On the Couch or in the Car: Conversations about God

One thing I whole-heartedly believe is keeping things simple.  When the schedule gets too packed or the to-do list gets too long, I easily get overwhelmed.  Over the past year, our lives have certainly changed, and in many ways, we were forced to keep it simple since we had very few places to be.  Deuteronomy 6:7 reminds us that we need to pass on our faith to the next generation: “impress these commandments on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Well, we’ve certainly done a lot of sitting at home this past year!  But hopefully we are turning the corner of the pandemic, and the warm weather will once again encourage us to venture beyond our homes, here are a few simple tips for having meaningful conversations about God wherever we might be.*Listen to sermons together.  I am a big proponent of having our kids alongside us in worship.  It allows all of us to hear the same message, at the same time, which then naturally leads to conversations after we hear it.  The message usually speaks to each of us in different ways, so talking about it after allows us to hear how God is working in each other’s lives.  Whether listening online on our couch at home, or listening in person and talking in the car on the ride home, we can ask each other the following questions: What was today’s sermon about?  What lesson can I learn from it?  What can I do in my life to show others this lesson?  *Read the Bible together.  The sermons always incorporate scripture, so this goes along with the above.  When reading, ask the following: What is this passage about?  What does it teach me about God’s character?  How does this passage point to Jesus?*Ask questions beyond “Sunday morning.”  It is important for us to ask questions about what our kids are watching and reading apart from the Bible.  Encourage them to be critics of books, movies, TV shows, video games, etc.  Questions to consider might be: What does this say is true about people?  What does it say is true and important in life?  How are these things similar and/or different from what the Bible teaches us?Whether on the couch or in the car, having simple conversations with our kids can have lasting impact in their faith development.  And as we emerge from this difficult past year, I’m excited to once again meet together and hear how God is working in our lives!