If you have been following CBOQ Kids for a while you will likely know that Godly Play is an approach to children’s faith formation that we recommend. Read about it here and discover the story of a church that is using this approach here.

I was excited to discover a new resource came out last year that uses the godly play approach for families at home. Stories of God at Home by Jerome Berryman offers families a resource to help parents nurture faith formation through the practise of “storying”. The word “storying” comes from author Kevin M. Bradt’s work in emphasizing “how narrative meaning is the co-creation of the teller and the hearer” (6) and is how Berryman has structured the way this book is used.

The first six chapters of the book are descriptions of how to present stories of God at home in a way that connects them together with your families’ stories. The six stories he has chosen are Creation, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, The Good Shepherd and the church year. The chapters include a script of exactly what to say for the story and how to use a visual with it along with very practical instructions of how to do “storying” with the story of God.

The seventh chapter matches each of these six stories of God with a classical children’s book and reflects ways to discover connections between them.

The final chapter of the book addresses the theme of family challenges or crisis, offering some great thoughts and suggestions for being prepared for when those moments come with ways to anchor those events to stories of God, which will help a family meet those challenges. He discusses having a “play bag” and what would be in that, as a very practical way to reflect under pressure. He concludes with direction for an exercise that draws from the images, movements and words from the book’s “storying” as a way to recenter yourself in God as you navigate what to do, when you don’t know what to do.

I really appreciate what this book has to offer to equip families to enrich their spiritual lives while discovering a way of life that anchors their stories within God’s stories.

As a way to bless you in the work you do in equipping and nurturing the spiritual lives of children and their families, I will be giving away several copies of this book. Perhaps you follow us on facebook and have seen our opportunities to win resources by responding quick to the post. This one is a little different. To win, email me with a few sentences of the ways you equip families to develop and practise faith at home. Winners will be randomly selected in a draw on February 14, 2019. To qualify, you must email me by 11:59 PM February 13, 2019 with your response. This contest is open to anyone that follows CBOQ  Kids.