A family altar will alter your family.  One of the most important things you can do to secure the spiritual atmosphere in your home is establish a place of corporate prayer. For many families this is a difficult thing to accomplish.  Homework, ball practice, business trips, and extracurricular activities monopolize our time.  Unfortunately, some homes go weeks and months without praying together.  When constructing a family altar remember these five important suggestions:

1. Consistency

Inconsistency stumps our efforts and limits our growth.  Place this time together with your family as a top priority and stick to it.  Do it until it becomes habitual in your schedule.  We all struggle with making this happen on a frequent basis, but stay with it until it becomes a vital part of your daily activities.

2. Communication

This is not just a time to talk with God, but a time to talk with one another.  Share your burdens and your blessings.  Keep a journal or notebook and record one another’s thoughts and concerns.  Remember, a family altar is about putting down the electronic devices, looking one another in the face and actually speaking to each other like normal human beings.

3. Consecration

Incorporate praise and worship at your family altar.  Teach your children that worship is not confined to the walls of a church. Allow your home to become your sanctuary.  Worship the Lord together and dedicate that special moment to the Lord as a family.

4. Creativity

Don’t let your family altar become routine and boring. Change things up from time to time and make it interesting.  Do whatever you need to do to keep your kids involved.  Allow them to pray, or even lead the family occassionally.  Go online and get some ideas.  This is certainly a time of sincerity and reverence, but that doesn’t mean it has to be dull.

5. Camaraderie

Remember, this is about building a family that functions in the body of Christ.  The old saying is still true, “The family that prays together, stays together.”  Twenty years from now your children will cherish those small moments that you shared together.  Remember, you are not just building an altar, you are building a family.