Hey everyone! Chris here from Family Camp. At the Ogren house, the fall season is such a special time where the weather FINALLY cools off, I get to rock a sweatshirt and shorts that my wife calls my “middle schooler look”, the sun goes down earlier, and we finally begin to settle into some of our normal family rhythms. The craziness of the summer has slowed, but with the holidays rapidly approaching, every month can feel busier and fuller than ever! Socially, we try to keep up and find ourselves yet again asking the question, HOW DID WE GET SO BUSY?! 

As we fight to prioritize our marriage, discipling our kids, and also being faithful members of our church, life can feel crazy. Thankfully, I am reminded of a God who offers us perfect peace. We learned this past summer from Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” This is the reality of what a life staying tuned to God looks like! PERFECT PEACE. This truth continues to encourage us as a family. 

Staying tuned to the Lord sounds so wonderful! What would that kind of life look like? How can we live this out? One commitment we have made as a family (my wife Cassie, our 2-year-old daughter, Annie and our 3-month-old son, Davis) is to make time for Family Worship in the evening (usually right after bath and just before bedtime). We are by no means perfect in this effort, but we do our best. This time has become a daily waypoint for us to slow down and make space for our family to talk about Jesus.  

One of the things I say at Family Camp is that we are volume shooters. We do our best to create lots of opportunities to talk about Jesus because many of these moments are honestly a hot mess. Annie is often running circles around the living room, and Davis is ready for the quiet that comes when his sister goes to bed. My wife and I are sitting on the couch ready but also looking at the playroom that feels insane to clean (because it will just get messy again tomorrow) and the pots and pans that are waiting to be washed after we finish dinner. It’s easy in those moments to miss a spiritual opportunity, but the habit keeps us going.  

What do we do? Family Worship sounds fancy, but it’s crazy simple. We follow the method outlined by Donald Whitney in his book, Family Worship. It’s a short read and filled with stories of God’s faithfulness in family discipleship. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. 

Read, Pray, Sing 

Read: Open God’s Word and read it out loud! We are currently cycling through "The Big Picture Story Bible” by David Helm. It is our favorite children’s Bible. I used to be really committed to finishing a full story. Now, I am totally content if we finish a couple pages. The beauty of a lifelong commitment to this, we can take our time.  

Pray: We go around and ask 2 questions: Who do you want to pray for? How are you feeling? This is helpful to keep our family focused on others and take time daily to pray for them. It also helps Annie to think through how she is feeling and how we can know and pray for each other. I’ve also been shocked by the simplicity of the question to help Cass and I get on the same page nightly as we pray for how we are all feeling. We try and take turns on who prays each night. If one of us is particularly tired or discouraged, the other will lead. Annie is starting to learn how to pray also! Praise God for that.  

Sing: We used to do different worship songs every night, but that’s a lot of decisions to make. Now we sing the Doxology every night and it has become my daughter’s favorite song. Listen to the Josh Turner version... you won’t be disappointed.  

This has been a wonderful family rhythm since Annie was born, and we are excited to continue seeking the Lord together, even when things are crazy or life feels like a lot. Sometimes we just pray and sing, sometimes we just pray... the beauty of teaching your kids though is that they are great at remembering. We are now to the point where Annie will not let us put her to bed without saying “Bible” or “pray.” And in that, we are also being led and discipled by her. Praise God for the gift of family. May we all continue to embrace the gift and challenge of raising little disciples together!  

Resources Mentioned: 

Family Worship Book: Family Worship: In the Bible, In History, and In Your Home: Whitney, Donald S.: 9781433567223: Amazon.com: Books 

Big Picture Story Bible: The Big Picture Story Bible (Redesign): Helm, David R., Schoonmaker, Gail: 9781433543111: Amazon.com: Books