Sermonette: Let's Huddle Up in Faith!

Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

These verses from Deuteronomy have been a guiding Scripture for my ministry with children youth, and their parents over the past two decades. It names the importance of parents in the faith formation of their children. It names the importance of practicing faith in the home, not just at church on Sunday or Wednesdays. It names the importance of faith being practiced, remembered, committed to, and the importance of creating a Christian home.

Creating a Christian home was always a priority of mine, mainly because I had grown up in a Christian home and wanted the same for my daughter. I wanted her to know the love and grace and mercy of God. I wanted God’s love bound to her body, God’s law written on her heart.

The best way I knew to do that was to attend worship services weekly, send her to Sunday School, and pray with her at home. Then, when Nicole was nine years old, I attended a Family Ministry Conference and learned about a simple five-step nightly faith practice called FAITH5. FAITH5 is the creation of Dr. Rich Melheim, founder of Faith Inkubators, a ministry whose mission it is to help families grow closer to one another and to God. He taught me that by committing to this nightly check-in, both my daughter and I would grow in our faith and grow in our relationship with each other.

Families are encouraged to “Huddle Up” each night before bed, and share these five steps:

1. SHARE your highs and lows

2. READ a Bible verse or story

3. TALK about how the Bible verse might relate to your highs and lows

4. PRAY together

5. BLESS one another with the sign of the cross

As a divorced single parent, I was always looking for the best tools to help me raise a faith-filled, loving daughter. I was also filled with anxiety about how I would navigate her teen-age years, knowing how much angst I had caused my own parents with my attitude and choices. Was there a way to stay connected in the midst of hormones and attitude? Was there a way to build faith into our daily lives?

The answer to both of those question was yes, and the best tool was FAITH5. From that very first night, I could see the blessings of the FAITH5 Home Huddle. Nicole was sharing with me things I never would have known about through highs and lows. We were actively reading God’s word and asking if God was trying to say something specific to us through it. Daily, we were offering all of our lives, the good and the bad to God in prayer. And every single night, we were marking each other with the cross, as a reminder of God’s unfailing love in Jesus.

FAITH5 Home Huddles were a part of our daily routine from the time Nicole was nine until she left for college. What I know for sure is that the relationship we have today, and the God-loving, church-going person she is, is in large part a result of this simple nightly practice.

Over these next weeks, I will be writing more about each step of the FAITH5 Home Huddle and how it can bless your family. In the meantime, give it a try! The recommendation for creating a new healthy habit is to commit to six weeks. Whether you have children in your home or not, FAITH5 will bless your family. Live alone like me? Share FAITH5 with someone you love via phone or video chat! Try it for six weeks and I guarantee you will be blessed. And check back next week, as we look into the blessing of sharing highs and lows with those you love.

For more info on FAITH5 Home Huddles, go to http://www.faith5.org