Amanda Friedman’s Reviews > Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms > Status Update

..”What friend does she wish she were closer to? What is she hoping for in returning to work? What is broken that we need to fix in our patterns? What is a goal she is hoping out working toward? Where does she feel our family is headed? What can we do about that?”

“One of my favorite things to do with Lauren, whether on a date night out vacation or long car ride, is to ask what she is thinking about for the future and what I’m thinking about.”

“When we practice covenant love, we tach our kids that love is not something you stop practicing just because you stop feeling like it. No love is something you finally feel because you keep practicing it.”

“So i give him a stern no, but also a secret wink to the rest of the family–[not] to remind him that I’m in charge, but to remind all those watching that you don’t have to be angry to be in charge; usually anger is not a sign of authority but a sign of those who fear they are losing authority.”

“For their sake, we need to embrace the reality that we are in charge and that that is exactly what they need. This is so important for protecting them from the consequences of their own self destruction. .. The greatest harm any of us can do to ourselves and others is to seek a world without limits or authority.”

“Worship and spiritual formation are happening in the normal.”

“A keystone habit is one that supports a lot of other good habits.”

“The most important habits will always be the source of questions and complaints.”

“It is always the smallest routines that build the strongest foundations.”

“At best, the morning rituals of a household support the reality that God loves us and his love is the defining fact of the universe. Here our habits of waking serve as gospel liturgies that push us into the arms of a father who loves us, and then sends us out into the world to love others. But at worst, our habits of waking indulge alternative realities where the universe depends on us and what we do today.”