9 tips for a successful family prayer time

Praying with kids can be more messy than holy, especially when you are just beginning to pray together, and especially when young children are involved. Know that you are not alone: hundreds of generations of Christian parents have had the same experience. Setting aside a regular time to pray together as a family is the first step towards a lifelong habit of prayer for your kids. TCK has nine strategies for getting started, plus tips for dealing with those “prayer time crazies.”

Invocations: Super-short prayers for when life gets crazy

You’ve got a baby in one arm, groceries in the other, your toddler somehow got your phone, which is ringing—quick, what do you do? When you need to pray but don’t really have time to sit down and compose yourself, an invocation might be just the ticket. Invocations (or “pious invocations”) are very short prayers—usually a phrase or sentence—that can be said once (as a quick, spontaneous prayer during stressful or busy times) or repeated over and over as a way of meditating on the presence of God.