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 September 2017: Prioritize Family Devotional Time.

In Deuteronomy 11:19 it says this: “Teach [God’s words] to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.”

Here’s an explanation:

September is the New Year in many ways, especially creating new schedules and plans. In Deuteronomy, Moses is encouraging the families to keep teaching their children the way of God. Moses witnessed many amazing miracles, and learned God’s commands and teachings, and the people need to be reminded of these to encourage one another, remind themselves who they are, and grow each day, on their way with God.

So…

This month we encourage you to prioritize a consistent family devotional time. This is when you get together with your family to read/discuss the Bible, pray together (or even sing together) to ensure you’re learning and keeping close with the Lord and his ways.

Here are a few helpful Tips:

1. Pick a time each day to meet as a family—i.e. breakfast, dinner, bedtime, every afternoon at 4:00 p.m., in the car etc.
2. Pray with and for each other. Are there “thank you” prayers? Or “I’m sorry” prayers? Discuss difficulties from the day, and pray for each other, and/or for wider concerns.
3. Read your Bible. Start in the Gospels if you’re not sure where to start. Ask questions like, “I wonder what it was like when…” or “How do you think that made ___ feel?” or “Does that remind you of a situation you’ve been in?” or “What do you think that story means?” Make it age appropriate.
4. Or play some camp music or Life 100.3FM and sing along. Share your favourite church or Vacation Bible Camp songs.
5. You can also close your time together with prayer, or a minute of silent prayer. Hug/kiss each other goodnight/goodbye, reminding each other of God’s love.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. And you don’t need to be a Bible expert. But you need to be consistent.

When you do, you’ll get closer as a family, but even more importantly, you’ll get closer to God.

As you start your new routine for the autumn and winter, prioritize family devotional time.