Faithlife Blog

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Foster Healthy Online Communication in Your Family

A friend recently learned that a 10 year old girl that she’d been working with was “dating” a 17 year old boy who she’d met in a seemingly innocent online game. The girl’s grandma was shocked and embarrassed—she had assumed the game couldn’t expose her granddaughter to strangers.

Whether we like it or not, kids communicate online all the time. For many kids,  it’s even a preferred method of communication.

For kids, online communication is no more foreign than talking. They’re immersed in technology from the moment they’re born.

Some parents provide baby steps into the freedom of online communication and texting with phones that can only interact with their own, or closely-monitored online activity.

When you teach your kids to avoid strangers, you don’t just open the door and let them go. You remind them frequently. You teach them what to do, who they can trust. When they’re mature enough, you stop going with them everywhere they go.

The internet is no different.

Explore online communication together

Last May, Mark Prim shared why he lets his kids use Faithlife Groups. It was the first app he installed on their electronic devices, and they’ve been using it for years.

Mark says, “Faithlife Groups doesn’t have all the foul language and advertisements. It also doesn’t have the ‘freedom’ that social media outlets have—the parameters of use are much more controllable. I set up and maintain my kids’ accounts. . . . and we are a closed group, so no one else can join unless my wife and I approve them.”

Your family can create reading plans, use Community Notes, and make prayer lists to share what you’re learning and how you can pray for each other—all within the privacy of your own group, which you can prevent others from accessing. (You can make your group so private that other people can’t even see it.)

Add your extended family (or another family from your church) to stay in touch within a controlled, closed environment. The newsletter feature makes it easy to create crisp newsletters you can share to the group or send to peoples’ emails, so it’s easy to provide regular family updates.

Try using a Faithlife Group to supplement your family time. You can share encouragement, remind each other to pray, and explore the Word together. Create goals for your kids to share a note about something they learned or a passage that stood out to them, or encourage them to add to your family prayer list. Start a discussion to get them thinking about biblical concepts, life, or anything you want.

Start a Faithlife Group for your loved ones today, and foster healthy online communication within the privacy of your family.

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Encourage Dads with This Touching Video

FaithSmiles.com brings you faith-friendly videos that help you, your family, and your friends share happiness, encouragement, and the depth of God’s love. You’ll find stories that make you laugh, stories that make you weep, and more.

One of our recent favorites is this touching story of a husband who goes on the best first date ever—with a girl you’ll never expect.

“A good father will ponder: How can I be like my heavenly Father?”
—John Piper

Being a husband and father isn’t meant to be easy; it’s meant to be meaningful. The love between these two leads us to a glimpse of our Father’s love for us, which in turn illuminates the important role fathers and husbands are called to play (Ephesians 5:25).

Fathers’ mission–leading their families into the love of God—leaves them with big shoes to fill. The sad truth is, many dads are so overwhelmed with the task at hand that they don’t even lace up. Or maybe they trip on their shoelaces a time or two when times get tough, and then give up because they think conflict means they aren’t good at this whole dad thing. So we end up with fewer and fewer father-daughter moments and, eventually, a fatherless culture.

Remember this: God’s love never leaves or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:6). In order for dads to push through times of tension, they need constant encouragement. Which fathers can you encourage today? Thank them and refresh them: share this video with them, and tag them in the comments.

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Check out FaithSmiles.com for more faith-friendly videos that will leave you inspired, refreshed, or just plain entertained. You’ll never find inappropriate videos or advertisements, so your entire family is safe to poke around, enjoy, and share the smiles with family and friends!

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3 Creative Ideas for Family Prayer

family-prayerIt’s difficult to pray as a family. If you manage to get everyone in the same room, paying attention to something other than a glowing screen, try one of these three methods to lead your family in prayer—and keep even the youngest believers engaged.

Sentence prayers

Young children sometimes need help knowing what to pray, but scripted prayers quickly lose their meaning and become repetitive. Stop just short of a script by starting a sentence and prompting them to finish it. This method provides the combination of structure and freedom that children need.

Use sentences like:

  • “God, thank you for . . .”
  • “God, forgive me for . . .”
  • “God, help me be more . . .”
  • “God, help my friend . . .”
  • “God, give me the courage to . . .”
  • “God, help me let go of . . .”

Highs & lows

Have your children share their daily “highs” and “lows” each night before bed. Share yours, too, and then pray about all of them together. This works with children of all ages. It’s simple enough for pre-K children to understand, and I’ve seen it get even the most stoic teenager talking.

Newspaper prayer

For older children, use a newspaper or a news website to lift their eyes to issues in the world at large. Take turns flipping through newspapers, and have every member of the family highlight one news item to pray about.

What techniques do you use to get your family praying together? Let us know in comments.