Family Guide: May 31

Just for fun

See if you can answer these questions while you participate in online services.

• What is a lyric or phrase from one of today’s worship songs that is meaningful to you?
• Who was the kid pictured at the beginning of today’s sermon?
• What children’s story did the preacher read?  What did you learn from it?
• Who were the Bible characters mentioned that experienced doubt?

Before today’s sermon

• Think of a true statement and a false statement and say them both.  See if your family can identify each by responding with “I believe it” for the one they think is true and “I doubt it” for the one they think is false.  
• Think of a time when someone told you something that was hard to believe. What made you decide whether or not to believe them?

After today’s sermon

Work together as a family to come up with a definition of the word doubt and talk about how you think God views our doubt.  Identify if there are any doubts that are keeping you from taking the next step God wants you to take in your faith journey.

Discuss today’s sermon 

• Why is it important to identify and face our doubts?
• Name some of the different types of doubt that were mentioned in today’s sermon (from David Faust’s book “Taking Truth Next Door”.  Which type or types of doubt have you experienced?
• Review the 5 points on how to deal with doubt by unscrambling the words to fill in the blanks:
  • _____________ your doubts and ask God for help. (IAMTD)
  • Recognize that faith is a _____________, not a feeling.  (OHCCEI)
  • Lean into ______________ of faith.  (EEPPLO)
  • ____________ on your faith, not your doubts.  (CAT)
  • Acknowledge there are some things you will never ______________ until heaven. (STADDERUNN)

Later this week 

Gather a few supplies: paper, crayons, blindfold (hidden from sight until it’s time) and a picture of something. 

Show everyone a picture of something (feel free to pull it up on your phone), like a guinea pig, a transformer, or princess.  Tell everyone to look at it closely because they will soon be drawing it.  When everyone is ready and has their crayons and paper ready tell them to begin drawing what they saw in the picture but right before they begin, choose one person (a good sport, maybe a parent) and tell them they have to draw the picture while blindfolded.  Have a good laugh together after the blindfolded person reveals their picture to the family.  

Jesus tells us that even with full eyesight our eyes only tell part of the story. Jesus had risen from the dead, but Thomas wasn’t sure he believed it.  He doubted.  

Read John 20:26–29 or ask a volunteer to read.

• What did Jesus tell Thomas to do?
• What does Jesus say about people who have not seen him, but still believe? (They are blessed.)

Doubting Thomas taught all believers a very important lesson. It’s okay to be honest about our doubt.  We don’t need our eyes to see the Savior of the world because with the eyes of faith we can choose to believe, feel his love, hear his words and know that one day we will see his face.