Crystal Bowman - Whits End Mealtime Devotions: 90 Faith-Building Ideas Your Kids Will Eat Up!

by John Avery Whittaker

There are a lot of surveys by reputable organizations demonstrating the importance of consistent mealtimes for families. But those of us who grew up with consistent mealtimes at home dont need surveys to tell us how important those times were. To sit down together, to share food, to talk about how our days went, to explore our joys and pains as a family, were invaluable not only to our health and wellbeing, but also to our relationships as a family. I can easily understand why the Bible talks about mealtimes as often as it does. And God used mealtimes to teach His peoplefrom Moses teaching his people about the Passover to Jesus teaching His disciples at the Last Supper.

In both the Passover and the Last Supper, we can see how conversation, and even the food itself, was used to grab everyones attention and give the items around the table a deeper eternal meaning. Though those original occasions were somber, they have also become sources of joy and fun for everyone involved.

Thats the point of this book: to turn mealtimes into lively times for talk and teaching about the Christian life. Its laid out to make family conversation as easy as pie for you to do. Heres the recipe for meaningful mealtimes (and, yes, the puns are intentional):

After announcing the title, read the Mealtime Prayer suggestion and then ask your children to pray it together.

Then read the Appetizer. The Appetizer is just thatsomething to whet your appetite for more.

Follow it with the Main Course. This contains the meat of the section.

Once youve given your family something to chew on, its time for Table Talk. These challenging questions will help your kids think about what theyve just learned and explain how to digest it for their daily lives.

Finally, end with Vitamins and Mineralsa Bible verse that relates to the days reading and discussion.

To get the most out of this book, allow yourself to be flexible. You dont have to go through it from cover to cover. You might want to use the table of contents to find a topic that relates to whats happening in your family on that day.

Besides these regular readingssome of which are anything but ordinaryweve included extra sections: Holidays and Special Occasions and Theme Meals. Kids will especially enjoy these. Be sure to leaf through those sections in advance so you know whats coming up. Plus, a few of them require a minimal amount of preparation, just to add to the fun.

The point is to turn mealtimes into a fun and enjoyable time of learning about each other and about bringing God into every part of our lives. Be sensitive to how your children respond. Allow enough time for them to answer the questions, but dont force conversation if they dont seem interested. That usually isnt a problem with kids, Ive found. These readings have been time-tested around a few tables and should stir up animated conversations about the things that really matter.

Have fun!

Mealtime Prayer:

Thank God that He is always with us and that we never have to be afraid.

Appetizer:

The giant Goliath was over nine feet tall. How many people from your family would have to stand on each others shoulders to be as tall as Goliath?

Goliaths armor weighed about 125 pounds. How many kids in your family could Goliath have picked up to equal that weight?

Main Course:

Imagine facing a giant in battle. What weapons would you want to help you? David, a young shepherd boy, was brave enough to fight a giant. Read the exciting story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:1751.

Table Talk:

• What did David take to help him fight Goliath?
• Where did David get his courage?
• What would you have done if you were David?
• What kinds of giants do you face in your everyday life?
• What can you do when youre afraid?

Vitamins and Minerals:

[Moses said,] Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of [your enemies], for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Mealtime Prayer:

After the leader prays each phrase, everyone says, We thank You, dear Lord.

Leader: For food to eat and water to drink,

For healthy bodies and minds that think,

For all that we have and all we enjoy,

For every girl and every boy.

Appetizer:

Try to come up with 10 uses for water. Go!

Main Course:

Eat as much of your dinner as you can without taking a drink. How long could you last?

Why do we need to drink? What makes us thirsty? When do you most appreciate an ice-cold glass of water?

Table Talk:

• Jesus is called the Living Water. How is He like water? Why do we need Him?