Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reads, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children…”

Another positive routine to share your faith with your family is to insist on worship with other believers. Some parents get real nervous making their kids go to church, especially if their kids whine, complain, and say they don’t want to go. If Mom and Dad force them to go to church, the kids announce that as soon as they move out on their own, they will never go to church again. I’ve seen many parents then panic. They want their children to choose a life of faith and fear that it will backfire if they force it. Kids often don’t like routines that are good for them. So, will you ignore what they want and give them what they need? You don’t give them a choice to take a bath, brush their teeth, get vaccines, or take algebra, do you? Then worship shouldn’t be up for negotiation. I share from personal experience that my own mother caved with my eldest brother. Although he remains open to matters of faith (as expressed through his son who attends a Christian private school) he is unopen to matters of Jesus. I now wear the bracelet and continue to pray for his salvation.

At the Reilly Bed & Breakfast, if you overslept and didn’t make it to worship, then your week must have been way too busy. So, you would not be going anywhere for the next week. The rule was you had to be BIS beside the family before the pastor took the pulpit for the sermon or discussions would take place about your lifestyle (or lack of it) for the next week.  BIS meant “butt in seat.”  There have been at least 4 times where our son skateboarded in just in time for the sermon and we worshiped at 8:15am.

Something else my kids heard me say that I took from a wise pastor: “Worship on Sunday begins on Saturday.” Bible, clothes, alarm, gas in the car, and tithe. Part of that preparation for me was to intentionally make Sunday mornings really special. That was the one morning during the week when I woke up the earliest of any other day during the week and I prepared and delivered a light breakfast in bed to everyone at the Bed & Breakfast.  It could be juice and a muffin for my man, hot chocolate and a piece of French Vanilla toast for Baby Girl, and hot tea and a muffin for #1 Son.

Impress the importance of “worship as a family” on your children.