Westminster’s “Orange Idea” is a monthly, family-friendly, 1-page resource to help you live out your faith at home. But what is “Orange,” you might ask?

As Julie and Matthew explained, it’s not just a colour—it’s a way of thinking: Yellow represents the light of Jesus shared by the church. Red represents the blood and bond of the family. So when you put Yellow and Red together you get…

Orange!

So an “Orange idea” is when the church helps people live out their faith in their families and homes. After all, the home is the primary place where faith is formed.

So this monthly resource will help people of different ages learn about and live out their Christian faith in tangible, practical ways.

So here’s the Orange Idea for November 2017: Keep track of God’s answers to prayer.

In Matthew 7:7 we read: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Here’s where we’re going with this one:

The power of prayer is real. God uses it to do wonderful things, and it can change the way we look at the world and our lives. But as Jesus says, we need to ask and seek—we need to be proactive about it! We know that God hears and answers prayer, but we sometimes wonder… when and how?

So…

This month we invite you and your family to

(a) make it a priority to pray together,
(b) write down your prayer topics on the chart provided at the Welcome Desk in the foyer (or at the bottom of this post), and then
(c) look back and see how God responded.

Sometimes God answers our prayers in ways we expect, and other times he answers them in a way we don’t. This exercise will help you keep track of what you’ve prayed for, and think about how God may have responded. This encourages us to see how God is listening, responding, and active in our lives and world.

Here are a few helpful Tips:

1. We have included a Prayer Chart (pick one up at the Welcome Desk in the foyer or at the bottom of this post). Write the date and main topics of your prayers. Each night talk about how you think God responded to your previous prayers. Sometimes it takes some time and patience to see how God responds. But it is worth the effort!
2. Remember you can pray anywhere—at the table, in the car, while walking the dog (just don’t close your eyes while driving or walking!)
3. In order to include younger children or those who do not want to pray out-loud, try praying together with your family and end your prayer the same way i.e. “in Jesus name we pray, Amen” so that everyone can join the end of the prayer and add their voice.
4. Speak to God honestly, as you would speak to a friend, and remember that your words don’t have to be fancy for God to hear you or accept your prayer.
5. Add music in the background to your prayer, or even sing a prayer.
6. Look online to discuss current events and how different nations are being affected. You can pray not only for yourselves, but for others.

In November, keep track of God’s answers to prayer.

Get the Prayer Chart here: Prayer Chart ltr

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The orange philosophy originates with Reggie Joiner in his helpful book Think Orange.