Introduction

Illustrated by Jon Smail

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Dedicated

To the McRae family who provided a platform from which I was free to spread my wings and soar.

To my loving husband Bob whose enthusiasm, involvement and support make our family devotions into memorable events.

To April, Tiffany and Chanelle who are my precious treasures and my inspiration for it in the first place!

Table Of Contents

Section I: What We Can Do For God

1. Making Music To God

2. Pleasing God In What We

3. Learning To Talk To God

4. Learning To Obey God

5. Learning To Listen To God

Section II: Fruit Of The Spirit

1. Love (Valentine’s Day)

2. Joy

3. Peace

4. Patience

5. Kindness

6. Goodness

7. Faithfulness

8. Gentleness

9. Self Control

Section III: Old Testament Stories

1. Creation

2. Tower Of Babel

3. Lot’s Escape

4. Joseph

5. Baby Moses

6. Moses The Leader

7. Jericho

8. Gideon

9. Ruth

10. David

11. Elijah

12. Esther

13. Daniel And The Lion’s Den

14. Jonah

Section IV: Devotions For Outdoors

1. Cloud Gazing

2. Bouquet

3. Nature’s Collage

4. Rock Cracking

5. God Provides Through Growing Things

6. Colors In Nature

Section V: Getting To Know Jesus

1. Jesus Is King

2. Jesus Is Perfect

3. Jesus Is Our Best Friend

4. Jesus Is To Be Obeyed

5. Jesus Is Caring

6. Jesus Is Our Savior

7. Jesus Is To Be Remembered

8. Jesus Is Always With Us

Section VI: Devotions For The Car

1. Bible Stories In A Round

2. God’s Character

3. God In Nature

4. Sing-A-Long

5. Twenty Questions

Section VII: Devotions For Special Occasions

1. Easter

2. May Day

3. Father’s Day (Card For A King)

4. Thanksgiving

5. Christmas

Weekly Devotions For A Year

If you start this in January you will find that the devotionals for special occasions will fall around the date for the celebration.

1. Making Music to God	27. David
2. Pleasing God in What We Do	28. Elijah
3. Learning to Talk to God	29. Esther
4. Learning to Obey God	30. Daniel and the Lion’s Den
5. Learning to Listen to God	31. Jonah
6. Love (Valentine’s Day)	32. Cloud Gazing
7. Joy	33. Bouquet
8. Peace	34. Nature’s Collage
9. Patience	35. Rock Cracking
10. Kindness	36. God Provides Through Growing Things
11. Goodness	37. Colors in Nature
12. Faithfulness	38. Jesus is King
13. Easter	39. Jesus is Perfect
14. Gentleness	40. Jesus is Our Best Friend
15. Self Control	41. Jesus Is to Be Obeyed
16. Creation	42. Jesus is Caring
17. Tower of Babel	43. Jesus is Our Savior
18. May Day	44. Jesus is to Be Remembered
19. Lot’s Escape	45. Jesus is Always With Us
20. Joseph	46. Thanksgiving
21. Baby Moses	47. Bible Stories in a Round
22. Moses the Leader	48. God’s Character
23. Jericho	49. God in Nature
24. Card for a King (Father’s Day)	50. Sing-A-Long
25. Gideon	51. Twenty Questions
26. Ruth	52. Christmas

Making The Most Of A Time For Training Wheels

As children mount their two-wheelers for the first time the eagerness and excitement of success can be seen in their glowing eyes and cocky smiles. But it only takes one spill for them to realize they are going to need some help and support to make this an enjoyable adventure. This is when training wheels become useful.

Family devotions can be like bike riding. God’s Word is an adventure waiting to be explored, but for many it can be overwhelming and difficult. A Time for Training Wheels will give you the support, ideas, direction and creative flair to make family devotions a successful adventure.

Can Family Devotions Happen Successfully?

The unequivocal answer is “yes’” Solomon wrote in Proverbs 22:6 “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” The challenge is to do this training in a creative way so we keep our children’s attention. A Time for Training Wheels meets this need. For us, family devotional nights are greeted with three cheers as together my husband and I enjoy ‘‘training our children in the way they should go.”

How Can I Make This Book Work For Our Family?

• Keep the devotional moving. Don’t get stuck on details. Each devotional should range from 10 to 20 minutes.
• Adapt the devotional to your setting and to your children’s attention span.
• Do as much of the devotional as is practical for your children at their stage, needs and interest.
• Review each upcoming devotional at least the day before so you are able to prepare without pressure.
• Although the lessons can be applied to all, remember, this is a time for the children to learn and enjoy God’s Word.

Do I Have To Do Them All?

This book can be used in a variety of ways:

• Take one series a year, spaced evenly throughout the 12 months. For example, the Fruit of the Spirit series has nine lessons, one of which can be done every six weeks.
• Do only the devotionals that are designated for Special Days. These can be done before, on or after the holiday being celebrated.
• Use this book on family vacations, allowing each person to choose the one that looks most interesting.
• Do 1 devotional a week (there are a total of 52 in A Time for Training Wheels).

It is my prayer that you will grow as a family and deepen in your love for our God as you begin this great adventure together.

Mary-Lynn Chambers