Devotions 
In any conversation we speak and we listen. In our prayer and devotional life we speak to God and we listen. A great model/structure for a devotional time in your home is as easy as 1-2-3-A-B-C. It looks like this:
1. Begin by telling one another your highs and lows from the day. If you are single you may choose to journal your highs and lows or simply run through your day before God.
2. Read some Scripture. Allow God's word to intersect with your life. What is the Scripture revealing to you about God? About yourself? A great place to start reading would be the book of Mark! Read a small section - just a couple verses - look for the natural breaks in the text.
3. Turn your highs and lows into a Letter to God:
A. Address. Address your "letter" with "Dear Jesus" or "Dear God" - or however you prefer to address God.
B. Body. In the body of the letter turn your highs and lows into thanks and asks. What do you have to thank and ask God for today? Bring your life before God.
C. Closing. As you close a letter with, "Sincerely" or "yours truly," we close our prayer, "In Jesus' name. Amen." Because it is only in and through Jesus that we can come to God.
Speak to God with an open heart. Francois Fenelon (a French archbishop and theologian from the 17th century) said:
"Tell God all that is in your heart as one unloads one's heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend.
- Tell Him your troubles that He may comfort you;
- tell Him your joys that He may sober them;
- tell Him your longings that He may purify them;
- tell Him your dislikes that He may help you overcome them;
- talk to Him of your temptations that He may shield you from them;
- show Him the wounds of your heart that He may heal them;
- lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil;
- tell Him how vanity tempts you to be insecure, how pride disguises you to yourself and others.
Tell Him - He's your friend."
As we daily spend time in God's Word - the Bible - we are shaped by Jesus the Living Word to become more like him!
If you are looking for a resource to guide you daily into God's Word consider the following resources...
Family Resources
Prayer Cards. Immanuel's own resource to help the Home-Church pray!
Little Visits is a classic series of wonderful devotions for family time centered on Jesus. These resources are available in most Christian bookstores and/or directly from Concordia Publishing House:
Youth and Family Institute Online Resource Guide
The Youth and Family Institute provide a variety of quality resources for faith nurture in the home.
You can find a sampling of these resources at Immanuel (in the church office) or you can check out the resources available online...
Search their web site by age levels...go to:Faith Life in the Home resources
God PauseA daily email devotion from Luther Seminary. To sign-up follow the link for devotions that will daily guide you into the word - and prepare you for Sunday worship!
Dailytext.comis a ministry of Mt. Carmel Ministries, Alexandria, MN. They provide a resource called Daily Texts (also available online). Each day you are invited to reflect on two Bible passages - one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. These verses are selected annually by the Moravian Church and have been shared worldwide since 1731.
You are then invited to use Martin Luther’s prayer pattern - an acronym which spells T.R.I.P. to outline the discipline of reading a Bible verse, and then asking the following four questions of that verse:
- What in that verse am I Thankful for?
- What does it reveal that I Regret or need to confess?
- How should I Intercede or what should I pray for?
- What Purpose for my day does this verse give me?
Thanks, Regret, Intercession, and Purpose, or T.R.I.P. These letters represent the four questions that are being used by many today to unlock the personal application of a scripture passage. Meditation on the daily passages while focusing on these four questions is what reveals the application of each verse to one's life.
Connecting Daily Devotions and Worship
One way to enliven your worship life is to read, reflect and meditate on the Scripture texts that will be used in worship on Sundays. This will give you insights into where the pastors and the worship leaders are taking us this Sunday, as they follow the Lectionary - the appointed texts for that day. You may choose to read one of these texts each day - you could use the T.R.I.P. method to guide you into the texts!
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