Every Monday: Family Liturgies–Prayers and practices for you to use with your family (or not) Every Wednesday: Practicing with Children–Stories of how we experience God in the midst of family life Every Friday: Practicing Parents–Spiritual insight gleaned from parenting, and about parenting (Logo designer Kristin Neufeld Epp with her family.)
Are you wondering what this whole “Practicing Families” thing is about? So are we! But the About Page is a good place to start. (Photo of “Practicing Parents” editor Jill Clingan with her family.)
The Contributors Page provides a small glimpse into the lives of the regular Practicing Families writers. You should really click over and look at all of these beautiful people! We also suggest you visit their blogs for more great writing. (Photo of contributing writer Chris Lenshyn and family.)
The Prayer Room is a place to give and receive prayer support. Stop by and share any joys or concerns that you would like us to hold in prayer. Take a few minutes to offer prayer and words of encouragement to others who have shared. (Photo of contributing writer Christine Gough and family.)
The Resources Page contains suggestions for books, web sites, and other resources that offer support for families engaging in spiritual practices. Check out our suggestions and contact us with resources that you have found helpful on your journey. (Photo of contributing writer Amy Yoder-McGlaughlin and family.)
It all started in a nondescript conference room, seated in a big circle with a bunch of strangers. I was at the 2012 Aprentis Institute conference, listening to a presentation about the ministry of Renovare–providing resources to help Christians deepen their spiritual lives. During the question and answer time, a young mother asked about resources …
by David Grummon So let’s leave it alone ‘cause we don’t see eye to eye There ain’t no good guy, there ain’t no bad guy There’s only you and me and we just disagree -Dave Mason, 1977 So I wanted to write a piece on teaching kids how to disagree without being disagreeable. That is … Continue reading
by Dena Hobbs I remember how very glad we were when our daughter finally learned to talk at 18 months of age. She had come to us 13 months old from an orphanage in China. She was baby-talking just a bit in Chinese, but could neither understand nor speak English. We used some simple sign … Continue reading
~ By Elizabeth Dilley In the past month, I have received two gifts. The first was a knotted cross, given to me and four other women by a dear mutual friend, around whom we virtually gathered over the past year as that friend received treatment for breast cancer. This cross is a celebration of the … Continue reading
~by Christine Gough We are knee deep in the middle of summer these days and as a teacher with two boys at home–ages 6 and 10–we create a summer bucket list each year. Rather than seeing this list as a prescriptive, stressful agenda of to-dos, it actually gives our days a little structure and allows … Continue reading
~by Corey Fields Life can be an exercise in doing lots of work for what is relatively a moment of reward. You practice that Christmas cantata at church for months and it’s over in 45 minutes. You plan and fundraise for that international mission trip — often more than a year of prep for a … Continue reading
~by Lynace Pabst Veit Attending worship has always been a significant part of my life. With both parents in ministry there was rarely a Sunday that I missed church. We were the first to arrive in the morning, the last ones to leave, and there we sat every Sunday in the second pew from the front. … Continue reading
by Joe Greemore This past Father’s Day weekend, our family of five hopped in the car and made a summer drive through sun, rain, and wind back to our home state. There I was to officiate the wedding of dear friends. The venue was gorgeous: a festive gazebo surrounded by a fragrant, colorful rose garden … Continue reading
by Keeva Kase I am often amazed at the spiritual insight of my nearly four-year-old son. On a recent trip to the store, Ketch asked me, “Dad, what is most important in life?” This is not like the indefatigable “why?” after each level of explanation of reasons that a car needs gas or the sky … Continue reading
~ By Miranda Grummon The reputations of Christians and the church isn’t exactly stellar in the secular world. Churches are closed-minded, they say. Homophobic. Judgmental. Hypocritical. Why on earth would someone want to be a part of a church community? Well…..what if, instead of only hearing the negative press, I could tell them about the love, … Continue reading
~by Julia Roller The other day I heard a young girl say that Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,” was her life verse. It’s a beautiful and meaningful verse, and I was smiling to myself about her choice … Continue reading
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