Family Life

St. Paul is committed to nurturing the needs of families to know Jesus Christ, to grow in their faith, and to go out daily in His love. Family Life Ministry at St. Paul is dedicated to help families seek to embody the love of Christ by affirming, equipping and supporting families to live in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The church ensures this through Faith, Fellowship and Fun!

We find it important to showcase resources available for families to utilize. The resources on this page are just a few of the many resources available. 

We hope you find these resources helpful and uplifting! 

Websites

Concordia Publishing House (CPH)

In 1869, Concordia Publishing House was founded as a small St. Louis printery with the mission of providing doctrinally sound materials for churches and individuals. Today, our company thrives as a nationally recognized publishing company that offers churches, schools, and individuals more than 10,000 products and services. And while we continue to grow from our humble beginnings 150 years ago, our mission remains the same. CPH has many books and resources for children, youth, and parents.

Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM)

Lutheran Hour Ministries is a trusted resource in global media that equips and engages a vibrant volunteer base to passionately proclaim the Gospel to more than 136 million people worldwide each week. LHM’s flagship ministry, The Lutheran Hour®, airs weekly on more than 1,800 radio stations and the American Forces Network.


Apps

Adventures in Odyssey

It is an award-winning audio drama series created for ages 8-12 and enjoyed by the whole family.  Episodes often start with the grandfatherly Mr. Whittaker (“Whit”), who runs an ice cream shop called Whit’s End.  They last an average of twenty-five minutes and bring biblical principles to life, through a balance of fun, faith and imagination.

Bible App for Kids

By introducing children to 41 of the “big” Bible stories, the Bible App for Kids helps them understand the overall story that the Bible is telling. Kid-friendly navigation helps them find and select whichever story they want, then reads it aloud to them in a friendly narrative style. Throughout each story, fun, interactive animations keep children engaged, and select stories even include games designed to help them learn, understand, and retain important Bible story concepts.

The Bible App

It’s hard to stay centered on God & His Word. That’s why the free YouVersion Bible App gives you tools to seek God’s heart daily: listen to audio Bibles, create Prayers, study with Friends, explore 2,000+ Bible versions, and much more.

 

Bible Songs for Kids (Offline)(can be found in App Store)

Free Christian Songs for Children with Audio and Lyrics Available Offline Only for You.
This App includes beautiful Christian Songs for kids and toddlers for praising Jesus.
You can use this app anywhere, even in Church, without requirement of Internet Connection.

Echo Prayer (can be found in App Store)

Even with the constant pressures of daily life, prayer is as vital as it has ever been to stay centered and connected to God. Echo helps integrate prayer into your daily routine, allowing you to stay in conversation with God in the midst of your busy life.

 

LifeWay Kids (can be found in App Store)

Access all your favorite LifeWay Kids curriculum apps in one place! With this free viewer, you can download Bible Studies for Life, Explore the Bible, The Gospel Project, Levels of Biblical Learning, Bible Skills for Kids and Big Picture Question & Answers apps for kids and preschoolers. These fun and engaging apps include games, puzzles, and content that will help reinforce your kids’ Sunday School lessons at home.

Parent Cue

We’re a group of family experts and everyday parents coming together to help inspire you to make every fleeting moment count before your kids move on to their next big adventure. We want to remind you why what you do is so important. To help you focus on what matters most. We want to discover parenting along with you, and let you know you’re not alone.


Portals of Prayer

Portals of Prayer has been a favorite of generations of readers, a timeless daily source of strength and comfort since 1937. Each daily devotion includes a Bible reading, meditation and prayer to apply to your daily life. (Concordia Publishing House)

 


At Home Studies

Kids of Integrity

The discussion questions and activities presented in Kids of Integrity are designed to engage children aged three to ten. Since this is a self-directed program, please use your discretion in selecting activities and choose only those that are suitable for your child’s maturity and ability.

Seeds Family Worship

Seeds Family Worship is a ministry on mission to see God’s Word, the Bible, planted in as many homes and hearts as possible around the world. Seeds creates Scripture memory songs for kids by setting verses from the Bible to music. We have a library of 167 songs and videos written to word-for-word Scripture. Songs make memorizing the Bible easy and fun. Our songs are written for kids but also made to be enjoyed by all members of the family.


Social Media

Drive Faith Home

FACEBOOK: We help church leaders REACH and DISCIPLE busy families in their community.

 

 

Focus on the Family

FACEBOOK/ TWITTER/ INSTAGRAM : Focus on the Family is a global Christian ministry that helps build thriving marriages that reflect God’s design, and equips parents to raise their children according to morals and values grounded in biblical principles.

 

Parent Cue

FACEBOOK: We’re a group of family experts and everyday parents coming together to help inspire you to make every fleeting moment count before your kids move on to their next big adventure. We want to remind you why what you do is so important. To help you focus on what matters most. We want to     discover parenting along with you, and let you know you’re not alone.

 

 

Books

(All book links will take you to Amazon.com) 

Gospel-Centered Parent

This 9-session small group resource will help Christian parents apply the gospel of Jesus Christ to their families. Each lesson looks at parenting through the lens of God’s grace for sinners (parents and children) and gives parents a gospel-center to their parenting. Parents will learn how to live out the biblical principles of faith, repentance, and faithfulness to their calling as Christian parents with their children. Each lesson is self-contained, featuring clear teaching from biblical Scripture, and requires no extra work outside of the group setting.
(Used as Parent Study at St. Paul – Fall 2019)
(Books are available from the St. Paul Family Life Office)


Gospel-Centered Family

In twelve concise chapters, Gospel-Centered Family takes us through the major Bible principles for family life, challenging us to give up our ‘respectable’ middle-class idols, and to become the distinctively different people that God, through His gospel, calls us to be. 
(Used as Parent Study at St. Paul – Spring 2019)
(Books are available from the St. Paul Family Life Office)


Holding Your Family Together

Imagine a home where every person feels loved, valued, and heard. Imagine a family that seeks God’s wisdom, will, and Word together. Imagine an intimate, affectionate community where every night is an experience of caring, sharing, comfort, and peace. You can make this beautiful picture a reality in your home. But it won’t happen by accident–you need a plan! Holding Your Family Together is a workable, powerful plan based on a simple nightly routine: Share, Read, Talk, Pray, Bless. This is FAITH5, and it has transformed families around the world. No matter your child’s age or your family’s unique situation, FAITH5 can work for you. Inside you’ll find everything you need to get your family into a nightly habit that will open your hearts to each other and to God.


Sticky Faith

This easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children’s spiritual growth so that it will stick with them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. Written by Fuller Youth Institute Executive Director Dr. Kara E. Powell and youth expert Chap Clark–authors known for the integrity of their research and the intensity of their passion for young people–Sticky Faith is geared to spark a movement that empowers adults to develop robust and long-term faith in kids of all ages.
(Used as Parent Study at St. Paul – Spring 2018)
(Books are available from the St. Paul Family Life Office)


Loved & Sent

“I’ve come to know who I am in two words. They guide everything that I believe, think, and do. I am loved by God in Jesus. I am sent by God into the world.” –from the author So many people are starving for identity and meaning today. Loved and Sent describes how God took extraordinary action to address those two fundamental human needs. The author walks through his own quest for identity and meaning, revisiting core Christian convictions in a narrative style and making sense of why they matter today. As Christians, we often stutter when someone asks, “Who are you? What do you believe? Why does it matter to you?” We get a unique chance to share our heart, and we say too much—or nothing at all. Discover in this thought-provoking book who you are and why you matter, and then you’ll have something of greater value to share with someone else.


Homegrown

In this 6-session study, discover the fruit of the Spirit in the context of your parenting, learn how to cultivate growth in your children, and explore practical ways to live out the fruit of the Spirit together.

(Used as Newsletter Series at St. Paul – 2019-2020)

 

Shepherding a Child’s Heart

Written for parents with children of any age, this insightful book provides perspectives and procedures for shepherding your child’s heart into the paths of life. Shepherding a Child’s Heart gives fresh biblical approaches to child rearing.

 

 

The Disciple-Making Parent

Your children will either live forever with Jesus or apart from him. Too many growing up in Christian homes will not follow Christ as adults. Do you have a strategy for parenting in today’s hostile culture? The Disciple-Making Parent will give you confidence in your journey.
In the Disciple-Making Parent you will learn: The North Star to Guide Your Parenting; The Process Second-Generation Christians Go Through; The Reasons Young People Walk Away from the Faith; Nine Powerful Influences Found in Wise Families; How Your Example Can Commend the Gospel; What Your Children are Watching at Home; How to Explain Hypocrisy to Them; Why the Heart is the Most Important Part of Them (and How to Stay Connected; How Discipline Prepares Them for the Gospel; How To Clearly Explain the Gospel to Little Children; How to Nourish Them with the Word of God; Different Ways to Have Family Devotions (and When to Stop); How to Cast a Vision of the World; How to Pray for Your Children (and for Yourself); The Doubts Your Children Will Experience and What You Can Do; How to Deal with the Electronics and Media Tsunami. And Much More.


Christ-Centered Parenting

Christ-Centered Parenting is a six-session study that will help equip parents of children, youth, and young adults to navigate difficult and complex cultural issues that face our families today. Each session in the Bible Study Book include a Viewer Guide, Group Discussion Questions, three articles with reflection questions to be read throughout the week, and Big Idea summaries for different age groups – Preschoolers, Early Elementary, Pre-Teens, Middle Schoolers, High Schoolers, and Young Adults.


Can I Ask That?

Teenagers are tired of vague or nonexistent answers to their tough questions about God, the Bible, and Christianity. Just when they’re capable of diving into the deep end of their faith, all too often the church keeps them splashing around in shallow waters. As eight years of Sticky Faith research on teenagers has shown, it’s not doubt or hard questions that are toxic to faith. It’s silence. The trusted voice of the Fuller Youth Institute and proven best practices from churches around the country converge to provide you with tools both to start conversations about hard questions, as well as to lead students toward discovering their own faith convictions.


Kindling the Heart (Family Edition): Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders

Kindling the Heart: Nurturing Young Christ-like Servant Leaders provides 52 devotions. Each time you meet around God’s Word, a Big Idea, some Talking Points and an easy-to-implement Try This action with your family. Bit by bit you plant seeds and water the hearts and minds of your children. God will be faithful in providing the growth.

 

 

Joining Jesus on His Mission

Are you ready to go beyond living your life for Jesus to living life with Jesus?
Joining Jesus on His Mission will alter the way you see your life as a follower of Jesus.
Simple, powerful and applicable insights show you how to be on mission and recognize where Jesus is already at work in your neighborhoods, workplaces and schools.
(Congregational Study at St. Paul – 2016 to present)

 

Joining Jesus Show Me How

The way Jesus disciples people is simple and results in unschooled, ordinary followers participating in the mission of the Father and discipling others to do the same. This book will help you regain the clarity and simplicity of how Jesus disciples people in the gospels so that you can disciple your children, friends, neighbors or fellow church members to get up, follow Jesus and join him on his mission, too.

 


Arch Books

Arch® Books have brought Bible stories to life for millions of children worldwide since 1965. Perfect bedtime reading for children ages 5 to 9, Arch Books have long been trusted to teach important Bible stories with language and artwork that speak to preschoolers and beginner readers. (Concordia Publishing House)

 

 

Podcasts

Parent Cue

We’re a group of family experts and everyday parents coming together to help inspire you to make every fleeting moment count before your kids move on to their next big adventure. We want to remind you why what you do is so important. To help you focus on what matters most. We want to discover parenting along with you, and let you know you’re not alone.


More Than A Song Podcast

Creating a new podcast episode every week since 2014, taking songs that are playing on the radio and pointing the listeners back to God’s Word. The podcasts are not an editorial on the song. Sometimes it shares the back story if they can find it, but they never lose sight of what is really important — getting into God’s Word and letting Scripture speak louder than any lyric.

Boundless

We know that life is a journey. The young adult years are full of possibilities and choices that shape who we will become — it’s a season of adulthood that feels boundless. As a ministry of Focus on the Family, the Boundless community exists to help you navigate the path with biblical wisdom and intention. We challenge you to maximize these years — to          embrace new responsibilities, own your faith, date with purpose, prepare for marriage and, above all, honor God in        everything you do.

Focus on the Family Parenting Podcast

The Focus on Parenting Podcast provides moms and dads with helpful tips on how to be a better parent each day to help raise kids on the right path.

 

 

Family Pointe Resources

Family Pointe is the St. Paul Resource wall in our west lobby. All resources on this wall are available for all families to use!

Parenting Through the Phases (Books/Cards/Trifolds)

Because each of the approximately 936 weeks from when a child is born to when he or she graduates from high school will seem to fly by, there is a guide for each year from newborn through 18 with research-driven information, engaging activities, spiritual reflection, and milestone celebrations.
In each guide, you’ll discover: what’s changing about a kid over the next 52 weeks, the 6 things he or she needs most, and 4 conversations to have in this phase.
While we can’t guarantee that these guides have all the answers, we can guarantee that they’ll help you make the most of every phase in a child’s life.

Faith Talk with Children

These faith-sharing cards are designed for adults to have face-to-face and faith-to-faith time with children ages 3-11. There are 24 share cards in each of four areas: Memories, Growing Together, Actions & Feelings, and Wondering. This is a great baptismal gift to a family and an excellent resource for grandparents.

 

Topical Books

Family Pointe has additional books on a range of topics. If there is a specific topic that you are looking for please contact the Director of Family Life Ministry, they can help find and locate the resources you are needing.


Family Devotionals

Family Pointe has many devotional books for families to use. Including the “Classic Family Devotions” and Sarah Young’s “Jesus Today Devotions for Kids”.