Gods plan is for you to be the primary spiritual nurturers of your childs faith.
This resource is WHAT WE LEARNED THIS WEEK
designed to allow your family to share time in Gods Word before your child attends youth group.
At Home Weekly is meant to inspire you toward a deeper personal relationship with Jesus
Christ, equip you to be the primary person to present these biblical concepts to your child, and
support you as you connect and grow alongside your son or daughter.
CONNECT AS A FAMILY: SHARE & ASK
Faith can flourish in the context of intentional relationships. Start by sharing your life and then
asking your child about his. Without judgment, model honesty and let him know you want to hear
about his thoughts and experiences.
Share: While Christmas is a joyful time, it can easily be a time of anxiety, sadness, or
even fear. Things like financial stress, sickness, family conflict, and past loss can be
amplified at the holidays. Some people try to put on a happy face and manage
through it. Others try to escape altogether. The Bible says true fellowship comes from
living in the light. This week, consider where your familys holes are. Process and
pray through them together. Dont dwell on the negative or speak ill of anyone, but
focus on the peace that Jesus brings and the hope we have in Him.
Ask: Once youve led the way for authenticity, ask your child about any holes there
may be in his Christmas season. You might be surprised at what you hear and how
he has processed the struggles in his life. Be sure to listen for both his words and his
heart. Give him the freedom to express his feelings. Dont try to fix things; just listen
and affirm his feelings. After he shares, pray together and ask God to grant your
family peace.
CONNECT WITH YOUR CHILDS LEADER
Inspire, equip, and support the leader who is intentionally pouring into your child, guiding her to a
closer relationship with Jesus. Your childs leader should be leading with your encouragement
and input.
Each day this week, pray one letter of the acronym PRAYERS for the leader in your
childs life. You may want to set alarms in your phone as reminders.
Power of the Holy Spirit to guide and guard them.
Relationships in their lives: family, work, friends, and ministry.
Activities they engage in: home, work, leisure, volunteer, etc.
Yield to Gods Word in obedience.
Evangelism opportunities to share their faith in words and tangible ways.
Requests they may have. (Call, ask, and tell them youre praying!).
Strength for physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
2017 David C Cook. TruIdentity is developed in partnership with a national network of
family and student ministry leaders. All rights reserved. Reproducible for church use only.
HOPE (Context for the Gospel)
Focus: The story of hope runs throughout Gods grand redemptive narrative. People
have always been able to put their hope in the promise God made to send a Savior.
In trials and hardships, hope drives us. Jesus is the hope of the world.
WHERE WERE HEADED NEXT TIME
PEACE (Luke 2:820)
Focus: The shepherds received an incredible message of peace that the coming of
Christ brings to us. An angel visited these shepherds in the middle of the night, and
they were dreadfully afraid. But the first words from the angel were Do not be afraid.
While fear wouldve been a proper response to an angel from God, this angel had
good news to share. God sent a Savior into the world, and they were right there for
one of the greatest moments in human historythe moment God stepped into our
world and offered forgiveness and peace to all of creation.
FOCUSING ON GODS WORD TOGETHER
During this series, we challenge your family to commit the series Focus Verses below to
memory. Consider how your family will celebrate learning this passage together.
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and
redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his
servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our
enemies and from the hand of all who hate usto show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to
rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. (Luke 1:6875)
MIDDLE SCHOOLERS often face fear from the new and the unknown. In middle
school, there are unknown responsibilities, rules for social interactions, new
temptations, new risks, and a lot of uncomfortable changes. The one thing middle
schoolers need and crave is stabilitya safe place to be themselves and not worry
about what others think, how they might fail, or what theyre missing. Consider how
youre creating those safe places for your child this Christmas.
BLESSING
Blessings are often used in the Bible. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of
Scripture, or words to encourage and guide.
(Childs name), may God fill you with His peace. May His peace, which is beyond
our understanding, guard your heart and your mind. May His peace give you
confidence to be and do all that He has planned for you.
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