10 Ideas for Creating a Christ-Centered Home Environment

The best way to start the day is with prayer and reading the Bible. Getting into God's Word daily is important to keep our faith strong. Sometimes, the Bible can be overwhelming. We've all been there. You simply don't know where to start. To help with this, find a devotional that speaks to you and use it to study the Bible.

You can also listen to different podcasts that read through the Bible chronologically in a year. I'm doing this right now, even though I just found The Daily Bible Podcast with Tricia and Michelle in June. Every day, I get an email with that day's Scripture reading and a link to the podcast. I prefer to listen on YouTube. Tricia Goyer is a bestselling Christian author, and her friend Michelle has worked in communications. They are simply two friends reading the Bible chronologically, hoping to encourage others to do so as well.

This has been a tremendous help to me because I am easily overwhelmed by reading the Bible. It keeps me on track by knowing what to read each day. Next year, I plan on starting from the beginning while listening to the podcast.

Worshiping God is very important, both in and out of church. Your family should attend church services weekly to worship and praise our Lord. This will also help your family strengthen bonds with other Christians and grow closer to the Lord.

However, worship isn't just for church. Turn up the contemporary Christian or praise and worship music in your home regularly. You can listen while doing chores, showering, or getting ready for the day. This will get you energized and ready to take on the day, knowing the Lord is with you.

If you have seen the movie War Room, this will resonate with you. Get a bulletin board, dry erase board, or large piece of paper and hang it somewhere prominent in your home where everyone can see it.

This is the place where everyone can write their prayer requests. These requests can be for themselves, friends and family, different situations they are involved in, etc. To make things more manageable, if there is a lot on the board, assign each family member to pray over a specific amount of prayers for the week. You should also gather as a family once a day and pray at the board.

This is a great way to remind you of your faith every day. Write your favorite Bible verses and then look in stores and online for items with those verses. If you have a favorite piece of Christian art work, buy a print and display it.

Even better, design your own Christian artwork and display it in your home. Have your kids draw pictures or create something with their favorite verse on it.

Take time every day to have devotional time as a family. This time is a time of prayer and reading. You could vote on what book of the Bible to start with and go from there. You should do this weekly, but if your schedule allows, you can also do it daily. Another way to make things easier is to purchase a family devotional.

Spend time as a family serving others. This is one of the greatest testimonies of your faith that you can do. Take some time to research the internet to find places where you can serve as a family. This could be in a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, food bank, etc.

When your family serves together, you will strengthen your bond and your bond with the community. Your kids will learn important life lessons like not judging people, empathy, and compassion. The people you are serving will be grateful that you took time out of your day to make them feel seen.

Our entertainment industry is full of garbage. With secular media, there is no such thing as family-friendly anymore. As an adult, I tire of getting into a show I love and then having to abandon it because of some kind of filth that is portrayed. I feel like no one can write a fantastic plot without all the swear words, graphic sex, and graphic violence.

This goes for not only movies and television shows but also books and music. I'm an avid reader, and there have been so many times that the plot of a book has intrigued me, only to read and come across a graphic sex scene or tons of swear words. No, thank you. I'm a fan of romance and have learned my lesson. I won't take a chance on it unless it is categorized as a clean romance. Music is just as bad. The artists that our youth look up to these days are appalling to me.

Therefore, make sure your family only consumes mostly Christian content. The only reason I say mostly is because we all have our favorite shows, movies, and music that may not be solely Christian. You should consume favorites that are PG or PG-13 with parental guidance. For example, you may love 80s music or old romantic comedy movies. We all have things we love that are from both sides of the spectrum.

Still, we should focus on consuming mostly Christian content. One of the best places to find faith-based movies and TV shows is the subscription service Great American Pure Flix. Introduce your kids to your favorite Christian music artists, both past and present. If you are an avid reader, introduce them to your favorite Christian authors. Also, be vigilant about what your kids are watching and listening to with their friends as well. Not every friend they have is going to be a Christian, so stay vigilant about what your kids are watching and listening to with their friends as well.

You can incorporate Christian media wherever you go. Listening to music or a podcast in the car. Taking a book with you when you go to an appointment. Putting a Christian movie on for the kids in the car when you are running around doing errands.

It's important to surround yourself with a Christian community. It's important to socialize with friends, family, and other members of the community who share the same faith as you.

You and your spouse should both have your own Christian friends and Christian couples that you hang out with. For example, you go for a coffee date with Jennifer, and your husband goes to shoot some hoops with Brian on a Saturday afternoon. Then you both meet up with Zach and Lisa for dinner that night. Your kids should have Christian friends as well, and it is your responsibility to teach them how to make friends.

Make sure that the church you are attending is food for your soul, aligns with God's word, and has a powerful community. This will help you have support, community, and encouragement in your life.

Your home should be a safe place to mess up. None of us are perfect, and we all make mistakes. We all need grace, and the home is the best place to find it. Remember that love is the goal, not perfection. There is enough judgment and hostility in the world. Home should be a safe space to share mistakes, hopes, and dreams.

Does this mean that parents shouldn't discipline children? No, not at all. Having a home full of grace and love does not mean that you can overlook poor behavior. Instead, discipline with firmness, love, and grace. This is much better than not disciplining at all.

It's important for every family to have goals. The goal of the family should be based on God's values, and the vision of the future should be consistent with His plan.

A good way to start is to create a family mission statement. The guiding statements should be consistent but flexible. The statement should reflect your focus on the eternal and your hope and excitement of coming face to face with Jesus one day.

An example of a family mission statement would be, "We commit to living the teachings of Jesus every day, growing closer to him through reading the Bible and serving others with love, grace, and humility."

There are all kinds of ways to create a Christ-centered home for your family. Decide what makes sense to you and start creating a home full of love, grace, and wisdom for anyone who comes to your door.