Jeffrey Dean Blog

To this day, I still have vivid memories of spending devo time with my family while growing up.  In our December E3 Update, the official newsletter of Jeffrey Dean Ministries, I encouraged families to commit spending more time together praying and diving into the Word in 2010. I realize not everyone receives our newsletter.  (To receive the E3 Update, go to www.Jeffreydean.com, click on Follow JD in the Menu, and click on the E3 Update.)  So I’ve included an excerpt from the December newsletter about the importance of making devo time with your family a priority.

Psalm 119:9,11 says, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to your word…I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” It’s never too late to spend time praying and getting into the Word as a family.  Here are a few tips for how you can join with your family in 2010 and commit to becoming a scripturally sound family in the new year:

- Read scripture together as a family.  Use a variety of translations.  Take turns letting one another read scripture and share the impact and significance of a verse(s).

- Develop a family prayer journal and pray together as a family.

- Develop a family mission statement and pray as a family for opportunities to do outreach missions in your community.

- Commit as a family to memorize a new scripture each week.  Set goals and establish a creative reward system to make scripture memorization practical and fun.

Remember, there is no one exact way to pray and read scripture.  Be creative.  Think outside the box.  Commit time to it and your and your family will how time spent in the Word and in prayer will produce remarkable results!

Every now and then I write a blog specifically for parents – this is one.  Last night Amy and I enjoyed game night with our girls.  We played a new game we just got called Guess Who Extra.  I must say, it rocks!

Game night has always been a tradition in our family.  I still remember many nights growing up when my brothers, parents and I would gather around the living room coffee table for an intense game of Clue. Remember that game…”The professor did it, in the library, with the candle stick!”  We also got pretty serious with Monopoly, where I learned how to scheme on some good Park Avenue real estate and my brother seemed to often end up back in jail.  – My mom was quite the strategist!  I will cherish those memories forever!

48% of Americans believe that game night is a great way to bond as a family. If game night isn’t a constant on your calendar, the holidays are a perfect time to make it happen.  Why not plan now to turn off the tube, hide the mobile and connect again as a family!  Here are a five tips you can consider to help make game night a regular in your home.

1. Mark the calendar. If you don’t, it probably won’t happen.

2. Take a pick. Let a different family member pick the game each week.  Consider making a list of all the games you like.  And, then, let the games begin!

3. Hit the store. Get crazy and go buy a game no family member has played before.

4. Invite another family. What a great way to be a mission-minded family.  Invite another family over and use the moment as an opportunity to encourage them, be a witness, or simply get to know others. You can also use this as an opportunity to get to know the parents of your teen(s) friends. Plus, your older teen might get more jazzed about family night if he/she can invite a friend once in a while.

5. Take it out of the house. Game night doesn’t have to be indoors.  Get in the backyard, go to a bowling alley, or hit the local driving range.

Of course, there is no right or wrong way to spend time together as a family.  Figure out what works for your family and do it.  You just might be amazed at how much fun you can have beating your kids silly in a game of Yatzee.