10 brilliant ideas on Family Worship

Since the kipling's arrival, opportunities for doing regular family worship have all but disappeared. Life at the moment seems to be a routine of baby, baby, baby, a bit of eating, some sleep, quick chat to the lovely Mrs C, a bit of work, baby, baby, baby and so it continues. At some point though, I'd like to return to our routine of doing some devotional stuff in the evening and perhaps even extend that to also do something in the mornings (seeing as the littl'un has introduced us to what the world looks like at 5am). Anyway earlier today over at the Desiring God blog, I came across some very helpful (and liberating) pointers, to egg me to persevere in my desire to lead my Family in regular Worship:

1. Our God is a family God. He is a Triune God. He has an inter-trinitarion relationship. He deals with families throughout the Old Testament and the New in the terms of Covenant and into Representative Headship.
2. Family worship requires some preparation. Have your Bibles ready, and maybe an additional book — a devotional. Choose some Psalms and Hymns that are easy to sing.
3. Don't make Family Worship too long and provoke your children. Maybe 10 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at night.
4. Maybe you lost your temper a few minutes ago and you are in no mood to do family worship. A.W. Pink says this is all the more reason to do family worship. Confess your sins immediately and move on in worship. Your family worship will even have more meaning to you that night.
5. Lead your Family Worship with a firm fatherly hand and a soft penitent heart.Talk naturally yet reverentally with your children.
6. Involve the whole family in the reading, as soon as your children can read.Even before they can read, give them a Bible. If you have 20 verses to read and you have 5 people in your family, each reader should take 4 verses.
7. In your instruction be plain in meaning, pure in doctrine, relevant in application, and affectionate in manner.
8. Be short in your prayers when your children are young: 3-5 minutes when your children are young, 7-8 minutes when your children are older. Be simple in your prayers without being shallow. Be direct in your prayers, naming your children by name and spread out their needs one by one before God.
9. God often uses family worship and devotional life to save souls.
10. Family worship helps to promote family harmony in sickness, sadness and death. It creates a context to speak about things. If you can speak about intimate, sacred and tender things, then you can speak about anything throughout the day.

I particularly love Nos. 1, 4, 9 and 10 and find 3 & 8 incredibly liberating.