We are so excited to BLAST OFF with you into loving God and loving others!

Get ready for some cool ways that we can blast closer to God – that’s our mission training – and serve others – that’s our mini-missions!

There will be time to explore with your church, your family and on your own.  All the while, God will be at the center!

This month we will be focusing on prayer.  Prayer is an out-of-this-world experience, where we get to talk with our creator, an amazing and holy God.

September Mission Training and Mini Missions

Each week throughout September on Instagram and on this Facebook Page we will post a Mission Training (on Mondays) and a Mini Mission (on Thursdays) Follow us for these posts and more family faith forming posts. Share with the families in your community and invite them to follow us too! Want to see the posts we will be sharing? Or are you or the families in your community not on Instagram of Facebook? You can see all of September’s posts here.

Family time capsule

During this exceptional year, wouldn’t it be interesting to create a record of what God is doing in your family as you grow together?

This is easy – with a few prompts, you can create a cool time capsule. You can do it in a journal or notebook.  (If your really keen, check out some ideas we have gathered on crafty time capsule ideas that we have compiled on this Pinterest board)

September Questions:

PRO-TIP: Date your pages!

Name 3 things that are going on in your family right now.

What was/is for dinner tonight?

Trace each persons’ hands

What are you praying for? Hopeful for?

Where do you find it easy to pray?

Did you hear anything specific from God when you have been praying recently?

Learning Space

Ministry leaders, are you looking for more resources and ideas for incorporating this month’s discipline into your ministry? Here are a few to consider:

For your own learning:

The Practice of the Presence of God by brother Lawrence is a powerful, easy to read book that I highly recommend and this link offers a free download of it.

5 Misconceptions that Hinder Prayer by Richard Foster is a brief, accessible article for learning about prayer. Foster responds to the question, “What keeps us from enjoying prayer as a love relationship with God?”

Richard Foster’s book Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home is a fantastic book that I highly recommend. Check it out here and order your copy today from Bernice!

Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard is another good book to read. Check it out here and order your copy today from Bernice!

Classic Articles on Prayer is a free download of 5 classic articles on prayer from Andrew Murray, E.M. Bounds, Richard Lovelace, R.C. Sproul and O. Hallesby.

Creating a Prayer Space with your Families is a great idea for families to cultivate space and an intentional plan for praying.

Examen Prayer for Families is a short video from Lacy Finn Borgo.

10 Prayer Tools and Printables for Families is a great resource of ideas and free downloads.

10 Ways to Pray with Kids is a helpful list of ideas families can try with their kids.

10 Breath Prayers is a helpful list for trying out the practice of breath prayers.

Made to Pray is a 12 day prayer journal for families. This is a PDF downloadable resource with a cost of $7 from Christie Thomas.

Ideas for Teaching Kids

The following ideas could be adapted for in person or virtual teaching.

9 Quick Tips for Teaching Kids to Pray is helpful to read as you consider teaching kids about prayer.

Family Prayer Bag is a great idea for a resource you could assemble and drop off for families to use at home.

The Lord’s Prayer in a Bag is a great idea for teaching the Lord’s Prayer. This could easily be adapted for virtual teaching. You might also consider putting together a bag of visuals to drop off for families to use at home too!

Static Electricity Prayers is a fun way to teach kids about prayer! In person, you could give each child their own package with a balloon and tissue papers or you could deliver these to homes and teach this virtually!

Intergenerational Worship Experience

Pastors – Blast off with your whole congregation with this intergenerational prayer exercise.  It’s something everyone can do, regardless of age.  This is a practical option if your services are online, too.

Invite everyone to get in a comfortable position, close their eyes, and ask them to imagine the passage as you read it to them.   

¹³ Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; ¹⁴ but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” ¹⁵ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.” Matthew 19:13-15.

Invite everyone to hear the passage a second time, grounding themselves in their senses – what does everything look like? Smell like? Feel like? Sound like? Which person are you in the story?

Now, take a moment before Jesus, and listen to what he has to say to you in this moment, drawn near to Him.