Recently, Church leaders have placed an emphasis on better observance of the Sabbath. Local leaders here in Wisconsin encouraged us to go home and discuss ways we can better observe the Sabbath as a family.
In our family, we already tried to make the Sabbath special by not watching sporting events on Sunday. We decided to even further limit our television time on Sundays to only inspirational shows, eliminating our usual diet of shows like NCIS, The Flash, and Agents of SHIELD. We felt that this would make the Sabbath stand out even more in our minds every week. To help make this crazy goal more successful, we thought of alternate activities that would better help us remember the Savior on Sunday. Here it is:
1. Read scriptures
2. Go to Church
3. Write in your journal
4. Call grandparents
5. Take a nap
6. Write a letter
7. Read a book
8. Have friends over for dinner
9. Plan the rest of the week
10. Do service
11. Blog
12. Play a board/card game
13. Watch BYUtv
14. Home teaching/visiting teaching
15. Call a friend (yes, on the telephone)
16. Draw a picture
17. Bear your testimony
18. Take a drive
19. Listen to sacred music
20. Bake cookies
21. Write a story
22. Be creative
23. Work on family history
24. Sing hymns & Primary songs
25. Crochet
Do you have any ideas to add to our list?
Sorry if any of these are repeats of what you already have.
ReplyDelete*Make dinner together.
*Visit people who are sick, in a hospital, or lonely.
*Visit the temple grounds (depending on how far you are from a temple).
*Discuss what you learned at Church that day.
*Watch BYU devotionals or read transcripts of them.
*(If/When you have more than three kids) pair children up in separate rooms with games, books, etc. to give each child time to strengthen their relationship with each of their siblings one-on-one.
*Review photo albums and tell family stories: when Mom and Dad were kids, Mom and Dad's missions, when Mom and Dad were dating/engaged, when the kids were young, etc.
*Familiarize children with music symbols and words. Teach them how to lead music and/or play an instrument.
*Take a walk as a family and discuss the blessings that God has given us through nature.
*Write letters to missionaries: friends, family members, and those serving from your ward.
*Write your testimonies in copies of the Book of Mormon for the missionaries to give out; mark your favorite scriptures.
*Scrapbook and preserve family memories.
*Set goals for the coming week, month, year, etc.
*Make family progress charts, tracking progress towards specific goals.
*Use salt dough or clay to construct a nativity scene or other scenes from the Scriptures.
*Make puzzles from pictures in old Ensigns and Friend magazines.
*Make handmade cards for birthdays, thinking-of-you, or get-well cards.
*Have personal family interviews with each child one-on-one.
*Practice being reverent by sitting quietly for a short period of time, listening to quiet music or General Conference.
*Review what was learned last week at church.
*Write letters by hand to extended family members.
*Watch Mormon Messages and/or Bible Videos and talk about how they made you feel and what they made you think.
*Read over patriarchal blessings.
*Study Preach My Gospel and role-play missionary conversations.
*Make a map of all the temples in the world to display in your home.
*Inventory your food storage and prepare for the future.
*Study next week's lesson for Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society.
*Take photographs of the blessings God has given you.
*Collect gospel quotes into a book and create picture quotes to share on social media.
*Make a quote jar from the most recent General Conference so you can read an uplifting quote when you're having a bad day.
Above all, make the Sabbath day feel different. This is the one day that you don't have to work or do housework. Decide conscientiously to dedicate this day to God as a kind of "time tithing." Keep worldly things for worldly days and sacred things for this sacred day. Spend time on things that bring you closer to God, the things that matter most.
Rest!
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