Hello Grace Family! It's time for our next Resource of the Month. It's a recent book on how families can put God at the center of their daily lives together. It's called Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley.  

Joshua once addressed the people of Israel:

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14–15). 

What an inspiring passage! Are you fired up, too?

But it also begs an essential question:

How?!?!

Between the chaos of morning prep, meals, drop-offs, pick-ups, school, jobs, sports, music, friends, activities, church, family time, screentime, play time, hobbies, and more, how can a Christian family possibly center their daily lives on the Lord?

This book can help.  

Justin Whitmel Earley is a husband, father, lawyer, author, and speaker. But best of all, he is a Christian who seeks to center his home on Christ. He offers sound biblical teaching and detailed personal experiences that have shaped the habits he and his wife try to instill in their household of four boys.

I found the book incredibly insightful, creative, and practical. He reimagines daily household habits as "gospel liturgies." He puts it like this: ". . . habits are kinds of liturgies. They are little routines of worship, and worship changes what we love. Habits of the household are not just actions that form our families' routines, they are liturgies that form our families' hearts . . . when it comes to spiritual formation, our households are not simply products of what we teach and say. They are much more products of what we practice and do" (page 11). 

If this is the case, then what do our current household habits say about what, and how, and why we worship? These are questions we should all wrestle with. Justin's wrestling led to some new habits, and it led to this book.

He has structured the book like a liturgy, or a daily rule of life, moving from the morning, to the day, to the evening. He has chapters on waking, mealtimes, discipline, screentime, family devotions, marriage, work, play, conversation, and bedtime. Each one is rich, and guaranteed to give you a tangible next-step to take if any of these areas is a struggle, or if it's simply not as good or as Christ-centered as you'd like it to be. 

Some nuggets that have stuck with me:

- Creating simple rituals around family dinners, always acknowledging the Lord's provision and presence.

- Asking lots of open-ended questions to encourage your kids to talk. 

- Reserving a dedicated night once/week where husband and wife spend quality time together, no distractions.

- Always saying "yes" to your kids' requests to play, unless you absolutely can't in that moment. 

- Limiting screentime as much as possible, and when you have it, making it a family activity.

- Communicating over, and over, and over again that your love for your kids is not conditional. 

- Including kids in the many types of work that make a household function.

This short list only scratches the surface. If you are seeking to bring more biblical wisdom, beauty, order, and clarity to your home life, then this book is for you. If you don't have kids yet, this book will help you instill habits now that you can carry into parenthood. If your kids are grown and out of the house, you can still pick up a copy to consider how you might grow as a grandparent, or how you might coach your adult children with their own families. Whatever your stage of life, there is something here for you. 

If you'd like to see it before you order a copy, there is a sample copy on our Resource Wall in the Foyer at Grace. I also have one copy to give away for free! Be the first to reply, and it's yours. 

Joshua decided that his household would serve the Lord. Would each of us do the same! May the Lord use this resource to help all of us form godly, Christ-centered habits in our households, for his glory.

I would love to hear from you! What Christian resources are helping you follow Jesus right now? 

Email me: tom@gracestamford.org

Thank you for reading the Resource of the Month email! If you have any questions about these resources, please reach out. Look for our next recommended resource in a few weeks.

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Tom Hansen, Senior Pastor