) that we may together bring to the Lord. After listening to the prayer requests and praises, the person scheduled to lead out in prayer prays about the specific points that have been shared.
By sharing leadership of our morning worships, our children learn to own their faith. They are also developing spiritual leadership skills and a positive self-esteem by having an audience that is attentive to what they are saying. This has also provided an excellent opportunity to practice oral reading skills and get help with unfamiliar words. By praying each day for requests and praises, our children are learning to intercede on behalf of others, and to affirm their beliefs and faith in God, especially when they get to share stories about prayers that have been answered.
Although lasting only 10-15 minutes, our daily family worships also double as scheduled time to catch up with each others' lives. During the time of prayer requests and praises, we get an opportunity to talk about things that concern us, as well as things that please us. Talking about personal joys and concerns fosters a spirit of connectedness, both spiritually and emotionally. -- Willie Oliver.
